VP17 fails to import compressed facebook video without corrupting them

Crowyote wrote on 12/25/2020, 4:40 AM

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone,

I've recently run into a problem with VP17 failing to import live videos that I saved from facebook. At the time of recording or performance, these videos were saved on my iPad Pro; however that device unexpectedly kicked the bucket after 2 years. I've been forced to download the videos from my saved library of facebook videos, but when I save them they are compressed to about half their resolution both audio and video.

I have found that I can restore these videos and or audio recording quite well in my DAW, but I have only been able to do using the highly suspect "VLC player" app. SInce I upgraded to VP17 this year, I have wanted to edit these video but haven't figure out the options yet. I tried a few setting in the "Preferences" panel with no luck. Sometimes the video will import with an audio track that is glitchy and corrupted or it will import with no audio at all.

A sample .mp4 AVC video file has these specs:

Video - Data Rate: 501kbps

Total Bitrate: 565kbps

Frame Rate: 29.94 fps

Audio: Bit rate: 63kbps

Channels: 2 stereo

Audio Sample Rate: 24.000 kHz

I held shift and selected Preferences to go the internal menu, I tried lowering the value on the option "Filter Below Sample Rate" with no success. Under the same menu, I played with the true/false options of the ones that had "so4" in the title. I can't recall which one allowed audio to import, but the best I got switching those to "TRUE" was a corrupted looped audio file - the worst was one of those rules caused VP17 to crash endless with an import of said file.

Are there some options under the Internal tab I"m missing to allow me to import these compressed video and audio files?

Is VP18 any better at handling these kind of compressed files? I'm considering an upgrade.

Comments

EricLNZ wrote on 12/25/2020, 4:47 AM

Full Media info would assist

https://www.vegascreativesoftware.info/us/forum/faq-how-to-post-mediainfo-and-vegas-pro-file-properties--104561/

Crowyote wrote on 12/25/2020, 5:06 AM

Thanks Eric,

Ok here's the text from Media Info:

General
Complete name                            : E:\Perry\Vids\A CooCoo for Layne.mp4
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media
Codec ID                                 : isom (isom/iso2/avc1/mp41)
File size                                : 84.5 MiB
Duration                                 : 41 min 12 s
Overall bit rate                         : 287 kb/s
Writing application                      : Lavf57.41.100

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : Main@L3
Format settings                          : CABAC / 3 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, Reference frames        : 3 frames
Codec ID                                 : avc1
Codec ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                                 : 41 min 12 s
Bit rate                                 : 216 kb/s
Width                                    : 360 pixels
Height                                   : 640 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 0.563
Frame rate mode                          : Variable
Frame rate                               : 29.970 (29970/1000) FPS
Minimum frame rate                       : 7.463 FPS
Maximum frame rate                       : 30.303 FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.031
Stream size                              : 63.6 MiB (75%)
Writing library                          : x264 core 157
Encoding settings                        : cabac=1 / ref=3 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x1:0x111 / me=hex / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=0 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=2 / lookahead_threads=1 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=0 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=0 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=40 / rc=crf / mbtree=1 / crf=23.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / vbv_maxrate=501 / vbv_bufsize=1002 / crf_max=39.0 / nal_hrd=none / filler=0 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00
Codec configuration box                  : avcC

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC LC SBR
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity with Spectral Band Replication
Commercial name                          : HE-AAC
Format settings                          : NBC
Codec ID                                 : mp4a-40-5
Duration                                 : 41 min 12 s
Duration_LastFrame                       : -1 ms
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 64.0 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel layout                           : L R
Sampling rate                            : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate                               : 23.438 FPS (2048 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 18.9 MiB (22%)
Default                                  : Yes
Alternate group                          : 1

And Vegas File Properties:

General
  Name: A CooCoo for Layne.mp4
  Folder: E:\Perry\Vids
  Type: AVC
  Size: 86.49 MB (88,564,366 bytes)
  Created: Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 12:16:03 PM
  Modified: Wednesday, August 26, 2020, 12:16:11 PM
  Accessed: Friday, December 25, 2020, 4:41:00 AM
  Attributes: Archive

Streams
  Video: 00:41:12.599, 29.967 fps progressive, 360x640x12, AVC

ACID information
  ACID chunk: no
  Stretch chunk: no
  Stretch list: no
  Stretch info2: no
  Beat markers: no
  Detected beats: no

Other metadata
  Regions/markers: no
  Command markers: no

Media manager
  Media tags: no

Plug-In
  Name: compoundplug.dll
  Folder: C:\Program Files\VEGAS\VEGAS Pro 17.0\FileIO Plug-Ins\compoundplug
  Format: AVC
  Version: Version 17.0 (Build 452)
  Company: MAGIX Computer Products Intl. Co.

