Has anyone gotten smart render of mpeg-2 files in Vegas Studio 9 to actually work? I followed the guide in the help file, and matched my project settings to my mpeg-2 files, but no smart render goodness. Pretty much makes the software unusable due to recompression of the video stream.

I don't have any problems in Corel 12... smart render there works absolutely wonderfully with these mpeg-2 files (off a JVC cam)

EDIT: OK. I just figured out that Vegas Studio 9 is rendering the files lower field first, where my source is upper field first. This is causing the the clip to be rendered. Unfortunately, one can not adjust this option in Vegas Studio 9... the "custom" option is greyed out under "render as..." so you can not adjust the MPEG-2 codec... and it ignores your project settings... you need the full Vegas Video for this... and Vegas Video in it's current version ( does not support smart render for mpeg-2 files... and is several hundred dollars more.

What a joke... looks like I'll be sticking with Corel... their product actually works.

There are many types of smart rendering, the original being the main AVI file, not rendering any bits apart from clips with filters or transitions. In the old days it all had to be rendered regardless.

In V8 pro, you can drag a MPEG2 file on the tile line and it ill not re-render if the output is the same as the input file. Really speeds up a small change in the main project.

am surprised about the upper and lower frames as if that is wrong, you can get shuddering in pans, if you can try in the projects settings, there may be a folder icon next to the project settings, click on it and click on the file that you want to use in the project and hopefully it will change the settings to that file (is in V8Pro)

But as HDV is now the way to go no smart rendering there I am afraid

Smart rendering for mooks.
( and so is hdv )

If I click the little folder icon under Project Properties and select my media file, it changes the project settings to match as one would expect. However, once I "Render As...", even with absolutely no changes on the timeline, VMSP9 will render the clip again, and do so so with lower field first, even though project properties specifies upper.

VMSP9 does not allow one to adjust the MPEG-2 codec.... and the preset templates are set as lower field!

It is very frusturating as workflow in Vegas is soooo much better than Corel 12, but the re-rendered video at NTSC resolutions is very much degraded compared to the source material that I am forced to use. Corel does it properly... but boy do I miss the pan/crop of vegas.

Just a thought only, render a small test sample, can you change the frame in the project to lower Frame then render to MPEG and see what you get then...

I rendered a 5 minute test sample. Even though I had selected upper field first in the project properties, the resulting video was (predictably) rendered as lower field first.

I then started a new project, imported the above sample, then selected "Render As..." and indeed the fast render works with the sample. Preview window states "No Recompression Required" and everything is fine and dandy.

Stupid lower field first non-changeable setting really makes me upset.

At least it is sorted and all is well in Edit land....