No audio on import with ts or m2ts files

Hi guys,

I'm new to the whole video editing scene and have spent a few days learning the Vegas software. At this time, I'm just looking to do simple cuts of video files.

I'm using Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11, build 247 which I believe is the latest version as of this date. Anyway, when I try to import almost any video recorded either in m2ts or ts format, Vegas seems unable to detect any audio, only importing the video portion. The contained audio is in AAC format I believe.

I know the recorded clip contains audio because Windows Media Player will play the m2ts or ts file with audio without problems.

System specs:
AMD Phenom II 1100T
8GB RAM
Windows 7 Pro
AMD Radeon HD6950 2GB Video Card

The only other format I can record in is MP4. Vegas will import MP4 files with audio just fine. However, the edited video file usually result in quite a few visual artifacts regardless of the rendering bitrate. I would also prefer to stick to using m2ts and ts for their better quality. Anyone encountered the same problems?

Hi John,

I'm not aware of any code-paks that I've consciously installed. I'm actually not really sure what code-paks are!

My PC is quite new and the only software I installed before Vegas was the driver software that came with my Hauppauge PCI video capture card. Along with the driver SW was also a bundled software suite containing a basic video editer. The software suite was by Arcsoft. Other than that, there is the auxiliary SW for my motherboard and the graphics card and anti-virus programme.

Perhaps I should uninstall the PCI capture card SW and Vegas, then re-install Vegas first?

Update: I've also found that there are some m2ts and ts files that Vegas can detect audio from. These ts and m2ts video files were captured using differenct recording Hardware using different capture software (but also by Arcsoft).

However, I just don't get why a basic programme like Windows Media Player can play all of my ts and m2ts files regardless of which hardware or software was used to create it while a more dedicated programme like Vegas can't detect audio all that reliably.

Is Vegas known to have issues detecting AAC 2 or 5.1 channel audio when said audio is contained in a ts or m2ts file?

Unfortunately, I've re-installed Vegas build 247 and so on and still no luck... I too have the HD-PVR and its software bundle but 'upgraded' to the Colossus capture card for the higher bitrates. In case you're considering it, I'd have to say though that the upgrade isn't really worth it.

There is noticably more picture noise with the Hauppauge Colossus compared to the HD-PVR, which can perhaps be blamed on the extra noise one gets from a PC's noisy power environment. My power supply is a very well-regarded Seasonic X-series power supply which has demonstrated excellent stability results and measurements so I doubt any other PC power supply would be a significant improvement.

Still, I think the compatibility issues of ts and m2ts files with Sony Vegas lies equally on the shoulders of both Arcsoft and Sony. A common consumer programme like Windows Media Player always detects the audio in my Arcsoft-recorded media while I don't see why a professional programme like Vegas can't do it. I've found quite a number of other people on various forums whose ts, m2ts, avi or other files play fine on their media players but can't get the same files to be properly imported into Vegas. Sometimes, it's audio that can't be detected and sometimes its video.

I think Sony needs to come up with a more robust way of detecting the video/audio content in a media file. The exsiting method seems a bit 'fragile'. Just my observation.

I have to admit... I tried Corel VideoStudio and it couldn't read some of my m2ts files either. Then I downloaded VideoReDo TV Suite for free and it did the trick, recognising the audio well enough to do simple cuts or joining of video files, then allowing me to convert the m2ts files into something that Vegas can understand. It is also (IMHO) a better way to navigate through video clips and much better than Vegas for fast cut and clip of videos without much re-rendering, which is what I was basically looking for in a video editor.

I still find Vegas the best of the three softwares for responsiveness and stability though, but for simple cuts and stuff, VideoReDo was a pleasant surprise.

On the original issue of video file compatibility: If the software developers could approach the video and audio detection process the way a virus scanner detects viruses, then it would have much better compatibility. ie. Like how a virus scanner scans an entire computer and compares the files against a huge encyclopedia of virus definitions, Vegas could scan a video file thoroughly against the known audio and video format definitions (in which there are far fewer audio and video formats in use than there are virus definitions, so it shouldn't be too difficult unless there are licensing problems), then separate the audio and video streams entirely into two separate streams with minimal regard to convention or proper formatting, then worry about how to properly integrate the two streams into the project timeline later.

For example, if Vegas detects incorrect audio type attached to a video file (found a DSD/DSDIFF/SACD/LPCM audio stream wrongly attached to a AVI, WMA or Mpeg or whatever video stream), it shouldn't just ignore the audio. Instead, it should inform the user that audio has been detected, tell the user what audio format it may ahve detected, that the audio type is incompatible with the m2ts or ts or whatever conventions for a properly formatted video file, then offer to separate the audio from the video file and give the user the option to re-encode the audio into the more proper format for merging into the project timeline or so on or at least suggest that the user find plugins or specialised audio programmes to convert or edit the audio separately. In any case, it shouldn't just stay silent and ignore the audio stream like how it currently does, assuming it can even detect the audio in the first place. It should at least tell the user what the fault is, so the user won't go blaming Vegas for poor performance.