Device Explorer can't join 4K files

aldo12xu wrote on 8/20/2014, 7:02 AM

I just bought the Panasonic FZ 1000 4K camera and recently recorded a 35 minute video. The camera splits the recording into 4 gig segments every 6 minutes and records everything as 3840 x 2160 MP4 files. I use Device Explore to join up AVCHD files without a problem, but in this case Vegas 12 doesn't seem to recognize the 4K files.

The camera puts the files into the DCIM folder, so I thought I could trick it by moving the files into AVCHD folder where Device Explorer normally goes searching. But that didn't work.

The software that came with the camera doesn't seem to be able to do it either. I'll try to get help from Panasonic.

What would be another way of joining the segments together?

Comments

set wrote on 8/20/2014, 7:41 AM

Can command line able to do it for 4K movie files ?

Just like we may do it in avchd MTS files:
copy 00001.mts /b + 00002.mts /b + 00003.mts /b OutputFilename.mts

http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/Forums/ShowMessage.asp?Forum=4&MessageID=698703, post by David McKnight

Set

OldSmoke wrote on 8/20/2014, 11:11 AM

Make sure the drive you use can actually handle files bigger then 4GB. You need NTFS or exFAT disk format to have files bigger then 4GB.

malowz wrote on 8/20/2014, 11:25 AM

if you just add the files in the timeline sequentially, there's a gap between files? a few frames missing?

if not, you don't need to join them.

aldo12xu wrote on 8/20/2014, 4:49 PM

Yeah, unfortunately a gap with a bit of audio missing. The drives are formatted ok. Not sure how to use the dos command you mentioned, Set.

.....By the way, it's a great camera. This is the only stumbling block so far.

set wrote on 8/20/2014, 8:11 PM

aldo12xu, can you list these files' names including the folder position?

*btw, just asking, do you have any experience with DOS Command Prompts before Windows' OS time?

Note: this is trial and error, so can't promise it will work, but worth to try.

Set

John_Cline wrote on 8/20/2014, 11:03 PM

Does Panasonic not have a stand-alone utility to transfer files from the camera to the computer and join the segments correctly?

aldo12xu wrote on 8/21/2014, 10:28 AM

Set: zero dos experience.

ext drive J/_4k Capture/Event/number

John: It came with a capture utility but it also imports the files as separate segments. And it took 30 minutes to import the files! The closest I can find is a conversion section. But when I tried that the rendering process was taking too long (eg., hours). I'm waiting to hear from Panasonic.

set wrote on 8/21/2014, 10:49 AM

Hi Aldo12xu,

Since you have no DOS experience, perhaps this small application can help:

MTSMerger
http://cdrlab.pl/file_detale_10992.html

I forgot where I download this little app first time, as long as I remember, is not above, but hopefully can work also for 4K media

For DOS experience,
Start>(All Programs) Accessories>Command Prompt

To navigate to the folder location :



j:

cd _4k Capture/Event/number

and proceed with copy command:

copy /b file1.mts+file2.mts+file3.mts OutputFilename.mts

Hope Helps

*Correcting command... Thanks PeterDuke!

aldo12xu wrote on 8/21/2014, 11:13 AM

Hey Vegas does play the whole event!! It automatically generates a transition between each clip, giving smooth, continuous playback when you drag the entire group of files at once. I think I tested it before by just dragging one clip at a time. Sorry about that.

But I did try the DOS commands. It'd would be nice to have one long continuous file if I need to give a copy to a client or another editor.

Thanks for your help!

PeterDuke wrote on 8/21/2014, 8:54 PM

you only need one /b switch (for binary, as distinct from text)

COPY /B file1+file2+file3 newfile

PeterDuke wrote on 8/21/2014, 9:07 PM

Panasonic cameras usually come with HD Writer AE utility. If you use it to copy files FROM THE CAMERA to the computer, it should join up split scenes.

It may also work if you put the memory card in a card reader and copy it from there. It certainly won't work if you first copy the source files using Windows copy, and then try to join them. The source files must be still in their original directory structure with auxilliary files in order for the joining to occur.

Also note that SDXC SD cards (64 GB and up) are formatted with exFAT and the card reader must have the appropriate driver for exFAT.

The advantage of using the supplied software is that it is a no-brainer to use. It knows which segments belong to a particular scene.

Mea culpa

I thought that the Panasonic software behaved the same as the Sony equivalent. What happens is that the parts are copied but not joined and renamed to the shooting date and time at the start of the shoot. Subsequent parts have a suffix number. There is a .cont file which is displayed in the database as though there is only one file per scene. There are two other sidecar files as well.