If you are thinking about a cool new High-Def camcorder from Sony - then have a quick read and save yourself almost £1,000 We bought the HDR-SR1 from a Sony Centre. When buying the product, we asked very carefully about which format was used for storing the captured video - and were told MPEG2. I don't think the guy was lying, as much as he had not got a clue. (Note: There is an MPEG2 option for SD - but not the highly advertised/promoted HD for which you would actually buy this camera) AVC will, no doubt, be a big thing in 2008. However, here in the back-end of 2006, it is next to useless. I can confirm no luck editing with any of the Adobe, Ulead, Avid or (for a laugh) Microsoft products around. What is really sad is that the latest 'Platinum' version of Sony's own VEGAS editing software also fails to see the files that the HDR-SR1 produces. Not being able to get a deal in place on CODECs etc with rivals is one thing... ...but to be 7 versions into their own HD editing software and still not have an 'agreement' with themselves seems daft. If I have completely missed the point - then please feel free to correct me and I will scoff humble pie with a large spoon... ...but Sony's latest HD editing software not being able to see Sony's own file format on Sony's own latest HD camcorder is just plain bonkers What kind of idiots work there ? BTW: Just so you know, I rang a bunch of other Sony Centres and they all think Sony supply AVC editing software with the camera. When asked, they also give the 'It stores files as MPEG2' response. Also Sony's own support line spent 30 minutes trying to suggest a way to make the HD footage captured by their camera useful in some way - but gave up and apologised. We then tried their software support team for 10 minutes and - finally - their US software support team. No replies anywhere. The charming Aimee, Tory and Emma who run Sony's PR team all seemed a little busy preparing for the slopes in Aspen - but they were quite happy that all of the reviews received so far were 'glowing'... Hmmmm... OVERALL: Crappy show from one of the leading lights of the broadcast industry
I'm sure a bad experience with one salesman and a few personal problems setting it up are no reason not to buy the model. I believe, on the whole, it got quite good reviews. I'm not entirely sure what your problem is, as your post is quite incoherent, but the AVCHD is a new format so video editing software doesn't yet support it. Give it time and there will be support.
Methinks not - but let me simplify... Sony make and promote new camera New camera creates files in an 'M2TS format' AFAIK, no product on the planet can import/edit this format That includes Sony's very own HD editing software There... ...is that clearer ? (BTW: One person in one shop is one thing. Ringing multiple stores and hearing the same cock-eyed advice in harmony is mis-direction)
I don't think the post was incoherent at all, and I would be extremely unimpressed if it happened to me. It doesn't matter that a lot of people think it stores files as mpeg2, and that's technically correct anyway. And it doesn't really even matter that customer service thinks they ship editing software that supports the new format - these are just cases of poorly trained phone representatives. What matters is that Sony's own editing suite doesn't support their own format. It's not like the HDTV issue, because the television manufacturers weren't the content producers. This would be like the BBC producing their own line of HDTVs and advertising that they already broadcast content at 1080i, but when you bought one and got it home you discovered that they actually didn't. I'll be surprised if somewhere on the camera box there isn't a sentence that at least implies HD editing, and the feature isn't supported.
Yeah .m2ts is MPEG-2 Transport Stream. To quote Alx Klive's WorldTV Blog: http://www.custcenter.com/cgi-bin/sonypictures.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=2634 Currently, you can only view the files, not edit them. I believe it is possible to re-encode the files using CoreAVC and TMPGEnc then editing may be possible, but I'm not sure how effective it is.
I genuinely hope I am wrong and that there is a 'saviour suite' out there somewhere - but I doubt it I would happily pay ~£100 for the Sony Vegas suite if it would help... ...but I don't think it does Also, if the first time you realise that this camera is next to useless is when you try to import video to a PC - then you are pretty much stuck because the conversion to MPEG2 seems to 'squeeze' the footage in a painful way
According to Wikipedia, Canopus Procoder 2.0 will allow you to convert AVCHD to any format suitable for your video editing suite of choice. According to Sony, there will be a free patch for Vegas 7 in spring 2007, so the wait isn't very far off. I do agree, though, that it is very odd for a company to produce a new product, but not offer full support for that product at launch. You'd think that while the engineers were developing the new format, they would inform the software folks who write video editing programs. That way, a free patch would be available now. (Edit) After glancing around on some other forums, I came across this little gem, as well: Sound issues with Hi-Def recordings. Supposedly it's fixable with a firmware update, but that's not something a person should expect from a $1200-$1500 camera. -monkey
I think that if a camcorder is released with no supported editing software and a compression format that is alien to every industry-recognised editing suite, that is VERY good grounds to not buy the product. It's like buying food for someone that can't eat!
