Color blocks in some DV clips

msfox99 · Post by **msfox99** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 12:50 am

I have captured some video from a miniDV tape using another program. The video looks fine in that program and in Windows Media Player. When I add the 5 clips (from the same tape and captured in one session) to the VS 8 library, 2 of the 5 clips are filled only with colored blocks in both the thumbnails and the preview window (when the video is stopped). If I play the problem clips in the VS 8 preview window, they play fine. But if I jog through the clips using the slider, all I get are the colored blocks, which makes it impossible to trim the clips.

Please see the screen capture here: http://www.digital-light.net/vs8.jpg

Note the preview window and the 2 bottom clips in the library.

Does anyone have an idea what this oould be? I have tried uninstalling and installing VS 8, but no help. This has happened with other clips from other captures also.

Thanks,

Mike

Post by **Ken Berry** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 1:30 am

The problem is that your pose the mystery, but give us no real clues we can sink our teeth into! Exactly how did you capture these clips -- via Firewire? USB? Other? What format did you capture them in -- DV/AVI, mpeg-2, WMV, other? And most importantly, what are there properties -- right click on one in the VS library and copy it from there. Also, what was this other program you used -- a 'general' program or one which came with your camera and so might capture in a proprietary format (Sony has a bad record here)? It would also be useful to know something about your computer and operating system.

msfox99 · Post by **msfox99** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:01 am

Thanks for the reply. Here are the details:

1. Captured via Firewire using Vegas Video, in DV avi format.

2. Properties:

Microsoft AVI - OpenDML
Video: Compression: Panasonic DV Codec Type 2
24 bits, 720 x 480, 4:3

Audio: Compression: PCM
48,000 kHz, 16 bit, Stereo

Again, all 5 clips were captured in one capturing session, and all 5 have the same properites.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:42 am

I notice that you seem to have a Panasonic DV encoder on your computer, and assume that your vidcam is a Panasonic and the encoder was installed with some software which accompanied the camera...? It should still, of course, work. But there could be a minor conflict with the Direct Show codec used by Video Studio... But then again, you say the clips play in WMP, which I though would also use Direct Show.

Normally you get blockiness or jerky video and/or audio when capturing with a Type 2 Encoder, but that persists and relates to the computer not being up to the job, But you say these files play OK, so that cannot be it.

Have you tried recapturing a little of the video using Video Studio, and either Type 1 or 2 Video Encoder (cogwheel icon on the left of the Capture page) and see how that appears?

msfox99 · Post by **msfox99** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 2:51 am

Not sure how I got the Panasonic codec on my system. My camera is a Sony. In any case, the clips play fine in VS8, the only problem is the thumbnail and when I use the slider.

I will try to re-capture and see what happens. This shouldn't be necessary because all 5 clips are from the same session and the same tape, and all appear the same.

Thanks.

rpelleti · Post by **rpelleti** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 12:07 pm

I had the same problem and came up with some information that might help.

I used VS for years with my Sony TRV-11 ever since VS5, but I always used Sony DVGate to capture my videos into AVI files for use by VS. I never had a problem with this combination from VS5 up to VS8... until today.

I bought a new Sony VAIO and with it came DVGate Plus. This is a new version of my old DVGate that I have used for years. I captured some video clips and then used VS8 to edit and I got the same thing that you described--large, colored blocks that look like giant pixels except that they do not make a picture at all. When I play the clip in Windows Media Player, it plays perfectly fine. When I play the clip in VS8, it plays perfectly fine.

BUT, when I look at it, paused, or as a thumbnail within VS8, it comes out with large, colored blocks.

I tried several things and came up with the following: VS does not support AVI 2.0. This is how I determined this.

When I opened VS8 and inserted the bad clips, I right-clicked on the thumbnail and selected Properties to see that this clip was "File format: Microsoft AVI files - OpenDML". When I inserted a clip that worked and did the same thing, I saw that this clip was "File format: Microsoft AVI files".

The "OpenDML" file was created in DVGate Plus while the other was from my old DVGate. So I opened DVGate Plus and went to the Settings menu to open the Capture settings. There I discovered that DVGate Plus captured the video using "File type: DV CODEC AVI 2.0". When I changed that to "File type: DV CODEC AVI 1.0" and captured another video clip, that video clip worked fine in VS8.

So, I conclude that DVGate captured video using AVI 1.0, while DVGate Plus captured video using AVI 2.0 and that VS8 is not compatible with AVI 2.0.

I wish I discovered this sooner, because I thought that this problem was because I had VS8 and so I upgraded to VS9. VS9 has the same problem. My next step is to notify uLead about this to see if I am correct and to see if they will make a patch.

In the meantime, I have to recapture my video clips using AVI 1.0 or my old DVGate.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Sun Jan 29, 2006 9:50 pm

While I don't dispute your findings, I had been under the (mis?)apprehension that the Microsoft Direct Show codec, which is what Video Studio uses, does in fact support AVI 2.0 and has done so since at least early 2005. Perhaps it may be a question of an upgraded version of the codec installed with XP Service Pack 2 (and its updated version 2 of Movie Maker) or of a subsequent XP update....

msfox99 · Post by **msfox99** » Mon Jan 30, 2006 2:55 am

Well, thanks again for the replies. I tried re-capturing some of the clips with VS8 instead of Vegas Video, and of course, all of the clips are fine (no colored blocks). There must be some kind of incompatibility between how other programs capture DV avi files and what VS8 expects, but only sometimes (?!) because as I mentioned above some of the clips from Vegas are fine and some are not.

I checked the properties of the clips captured by VS8, and they are the same as those mentioned in my post above, namely OpenDL and Panasonic DV CODEC Type 2.

rpelleti, when you mention AVI 1.0 and AVI 2.0, do you mean avi type 1 vs. type 2? I tried looking in Vegas for some sort of option to specify what type of avi is saved from a capture, and I couldn't find one.

Mike

rpelleti · Post by **rpelleti** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 2:36 am

AVI 1.0 vs 2.0 is not the same as the codec type 1 or 2. I am not an expert (always learning), but the AVI 1.0 and 2.0 is the format and not the algorithm used to code or decode the video. I know this because I often see AVI 1.0 and 2.0 on a different setting than the codec type.

It is tricky getting information about video files. Windows XP does not give you a lot of information. Both AVI 1.0 and 2.0 look the same under Windows XP properties. I think Windows XP actually does not "get" the information from the file, but displays whatever information is given it from an application. If an application gives good information, it will have good information.

The AVI 2.0 vs AVI 1.0 information came from an application that comes bundled with every Sony VAIO computer called DVGate. The old DVGate did not differentiate between AVI 1.0 or 2.0 because it apparently only did 2.0, however the new DVGate Plus that I got with my latest Sony VAIO (I have several Sony VAIO computers) had an option to capture DV from my Sony TRV-11 video camera using either AVI 2.0 or 1.0. When I chose 2.0, I got blocks and sound. When I chose 1.0, I got perfect video and sound.

I do not have Vega, so I cannot comment on that, but look under options or preferences (maybe advanced settings) and see if it has the option.