Another imovie 08 thread

[Jason Anderson]

Ok.... I bought and read the book... used the Visualhub method to convert from .tod to .mpg files.... but while trying to import to I movie 08 the recently converted .mpg files are all grey and will not import. I have followed the steps in the book carefully? Does it matter what the camera is set to shoot? what else could I be doing wrong? Thanks for any help.

J

[Steve Mullen]

Originally Posted by Jason Anderson

Ok.... I bought and read the book... used the Visualhub method to convert from .tod to .mpg files.... but while trying to import to I movie 08 the recently converted .mpg files are all grey and will not import. I have followed the steps in the book carefully? Does it matter what the camera is set to shoot? what else could I be doing wrong? Thanks for any help.

J

If the file names are grayed-out the most likely problem is the files are not in folders that have the right names or not on a Disk Image.

I'll bet the folders have the wrong name because there's a typo in my book. I'm sending out updates tonight.

> Click Create and after the Disk Image is created it will be mounted on your Desktop.

> Make an alias of the Disk Image and leave it on your Desktop.

> Open the Disk Image and create a folder named MP_ROOT.

>In it, create a folder named 101PNV01.

I'm so sorry for the typo. I never saw it until someone sent me an email on Weds.

[Jason Anderson]

That worked great... I had noticed the typo so tried a few different ways....

any way you also mention on step 16 changing the file date.. and refer to "see changing file dates" where does that refer too I searched to pdf and can find no other reference.

Thanks again for your book and work

J

[Steve Mullen]

Originally Posted by Jason Anderson

any way you also mention on step 16 changing the file date...
Thanks again for your book and work
J

With HD7 having 60GB -- which is likely to have been shot over many days -- changing the date of all files to one date didn't seem to make sense compared to the AVCHD camcorders that shoot to SD cards or DVDs.

So it was a cut-and-paste from my iMovie 08 eBook in the section SD cards.

Do you think it makes sense to change the date with the HD7?

[Jason Anderson]

No I suppose your right you would most likely have multiple days on the camera.

Thanks

Jason

[Steve Mullen]

Originally Posted by Jason Anderson

No I suppose your right you would most likely have multiple days on the camera.

Thanks

Jason

With Sony offering 120GB -- it seems crazy that there is no universal time-stamp system for video. Even a big SD card might be used over the course of a week or more.

I've removed the sentence to avoid more confusion.

Thank you Jason for posting.

FOLKs don't be shy. If you find any problems with my eBooks -- send me feedback and I will fix it.

[Richard Thompson]

Hi there everyone.

I have successfully been able to get iMovie 08 to recognise the converted TOD files when Visualhub converts them by following your guidance above Steve - nice workaround which confuses iMovie 08 into thinking you have a camera attached. However this doesn't work when I use MPEG streamclip; the mpeg files cannot be imported.

What is it that streamclip does differently which iMovie doesn't like I wonder?

I would prefer to be able to use streamclip for 2 reasons:
1) it seems faster in the conversion process from .TOD to .MPG-2, particularly because you can have 4 tasks running at once.
2) it is free

Is there anyway to use streamclip and why did you switch to recommending visualhub instead Steve?

I feel that I am so close to finding the solution.. it is agonizing..
Also, iMovie 08 takes AGES to encode its little thumbnails... I suppose it has to go through a whole stupid conversion process in itself. I wonder, any way to stop this from happening or to speed it up.. I have serious doubts about whether when you add up:

1) the time it takes to convert TOD to MPG
2) the time iMovie takes to create thumbnails

Whether it would just be quicker to use the firewire transfer method. Although, I suppose iMovie STILL has to create thumbnails? I haven't tested as I don't have the camera with me this weekend, I just have a bunch of TODs.

So to reiterate the question,

What is it that streamclip does differently which iMovie doesn't like I wonder?

And can we get streamclip MPEGS to be recognised by iMovie?


Cheers

Richard

[Steve Mullen]

Originally Posted by Richard Thompson

I would prefer to be able to use streamclip for 2 reasons:

1) it seems faster in the conversion process from .TOD to .MPG-2, particularly because you can have 4 tasks running at once.

2) it is free

MPEGStreamclip is NOT the right way to go with iM 08 because it decodes MPEG-2 long GOP (TOD) and recodes it into I-frame MPEG-2 (AIC). A total waste of time and potential loss of quality.

VisualHub does the smart thing -- it demuxes M2T (TOD) and remuxes it as Program Stream (MPG). Nothing is decompressed or recompressed. This trick takes advantage of the fact iM 08 can directly edit long GOP MPEG-2.

When iM 08 imports MPG files all it needs to do is convert MP2 audio to PCM audio and put V and A into a MOV wrapper. Then make the Thumbnail files.

This iM 08 ability is why it is so great for the HD7.

[Richard Thompson]

Hi there again.

Thanks for the clarification Steve.

I managed to import a large proportion of my movies, however, at some point, the whole process just decided to die!!!

iMovie now says "An error occurred during import: There was a problem importing 1 of 1 clips from your camera. Please review the imported clips carefully." And it doens't import anything.

This is using the disk-image method of having iMovie recognise the mpeg2 files.

