Can't open MP4 - VSX9

[Old Grey]

Can anybody else open this MP4 in their VS?
http://www.mediafire.com/file/2xumk33f8 ... 1.mp4/file

It play fine in players, but in my VS9 it doesn't want to do anything with it when I drag it in.

If you can't, what's the procedure these days.

[Ken Berry]

First off, I'm not sure why you posted your question in the Video & DVD forum instead of the VideoStudio one. So I have moved it there are you are likely to get more answers that way.

Second, I don't have VS X9 on this computer. The earliest I have is X10. However, I tried opening your file in VS 2020 (the current version). The blue progress bar went to about 95% and sat there for a while. Then I got a message saying the the file could not be opened either because it had an unknown format, or because my computer does not have sufficient resources to open it or the file is copyright protected.

So I then put your file through Handbrake (freeware video converter) set to produce a new mp4 with much the same properties as the original. This takes a few seconds. But the new clip opened in VS 2020 with no problems. So you might want to try that.

[tletter]

in my VS9 it doesn't want to do anything with it when I drag it in.

I'm assuming that you mean X9, but in any event, your file doesn't open in X9 or in VS2018 for that matter. Hence you'll need to convert it in a video converter to remove whatever is preventing VS from ingesting it.

tletter
https://www.youtube.com/user/tletter

[Ken Berry]

Scrap that conversion I suggested. It works and can be placed into VS. But the Properties for it are very strange. The original clip is around 47 seconds long. But the new one from Handbrake shows as 0.013 of a second, and the frame rate an unbelievable 90,000 frames per second! That's using Properties within VideoStudio.

But using the reliable MediaInfo, the new clip is shown as having a variable frame rate between 23.974 and 25 fps and a bitrate of 1750 kbps. Interestingly, the original is shown to be 47.961 seconds and having a variable frame rate but one which is not specified. The extension is .ts and said to be invalid. No bitrate is given. Both clips play perfectly well in VLC player...

The next thing I tried was to change the extension to .mpg. The extension shown in Windows File Explorer is in fact .mp4 despite MediaInfo saying it is .ts. That allowed me to at least insert the clip into the VS library window where its Properties still showed it as having an unlikely frame rate of 2000 fps and no bitrate given but said to be 'variable'. Trying to drag it into the timeline proved to be impossible, with VS freezing and having to be killed (3 times) via Task Manager. I might also note here that File Explorer showed the clip as having a frame rate of 1000 fps.

I then tried changing the extension to .mts. It gave the same Properties as .mpg and again proved impossible to insert in the timeline as VS froze again.

So at this point I have to give up and hope someone else comes up with a solution.

[Old Grey]

If you guys can't make sense of it, I've got no chance - lol -.

I tried the .mpg and it crashes at about 2% of the render, so I tried playing it in X9 and it freezes after a few secs. Looks like I have to do the conversion.

I've been cramming Handbrake by watching tutorials, and so far the vid looks maybe a touch worse - it's about 10% smaller file size so I guess it needs the quality bumped -.

With your experience for this vid in HB I've got :-
Framerate/Same as Source/Constant FR, but should I use Variable FR
and,
Quality/Constant 22 RF, or should I go Avg Bitrate 1750
All the rest is default except I got rid of subtitles and Chapters.

Thanks

[Ken Berry]

Definitely don't go for variable frame rate as VS does not like that. A lot of smartphones these days use variable frame rates, and VS often rejects them.

I'm not sure what you mean by 22RF. But increasing the bitrate could possibly improve the quality a little, but don't increase it too much as quality improvement would only be minimal, yet the size of the video would increase significantly.

[tletter]

If you guys can't make sense of it

What is the source of your clip? It seems to be pathological to VS.

As previously mentioned, you need to convert the file using a video converter to remove whatever is preventing VS from ingesting it. I've converted it into a format that both X9 and VS2018 have no problem ingesting and rendering. If this is of use, then for the next couple of days you can download the converted file from:

• https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ldqmwvpn9e9r6n/BG2-1_MM.mp4

Note: You don't have to sign-in to Dropbox to download this file.

tletter
https://www.youtube.com/user/tletter

[Ken Berry]

What was the converter program you used? It certainly works fine. Gives a considerably higher bitrate (over 7000 kbps) and otherwise appears to conform to standard VS video... Moreover asks the question when you first insert it in the timeline if you want to Project Properties to match. Well done!!

[Old Grey]

I'm not sure what you mean by 22RF.

That's the general Video/Quality slider bar, and the tutorials recommend between 18 and 22 - it's probably a simplified bitrate/render speed optimisation thing -. Below it is the specific bitrate adjust.
Quality 22 is fractionally worse, but 20 seams just as good as the original vid. I also tried bitrate 2000kbps and that 7000kbps download, and they all look as good as the original, so I guess 1750kbps must be close to the practical limit for the quality of this vid.

I was leaning towards constant FR because I read that variable FR isn't good with other programs as well.

What is the source of your clip? It seems to be pathological to VS.

I think it was some online Twitch download from 3 years ago, so I kind-of figured it was the vid and not X9 - lol -. It plays fine in various players, but when I tried it in an online video editor/converter it couldn't understand it either.

[kenyaflava]

What was the converter program you used? It certainly works fine.