Audio Sync Errors with VideoStudio 2021

[Edison99]

Firstly, apologies for asking a question that appears a very common issue - i'm very new to VideoStudio and I'm stuck. I've already looked at several posts, but I haven't found any that are understandable to a novice.

I'm trying to copy and edit a very old recording from a video recorder to my PC via an HDMI to USB adaptor. I can import the video using 'USB Video', but when copying to disk the audio errors mount to many tens of seconds.

I understand that variable frame rate may be the cause, but I cannot see how to resolve. I note that USB Video input options are limited to 'DVD' or 'MPEG2 HD' with various resolution options - I also note that all options are 'NTSC' and not 'PAL' as required. As the picture is OK I assumed that's not an issue.

Can I resolve the audio issue from settings, or do I need additional software? Help!

[asik1]

Are you sure it's not inherit in the file? It's been reported over the web that cheap $15 HDMI2USB devices do not capture in sync.

[Edison99]

Hi, thanks for the reply.
Yes, the device was relatively cheap and I hadn't considered this a possible cause.
What I'll do is investigate other HDMI video sources (eg camera) with the device to see if the problem persists.
I'll get back when I have more to report.

[Davidk]

It seems obvious from your report that you are capturing video by "playing it' on the camera and digitising the play to save it on PC as a video file. These sort of devices have been around for a while, and they are targeted at cameras old enough to have old-style memory media (like tape) and no common digital outputs, or least none common to current computing devices. Getting the recorded video from this sort of camera typically requires a user to play the camera file and digitise/capture/save the playing signal. So some related questions:
1. does the camera have a memory card of any sort in it? A camera with an HDMI output is modern enough to have one of these. and HDMI is already a digital format.
If so, the recorded file will be in a digital format that can be read easily. Remove the card from the camera and insert into a common card reader (typically, they take SD/XD/MS/CF and micro versions of SD/XD in discrete sockets and present the output on a USB connection), then plug it into the PC on any available USB connector: open explorer and the card should appear as a system drive.
2. Even if the camera does not have a card memory (some actually have a v small HDD in them) a camera with an HDMI output can usually be plugged into the PC directly using the HDMI connector on the rear panel, and it should appear as an extra drive in explorer on the PC.

Once your explorer "sees" the recorded file/s, play them using a common player like VLC - confirm the audio is in sync. If the audio is still out of sync, it is the camera which is the problem, not the editor software. NTSC formats of the input files are quite manageable by VS, and should not be a consideration until you render the project.
Input the files to VS using the various import or file open methods available, and edit to suit.

What brand/model of camera are you using?

[asik1]

"a camera with an HDMI output can usually be plugged into the PC directly using the HDMI connector on the rear panel" David are you sure? I never heard of that. The computer HDMI's is GPU output.
I will not advise that until further study as I do know that HDMI wrong doing can damage internal circuits.
my 2c.

[Ken Berry]

I tend to agree with asik re HDMI output jacks. But I have a HDMI to USB-C adapter which I can use in the Type C input jack on the back of my computer which seems to work correctly for input when the other end is also connected to a HDMI output jack... Mind you, I too should probably look it up to see what HDMI is capable of these days.

[asik1]

Ken, I believe your adapter is to connect a monitor to usb-c

[Davidk]

Re HDMI . . not quite 20 years old.
PC to monitor as a digital replacement for analogue - is what it was invented for; carries both video and audio. Technically, 3 channels each for data and clock, with power - see the connector pinout diagram here [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Main_specifications [/url ]But other uses have been developed. And it can work both ways.
Example
My Hp 240c HD video conferencing monitor has built in speakers, and a webcam as well as the monitor screen. I got it specifically for remote learning at the start of the pandemic in 2020. It has VGA, HDMI, USB and Displayport connections. I've used both VGA (analogue) and HDMI connections with the PC. If I use VGA I must have the usb connection plugged in for the webcam to work, however the webcam and the monitor functions both work without other connections if HDMI is connected. Ergo, signalling for video and audio over HDMI goes in both directions: with only HDMI connected the monitor sends the webcam video and audio to the PC, and takes monitor video and audio from the PC. The motherboard of the PC is from gigabyte, circa 2015, whilst the monitor is barely a year old (both in purchasing terms).

