Thank you for pointing that out. I've run into the solution previously but I didn't think it applied to me for some reason. It fixed my problem.

Does anybody know if there is hope of an update from Sony to fix this issue?

Thanks David...I may have to resort to that...I just get nervous about changing files on a brand new computer/operating system....but it is good to know someone is intelligent on these matters.

Agree with others...Sony must be aware of this bug...hope they are working on a fix.

I will report back of my progress. Gordon

I don't blame you for being nervous about changing files like this. Fortunately, the changes are completely reversible, if they don't help you. Also, the changes (for 64-bit versions of Windows) are to files exclusive to your Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 9 installation, and not to any operating system files. Knowing those things help make the changes seem less scary.

Yes, Sony is aware of the bug, and as I understand it it has been fixed in Vegas Pro 9 (which I don't have). (I believe Vegas Movie Studio 9 was derived from Vegas Pro 8, which also has the problem.) If so, it seems reasonable to assume that whenever a new version of Vegas Movie Studio is released that this problem will be fixed in that new version.

Good luck!

David....oh yeah...I am running 64bit version...forgot to mention that. Anyway, I downloaded the CFF Explorer program you recommended. I navigated my way around and was able to find and change the VegasMovieStudioPE90.exe file. At first it would not let me over-ride the orginal file....as was mentioned in other threads on this subject...then I went into my Properties page of the VMS and selected the "Compatibility" tab. I changed the drop down menu in the "Compability Mode" to "Windows Vista (Service Pack2)...there was not a Windows 7 or Serivce Pack3 option.
I also went further down the "Compatibility" page and under "Privilige Level", I checked the box "Run this program as an administrator". That allowed me to make the over-ride to the VegasMovieStudioPE90.exe file. That was the only file I changed...I started VMS and the program rendered my AVCHD files in record time. I don't know if I really needed to change the other files or not...but as I have a bunch more video editing to do to upload to Vimeo....I will report my progress.
So far...so good....Thanks.

David...I seemed to have resolved my rendering problem. As part of my initial solution-search I send my issue (described in my first entry above) to Sony Tech Support via email. I got the following personalized reply. Thought you and others might be interested in their recommendations. Your thoughts?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Gordon,

Thank you for contacting Sony Creative Software.

If Vegas Movie Studio Platinum is installed on Windows 7, Windows Vista will still appear in the Help menu; you can disregard this as is will not have any effect on the functionality of your software.

When working with AVCHD video, the first thing you will want to make sure of is that you have used Vegas to import the files from the Camcorder (Under Project > Import AVCHD camcorder). This will ensure that the files have been properly copied to your local drive and unwrapped to the correct format (*.m2ts files). If you haven't already started your project using this workflow, then you may want to start over and reimport your clips.

Here are some options for troubleshooting the issue you are describing.

1. Go to Options / Preferences / General Tab... scroll to the bottom and uncheck Enable No Recompress for Long-GOP rendering

2. Try going to Options / Preferences / Video tab. Try adjusting your Dynamic RAM Preview. You can set this first to 0 and test rendering. If this doesn't help, try raising the number to a setting between 400 - 800; and lower the maximum number of rendering threads. You may want to run a test by setting this value to 1.

3. Try using one of the lower Bit-Rate settings while selecting the Sony AVC or MainConcept MPEG-2 formats.

4. Try using to AVCHD 1440x1080 NTSC (or PAL) Template

5. Render to a different non-AVCHD format, import the rendered file back into a new project in Vegas and then re-encode the video to AVCHD;

Formats that also allow for HD 1920x1080 export:

MainConcept MPEG-2
Video for Windows *.avi

If you're burning to Blu-Ray disc, then the MainConcept MPEG-2 format will be a good alternative to AVCHD.

6. Turn off thumbnails and display in timeline during your render. To do this, go to View / Waveforms and Frames.

If you still have a follow-up question on this particular incident, please feel free to update it. If you have a completely different question, please create a new incident.

Sincerely,

Cassie K.
Customer Service
Sony Creative Software Inc
www.sonycreativesoftware.com

Thanks for posting the reply you received from Sony. Some of the suggestions are interesting.

