I tried renaming the extension to an mp4 and the audio works but it's out of sync....this is all very frustrating, why can't stuff just work...I will probably end up taking it back if I can't get it to work, I mean, sure I could encode it then work with it, but darn it, I shouldn't have to go through hoops to edit a video....

Like many pocket camcorders and point-and-shoots, the encoding schemes used in the zi8 and zi6 are nonstandard and noncompliant with HD standards. Sorry that Kodak did not consult Sony before releasing their product.

By providing a workaround, unless you can devise your own, the best your peers can do is offer suggestions. That being said, no one using this workaround has complained about the audio being out of sync. You are the first. Are you talking about a slow video preview, which is common with AVC, or are you able to establish that it's out of sync in a rendered file?

So, if you would upload an original clip of the out-of-sync material somewhere, someone might be glad to take a look at it, and possibly make an educated guess as to why this is occurring in your case, and not in others. . .

BTW, the zi8, encoding scheme notwithstanding, comes highly recommended, and there is one already on my holiday wish-lists.

Sure, here are the exact same file. One I just recorded and left alone, the mov file, the other one I just renamed the extension to .mp4. They will both play fine in quicktime, no issues. But when I place it in Vegas 9 or Movie Studio 8 (which can support HD) there is no audio for the mov file and the mp4 file is out of sync. In searching other forum I did see where this workaround did not work all the time for the zi6 and it looks like it's hit or miss with the zi8, at least in my case it's a miss. But I welcome any feedback.

http://blip.tv/file/get/BatmanGeek-zi8AudiovideoTest846.MOV

http://blip.tv/file/get/BatmanGeek-zi8AudiovideoTest977.mp4

Interesting. I was able to reproduce your problem, and I think you should send your clip to Sony along with the steps you took (renaming). I'm sure they are up to their eyeballs trying to keep up with all of the pocket and point-and-shoot mutations that are coming out, but will take it into consideration when developing future versions.

Only thing I noticed is that your clip was quasi-SD (848x480). Do you get the same results at 720 HD and 1080 HD?

I will play around with your clip and see if I can determine anything more about it. It does play in sync in VLC.

OK, Here is a workaround that should keep your files working in Vegas until there is a fix from Sony:

1) Go to Options and Select "Ignore Event Grouping."
2) Grab the left (beginning) edge of the audio event and pull it downstream exactly 2.000 seconds.
3) Click-drag the audio event back to the beginning of the video track.
4) Grab the trailing edge of the video event and drag it back to the end of the audio event.
5) Go to Options and Deselect "Ignore Event Grouping."

I verified that this puts your file back in the same sync as the original by doing several renders and comparing them to the original.

This will put your file back in perfect sync in the Vegas timeline. I don't know why this is happening, but I discovered the problem by noting that the video is "frozen" at the end by precisely 2 seconds.

You may want to let Sony know about the 2 second offset when you submit your tech service request. And thanks for bringing it to our attention on the forum. We can refer to it if / when others report the same behavior.

Yeah, after I did the clips and uploaded them last night, I noticed the same thing about the video being frozen....it happens every time. Not sure on HD yet, as I am in the process of getting a new computer, as my current one does not handle the HD well....I sorta jumped the gun a bit on the HD camcorder but I have been itching to try it out and just couldn't wait any longer....

In the big scheme of things a 2 second offset is not that big of a deal and I have to remind myself I am not going to be shooting a "film" on this thing, that is what my DVX is for....but for everyday general clips of stuff I think it's nice so far, low light is not great in HD but what can you expect from this price point....

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it

Great attitude, I appreciate it.
Glad that my time resulted in a workaround that works.
We are here to help.

(I'm still going to buy one . . . )

I have had the sound from my zi8 on 8c and 9b, no problems until I did a back up from August due to some scripting problems and there is no audio in mine now..

In fact I have SKF files a proof, but alas no audio track

XP is up to date as well

Found this

zcheema,
That video provides a good alternative to renaming, esp. since at least one person is reporting sync problems. Some may object to a re-render, but this method seems pretty straightforward, and I will post it in my tutorial when I get a chance.

If you updated your Quicktime, you will lose audio with some types of files. The solution is to roll back to 7.6.2 or earlier.

Thanks!

Also found this
http://sourceforge.net/projects/mp4cam2avi/

MP4Cam2AVI is a MP4/MOV to AVI repackaging tool for digital photo-video cameras, it makes their clips editable in VirtualDub, MovieMaker and other AVI editors. No video recompression, no quality loss, fast operation (5-20x realtime), no quicktime needed.

I can confirm it is the update on Quick time that has caused the audio to disappear in my vegas (9a)
The renaming to MP4 did not work for me..

I have uninstalled QT and re-installed a previous version I had 7.6(1292) download may 2009 (21.366Mb)

I Could make it available if any one is stuck, by using Yousend,com and then sending the link.

Thanks for the help

Yea, anyone can re-render I didn't want to do that myself as to me, it's an extra step that should not be necessary. I am sticking with the 2 second delete work around until/when/if Sony can add an update to include these cams.

I hope that they will as these pocket cams, especially the Kodak ones seem to be really catching on and as I sole user of Sony Vegas since I have started vlogging 4 years ago, I preach to everyone I know about the benefits of Vegas as THE PC editing software....

I do wonder why renaming works for some and not others though...that in itself seems weird...

I do wonder why renaming works for some and not others though...that in itself seems weird...

Remember, the last user who had success with the renaming option did not also report a 2 second audio delay . . .

If there's one thing I've discovered over the years, there are no "one size fits all" solutions. Different users report different experiences, likely due to different codecs and codec versions installed on their equipment or system. Different workflows, disparities in computer literacy, the ability to interpret and follow directions, and the user's desire to find a solution are also factors. That's why we've consistently asked our peers to "try" something, and if it doesn't work, then we've gained something by ruling out that possibility, whatever the reason. That's also the reason one clip is worth a thousand words.

Telling others that something will work because "it worked for me" is but another brick in the road to hell. Unfortunately, one or two advice givers in these forums (currently not active, thankfully) may never realize that simple fact.

Thanks again for demonstrating a desire to make it work and accepting a workaround, if a bit inconvenient, until the various players can catch up with each other.

"Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

UPDATE: Two of the users in the Vegas Pro - Video forum report that zi8 / zi6 files open just fine in 9.0c, no renaming needed, and no sync issues. So Sony caught up with this one rather quickly.