video clips freezing in videostudio 7

[phnxrsngbr]

Hi everyone,

I'm making a video with family and friends participating and have received lots of video clips. All have worked fine except for one batch. They're WIN pro mp4 files (I've gotten a lot of mp4 files, all fine) and while they'll play perfectly on my computer, as soon as I place them on my timeline they freeze and look like weird photos. The audio will play but the video won't. This has never happened before and I don't know what to do or how to fix it.

Anyone ever had this happen? Or know what this is and how to get the video to work? Oh, I tried opening one in a new project and it worked the first time I played it but not after.

Thanks very much!

[Ken Berry]

Since you can actually insert that video into VS, can you please right click on it either in the VS timeline or library window, and copy ALL its Properties here or take a screen grab of the Properties box and upload it here as an Attachment. At least then we might get a better idea of what exactly we are dealing with.

VS can handle a lot of different mp4, but not all types. Some recent smartphones, for instances, have started using variable frame rates which VS has difficulty with. But there are probably other things which make VS choke on them.

The only thing I can think of for the moment is to use a video converter to convert this particular mp4 to a standard mp4 and insert that into your project. A number of us here use a freeware converter called Format Factory, though there are a variety of others. But we know that the mp4 produced in it works well in VS, and it can produce high def mp4 if your original video is also high def.

Just be careful when installing Format Factory to read each page of the installation routine carefully before pressing OK, so as to avoid loading the various other bits of bloatware which it suggests.

[phnxrsngbr]

Hi Ken,

Thanks very much for any help you can give! I've attached a pdf with the clip properties.

[Ken Berry]

It seems my speculation could be correct since the frame rate for that video is very unusual. So I would definitely now suggest you put that video through a converter.

The question, though, is what frame rate you should choose. The problem here is that one way or another the converted clip, while playing in VS, might display other problems. It will depend to an extent on how much action is in the clip. Standard frame rates around the 19.26 fps would be either 15 fps on the low side, and 24 or 25 fps. But that in turn begs the question as to whether the other video in the project is using PAL (25/50) or NTSC (30/60).

Either way, if you choose a lower fps, VS simply throws away frames (e.g. approx. 4 fps if reducing to 15 fps); or else simply copies existing frames if increasing the frame rate. So if there is a lot of action in the video, moving in either direction could produce (very) jerky video, and that would only increase if you go above 25 to 30 fps.

But again it will depend on how significant that particular video is in your project, and what the predominant frame rate in the other video is... Moreover, what your own personal tolerance level is...

It may also -- but probably won't -- remind us that many of these video formats these days are meant to be viewed and not edited!

[phnxrsngbr]

Hi Ken,

Thanks for all your help! This has a very small portion of the video with very little action--someone lip syncing. All the videos are like that: shorter and no other action than lip syncing. 3 other main videos are mp4 format: two 30.003 fps, one 29.883 fps. I guess if I save as 30.003 fps that it might work?

[Ken Berry]

Neither of those other framerates are standard either, although much closer! The standard NTSC frame rate is in fact 29.97 fps, but usually expressed as 30 fps. So I would use just 30 fps. However, if lip syncing is involved, for the 19.26 fps to be increased to 30 fps, that will be more than 10 fps duplicated, and it might look a bit strange on screen... But I guess you don't really have much choice.