Corrupt source files

Super_G wrote on 2/4/2017, 8:21 PM

Hello,

I'm using Movie Studio Platinum V.12 Build 333. I've been casually editing for a few years now, slowly adding knowledge as needed. Currently working on an amateur documentary which will be over an hour long. I've been editing then rendering small clips onto my hard drive successfully where I then put those rendered clips into the actual project. That has worked OK until now. Apparently I have a source file which is corrupt but I'm not 100% sure due to the circumstances. Here is my main question, then I'll elaborate on the circumstances. Can a source file be tested for corruption? In other words, is crashing of Movie Studio the only clue?

The details:

I have one short video clip which edits fine and can be rendered. Again, I do this regularly with no problem. This source file however, will crash Movie Studio if I edit it, render it and re-insert that file into Movie Studio. The original file is a .MOV file from an iPhone. I am rendering as MainConcept AVC/ACC Internet HD 720p.

When this rendered clip is brought into Movie Studio, it seems to drop in OK, but the preview window will not display any part of it. Lock up occurs shortly after attempting to preview, or simply look at a frame in the preview window. To troubleshoot, I rendered the video again thinking my render was corrupt, but the 2nd render also does the same thing. I've rebooted my computer and made sure other clips insert and preview OK, which they do. Then I rendered the original clip twice - once with just video and another time with just audio. The audio part works fine (.WAV file). The video only clip still causes lockups. I've also attempted to change the file extension of the rendered file but those files still cause lockups. Oddly enough, the rendered file plays fine as a stand-alone file, I just can't use it in my project.

Any help much appreciated.

Comments

NickHope wrote on 2/5/2017, 4:24 AM

Try rewrapping the file to mp4 with FFmpeg.

EricLNZ wrote on 2/5/2017, 4:54 AM

It seems strange that a file rendered by MovieStudio causes problems when reintroduced into MovieStudio? Personally I'd try using Sony AVC for rendering instead of Main Concept to see if it makes any difference. With MS12 I had a few problems with Main Concept rendered files and find Sony AVC at times does a better job than Main Concept. But those are my personal views and others may disagree.

vkmast wrote on 2/5/2017, 6:09 AM

It's always a good idea to update to the latest build of your MSP 12 to see if (m)any of your early (32bit) build 333 issues are fixed. http://download.sonymediasoftware.com/current/ has moviestudiope12.0.1183_32bit.exe and moviestudiope12.0.1184_64bit.exe available.

Quote from the MSP 12 release notes: "Some MOV files recorded by devices running Apple iOS 6 may fail to read correctly when using QuickTime 7.7.2. Updating to QuickTime 7.7.3 resolves the issue."

 

Super_G wrote on 2/5/2017, 2:10 PM

Nick, Eric and vkmast - Thank you very much for your suggestions. Eric has solved the problem I described, although I have other issues that came to light after posting my original question. After reading these 3 responses, I first opted to update my MSP 12 per vkmast. So now I am on build 1183_32bit. I also checked and confirmed my quicktime is on the latest version (7.7.9). That did not fix the reported problem, so I tried the next easiest thing for my brain, which was Eric's suggestion. That worked. Right On Eric!

Nick - your suggestion may help me with other crashing problems, but I have not tried it yet due to a lack of understanding on my part of FFmpeg. I have brushed up on the concepts of containers vs codecs and have a basic understanding, but none beyond that. Are you suggesting I change the source video file to an mp4 container using the FFmpeg software?

Here's my next dilemma:

As stated earlier, I am aspiring to create an amateur documentary which is going to be over an hour long. My intent is to post it to youtube with a resolution of 720p. I admit my computer is barely adequate to do any rendering at all, so I now realize rendering an hour plus video is probably just not going to happen. In addition, I have now realized that my MSP 12 thinks I have Windows 8 when in fact I have Windows 10. I was one of the unlucky people to have Windows 10 shoved down my throat by microsoft even though I consistently closed out all solicitations for the free upgrade. They have now admitted to doing that for a short period - which most of you probably know. Anyway, it is my problem, not microsoft's, that my PC is not suitable for larger project renderings. So here is my current system:

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4800+ 2.5 GHz

Operating System: Windows 10 Pro

RAM: 4.0 GB (3.0 GB usable)

System Type: 32 bit operating system, x64- based processor

Free Disc Space as reported by MSP 12: 87GB

With this setup, can anyone give me a good expectation of what size project I can render? I intend to replace my PC with a proper setup, but my budget is limited for the next month or 2.

Thanks again!

vkmast wrote on 2/5/2017, 2:21 PM

Please open a new thread for your new dilemma. Good that you got this sorted out ☺️

Super_G wrote on 2/5/2017, 2:42 PM

Will do. Thank you.

NickHope wrote on 2/6/2017, 2:02 AM
Are you suggesting I change the source video file to an mp4 container using the FFmpeg software?

Yes, that's what I was suggesting, to make Vegas to decode your original source file with it's built-in codec and not with Quicktime. But I may have misunderstood your original post. If your original source file plays nicely in Vegas (before rendering) then no need to do it.

Super_G wrote on 2/6/2017, 7:07 PM

Nick - the original source file does indeed play properly (preview window) if I drop it in a project. If I render it as described above, the rendered file acts corrupt for use with MSP12. If I render it as Sony AVC like Eric suggested, the rendered file can be used without issue. I don't understand if that different rendering option is a different container, codec, or both. Not that it matters at this point, I'm just trying to learn more.

NickHope wrote on 2/6/2017, 8:38 PM

I don't understand if that different rendering option is a different container, codec, or both. Not that it matters at this point, I'm just trying to learn more.

Sony AVC and MainConcept AVC are just 2 different encoders that create the same format of video. The mp4 container is the same in both cases, and both will be decoded by the same codec. The Sony one is generally a bit faster and the MainConcept one is capable of a little higher quality with the right settings. It's unusual that one would create video that doesn't play properly if the other one does, unless you've chosen some particularly unusual render settings.

EricLNZ wrote on 2/6/2017, 9:02 PM

Nick, I actually found at similar bitrates the Sony codec does a better quality job than MainConcept. In one of my videos with around 15mbps exports it was particularly noticeable in a cloudy grey sky area where MC gave noticeable blocking compared to Sony.

Super_G wrote on 2/6/2017, 10:22 PM

Nick, that's very helpful. I could be wrong, but I think I am using the default settings for MainConcept AVC.

NickHope wrote on 2/6/2017, 11:56 PM

Nick, I actually found at similar bitrates the Sony codec does a better quality job than MainConcept. In one of my videos with around 15mbps exports it was particularly noticeable in a cloudy grey sky area where MC gave noticeable blocking compared to Sony.

I've found that MC generally does a better job than Sony if you use variable bit rate 2-pass and have the deblocking filter enabled. Of course it's slower and it also depends on the bitrate and the nature of the source material. More in this post: https://www.vegascreativesoftware.info/us/forum/faq-how-can-i-improve-the-quality-of-my-avc-h-264-renders--104642/