mp4 Import issue - new VS-X8 user, latest updates

[jholiday]

So when I try to import 720p MP4s produced from JVC GY-HM750, I get the following...note the error number... any help here? Thanks in advance...
Unable to open file......file format mismatch.
[1081:1:3]

I can play them on my computer, so codecs seem to be present, and yes Quicktime is installed.

[BrianCee]

The error number means nothing at all to any of us here

can you confirm you are using the full paid for version of X8 and not the free trial.

[Ken Berry]

What extension is on the video files you download from the camera? I ask because I see that camera uses the XDCAM EX system, and I believe that mp4 clips made by the camera use the .mxf extension. If so, then .mxf is not one of the formats Video Studio can handle...

[jholiday]

Brian, Yes sir, I purchased in May, I have a serial number.
Ken, it's MP4. But you may be on to something. Media player plays it easily..but QT has a problem. I thought that XDCAM was just an option, but the documentation for the camera seems to indicate that all the MP4 recordings use XDCAM.
Now, the other choice is MOV. Would I be better off choosing that for use with VSx8?
I chose MP4 because I figured there would surely NOT be a problem with those...the program does afterall export MP4s.
In the meantime, do you have a suggestion on converting or working with these MP4 files so that I can use them in VS? Thanks in advance!

[Ken Berry]

The problem with mp4 files is that there a millions of them! Well, not exactly millions, but quite a few different types, produced using different codecs with different algorithms... and in this case, I think the XDCAM EX variant is the culprit.

Unfortunately, the .mov alternative has also been problematic as .mov is just a wrapper extension i.e. used to wrap or cover quite a variety of different formats. Corel in the past year or so has brought out one or two patches which appear to have fixed at least some of these. All I can suggest is that you film a little using .mov and see what VS does with it when you try to insert or edit it.

The only other thing I can suggest is that you use a third party video converter to see if that can 'fix' your mp4... A number of us here use a freeware converter called Format Factory. Just be careful when installing it to read each page of the installation process carefully as it offers to install various bloatware programs which you don't want or need. But it has certainly fixed other users problems by converting problematic mp4 to usable mp4 using default settings. It's useful, though, to look more closely at the Format Factory settings to tweak the output to ensure you get the best quality high def out of it.

There are quite a few other freeware converters out there too. Another popular one is Handbrake...

[steven120566]

I have several older files that Videostudio x8 can't read. They are MPEG 2 files with 5.1 audio recoreded from an old Sony DVD camcorder. Although I WISH that Videostudio could edit these natively, it cannot. I found a free app called Freemake Video Converter. It does a great job turning these into .mp4 files that I can then edit. But Ken is accurate that program installed alot of bloatware that I had to go back and uninstall

[lata]

Hi steven120566

mpeg2 should be bog standard, seems strange that Video Studio cannot edit these types.

But you have found a workround using a Video Converter, I would have converted the video to Mpeg2 as that's the format needed to burn a disc

[steven120566]

Yeah, I agree. But these files seem to be obscure. For example, a competitive program, n*r* 2016 can edit these files, but Videostudio is soooo much better to work in

But these are MPEG 2's with 5.1 audio, and for some odd reason, VS x8.5 tells me they are "unsupported format" when I try to import them. I think it has something to do with the audio being 5.1 but I am not sure. Converting them to MP4 does seem to work, so converting and using videostudio is working better than editing in that "other" app. I also tried converting them to WMVs which also worked to edit in VS.