Thread: Sony Vegas 8 and Handycam

I am making simple marketing videos for a small business and have been using the equipment they had before I got here -

Sony Handycam HDR-SR11 and Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 8

I just got a new work computer to edit on - Dell Optiplex 390, which has 3 Gigs of Ram on it right now. The old computer was really slow so I shot all video in sd.

After getting this new computer I shot some stuff in hd, but when I import these files to vegas, the program freezes up. I suggested getting more RAM to our IT guy, but he said it wouldn't make any difference with the version of vegas I have.

I am not extremely tech-literate. I know how to use a camera and edit, but I need some advice on where to go from here.

If the issue is the editing program, what should I get that won't break the bank? Can this camera be used with a different editing platform anyway? This guy said that we used vegas because of the proprietary format? I know this equipment is kind of old - what should I be using now so that I can film and edit in hd?

Thank you so much!

You might download and install the fully functional 15-day trial version of Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11. Test it and see if it makes a difference for you.

OP hasn't said what OS he's using, but if it's Vista, or Win7 then vkmast is right - a newer prog should do fine.
For yr PC
A mulit-core processor is needed (ideally Quad) and decent graphics card (NOT "Integrated graphics"). RAM limit is under 4G for 32-bit and Sony suggests 2G is sufficient as MS doesn't use any more - that means any more won't help.

For pro-use maybe a new camcorder using SDHC cards and 64-bit OS then Vegas Pro . . that's nice if the firm is paying for it... it's much quicker, better/more features/etc..
-Look at Sony creative website for tutorials . . . The big issue may be getting data off the camcorder HDD - More recent Operation Systems may not have the drivers . . . could this be the problem? Again, look on the Sony websire FAQ's etc to see if there are new drivers. Is the data transfer using USB? - Firewire was popular a few years ago - for which you'll need a card - OR - do we presume this is already installed correctly?
Vegas Studio v10 and 11 claim to handle SD and HD in the same project - DYOR. Hope that helps.