I am about to re-run visualhub on the original tod files one by one and see if I can then import them that way, but it's bloody annoying!!!

Have you seen this problem, and do you know a solution?

Before that I'll also try rebooting as that sometimes solves glitches.

Richard

[Steve Mullen]

Originally Posted by Richard Thompson

Hi there again.

Thanks for the clarification Steve.

I managed to import a large proportion of my movies, however, at some point, the whole process just decided to die!!!

By chance did you try to import more than 50 files with VH?

VH doesn't like to do this which is why I put the warning in my book.

If not -- it may be iM 08 acting up. Maybe it too has a limit which is why restart may help.

[Richard Thompson]

I get this error, along with "there was a problem importing 1 of 1 clip from your camera" when I follow your process, Steve.

I tried restarting the computer, re-encoding to MPG using Visualhub, etc.

This may be something to do with the auto-import screen? But I can't import a directory of these mpg files as they are greyed out unless you have fooled iMovie to import from a "Camera" which is really a "fake" drive on an external Firewire.

Anyway, I am still stuck with my workflow and I could really use some help because right now I can't make any use of the videos I am shooting with my camera!!

What happens is iMovie seems to be importing the videos in its 'auto import' screen which opens when it launches. But the movies don't import and I get the error message.
Bizarrely, I can't import these movies into iMovie HD either?!! it says, preparing but then cuts out after a few seconds with no import happening. This is frustrating because the visual hub convert process is quick, but again it gives me unusable movies!!

Please; advice?

Cheers

Richard

[Steve Mullen]

Originally Posted by Richard Thompson

I get this error, along with "there was a problem importing 1 of 1 clip from your camera" when I follow your process, Steve.

What happens is iMovie seems to be importing the videos in its 'auto import' screen which opens when it launches. But the movies don't import and I get the error message.

Bizarrely, I can't import these movies into iMovie HD either?!! it says, preparing but then cuts out after a few seconds with no import happening.

1) I don't know if iM 06 can import MPG files -- so that may not tell us anything.

2) However, if iM 06 fails with no error message -- that isn't correct. It should say something like "unsupported format."

3) Can you play the MPG movies using the QT Player? If it fails too, then we can guess something is wrong with the files.

===

4) When iM 08 launches andfinds the fake camcorder -- you should see a bunch of clips waiting for import. Is this what you see?

5) You should be able to play any clip before you import. Can you play clips in the Import window?

===

I've forgotten -- these are FullHD clips correct?

And which version of OS X and which version of QT?

[Richard Thompson]

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

2) However, if iM 06 fails with no error message -- that isn't correct. It should say something like "unsupported format."

IM 06 fails with no error msg. The movie placeholder simply goes blank.

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

3) Can you play the MPG movies using the QT Player? If it fails too, then we can guess something is wrong with the files.

Yes I can play with QT, they are interlaced, but I guess imovie 08 fixes that.

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

4) When iM 08 launches andfinds the fake camcorder -- you should see a bunch of clips waiting for import. Is this what you see?

Yes I see all the clips in the import screen. They just have errors on importing.

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

5) You should be able to play any clip before you import. Can you play clips in the Import window?

I can play the clip, but there is no sound.
HOWEVER!
Most clips show they are 18.23mins long. This is because they have been cut off for file size or something by the HD7, I imagine (not sure?). The only one which does play with sound in the Import window, is 2.18mins long, and it is also the only one which imports correctly. Bizarre!

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

I've forgotten -- these are FullHD clips correct?

They were actually recorded as SP. I have recorded other movies with Full HD and SP since, and had no problems, however... Could it be the length/size of these clips creates problems?

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

And which version of OS X and which version of QT?

Mac os X 10.5.3
QT 7.4.5 (25) with the QT Mpeg software installed.

Thanks for ur help in advance. A puzzling bizarre problem! Especially when it originally did import some clips. And yes, these clips were the same size as the current ones which I am having problems with. About half of the clips came on, half aren't liked by imovie.

[Steve Mullen]

Originally Posted by Richard Thompson

Most clips show they are 18.23mins long. This is because they have been cut off for file size or something by the HD7, I imagine (not sure?). The only one which does play with sound in the Import window, is 2.18mins long, and it is also the only one which imports correctly.

Are you saying your clips are longer that 18 minutes?

I suspect these clips cross the limits of FAT32 and so are auto-divided by the HD7. I suspect Mac software can't cope with these divided files.

Create a Playlist and input via FW so the HD7 has to re-join these files.

Using FAT32 for video is a horrible design flaw of all USB devices.

[Richard Thompson]

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

Are you saying your clips are longer that 18 minutes?

I suspect these clips cross the limits of FAT32 and so are auto-divided by the HD7. I suspect Mac software can't cope with these divided files.

Create a Playlist and input via FW so the HD7 has to re-join these files.

Using FAT32 for video is a horrible design flaw of all USB devices.

What does this mean for using the HD7 in future? If I want to shoot for longer than 18 minutes, I need to import using firewire? Or is there some other way of having the HD7 split files shorter so that iMovie can handle it? Or is iMovie incapable of handling files which the HD7 has split itself?