Checking the web - Sony seemed to start talking about AVC around 7 years ago H.264 was shown publicly around 18 months ago When Sony did their press activities around the camera (and, specifically, AVCHD) back in July, they listed the following 'Computer Editing Software Suppliers':- Adobe Cyberlink Intervideo Nero Sonic Solutions Sony Vegas Ulead Porkies 'r' us methinks Overall... ...fantastic concept - but fatally flawed I am going to spend a few more days trying different paths to see if I can edit this footage one way or another - but I think a refund is the most likely outcome
Yeah, agreed - hence why I wouldn't have bought it. I think Sony actually said that those companies *intended* to support the format, not that they actually did yet.
I did get the camera, and I like it. I have a Core Duo 2600 - Nvidia 7900 GTX - Clevo 5760 laptop, and use 2x500GB esata drives via ExpressCard34 for video storage off the HDR-SR1. The only software I've used successfully, so far, is PowerDVD Ultra 7.2. It plays the HDR-SR1 HD clips and has a couple AVCHD editing features (1) various playback speeds, including frame-by-frame advance (not reverse - there is button but its inactive), (2) frame capture (to clipboard or file). (3) Extract sections of clips and save. There may be others, but I just started today. Its difficult to scroll forwards and back, because the laptop is not hefty enough to quickly handle it. But, the frame capture looks like I'm using a digital camera - very cool coming from video. I'm watching for true AVCHD editing features, but nothing complicated or intensive. Good luck, if you have the SR1 camera.
Well, as the best way I can describe the situation is in hax talk "Roflmao, u got panwed, Sony si teh sux imo" Edit: Firefox spell checker was screaming at me typing out that one...
LOL, pawned or panwed or whatever is not in my spell check either. Maybe, but I hope not (in two months). As much as I hate Sony as a company (many personal reasons), I think this camera may have a good future. Also, Panasonic has two AVCHD cameras coming but I'm not that religious. On the good side, the Sony super-steady-shot (or whatever its called) was the best among the cameras I compared at local stores. I noticed a big difference between Panasonic and Sony, but I'm no expert and this is easy enough to check yourself. If I was patient, I would recommend waiting for a true 1080p camera, and AVCHD software suites. But, the SR1 had the few features I needed. I think the AVCHD will not be a problem in a couple months. For example, the December Vegas Update 7.0c continues to expand HD and AVC capabilities, as seen here in Vegas 7.0c release notes: http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/download/step1.asp?catid=2 I almost can believe there will be AVCHD support in Spring 2007 (like September or October - isn't that springtime in Auzzie-land?). Happy New Year. Wish me luck with the SR1 - ...
My issue is that camcorders (in this day and age) and true plug 'n' play devices I can't remember the last time I saw a camera plugged into a PC where Windows did not offer to pull the video into whatever package you have available Then you have to consider that the non-HDD version of the HDR-SR1 camera also plugs directly into programs like Premiere (with the HD patch) That Sony are selling a camcorder whose High-Def content (probably - proviso against gurus with doom9.org PDFs on dark magic methods) cannot be edited with any of the packages in the market - including their own... ...and there is nothing on the box - on the camera - in the store - on their adverts - on their web site - or out of their sales assistants mouths to say "By the way - completely unedittable content there mate"... ...means I think they are acting/living/marketing somewhere in the duplicitous-zone Is this the same as advertising a bottle as 'rare vintage wine' - 10 years before it is ? Once you know what you are looking for (i.e. by reading this thread)... ...you can then look at Sony's site and see just how carefully they have picked their way around the issues with their use of language They know (for the time being at least) that what they are selling is 'wrong' and 'crippled' - but they have adopted a heads-down approach - rather than an open and honest posture That tells you all you need to know about the on-going mind-set of the company that brought the world 'root kits' (whether you wanted one or not) Should we blame David Patton for Sony deliberately 'shielding' this horrible weakness in their latest (otherwise) cool product - or could he reasonably say that he was 'only following orders' ?
For starters I think you were pretty damn rude to MJ and merely taking your anger out which is not cool. If people are trying to help and you dont understand, just ask. Check out dltv 121: http://dl.tv/2006/12/episode_121_internet_over_cell.php They talk about AVCHD conversion. I've not read the whole thread but some answers there may have been covered already. I honest to god dont know why people are so suprised about getting ****ed over when they buy a Sony product. It happens time and again that they choose to go their own route and make their own codecs and propriatory systems in every-single-product type that they release. SD? No memory stick! UMD, BluRay, MiniDisk, etcetc
