Avi-file from Canon Ixus camera

[nilste]

Not a big deal, but when adding the clip in Edius it shows up only black. Is there a way to show this type of file or does it need to be converted?
(Filming with a Ixus camera you ask? A dig. compact camera is the only type that fits on a R/C heli without any special equippment)

S

[Zorro]

I would start PCE and convert the file to a CanopusDV *.avi.

[Aristotelis]

These cameras are recording video using Motion JPEG compression...I think that these files should be playing ok inside Edius...
Do you have overlay when using other formats?

[vienna1944er]

fast shot in the dark....

is it this codec ?? >> M4S2 = (Fully Compliant MPEG-4 v2 simple profile codec Microsoft).

if it is ... you can tryconvert your MPEG-4 to >> DV .avi with:
STOIK Video Converter 2.1.1 (free)

http://www.stoik.com/products/svc/

similar problen in PPro2.0 , same answer with result:....That worked. ....Thanks Old Hans!
My .AVI is black when I try to view it in PP2:

please excuse my miserable english, therefore I misunderstood your problem, forgive me....

[peterC]

Not a big deal, but when adding the clip in Edius it shows up only black. Is there a way to show this type of file or does it need to be converted?
(Filming with a Ixus camera you ask? A dig. compact camera is the only type that fits on a R/C heli without any special equippment)

S

I use this camera frequently and am working on a job with it at this moment.
Here is a test I have done and my conclusions.

Canon 640x480 video files in to Edius tests
Test unit: Canon IXUS V3
FileName: MVI_0072.AVI
File Location Source : E:\Edius Jobs\WNBF Promo 200507\Disk 03\DCIM\100CANON

Test 1 : A general test of clour, image distortion, and resolution definition.
PCE File Source Stated Parameters
File Name : E:\Edius Jobs\WNBF Promo 200507\Disk 03\DCIM\100CANON\MVI_0072.AVI
File Length : 00:00:30:00

Video Info :
Frame Size : 640 x 480
Frame Rate : 15.00 (fps)
Video Codec Name : MJPEG Decompressor (MJPG)
Interlacing : Non-Interlaced
Video Aspect Ratio : 16 : 9**

Audio Info :
11024 Hz 8 Bits Mono
Audio Codec Name : Uncompressed

Test 2 : A specific test of Aspect Ratio and any related image distortion.
Additional finding on test for this clip: Manual capture better video quality to PCE encoded file
PCE File Source Stated Parameters
File Name : E:\Edius Jobs\WNBF Promo 200507\Circl Vdo ManlCaptr Test\DCIM\100CANON\MVI_0001.AVI
File Length : 00:00:09:08

Video Info :
Frame Size : 640 x 480
Frame Rate : 15.00 (fps)
Video Codec Name : MJPEG Decompressor (MJPG)
Interlacing : Non-Interlaced
Video Aspect Ratio : 16 : 9**

Audio Info :
11024 Hz 8 Bits Mono
Audio Codec Name : Uncompressed

** Procoder reports the Aspect Ratio as 16:9 whereas Canon reports it as 4:3


Peter’s Aspect Ratios
768 x 576 = 1.33 Analogue PAL
720 x 576 = 1.25 DV PAL
640 x 480 = 1.33 Canon Ixus V3 Pal Video AR format

Conclusion:
Use Manual Capture for best Aspect Ratio capture of Canon Video clips ie any 640x480 video

1st choice
Manual Capture Mode

Pros:
1. slightly better video quality/ added detail/ brightness and contrast

Cons:
1. More labour intensive and time consuming to re- create the file.
2. No file constant (fixed reference) if needing to rebuild a project that requires recapturing the video file.
3. Manual and careful frame accurate trimming of the recaptured file necessary to ensure it precisely emulates the I/O’s of the original clip. So trims, keyframing etc data relating to the clip as per project are automatically frame accurate and consistent with the original work.
4. Mono audio capture only. No stereo audio captured.

2nd choice
PCE 4x3 SquarePixel 1:1


Pros:
1. Is quicker to rebuild a project from offline to online material
2. The PCE re-encoded file is always the same. So trims, keyframing etc data relating to the clip as per project are automatically frame accurate

Cons:
1. Very slight change occurs to the video Aspect Ratio (and therefore some image distortion and frame shifting)
2. Change to the original video image. Less original image detail, some colour/brightness/contrast corruption of the image.

Manual Capture appears:
1. closest to a proper circle without distortion
2. also appears to capture at slightly better video quality/ added detail/ brightness and contrast
3. captures to a longer duration length than to same file encoded using Procoder. Eg clip in Manual capture mode = Duration of 13secs 19 frames vs 9secs 14frames in PCE encode mode
4. 2nd setup choice using PCE 4x3 SquarePixel 1:1 shows a small marginal difference to 1st choice of Manl Captr mode. There is less circle distortion by comparison than in using 3rd choice where there is noticeable distortion using User Defined D1/DV PAL 4x3 settings.

I have several issues :


1) Is this a bug in my version that reports 640x480 as 16x9?
a) if so, has it since been corrected?
i) what version onwards?
ii) any patch available for my version?

Or
2) something to work around since Procoder Express does not recognize this non standard file format?

3) I cannot use a Watch folder to batch convert the AVI files. Thought I had it the other day but cannot repeat it. Have to do them all manually and that is a pain.

Anyone?

TIA

[chuckstar]

I ran into same problem...

the image was black when put on the timeline. It showed up as a *.avi file 640 X 480, 30fps and is actually M-JPEG. I have Procorder express and converted the file to 720 X 480 @ 29.97fps, Canopus DV output. It came across in Edius 2.5 perfectly. The only problem was that I had to do each clip individually, I wish it would do batch conversion. Anybody know if the full version of ProCoder will do "batch"?

