Lost/damaged frames
 

hi there!
coming from dslr, the fs700 is my first avchd camera.
i filmed a concert, about 2 hours continous, no slowmotion, 1080 25p. looking at the mts files, i can see that the 2 hour footage is divided in several files, each one 2,13gb large. when importing to fcp via logg and transfer, i experienced that some frames are missing or are damaged...exactly where a new mts file begins. same happens when converting the mts files via brorsoft mts converter. also when i try to convert/import single mts files from this footage, the first frames are damaged...!
any ideas/solutions how to avoid that?
thanks a lot!

Re: Lost/damaged frames
 

Try ClipWrap have it rewrap your files to .movs.

This has to be done from the card itself, or a complete copy of the card with all its folders and files intact.

If you just copy mts files you will have the problems you describe.

FCPX can also do this rewrap on import, w/o any problems. As can several other programs on Mac and PC, but you need all the metadata from the original card.

Re: Lost/damaged frames
 

thanks!
i tried it serveral times directly from the card and i have complete copies of the card on my mac.
always with the same results...its always the same 4 to 10 damaged frames...!

Re: Lost/damaged frames
 

How did you import from the card?

What program?

Re: Lost/damaged frames
 

tried it with finalcut 7 via logg and transfer, but it always stopped after a few gb and showed error messages. then i used the brorsoft mts converter...it worked well but then i saw the damaged frames! sonys own file content management does not work with mac...any other ideas?
thanks!!

Re: Lost/damaged frames
 

Try ClipWrap, it works great.
ClipWrap: Easy AVCHD and HDV conversion for the Mac

And also download and try the trial version of FCPX, if you have a recent Mac, you need a fast current machine for FCPX.

Re: Lost/damaged frames
 

Hello Stefan,

Sounds like your card may have some I/O errors and that caused the bad transfer of the files. You mentioned that you already have a copy of the whole card on your Mac. How did you done that copy? Any error was shown during the process?

I would suggest you try to copy from the card those .mts files that have some damaged frames using a fault-tolerant copy utility called dd. You can find more information about the process at below blog post entry.

How to copy a file with I/O errors?

Best of luck!

--Javier

Re: Lost/damaged frames
 

Have seen these problems before and I find the only way of bringing these MTS files in with 100% true frame continuity is to use Sony’s Content Browser, Content Management Utility or Sony Vegas’ Device Explorer.

All the above software will recognise time code continuity and will correctly stitch contiguous files together as one file with no issues whatsoever. Great for long interviews, conferences, concerts and the like. If you have shot a whole load of clips that aren’t part of one long session then these will be imported as single individual clips. Import has to be done from the camera or a card reader.

If you are trying to stitch together a load of files that are already resident on a hard drive the software that seems to do this best, and quickly and sometimes 100% correct, is tsMuxerR_1.10.6. Hunt the net for it; it’s a piece of Rusky software that is freeware. I believe It is not being developed any further as it looks like the developers went on to more profitable ventures.

I tend to avoid the MTS files and mainly keep them as a backup. Prefer to use a Nano Flash and record to 422 MXF at 50-mbit or higher depending on the job.

Chris Young
CYV productions
Sydney
.