Note that no audio was included when I imported the file to Vegas, it disappeared in this instance as it often does with these videos. It also strike me that the MediaInfo app is reading the sample rate of the AAC audio as higher (48k) than my windows properties does (24k).

j-v wrote on 12/25/2020, 5:38 AM

That file has bitrates that switch between 7 and 30 fps.
Vegas can handle a small difference but this is too much.
This file has to be converted to constant bitrate

EricLNZ wrote on 12/25/2020, 5:42 AM

Jeepers, You have an uphill battle with the video:

Resolution only 360x240!
Highly variable framerate (as pointed out by j-v)
Bitrate only 216 kb/sec!

It's well past my bedtime so I'll leave the experts to suggest any ways of salvaging them but on re-reading your post is it just the audio you are having problems with?

Crowyote wrote on 12/25/2020, 6:04 AM

That file has bitrates that switch between 7 and 30 fps.
Vegas can handle a small difference but this is too much.
This file has to be converted to constant bitrate

Ok. I have no problem opening the files in VLC and altering their format, but it seems counterproductive to do so . . .and I've heard there are serious security issues with VLC. Why would a free software be more capable of handling these files versus the Vegas platform?

Jeepers, You have an uphill battle with the video:

Resolution only 360x240!
Highly variable framerate (as pointed out by j-v)
Bitrate only 216 kb/sec!

It's well past my bedtime so I'll leave the experts to suggest any ways of salvaging them but on re-reading your post is it just the audio you are having problems with?

Indeed, but I often go for a lo-fi look and add lots of effects. The Audio is definitely the main problem. Again I can extract it with VLC, but this is a 2 step process to use risky free-ware when I have a premier editing suite.

The video might loop and corrupt as well, but I can't even get past the audio issue which is the most important as they are music videos.

j-v wrote on 12/25/2020, 6:18 AM

Ok. I have no problem opening the files in VLC and altering their format, but it seems counterproductive to do so . . .and I've heard there are serious security issues with VLC. Why would a free software be more capable of handling these files versus the Vegas platform?

Vegas is not a video PLAYER like VLC and that means that other characteristics are needed for the possibility to edit files.

Dexcon wrote on 12/25/2020, 6:33 AM

To transcode from VBR to CBR, try the free HandBrake program. If you are concerned about the security aspect (as everybody should be), use the forum's Search function with the keyword 'handbrake' and you will find lots of recommendations for this program to transcode on the forum over many years.

As long as you keep a backup copy of your original media, video or audio corruption if it inexplicably occurs isn't fatal as you have the backup.

Crowyote wrote on 12/25/2020, 6:34 AM

Ok. I have no problem opening the files in VLC and altering their format, but it seems counterproductive to do so . . .and I've heard there are serious security issues with VLC. Why would a free software be more capable of handling these files versus the Vegas platform?

Vegas is not a video PLAYER like VLC and that means that other characteristics are needed for the possibility to edit files.

So I'm guessing the VP18 upgrade wouldn't fix this issue then.

Dexcon wrote on 12/25/2020, 6:39 AM

So I'm guessing the VP18 upgrade wouldn't fix this issue then.

No, it won't unfortunately.

Musicvid wrote on 12/25/2020, 10:09 AM

Your impressions of VLC are fantasy.. They are the open-source developers who wrote and maintain ffmpeg.

Run your video through Handbrake, and remember that you are working with postage stamp resolution.

Crowyote wrote on 12/25/2020, 8:15 PM

Your impressions of VLC are fantasy.. They are the open-source developers who wrote and maintain ffmpeg.

Run your video through Handbrake, and remember that you are working with postage stamp resolution.

I got a notice that the older version of VLC was a security risk from VLC when I last opened. I haven't upgraded yet.

I suppose I should move this to the audio thread since no one has answered my audio question.

Musicvid wrote on 12/25/2020, 8:34 PM

since no one has answered my audio question

I'm sorry you missed the part where your question was answered, probably correctly.

Transcoding the file to Constant Frame Rate, Same as Source in Handbrake will probably fix your audio problems, since framewise sync will have been restored!