[Aristotelis]

yes, the PC2 and PC3 can do batch encodings and match more...

However you can do the job with procoder express as well...just set a watch folder and then drop all the files you want to convert inside it....

[peterC]

yes, the PC2 and PC3 can do batch encodings and match more...

However you can do the job with procoder express as well...just set a watch folder and then drop all the files you want to convert inside it....

Ari, as I said, I couldn't get this done. Had to do manually. I got something originally, but I think it was more a 'manual' watch folder setup I made than a 'conventional' watch folder method.
1) In doing the conventional watch folder method within Edius it didn't work.
= audio files only for conversion since non conforming Video file format for Edius to import the Video

2) In doing the conventional watch folder method within PCE it didn't work. No matter what I tried to get it done = watch folder setup ok, save file to folder folder setup ok, but no source files came into PCE for conversion (the latter part of the PCE wizard process dialogue box), although I got this done once (initially) somehow.

So, I am missing something and would be pleased to know what that is, since you usually have many files to convert using this baby at 30" max/take.

Again...........Anyone?

[Aristotelis]

First you create the watch folder with PCE and then you put your files inside that folder...If you do it the other way around it doesn't work

[peterC]

First you create the watch folder with PCE and then you put your files inside that folder...If you do it the other way around it doesn't work

Thanks Ari .......but.......

OK......... I created the watch folder (not now, just recapping previous events), created the folder to save files to and then??? .......

The PCE dialogue box for directory> file to convert, is
a) empty
b) so how do you 'fill it'?

The 'end process' of PCE continues to tell me that no files are selected (which is obvious to me, only once did I get them there), so how to get them there for batch conversion? Have I continually been at the second step on each retry (as you say) so as to negate the process or is it some other misdemenour?

I've tried setting up the folders in explorer and dumping via explorer and that didn't work either. As I said, I did get something first off but am left handed and nowhere since.

Pls advise, thanks

[Motsoor]

Hi,

PCE from Let's Edit is correct to convert in 4:3, so I do.
PCE for Edius do it not correct it is 16:9 and cannot 4:3 i try it
but it is not good, so i also do it witch Watch Folder in PCE for Lets Edit.

Succes

T. Roos
Holland

[peterC]

Hi,

PCE from Let's Edit is correct to convert in 4:3, so I do.
PCE for Edius do it not correct it is 16:9 and cannot 4:3 i try it
but it is not good, so i also do it witch Watch Folder in PCE for Lets Edit.

Succes

T. Roos
Holland

Hi T. Roos.
I don't know who you are directing this post to, but I will say this.
PCE does convert the files to 4:3 not just 16:9 (and therefore incorrectly re the Aspect Ratio)

You need to manually configure the 4x3 Square Pixel 1:1 setting in the A/R dialogue for it to happen, otherwise you will get a default 16x9 conversion.

I don't know why this is with PCE, and so always set this manually, as well as set the A/R manually again in the next dialogue that PCE presents. That will get you there.

I do not know how anybody is getting the batch conversion process done.(See my earlier post) Can somebody give the solution please? It doesn't work for me!

[GrassValley_BH]

Here we go...

1. Make sure the source folder exists and is empty (this is not technically necessary, but you'll understand why later)
2. Make sure the output folder exists.
3. Launch ProCoder Express for EDIUS
4. Go through the Watch folder setup.
   Point to the source folder as the folder to watch.
   Point to the output folder as the place to write output to.
5. Drag-and-drop some files to the source folder.
   A few seconds after copying/moving, then should appear in the files to convert list.

The conditions for a PCE (temporary) watch folder to "see" a file and therefore convert it are:

• The source file must be "new" (in other words, it didn't already exist there when the folder watching started) to be noticed. This also means that overwriting a file won't trigger it for conversion.
• The source file must have a recognized file extension.
  Foo.xyz won't be added the list, because PCE doesn't recognize .xyz files.

Hope that helps.

[peterC]

Well Brandon, there you go!
I have no idea what the impasse was to getting the Monitoring Watch Folder to 'fill' with the batch of files requested. I don't see what I have done now that was different to the other day. Worked 1st time then, (as you said, I had carefully done, redone countless times but to no avail). Why it works now, I don't know! Indeed I used the same presets and setup from the other day, all files cleared from folders, n now it works!! Why not the other day I don't know!! I must've missed a beat somewhere as I said in prior post.....

Thanks for the spiritual blessing that got it there. Pls don't move too far away, I clearly have a black bird sitting on my shoulder these days. Can u get it off?

[T-Bone]

Here we go...

1. Make sure the source folder exists and is empty (this is not technically necessary, but you'll understand why later)
2. Make sure the output folder exists.
3. Launch ProCoder Express for EDIUS
4. Go through the Watch folder setup.
   Point to the source folder as the folder to watch.
   Point to the output folder as the place to write output to.
5. Drag-and-drop some files to the source folder.
   A few seconds after copying/moving, then should appear in the files to convert list.

The conditions for a PCE (temporary) watch folder to "see" a file and therefore convert it are:

• The source file must be "new" (in other words, it didn't already exist there when the folder watching started) to be noticed. This also means that overwriting a file won't trigger it for conversion.
• The source file must have a recognized file extension.
  Foo.xyz won't be added the list, because PCE doesn't recognize .xyz files.

Hope that helps.

not that he needs my suggestions, but this would be a good addition to Mr. Downey's FAQs