DCR-HC1000 4ch sound will work with vegs 5.0?

ambient66 wrote on 8/20/2004, 12:00 AM
i need to know iwhen a recording of audio in 4 ch sound and video done with the DCR-HC1000 using the optinal ECMCQP1 mic....will vegas 5.0 reconise it? i know it recognies 2 chanell sound, but with this new camcorder, and recodring in 4 channels........will vegas 5.0 understand it and be able to read all 4 channels and show them on the time line? thus allowing me to render in 5.1 ??? please contact me at ambient67@yahoo.com if u know the answer , and thanks

Comments

Spot|DSE wrote on 8/20/2004, 12:56 AM
No. Vegas will not recognize the 4 channels. Scenelyzer is a good tool for 4 channel capture. I believe it's actually a 5 channel capture, since when Sony showed/announced this, they said it's Click to DVD feature (which doesn't have an encoder, I don't believe) it delivers 5.1 audio.
It's also 12 bit/32k audio, which means you have really poor resolution in the 4 channel mode. Think of comparing a 300dpi tif to a 72dpi tif image file. Similar sort of process in a simplified way.
ambient66 wrote on 8/26/2004, 11:53 PM
WELL I WANT TO MAKE SHORT FILMS IN 5.1...AND THOGHT IT LOOKED, COOL...I MEAN INSTAED OF LOGING ABOUT A EXTRA AUDIO DEVICE TO RECORED THE REAR SOUNDS. BUT IF VEAGAS WILL NOT UNDERSTAND THE SOUNDS THREW FIREWIRE ( LIKE CLICK TO DVD DOES)...THEN DO U HAVE ANY IDEA ON THE BENIFTS OF THE DCR-HC1000 EXTRA 4 CHEANEL MIC? I LOVE SONY BUT FOR THEM TO MAKE A CAMERA LIKE THIS AND FOR IT NOT TO WORK WITH VEGAS ( AS EXPENISVE IT IS ) ......DOES NOT MAKE SENCE TO ME. AMBIENT67@YAHOO.COM
farss wrote on 8/27/2004, 4:11 AM
Why doesn't it make sense?
They make many things that don't work with Vegas, come to think of it they make a few that don't work period!
MicroMV was / is one of them, DVD camcorders would come close also.

I can see a very good reason why this thing shouldn't work with Vegas, it's strictly for the consummer market, a flashy toy. You need to think through just how this thing is going to work and when you understand that try to see how it will give a pretty aweful result.

It records 4 channels at 12/32K. Normal DV is 16/48K, more bit depth and higher sample rate. So already your audio is compromised. Then it's going to use a cheap 'trick' microphone to capture 'surround' sound with I don't know what sort of imaging going on. If nothing else as soon as you put the camera to your
head the sound field will be ruined.

If you are determined to use this thing there's no drama getting it into Vegas, use Scenalyser to capture, that's all, it's only around USD 40, so hardly a big impost.

I'd also mention that from the little I know about recording 5.1 on location, 4 channels isn't enough to do a decent job, maybe there's some trick to deriving a centre channel from it, personaly I'd have an extra channel and mic just for dialogue.

Bob.
ambient66 wrote on 8/29/2004, 1:03 AM
well i have everyting sony.....BUT im starting to hate them......my sony vaio pc has optical out, but when i hook it up to a 5.1 iinput to DECODE IT....it does not work! i have used vegas 5.0 and added audio tracks for a 5.1 mix......and it played the basic 2 channel sound out of the optical output my vaio has! pisses me off, here i am buying everyting sony and i dont get NO BENIFIT! what video camcorder do you recomend ( i want to make mvies and 1394 fireire to my pc, and burn to dvd.......BUT......im on a tigh buget. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.
farss wrote on 8/29/2004, 2:17 AM
To feed a Dolby 5.1 signal down a SPDIF line it has to be encoded first. Encoding dolby isn't realtime and even if it was it's not a good way to do a 5.1 mix.

The issue with the DCR-HC1000 has nothing to do with Sony directly, the specifications for DV camcorders were written a long time ago and then it was at the limits of the technology. My only beef with the camera is the way they're trying to push the envelope.

As for a good camera, depends on your budget, avoid the ones with lots of gimmicks (which is most of them), Cannon XL2s get a good rap, Panasonic DVC 30E is another not overly expensive camera built for pros not consummers, Sony TRV 80 is OK also. Whatever you buy, allow enough in the budget for a good tripod. Even you're really tight for money Panasonic have a cheap three CCD model, bit too small for my liking but takes nice picture, definately not aimed at the pro market though.

Bob.
B.Verlik wrote on 8/29/2004, 2:20 AM
I hate to say it, but Sony does make some pretty good Digital 8 camcorders that are not too real expensive. I hear what you're saying. Just give yourself a couple of months to figure everything out. It's not something that happens overnight. Once you get the kinks out, you'll be okay. It's never as easy as the ads make it sound. And yet, once you get use to it, it is.