New User: X7 Pro, .mov (Pentax K-o1 video format)

[gregorycristiani]

Hello all,

I am writing in an attempt to gain some insight into what I may be doing wrong here (apologies in advance if this has been addressed in another thread -- also, I did install SP 1 for X7). I just bought Video Studio Pro X7 (download via Amazon) and am attempting to edit video captured on a Pentax K-o1. Thus far I have been scouring the web for info regarding any .MOV problems. I am accustomed to using a competitor's product (PPro and more recently Lightworks) and so perhaps I am a little confused by the interface etc. Currently, this is the video properties I am attempting to edit (also, 64 bit, windows 8.1):

Length: 00:00:38
Frame Width: 1280
Frame Height: 720
Data Rate: 9043 kbps
Total Bitrate: 10068 kbps
Framerate: 23 fps (actually it's like the 23.976 fps, but this is what my Properties window says)

Audio
BitRate: 1025 Kbps
Channels: 2 (stereo)
Audio Sample rate: 32kHz

In Corel VSPX7, it says the following:

File format: Quick Time Movie Files
Movie Size: 1280 x 720

Video Track 1:
Compression H.264
Attributes: 24bits, 1280 x 720
Frame Rate: 23.976 fps

Sound Track:

Compression: 16 bit Big Endian
Attributes: 32.000 kHz, 16 bits, stereo

..... my issue is that I have audio but no video. I have no idea how to actually confirm that I have my project set up to be consistent with these settings and when trying to import from my SD card, I was told that this was not a known file-type. In PPro and Lightworks, you cannot start a project unless you declare the input format. I have yet to know how to verify that I have done this in Corel. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the newest version of quicktime. I have even copied the QTFC.dll file to my Windows file to no avail. I am currently attempting to load this on my Windows 7 Acer netbook to rule out whether or not this is a Windows 8 issue or what. Please advise if anything is known about incompatibilities with this Pentax video format and if so if there are any work arounds and/or if there might be something I am doing or not doing in my workflow to cause any issues. Again, I am not sure how to set the program up with these settings like in Adobe and Lightworks

[Ken Berry]

Does the Pentax menu allow you to vary the format settings? I ask since 23 or 23.976 fps could be the problem. 24 fps is known as the cinematic speed which gives you a "movie look" similar to what you would see in a movie theatre, and I guess it is close enough to what your frame speed is. Video Studio is also supposed to be able to handle the cinematic speed, but I suspect there is something specific about your 23/23.976 fps speed, combined with high def 1280 x 720 which Video Studio cannot handle. I am not even sure that the "normal" Quicktime codec could necessarily deal with that fps reading... Did the Pentax come with any software disc and if so, did you install it? Maybe it has the specific codec required for that video. (I might also note that in the past some camera companies were well known for tweaking existing codecs for their own hardware...)

I would in any case certainly be looking to change the fps to 25 (PAL) or 29.97 fps (NTSC) (or 50/60) if that is available on the camera.

Do your other editing packages play the video? (And what *is* PPro? I am assuming Premiere? But if so, which version? I also know that Lightworks used to have a limited set of codecs it worked with, though that might have changed since its public cmmercial release...)

EDIT: I have done a little research on your camera, and found that it does have 25/30 fps settings, as well as 60 at 1280 x 720 (commonly called 720P):

The K-01 has a pretty nice movie mode in terms of specification. It allows you to record Full HD video at 1920 x 1080 with your choice of frame rates: 24, 25, or 30 frames/sec. Sound is recorded in stereo, as you'd expect, and if you want to attach an external mic, there's a port for that. You can keep recording until the elapsed time reaches 25 minutes, or the file size hits 4 GB. If you're recording 1080p at the highest quality setting (***), it looks like you'll hit the file size limit in about 16 minutes. If 1080p is too much for you, the K-01 also supports 720p (at 60 fps) and VGA resolutions.

[gregorycristiani]

Hello,

Thank you for the reply. Yes, you can choose between 24, 25 and 30 fps. I was indeed going for the cinematic look (how can you resist?! Coming from having used a Canon mini DV GL2, the options opened up by having detachable lenses combined with a cinematic setting in-camera is too good not to want to play around with (add to that the fact that Pentax hasnt changed their bayonet mount in over 30 years..pentax lenses are cheap and abundant on eBay -- its like adding colors to the palette if you were a painter). I used to have to process video in Magic Bullet/after effects before editing to remove frames in order to get lack-luster results -- it solved the framerate issue, but unless I shot in full zoom, I had no bokeh and it still looked like video.... Apparently though, this is actually not 24 fps, but the 23.xxx mentioned earlier. The K-o1 was a weird little camera. I think of it as another of Pentax's production prototypes. That said, I love it. One thing they did (and continue to seem to focus on in subsequent firmware updates) is an emphasis on video. It has a dedicated record button which automatically puts you in Movie Mode without having to touch the dial on top. It is like a movie camera shutter button.

I think I may have figured out my issue, though. I uninstalled and reinstalled WITHOUT installing the service pack that was released over the summer. I was able to see my video after that (note: I also uninstalled the most recent version of Quicktime, using only that version which installed with the Corel install -- the one that was packaged with VSPro). I dont know of there are any other issues yet (with rendering or previewing -- previewing seemed a little choppy, but I have never worked with HD video before, and I have not yet optimized my computer settings in regard to this software) as I am just now overcoming this first hurdle in the learning process.

I hope to be up and running soon. The interface seems intuitive enough, I have much of the same functionality as I did with the competitor's products I was using, it is just a learning process from here on I hope. Thank you for your consideration and happy editing!!