Help-Corrupt time stamp prevents making video

[RWL]

I'm recording from a Canon HV-20 in high definition digital video. The capture goes OK, but the time stamp is way off. It shows the video to be about 1 hr 20 min in length when in reality it is 61 minutes. I believe it's corrupted because the tape was removed from the camera and then reinserted, starting the videocam's counter at 0 again. The first recording ends at about 38 minutes. All of the minutes on the tape beyond that start with a new Zero point. I have tried having VS capture the two parts of the video separately, but I can't get VS 11.5 to compile these into a single video. The first file always says it's 1 hr 20 min long. I forget what the 2nd file says. On top of that, because of the corrupt time stamp, VS hangs when I go beyond the time when the first video ends. I tried having VS make a new mpg of each file thinking that it would assign a new time stamp, but each has its original incorrect time displayed. Is there a way to fix the incorrect time with VS 11.5 or is there a workaround?

[canuck]

Where do you see the timestamp displayed? Once you convert a video to mpg, the timestamp information is lost unless of course the time was embedded in the original video. Did you capture the original to DVD-avi format? Did you use a Firewire connection to capture the video?

[Ken Berry]

I have a HV20 and have never encountered this problem -- even though I do a lot of stop-start filming with it, including taking out the cassette and reinserting it. Then again, I never use VS (any version) to capture my HDV. Instead, I use a freeware program called HDVSplit which, as its name implies, creates individual files for each change of scene, regardless of time stamp; and usefully, it also allows me to assign my own name to the captures instead of the rather arcane system used by VS. You might want to try that to see if gets around your problem.

[RWL]

Where do you see the timestamp displayed? Once you convert a video to mpg, the timestamp information is lost unless of course the time was embedded in the original video. Did you capture the original to DVD-avi format? Did you use a Firewire connection to capture the video?

I see the time in the Timeline view. I have tried capturing the tape as one whole video and as two separate videos, with the break occurring where the counter resets to zero on the camera. When trying to edit either of the two types of captures, moving the cursor along the time line beyond about 25 minutes makes the program hang associated with continuous hard drive reading. Given enough time, the program will allow the counter on the video window to run, but the scene in the preview window doesn't change and there's no audio. If the slider is set to maybe 10 minutes, the video plays normally. If I open the video file with windows media player, it plays normally all the way to the end. Although I know that the first section of tape is only 38 minutes long, it lists it as 1 hr 22 min long. The second part of the tape is listed as being 4 minutes long although it's about 22 minutes long in reality. The times add to 1 hr 26 minutes, but this is a video that's 61 minutes long. I tried having VS recode it to the same mpg format, but the new video file has the same corrupted time length. I hope my explanation hasn't been too confusing.

[Terfyn]

I remember the procedure with my HV20. If the tape was played back, a process called END SEARCH would find the end of the last recording and update the timecode to continue from that point. However END SEARCH cannot be used if the tape has been removed.
I expect that, if a tape has been removed and reinserted, then it would be better to wind the tape on to give a small gap and then treat the two recordings as totally separate when capturing in VS.

HDVsplit should sort the timecode problem out

[lata]

Hi

Many camera manufacturers recommend setting a time code to a new tape by recording the entire tape with the lens cap on. Then recording over has no problems in stopping/re-playing the tape.

Have you tried using Video Studio Split by Scene capture option.? That’s if that is available for HD capture?

Although HDVSplit given its name may do that anyway.

[BrianCee]

Something not adding up right to me here - even if you took 3 totally separate pieces of video - from different cameras - recorded at totally different times with totally different timecodes - or even if by some chance all three had identical timecodes then you could put them all in the timeline one after another and render out a new video. Surely we have all at various times combined a number of different videos from different shoots/holidays/vacations

If you captured the tape in two sections ensuring that you were actually past the zero time before starting capture and stopped at the end of each section then you should have two independent videos whose time codes do not react with each other.

In the past I regularly videoed school plays spread over a couple of weeks and often the tape was taken out between them and the camera used for other functions - often a second tape was used for the last show even - but I then captured each clip independently put them in VS and edited and rendered them out without any problem at all.

