Seriously buggy software

[TrueBlue1981]

OK, so I used to use Corel VideoStudio X5, which was fantastic, before moving onto PowerDirector 10 as it felt like it worked faster than VSX5.

However, PD11 has been causing me problems, so I decided to move back to Corel VideoStudio X6 and see if it works any better. How wrong was I.. oh buy, where to begin?

So the program install OK, and the program opens OK.. but the real problems start when I do anything else. For a start, I'll open the Media Import window and SINGLE click on a video file (in this case, a .TS file) and I kid you not.. it takes around 30-60 seconds after clicking it before I can actually open it. To top that, it then takes another 30-60 seconds for the video to be added to the library. And then I'll add it to the Time Line, but it takes about 30 seconds for it add. And THEN after I click on Multi-Trim, it takes FOREVER before I can actually start editing. And by FOREVER I mean well over 2-3 minutes. On the off chance it actually LETS me edit, 8/10 times VSX6 will just crash then close.

On top of that, it has other problems importing videos. The HD capture device I use records to .TS files (as mentioned above) and VSX6 is supposed to import these just fine. But VSX6 will import a .TS file once, then refuse to import ANY video file with the .TS extension. Until I close it and open it a few times, then it will import .TS files... but if I try to import a second .TS file, it will once again fail to do so.

When I used X5 it was flawless. But now, X6 is horrendous. I've no idea why it's behaving this badly. Has anyone else had this problem or is it just me? ...

Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

[Ken Berry]

There was a time when VS could not directly import and edit .ts files -- and in fact I did not know that this had changed. (One of my computers has a video capture device -- a Dvico -- which captured that format, and I had to use a third party piece of freeware to convert it to program stream [PS] mpeg-2 from the .ts [transport stream] version. But that admittedly was before either x5 or X6 and I haven't used that card in over 3 years.)

But when I look at the tech specs for X6 on the Corel.com website, I still don't see .ts among the accepted formats. High def .mts (though not listed -- comes under .m2t) and .m2ts, yes, but not straight out .ts:

Supported input formats*

Video: AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, AVCHD™, MPEG-4, H.264, BDMV, DV, HDV, DivX, QuickTime, RealVideo, Windows Media Format, MOD (JVC MOD File Format), M2TS, M2T, TOD, 3GPP, 3GPP2
Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, MP3, MPA, WAV, QuickTime, Windows Media Audio, Ogg Vorbis
Images: BMP, CLP, CUR, EPS, FAX, FPX, GIF, ICO, IFF, IMG, J2K, JP2, JPC, JPG, PCD, PCT, PCX, PIC, PNG, PSD, PSPImage, PXR, RAS, RAW, SCT, SHG, TGA, TIF, UFO, UFP, WMF
Disc: DVD, Video CD (VCD), Super Video CD (SVCD)

In other words, I suggest you look for a conversion program and try that.

[TrueBlue1981]

So basically VideoStudio doesn't accept .TS files? That's quite odd, as I am able to import a .TS file at least ONCE per session. But then after that, it refuses to import anymore until I shut VideoStudio down and restart it.

I may have to shy away from VideoStudio if the only way to import is to convert. These are 3Gb+ files I'm working with, and to convert every single one will be a major pain in my backside. Unless there is a program that can convert in minutes, rather than hours? But I'm surprise VideoStudio doesn't allow the importing of .TS files, but it can import .M2T/S files.

[lata]

Hi

You could try renaming the file to use the extension MTS instead of TS. (make a copy first)

Renaming the extension has worked for some types of video?

[canuck]

So basically VideoStudio doesn't accept .TS files? That's quite odd, as I am able to import a .TS file at least ONCE per session. But then after that, it refuses to import anymore until I shut VideoStudio down and restart it.

I may have to shy away from VideoStudio if the only way to import is to convert. These are 3Gb+ files I'm working with, and to convert every single one will be a major pain in my backside. Unless there is a program that can convert in minutes, rather than hours? But I'm surprise VideoStudio doesn't allow the importing of .TS files, but it can import .M2T/S files.

