Sony time stamp Workaround

partychief3 · Post by **partychief3** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 3:01 am

My sony videos had the same time stamp problem. This is what I discovered.
When I "import video" from a sony recorded dvd while in VS11.5 the time code appears.
BUT
When I use the "Picture Motion Browser" software from Sony to "convert and save clip as..." to convert the files into mpeg2 files and then "import video" into VS11.5 the date disappears. ( Yes you "convert" a mpeg2 file into a mpeg2 file).

Recap:
1. Use the Sony supplied software to transfer from dvd to computer.
2. Use the Sony supplied software to convert the clip to mpeg2.
3. Open VS11.5 and import the converted clips.

Sadly, this does nothing for m2ts files.

partychief3

etech6355 · Post by **etech6355** » Sun Jul 27, 2008 2:22 pm

Hi,
Others that have posted report they had to turn off some feature in the setup menu of the recorder, otherwise the timestamp appears imbedded in the video.

So I suggest to check some of the settings in your setup menu's of the recorder.

tyamada · Post by **tyamada** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:13 am

When you open a project, go to File, Preferences, General and see if the Display DV timecode on Preview Window is not checked.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:44 am

tyamada -- that only affects what is visible during editing. But the problem is that with certain Sony cameras, unless the relevant switch is made in the camera's menu itself, Video Studio actually embeds the stamp in the final video/DVD -- just like with those old analogue cameras -- with no way of turning it off within Video Studio.

tyamada · Post by **tyamada** » Mon Jul 28, 2008 2:44 pm

Ken:

I realize the timecode on Sony cameras can be turned on and off, I thought that maybe partychief3 was seeing it in the preview mode.

partychief3 · Post by **partychief3** » Tue Jul 29, 2008 2:01 am

There is no way around it. Yet.
I am investigating further as my schedule allows. And a quick glance at my system specs will explain why I'm not going to attempt AVCHD, I can bareley get PMB to play them!

Finding thus far:
1. The option to "record date" on my Sony HDR-UX5 is currently set to "on". (I will change this to "off" and shoot some video.)

2. In Sony "Picture Motion Browser (v2.0.04.17290)" none of the clips appear to have a date or time on them (it was "on" at recording) yet the default sort order is by date and time. There is a tool available in the viewer pane to turn on the date (format, color and location) for jpeg but NOT for mpeg.

3. The PMB software declares that only pictures and videos from Sony cameras may be imported or manipulated, EITHER from the CAMERA or a DVD or Memory Stick READER. Sony's well known stand on DRM would suggest that an embedded data string in the file itself is the source of the date and time info. (This could explain VS's inability to recognize it.)

4. This is all academic to me as I have the Sony software to manage my initial file transfers.

thank you,
partychief3

P.S. Thanks to tyamada for the DV timecode tip. I saw that posted else where, along with some other very enlightening tid bits. This place is a gold-mine of knowledge.

partychief3 · Post by **partychief3** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:23 am

I couldn't think of who to ask so I looked in the manual.
Sony HDR-UX5/UX7 User Manual (English)
Page 67:

open quote
SUB-T DATE
Select [ON](the default setting) to display
the recording date and time when you play
back a disc on a device with a subtitle
display function. Also refer to the
instruction manual of the playback device.
close quote

This refers to "Movie Settings" menu in the Sony Handycam.
If I read it correctly the date and time stamp are always there but can be turned off or on when playing to a recorder or tv, meaning one loses this benefit when one just pops the DVD into the computer for VS to import.
So, who has a tool for stripping out that subtitle?
Again, this is academic for those who use Sony's transfer software which seems to filter it out.
partychief3