Can't open X264vfw file in Studio 12 - 64 Bit

Jillian wrote on 12/4/2012, 3:11 PM

A friend asked me to edit an X264vfw AVI file. I tried opening it in Studio 12 - 64 bit, but received a message about not having the proper codec. Someone (Musicvid??) had recommended an X264 codec from SourceForge, so I downloaded and installed the codec. I can now see it is installed in Win 7, and can use it to render files in a couple of programs and play them back in MediaPlayer. The files are really small, and seem to have high quality.

However, Studio 12 nor Vegas Studio 11 will still not open the files, nor is x264 available for rendering in either program. Avid Studio and Adobe Premiere will open and play the files. although neither will show thumbnails on the timeline.

Any ideas what I have done wrong, or will Studio 12 not work with X264vfw files despite what I read online?

By the way, I have tried both the 32 and 64 bit versions of X264vfw and tried installing the 64 bit version in the Windows\SysWOW64\ folder as recommended online.

Something that may be of importance is that since I installed Studio 12 - 64 bit, Studio 11 nor 12 will now open CineForm files, but that was an issue I had not intended to attack until the new year!

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

Steve Grisetti wrote on 12/4/2012, 7:27 PM

Smartest thing would be to convert that file to a more conventional codec, like DV.

It's always much easier to change the file than it is to force the program to accept a file it can't work with.

Jillian wrote on 12/5/2012, 10:45 AM

Hi Steve,

Yes, I agree. I used Avid Studio to trans-code the file so it would open in Sony. I was just hoping to cut out a rendering step to save resolution. Also, I figured it never hurts to have access to another codec. A bigger problem for the future is to discover why Sony won't open CineForm files when all the other video and graphics programs on my system can use them.

When will the Studio 12 version of your book come out?

Thanks again,

vkmast wrote on 12/5/2012, 11:36 AM

<<< I figured it never hurts to have access to another codec.>>>

Generally speaking, one should be very careful in this regard.
See e.g. musicvid's last post in this thread
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=12&MessageID=819152

Steve Grisetti wrote on 12/5/2012, 12:32 PM

The version 12 book is being reviewed and proofread now and we hope to have it available by mid-January. Thanks for asking!

musicvid10 wrote on 12/5/2012, 1:16 PM

x264vfw installs as a system codec.
It is available as a Custom Render option in the AVI File Format.
If you have both 32 and 64 bit versions of x264vfw installed on your system, it should decode and show up in any version of Vegas.

If it still doesn't work, post the complete file properties using MediaInfo (Sourceforge).

Jillian wrote on 12/6/2012, 5:06 PM

Thanks, Musicvid, for confirming where I should be looking for the phantom X264 codec in Studio. All the other vfw codecs show up there, including CineForm since I re-installed it. But, neither version of the X264 codec shows.

However, at this point I have edited the file from my friend and can use the X264vfw codec in other programs. So, I am going to let this rest for a while since I have thirteen hours of video from my last mission to India to edit and distribute.

Thanks again for everyone's help. I hate this type problem when something should be straightforward and turns out to be so mystifying!