Codec causing video editing problems

[sparkythecat]

I've got some good footage of otters filmed in IR light and recorded on a CCTV DVR, with which I'm very pleased.
The Bosch DVR I'm using is just 6 months old and uses H264 compression.
The video files are exported from the DVR via USB to memory stick as AVi files which can be viewed using the Bosch supplied software.
What I want to do is edit together a compilation of clips and publish them to DVD which I can share with family and friends.
Windows Movie Maker won't open the files properly, I just get a black screen.

Ulead Videostudio11 allows me to import the files and edit them, but when they are rendered there are alsorts of problems - for instance clips playing at the wrong speed and portions of the frame missing.

I suspect it's the codec that's the problem, but I'm a bit stumped. I can't even get VLC to open the files.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Bacardi]

H264 is a finishing format rather than editing. Some software, like Premiere Pro can handling H264, from say a Canon 5DII, without transcoding. Codecs can be a nightmare with all sorts of flavours wrapped up in different containers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_contain...

You could try something like Mpeg Streamclip to transcode it to something more useful:
http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-win...

HTH

[theboyfold]

sparkythecat said:

Ulead Videostudio11 allows me to import the files and edit them, but when they are rendered there are alsorts of problems - for instance clips playing at the wrong speed and portions of the frame missing.

I suspect it's the codec that's the problem, but I'm a bit stumped. I can't even get VLC to open the files.

Things playing at the wrong speed and bits of the frame missing to me suggest a standards issue (NTSC v PAL). I'm assuming that the cameras aren't HD?

Download this: http://www.headbands.com/gspot/ and post the results when you look at the file. It will give us a better idea as to what we are looking at.

[sparkythecat]

theboyfold said:

Things playing at the wrong speed and bits of the frame missing to me suggest a standards issue (NTSC v PAL). I'm assuming that the cameras aren't HD?

Download this: http://www.headbands.com/gspot/ and post the results when you look at the file. It will give us a better idea as to what we are looking at.

[theboyfold]

Hmmm, I don't see anything in there to confuse anything that's half decent player...