The referenced article also has timelines for common takeup of the HDMI spec for cameras and PC's - if you have either bought over the last 8 years, HDMI should be part of it.

[lata]

A little confused here as Edison99 mentions a “video recorder” I assume a device connected to a tv to record programs, Edison99 did not mention using a camera.
If that is correct then there is no SD card to transfer the files from which would be one way to do the job.

I think a little clarification is required.

[Edison99]

Hi, thank you for your helpful suggestions.

I think the issue requires some clarification as no camera was initially involved. I was trying to download an old recording from a video recorder in high definition. The recorder could record in HD but could only copy to DVD. I was copying to my PC via an HDMI to USB interface and hoped to use VideoStudio to edit and copy to blu-ray.

While I could download the recording, the sound was out of sync, being nearly a minute out at the end of the recording. I did some investigating and found that it could be an issue if the recording wasn’t using a constant frame rate, and it has been suggested that the issue was possibly due to a cheap HDMI to USB interface. As an experiment, I had proposed replacing the video recorder with a Panasonic camera to see if it had the same issue. Using the same setup, I was going to download a video recording to check it out.

Ultimately, it may be necessary to purchase a better HDMI to USB interface, but I didn’t want to go there if it wasn’t the problem.

As I said previously, I’m very new to VideoStudio and it’s a voyage of discovery at present.

Lastly, if only you could have HDMI inputs on a PC – it would solve a lot of problems!

[lata]

Thank you for the clarification
Are there any settings you can choose when using the HDMI to USB interface, If so take a note of the audio Khz setting, 41000 or 48000, try both options.

Does the device transfer the files, or do you have to play the footage to capture, I assume the latter

To be honest I have not used a TV recorder in a long time and then never tried to transfer the videos.

As for Variable of Constant the type used to record the footage would be used, changing from the default may not work, I guess always worth a try, and yes I believe the Constant rate is best, certainly for Video Studio.

Hopefully the other guys will have some input here.

[Davidk]

That does clarify things.
The last time I recorded from TV, VHS was the medium. Years later I played/captured the VHS imagery to PC and edited it - but the resolution was (in todays terms) v poor - but that was VHS. Scratchy tapes just made it worse.
I do recall recorders for TV that allow programming to record particular shows whilst the user was absent - eg at work. They did that on an internal HDD in the recorder, and saved programs could be selected for playback later. And I am assuming that your recorded files don't have the reported audio issue when played on the Tv from the storage medium.

A feature of external inputs on a TV to allow this is an ability to display the recorded files as a list on the TV. And those TV's typically have several usb connections as well as HDMI - so it is possible to display the recorded files and then copy desired ones to a memory stick in an unused usb socket? (may have to read the Tv manual for that). That would avoid any conversion "issues" if there are any. Once on a memory stick, you can import directly into VS, or save to a PC HDD location.

However, a word of caution - TV programs intended for HD display are often not HD on receipt: the display 'fills in' a lot of details in this case, so the file will display on an HD monitor but the imagery just isn't HD. So you should really be sure that the resolution/clarity of the recorded programs is actually what you want before embarking on what seems like it may be a complex process.

[Edison99]

I have a further update:
I captured a live broadcast via the HDMI to USB adaptor. It was recorded in MPEG2 HD (1280 x 720) and the audio had a sample rate of 48000. Having saved the file, I added it to the timeline in the Edit menu. On replaying the clip, the audio was increasingly out of sync by about 8 seconds every minute of recording. It appears that the problem occurs in the downloading, hence my thoughts about variable frame rate. Picture and sound quality were good. It didn't appear possible to make any changes to the audio sample rate.

Could it be the HDMI to USB adaptor that’s causing the problem?

[Ken Berry]

You said earlier that it was capturing in NTSC rather than PAL. It depends on whether the original was filmed in PAL. I guess. Do you have any way of establishing that e.g. anything written on the original recorder or its manual? But PAL is of course 25 frames per second, whereas NTSC is 29.97 fps. Your device might be capturing the video stream at the wrong rate (and perhaps inventing 4.97 frames ever second), but capturing the audio stream separately at its original rate. That sounds a bit weird even to me, but it is just possible since you are getting this strange out of sync result.

What exactly is your capture device: can you give us a name and exact model?

[asik1]

"Could it be the HDMI to USB adapter that’s causing the problem?"
Yes as I wrote before.