Canon SX280 MP4 video clips crashes on VS Pro X8

[Mike Warren]

Video clips from my Canon SX280 still camera will not play or edit on VS pro x8, but instead causes x8 to crash. Canon says it's SX280 camera shoots MP4 video. A sample clip might say under it MDG-2634.MP4. But I read that VS pro x8 will edit MP4 video. So, what is happening here? Regards, Mike

[Ken Berry]

X8 will certainly edit a wide variety of mp4, including from a variety of Canon cameras. I imagine also that the codec used for the SX280 video is the same as for other Canon cameras. But what we need to know are the exact Properties of that particular video. How have you tried opening the video from the camera? Have you installed any of the software which came with the camera, as that would make sure the correct codec is installed on your computer. Have you then imported the video from the camera to the computer or are you trying to open it in the computer directly from the camera? Can you actually insert one of the clips into the X8 library window -- does the crash occur then or only when you try to play the video? If you can actually insert a clip, then without trying to play it right click on the clip in the X8 library window and copy ALL its Properties here, please.

If not, do you have a media player like the freeware VLC Player on your computer. It will play just about anything, and moreover will also give you information about the clip's Properties.

[Mike Warren]

Thanks for your interest. First, I imported the above camera's video clips into my computer by using the cameras software, working from the camera's window as directed.

Secondly, when I insert one of its video clips into X8's library window it immediately crashes. But sometimes the video clip will fix itself into the library and crash the second I right click it. It then disappears. A window immediately appears stating "Corel VS has stopped working. A problem caused the program to stop working correctly." This happens only with video clips taken by this camera. Incidentally, the exact same problem occurs when I try to put these video clips into X7's library.

However, these same video clips when stored in a folder will open and play very nicely when using QuickTime or Windows Media Player to open them. While the clips are stored on my computer hard drive I can open its properties. Under type of file it says MPEG-4 Movie, and that it opens with Quick Time Player. So I just don't get it. Regard's, Mike

[Ken Berry]

Unfortunately, neither QT nor WMP will show the full properties of your video. Looking up your camera's specs, though, I found that it shoots video with the following Properties:

MP4 [Video: MPEG4-AVC (H.264), Audio: MPEG2 AAC-LC (stereo)]

This would appear to be rock solid mp4 and identical to the mp4's I get from my GoPro Hero 3. As I said above, I have no trouble at all with those.

[skier-hughes]

Check you have the latest graphics card drivers from it's manufacturer, directx and quicktime all installed.
Players use files differently to editors, so just because a file can play in wmp doesn't mean it will be editable in VS.

Do you have any other editors installed?
Do the files work in this editor?