I've never used the "Import AVCHD camcorder" option but I'll have to give it a try. However, I've never had any problem just copying files directly from my camcorder (a Canon Vixia HF200) to my computer's hard disk with Windows Explorer and then bringing them into my Vegas projects via the Vegas Explorer tab. I believe several people have experienced problems with Vegas crashing when they have tried importing their AVCHD material as the suggestion recommends. Maybe the issues depend on the brand or model of camcorder used; it might also only be relevant for very long clips (>2GB) because they will be segmented by the camcorder into files none of which exceed 2GB.

Some of the suggestions (1, 3, 4, and 5) are a little bit troubling because they (generally) involve degraded quality of the rendered video as compared to what should be possible if the bug weren't present. Also, suggestions 1, 2, and 5 could/should result in longer render times.

However, if they work, then it's always good to know more options that might help. Personally, my first choice to fix the problem remains modifying the executables with CFFExplorer. That's because it's reversible if it doesn't help, it's a benign change to the executables (it only affects how Windows loader works, not how Vegas works), it doesn't require any change to your workflow (once you make the modifications, if they work for you then you can forget about it and use Vegas as it was intended just as if there was never any problem), it doesn't eliminate any of your rendering options, it doesn't increase the rendering time, and it doesn't degrade the quality of the rendered results.

As with any bug, ultimately, the manufacturer needs to fix the problem. Until then, users need to find some workaround that works for them. Unless there is one workaround that works for everyone, the more options that might help, the better.

David...thanks for the feedback...always enlightening to hear other users views. I have no problems copying files made in my video camera to the computer either. I have a Canon VIXIAHF10 which I use in the field a lot to video my son's Ultimate Frisbee tournaments. I found that using the SDHC Extreme III memory cards (class 6) makes downloading and file management quite easy for me.

I agree...some the recommendations from Sony Tech I did not understand...or implement. Your work around fix is serving me just fine. I also agree that Sony should fix the bug problem that seems to be plaging users.

I am chasing this same situation (cannot render) -have tried to make the changes to the VMS files using the CFF Explorer but having the "can not overide current file" problem so changes do not get saved . I am the only user on this PC (Win 7- 64bit) so am the administrator. Tried SedgDad's solution (above) but just can not find "a Compatibility Tab" in Properites or Preferences on in "help" in VMS. Can some one point me at it -please..
Frustration !!
I have been in video editing a while with Adobe Elements and others but never have I had this level of difficulty - - came to Vegas to do AVCHD (hey it is a Sony thing) but what a drill getting it to do it ...
Thanks, K

The Compatibility tab of the Properties page SedgDad referred to is actually something you access from Windows Explorer, not from Vegas!

What you need to do is run Windows Explorer. Navigate to the directory where you installed Sony Vegas (probably something like C:/Program Files/Sony/Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 9).

Find a file you want to modify with CFFExplorer, and right click on it. In the pop up menu that appears, left click on Properties.

Along the top of the Properties window, click on the tab labeled Compatibility.

The Compatibility mode drop down box control is in the upper third of the window there.

Windows XP (what I have) doesn't have the Privilege Level control that SedgDad mentioned. I think that was added for Vista and Windows 7. But setting that to "Run this program as an administrator" is probably the thing that you need to set to let you "override" the file with CFFExplorer.

You will have to repeat that for each of the files that you want to modify with CFFExplorer.

Dave,
Great info I will work thru it and hope I can get this 20 min time line with nt2s video and jpg stills to render. Sony tech had me try to render a "media generator" 10 sec color panel = rendered into an avi file on the HDD in a heart beat (OK 5 secs) but when I told them that, they came back with the same list of "try this" as above -indicating they really do not know why AVCHD (a Sony product) will not render in VMS (a Sony product) ... if this fix with CFF Explorer does not work I am not sure where to go ..
You are a real prince (OK at knight) for staying on this forum and providing help that Sony can not ...Thanks again, K

You're welcome, knockatoone! Hopefully all these things will work for you.

But just in case the steps SedgDad suggested don't work and CFFExplorer still can't override the original Vegas files, here's a plan B: I'd try using those Compatibility tab steps on the CFFExplorer program file itself.

Good luck!