As already said capturing with some other programme may sort it and would prove to me whether it is VideoStudio or the camera responsible for the problem

I don't think taking the tape out of the camera has anything to do with the problem - I suspect that something corrupted the first video at around the 35 minute mark and you need to cut that bit out before you can render all through

[RWL]

HDVsplit should sort the timecode problem out

HDVsplit worked. Thanks to several of you who suggested that program. Some of the time stamps it gave the individual files were out of sequence, but I was able to organize the clips in Windows by sorting them by the time they were created, and then renumbering the individual files to be in the correct time sequence. I like HDVsplit. I think I'll used that for future captures from the Canon HV-20.

I'm having to relearn VS. I worked with it when I first got it, then other things came along and now that I'm retired, it's time to get all of the video tapes onto some other media that hopefully will be more universal over time.

[RWL]

Hi

Many camera manufacturers recommend setting a time code to a new tape by recording the entire tape with the lens cap on. Then recording over has no problems in stopping/re-playing the tape.

I remember that from the instructions for my HV-20, but I never did that. It was too time consuming.

Have you tried using Video Studio Split by Scene capture option.? That’s if that is available for HD capture? Although HDVSplit given its name may do that anyway.

The scene splitting was a good idea. I did it while responding to this. The video hung the program at 35 minutes and would not go farther. At this point, it's just constantly reading the hard drive. This is similar to the behavior when I tried to move the time slider beyond about 38 minutes. Despite knowing that the entire recording was 61 minutes, the time slider showed the video to be about an hour and 20 minutes IIRC. I'd tell you for sure, but I can't get into VS due to the hang. Windows task manager says the program is not responding.

[RWL]

Something not adding up right to me here - even if you took 3 totally separate pieces of video - from different cameras - recorded at totally different times with totally different timecodes - or even if by some chance all three had identical timecodes then you could put them all in the timeline one after another and render out a new video. Surely we have all at various times combined a number of different videos from different shoots/holidays/vacations

Unfortunately, this tape is not working that way. I'm not sure why the tape is acting this way.

If you captured the tape in two sections ensuring that you were actually past the zero time before starting capture and stopped at the end of each section then you should have two independent videos whose time codes do not react with each other.

I agree that that's how tapes normally behave.. I tried recording it in two segments but that didn't work either. The first segment of about 38 minutes says that it's over an hour long - I don't remember the exact time. I think that's the one that's really corrupted.

As already said capturing with some other programme may sort it and would prove to me whether it is VideoStudio or the camera responsible for the problem

I don't think taking the tape out of the camera has anything to do with the problem - I suspect that something corrupted the first video at around the 25 minute mark and you need to cut that bit out before you can render all through

HDVsplit did get me a good recording, but even there, the time stamps from a few of the different segments were out of the correct time sequence. I know why that occurred. That particular time error occurred on New Years Eve. After shooting a few scenes, between 11 PM and midnight, I noticed that the date was showing it to be Jan 1st already. I had forgotten to change the time from daylight savings time back to standard time (a dumb US thing - I wish they'd just let the time alone). I reset the time and date on the camera and then continued shooting. As a result some of the videos are listed as being on Jan 1st when in reality they were shot between 11 PM and midnight on Dec 31st. Those videos are beyond the ~35 or 38 minute mark where things hang up.

I agree, it's some sort of corruption in the tape, not something in VS. It appears that VS can't deal with the corrupted tape, but the HDVsplit was a good work around. I also noted when watching the capture for about the 6th time that there are two or three spots where the video hangs for a second or two and then continues on. It's the camera itself which is showing this hang, not just VS. I don't know if that's a clue regarding what type of corruptions has occurred or how it occurred. The corruption is before I changed the time/date on the camera by (I'm guessing) 5 minutes. At this point, knowing the cause would be of interest if some of you have experienced this before, or know why it's occurring, but from a practical standpoint I've gotten the workaround that I needed in HDVsplit.

Thanks to all of you for your help.

[Ken Berry]

I also noted when watching the capture for about the 6th time that there are two or three spots where the video hangs for a second or two and then continues on. It's the camera itself which is showing this hang, not just VS.

FWIW, I also occasionally get that, and remember I use HDVSplit almost exclusively to capture from my HV20... so I have always put it down to some little mechanical glitch in the camera which happens when filming and easy to cut out during editing. But as you have deduced yourself, it is definitely nothing to do with VS...