Since I don't have any ts files I downloaded some samples from the internet. I have no problem adding them in VS X5 or X6 and even added them multiple times in the same project.
I think the list of file formats acceptable by VS is incomplete.
Granted that the file is only about 300MB but it loads in a second or so. I have a feeling that there is something wrong in your system or something "different" with your ts files.

[skier-hughes]

I think Canuck may be right, particularly as you are experiencing problems with PD as well as VSX6.

Does VS X5 still work ok, like it did in the past?

If so, why not continue to use this?

Of course, this makes the purchase of X6 a bit of a waste currently, but at least you can edit while the problem gets looked at?

[Natal]

Have you tried renaming the *.ts files as *.mpg files?

[TrueBlue1981]

@ lata and Natal - I haven't yet tried to rename the files to M2TS or MPEG. But I'll give it a go and see how VSX6 responds.

@ canuck - Hmm, so you have no issues importing .TS files into X5 or X6? I wonder what could be wrong on my end? Given that these issues are occurring on a clean install of Windows, therefore a clean install of X6. For the record, the .TS files are created by an Elgato Game Capture HD, as well as a Hauppauge HD PVR 2.

@ skier-hughes - Fortunately, I still had X5, so I could try it. Unfortunately, it behaves in the EXACT same way as X6, in the same places... importing, adding to timeline, etc. So X5 and X6 are both acting up in the same way.

[canuck]

TrueBlue1981,
could you possible create a couple of short (~30sec) clips and upload them to a free web hosting site such as http://www.4shared.com. We could then download them and work with the same files types that are giving you problems.

In my previous post I stated that I was able to add ts files in X5 and X6. As I have no way to generate ts files, I had downloaded them from the internet. In the meantime I have downloaded a few more and have found that some will be accepted by X5 and X6 and some not.

[TrueBlue1981]

I'll have a go at creating a few 30sec clips and upload them.

However, I actually tried importing and editing a recent .TS file I made, this time from a Hauppauge instead of an Elgato, only this time, it imported without any problems, over and over (instead of once) AND I was able to trim the video without the software crashing. So maybe it could be with how the capture devices capture video.

Once I've recorded another .TS clip with the Hauppauge, I'll import it and see what happens.

[aljimenez]

... These are 3Gb+ files I'm working with, ...

Your video files are huge, and no program is going to handle such huge files without lots of delays and in a very slow manner. Your original post complained about how slow X6 was, and the reason is not X6, it is the very very large video files... Al

[skier-hughes]

3Gb is not a huge file.
I constantly work with files of 30-40gb, if I've captured a 3 hour VHS tape, sometimes I have had a 6 hour file, as they've used long play, which has resulted in a file of about 80gb.

[TrueBlue1981]

Hm-hm.. I agree with Skier-Huges... I'm always using huge files like that in other software such as PowerDirector 10/11 and those two handle the huge files perfectly fine. I just wanted to try and use X6 for it's different features compared to PD10/11. However, as I said in my last post, using a .TS file captured from a Hauppauge instead of an Elgato, the file imported perfectly fine, I edited it perfectly fine.. the speed of X6 was fine. So.. could it be the way the Elgato captured footage, which is different to the way the Hauppauge captures? I mean, they're both .TS files, both 3-4Gb, both 720p, same bitrate of 13.5Mbps, always around the same length... so why can't X6 handle Elgato captures but it seems to be able to handle Hauppauge captures?

[canuck]

Did you ever get around to creating a couple of TS clips for the Elgato and Hauppage and upload them so we can download and play around with them?

Obviously there is a difference between the TS files created by Elgato and Hauppage if you can add one and not the other. There are a lot more parameters then the few you listed.

[TrueBlue1981]

Did you ever get around to creating a couple of TS clips for the Elgato and Hauppauge and upload them so we can download and play around with them?

Obviously there is a difference between the TS files created by Elgato and Hauppauge if you can add one and not the other. There are a lot more parameters then the few you listed.

Unfortunately not. I ended up selling the Elgato before I could make any more videos, as it was seriously annoying me. That's when I decided to buy the Hauppauge. But as I mentioned, TS files created with the Hauppauge seem to work just fine. I was able to import and edit TS files without a problem.