Sony Vegas 6 Manual

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Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting resources
Visit the Sony Media Software Web site to access product updates, look for answers in the knowledge base, 
contact customer support, or participate in an online forum:
http://www.sonymediasoftware.com
Common questions
Why are some of my DirectX plug-ins not working correctly?
Vegas® software is a nondestructive time-based editor. As a result, there are certain types of DirectX® plug-
ins that perform poorly in Vegas...

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RAM usage
You could be gapping because virtual memory is being used. Virtual memory is a method used by Microsoft 
Windows to write information to your hard drive to make room in physical RAM. This process uses a lot of 
your computer’s resources. Try the following to optimize RAM usage:
 Exit all background applications not in use.
 Adjust the playback buffering slider on the Audio tab in the Preferences dialog. Adjust this slider as low as 
possible. However, be aware...

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Why can’t I work with footage captured using an MJPEG card?
Vegas software requires that you have the MJPEG codec (for the MJPEG card used to capture the video) 
installed locally on your workstation. Check to make sure that the appropriate MJPEG codec is installed on 
your PC.
Trouble-free video: software solutions
There are literally dozens of possible configurations of hardware for editing video on a PC. While it is 
impossible to go into detail for each and every system,...

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Hard disk
The second most common problem is slow hard disks. Until recently, fast, expensive SCSI AV hard disks 
were required to properly capture and play back video on a PC. Slow hard disk problems also manifest 
themselves with jerky video playback, although the stutters are less frequent and of longer duration than if 
the video subsystem is the problem. Slower hard disks (e.g., 5400 RPM IDE) can cause an occasional 
dropped frame. DV enthusiasts have fewer problems due...

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Audio proxy files (.sfap0)
Working with certain types of media files with particular audio compression schemes can be inefficient and 
slow. To compensate for this, Vegas software creates audio proxy files for formats that are known to 
dramatically impact performance. There are two cases where this occurs.
Multimedia video files often contain both video and audio information. In certain formats, these two streams 
can be packed together in such a way as to make editing slow...

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The next illustration shows the effects of incorrectly interlacing a frame of video. In this case, F2 from frame 
one is combined with F1 from frame two. Remember that there is nothing inherently right or wrong with a 
field order of F2/F1; it just happens to be wrong in this case. At a minimum, this can create slightly blurry or 
hazy video. In most situations, the video is jumpy or jittery and is unwatchable. Interlacing problems can be 
especially noticeable when two...

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In the application, you can select the field order of a project by choosing Properties from the File menu and 
clicking the 
Video tab. The pre-configured templates should work for almost everyone (e.g., if you are editing 
and outputting DV video in the US, select the NTSC DV template). If you have problems, you can 
manually select a different field order on the 
Video tab. You can also override the project settings and set the 
field order when you render a video file....

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SMPTE Drop Frame (29.97 fps, Video)
SMPTE Drop Frame timecode runs at 29.97 fps, and matches the frame rate used by NTSC television 
systems (North America, Japan). 
Use SMPTE Drop Frame format for NTSC DV/D1 projects.
Both SMPTE Drop and SMPTE Non-Drop run at 29.97 fps. In both formats, the actual frames are not 
discarded, but they are numbered differently. SMPTE Drop removes certain frame numbers from the 
counting system to keep the SMPTE clock from drifting from real...

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Source media timecode format
Right-click an event, choose Properties, and click the Media tab to view these properties. By default, Use 
timecode in file
 is selected. 
Note: You can override these settings by choosing different 
settings on the 
Video tab of the Preferences dialog. Select 
Timecode from the Source frame numbering list to allow 
event-level specification.
Render media file format
The timecode of a final rendered media file is determined by the specified...

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