A different freeze problem.

[AlexM]

I have a 10 MB video clip that I captured from a VCR. It is a Video file.
When I try to load it into the gallery the program freezes up. As soon as I click on that file I get an hourglass that never goes away and I have to shut off power to the computer.
I wonder if this is related in any way to the other unsolved freeze problem I have?
Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[Ken Berry]

What is the format of the file, and how exactly did you capture it i.e. what was the capture device. A 10 MB file is not very big, even for a mpeg-2 (less than a minute...?). And it would be miniscule if it were uncompressed AVI or even DV/AVI. (Mind you, the size of the file should not affect its playability. But if, say, you think the file is of a 10 minute video, then something would be wrong if it is only 10 MB in size.) To tell us the properties, right click on the file within Video Studio and copy the Properties to here...

Can you also tell us what version of VS you are using and what your computer specifications are. I am afraid I cannot recall what your other freeze problem is (if indeed you have posted about it on this Board)...

[DVDDoug]

It sounds like a corrupt video file. (Sometimes a bad file will play-back OK, so it can be hard to tell.) What format is it? Maybe try re-capturing.

[AlexM]

What is the format of the file, and how exactly did you capture it i.e. what was the capture device. A 10 MB file is not very big, even for a mpeg-2 (less than a minute...?). And it would be miniscule if it were uncompressed AVI or even DV/AVI. (Mind you, the size of the file should not affect its playability. But if, say, you think the file is of a 10 minute video, then something would be wrong if it is only 10 MB in size.) To tell us the properties, right click on the file within Video Studio and copy the Properties to here...

Can you also tell us what version of VS you are using and what your computer specifications are. I am afraid I cannot recall what your other freeze problem is (if indeed you have posted about it on this Board)...

Thanks for the anwer Ken.
My computer spec should be on my profile. I am using VS9. I used it to capture from my VCR. There was a problem during the capture and I thought it did not complete, but I later found the file in the 9.0 folder.
When I click on that file it plays in Windows media player. It is actuall 11 minutes and 50 seconds. When I check properties it just says it is a video clip. I cannot get it into VS so I can't use VS to check the properties.
My earlier problem was posted here a few days back and you can see my name down the list.

[Ken Berry]

Sorry -- should have first checked your system specs button! And I also found your earlier post about freezing when trying to import from a DVD.

Can you tell us some more about how you went about capturing the file in the first place. What sort of device did you use to capture from the VCR and how was it connected -- via RCA cables and/or S-Video? Do you know what format you were trying to capture in?

Can you also tell us what seemed to go wrong with the capture so that you thought it had not been completed. It is, for instance, rather unusual for a capture to be successful yet it does not place a thumbnail of the captured file on the library pane. It is also a little unusual that My Computer/Windows Explorer does not tell you the extension of the file, either in the main page where the file is displayed, or when you right click on it and go to properties in Windows Explorer.

Given the size of the fize (10MB) yet the fact that it also plays for nearly 12 minutes), I am tending to endorse DVDDoug's view that it is likely to be a corrupt file. Have you managed to play the whole thing in WMP, and did it actually run for the full 11 minutes 50 seconds, or does it cut out before the end?

[AlexM]

My mistake Ken. It's GB not MB. I'll try to capture it again and this time write down all the info and get back here.

Thanks

Alex

[Ron P.]

My mistake Ken. It's GB not MB. I'll try to capture it again and this time write down all the info and get back here.

Thanks

Alex

If that's 10 gig for about 12 mins of video, that would have to be uncompressed AVI, which would equate to about 65 gig per hour. If so then try capturing DV-AVI, if possible.

Ron P.

[Ken Berry]

OK -- that's quite a difference. So by the sound of it, you were capturing uncompressed AVI. Normally, that should open with no problems, though as you see, it produces huge files (around 65GB per hour). Your computer should certainly be up to the job too. I'll be interested to hear about the second capture.

If it doesn't work, and depending on what you capture device actually is, then you might want to consider changing the capture settings to DVD-compatible mpeg-2. Capturing from a VCR, you need only use a bit rate of 4000 or 4500 kbps, though you could go as high as 6000. Any higher than that, though, would be a waste since you will never get any improvement in quality from analogue capture above that. While your capture device would usually set itself automatically for this, analogue capture devices normally capture with a Field Order of Upper Field First (though there are some exceptions).

And again depending on your capture device, the best format to capture in would be DV/AVI (13GB per hour) -- but there are only a few, more expensive capture devices that capture to that. If you have a digital video camera with pass-through capability, however, you could potentially hook your VCR to that using a cord with RCA plugs at the VCR end and the standard small AV plug for the AV input of your camera. (Most digital video cameras come with such a cord.) Then the camera would convert the analogue signal from the VCR to a digital one which can be captured via Firewire to the computer in high quality DV format. But as I say, your digital camera has to have pass-through for that. Check your manual to see if it does.

[AlexM]

Hi Ken, tried 4 times, no luck. The settings are
Source Conextant Falcon.
Fomat AVI. 720X480 CX F2
input is Composit.
If I try to change the format to DV the little screen goes black for about 15 seconds and then the program changes the format back to AVI.
On one of the captures the entire monitor screen went black except for the tray on the bottom. Had to use Control-Alt-Delete to get out.
On the other attempts, as soon as I hit Stop Capture the program would freeze but at least I could also get out of there with Control-Alt-Delete.
In all cases video was captured to the 9.0 folder, but once again I could not import them into the program.
My Sony Handycam DCR-TRV140 only has digital video in and I do not have a VCR with digital video out so I can't do passthrough.

Thanks

[THoff]

The Conexant analog video encoders don't output DV, they capture in AVI or MPEG2 format (depending on the exact chip).

If you want to capture in AVI format, use a lossless codec such as Huffyuv to reduce the enormous storage requirements of uncompressed AVI. Otherwise you'll chew through ~65GB/hour for your captures.

[AlexM]

Hi Thoff,

I don't especially want to capture in AVI, it just seems to be the only choice.
If I get Huffyuv, how do I incorporate it into VS9?

Thanks

Alex

[Black Lab]

My Sony Handycam DCR-TRV140 only has digital video in and I do not have a VCR with digital video out so I can't do passthrough.

You might want to check your camera documentation. According to this your camera has the following:
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire/i.LINK)
1 x S-Video output
1 x composite video/audio output
1 x DC power input
1 x USB

And your VCR doesn't have to have digital video out, the camera will digitize it.

[sjj1805]

Hi Thoff,

I don't especially want to capture in AVI, it just seems to be the only choice.
If I get Huffyuv, how do I incorporate it into VS9?

Thanks

Alex

Please view From Camcorder to DVD

[chamiz]

What is the format of the file, and how exactly did you capture it i.e. what was the capture device. A 10 MB file is not very big, even for a mpeg-2 (less than a minute...?). And it would be miniscule if it were uncompressed AVI or even DV/AVI. (Mind you, the size of the file should not affect its playability. But if, say, you think the file is of a 10 minute video, then something would be wrong if it is only 10 MB in size.) To tell us the properties, right click on the file within Video Studio and copy the Properties to here...

Can you also tell us what version of VS you are using and what your computer specifications are. I am afraid I cannot recall what your other freeze problem is (if indeed you have posted about it on this Board)...

HI i have a freeze problem too but it freezes only when its playinh the project and i pouse the playback. please what can i do and i would like to know hoe i can make spit audio work in the right click menu on the music i would like to saparate the vocal from the music, thank you.

[AlexM]

My Sony Handycam DCR-TRV140 only has digital video in and I do not have a VCR with digital video out so I can't do passthrough.

You might want to check your camera documentation. According to this your camera has the following:
1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire/i.LINK)
1 x S-Video output
1 x composite video/audio output
1 x DC power input
1 x USB

And your VCR doesn't have to have digital video out, the camera will
digitize it.

Lab, I was aware of those connections but only one is in and that is an ilink DV. I know the camera will digitize it but see no way to hook the AV outlets to the ilink cable, unless someone make a converter cable. I may just go out a but a new VCR. This project has gotten very expensive.