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Getting xfcodec videos to open in Adobe Premiere Pro
Cognisseur
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So I was playing around with my Canon Powershot G9 (I love it), and I discovered that it has an option to do time-lapse videos. So, to try it out, I time-lapsed a car ride. Apparently, the G9 then compresses the video on it's own, using the xfcodec.
The problem? I want to edit this video in Premiere-- speed up some things, slow down some things, cut out some frames, that sort of thing.
I can import the video, and play it on the 'Monitor' display, but if I try to add it to the 'Sequence' (main project thing), I just get black frames. It knows how many frames there are -- it just displays them all as black, even though the exact same program was able to play the exact same file so long as I asked it to play it on it's own, not in the context of the project. If I export the sequence as a filmstrip, it's totally cool with that. Opening the filmstrip opens the exact correct number of frames, but they're all still just black frames.
Attempted solutions
1. I made a 'custom project' with all the right specifications I think (spoilered below).
2. Transcoding it in VLC
I could watch the video on my camera, and it looked fine. I could open it in Windows Media Player, DivX player, etc. Surprisingly, it wouldn't open in VLC because it claimed the AVI file was 'broken', though selecting 'fix it' only took 2 seconds and then it played fine.
However, this becomes a problem because as far as I understand transcoding in VLC (not at all), I need to do it when I 'open file' and then go into advanced options and all that. I tried it, but I think the sequence of actions VLC takes is messed up. I think it first tries to transcode it, and then it tries to open it. The problem is that it transcodes what it considers to be a broken AVI file, and then it offers me an opportunity to 'fix it' (but not save my fixed file??). Anyway, the result is a transcoded file of tiny proportions that doesn't play anything.
3. Transcoding in a new program
I went out and downloaded Media Coder, and using their nice easy guide I got the file to transcode to H264, in an AVI file. I could now open this transcoded file in every media player, including VLC! Yay, VLC no longer thinks it's broken! However, I still have the exact same problem in Premiere. It still won't play anything but black frames.
Weirder, if I look at properties of the transcoded file, it continues to believe xfcodec is the codec.
Weirdest, if I look at proprties of the transcoded file within Premiere, Premiere tells me compressor is: 'h264', Xfire Video Codec. Is it both? Why does VLC no longer have a problem with it but Premiere continues to?
So where does this leave me?
I have an AVI in xfcodec that VLC temporarily hates and Premiere kind of hates.
I have an AVI in a codec that should be h264 but is reported as either just xfcodec or both, which VLC is cool with but Premiere still kind of hates.
So, having tried everything I could think of, I come to you guys. Help me out, what the hell do I do?
-edit- Additional oddity. If I look at the file properties, or the properties of the file within Premiere, everything claims that the frame-rate is 15.00. However, if I play it on my camera, or in VLC, or in DivX, or in Premiere, it plays in 1:15, indicating it's playing at 30 fps. Could that have something to do with this? Even if not, why does everyone claim one frame rate yet play another?
The problem? I want to edit this video in Premiere-- speed up some things, slow down some things, cut out some frames, that sort of thing.
I can import the video, and play it on the 'Monitor' display, but if I try to add it to the 'Sequence' (main project thing), I just get black frames. It knows how many frames there are -- it just displays them all as black, even though the exact same program was able to play the exact same file so long as I asked it to play it on it's own, not in the context of the project. If I export the sequence as a filmstrip, it's totally cool with that. Opening the filmstrip opens the exact correct number of frames, but they're all still just black frames.
Attempted solutions
1. I made a 'custom project' with all the right specifications I think (spoilered below).
General
Editing mode: Video for Windows
Timebase: 30.00 fps
Video Settings
Frame size: 640h 480v (1.000)
Frame rate: 30.00 frames/second
Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square Pixels (1.0)
Color depth: Millions of colors
Quality: 100 (out of 100)
Fields: No Fields (Progressive Scan)
Audio Settings
Sample rate: 48000 samples/second
Recorder
DV/IEEE1394 Capture
Video Rendering
Cinepak Codec by Radius
Color depth: Millions of colors
Default Sequence
Total video tracks: 3
Master track type: Stereo
Mono tracks: 0
Stereo tracks: 3
5.1 tracks: 0
Submix mono tracks: 0
Submix stereo tracks: 0
Submix 5.1 tracks: 0
No luck, same problem, black frames.Editing mode: Video for Windows
Timebase: 30.00 fps
Video Settings
Frame size: 640h 480v (1.000)
Frame rate: 30.00 frames/second
Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square Pixels (1.0)
Color depth: Millions of colors
Quality: 100 (out of 100)
Fields: No Fields (Progressive Scan)
Audio Settings
Sample rate: 48000 samples/second
Recorder
DV/IEEE1394 Capture
Video Rendering
Cinepak Codec by Radius
Color depth: Millions of colors
Default Sequence
Total video tracks: 3
Master track type: Stereo
Mono tracks: 0
Stereo tracks: 3
5.1 tracks: 0
Submix mono tracks: 0
Submix stereo tracks: 0
Submix 5.1 tracks: 0
2. Transcoding it in VLC
I could watch the video on my camera, and it looked fine. I could open it in Windows Media Player, DivX player, etc. Surprisingly, it wouldn't open in VLC because it claimed the AVI file was 'broken', though selecting 'fix it' only took 2 seconds and then it played fine.
However, this becomes a problem because as far as I understand transcoding in VLC (not at all), I need to do it when I 'open file' and then go into advanced options and all that. I tried it, but I think the sequence of actions VLC takes is messed up. I think it first tries to transcode it, and then it tries to open it. The problem is that it transcodes what it considers to be a broken AVI file, and then it offers me an opportunity to 'fix it' (but not save my fixed file??). Anyway, the result is a transcoded file of tiny proportions that doesn't play anything.
3. Transcoding in a new program
I went out and downloaded Media Coder, and using their nice easy guide I got the file to transcode to H264, in an AVI file. I could now open this transcoded file in every media player, including VLC! Yay, VLC no longer thinks it's broken! However, I still have the exact same problem in Premiere. It still won't play anything but black frames.
Weirder, if I look at properties of the transcoded file, it continues to believe xfcodec is the codec.
Weirdest, if I look at proprties of the transcoded file within Premiere, Premiere tells me compressor is: 'h264', Xfire Video Codec. Is it both? Why does VLC no longer have a problem with it but Premiere continues to?
So where does this leave me?
I have an AVI in xfcodec that VLC temporarily hates and Premiere kind of hates.
I have an AVI in a codec that should be h264 but is reported as either just xfcodec or both, which VLC is cool with but Premiere still kind of hates.
So, having tried everything I could think of, I come to you guys. Help me out, what the hell do I do?
-edit- Additional oddity. If I look at the file properties, or the properties of the file within Premiere, everything claims that the frame-rate is 15.00. However, if I play it on my camera, or in VLC, or in DivX, or in Premiere, it plays in 1:15, indicating it's playing at 30 fps. Could that have something to do with this? Even if not, why does everyone claim one frame rate yet play another?
Cognisseur on
0
Posts
here are the steps
1. open movie maker and import all the videos i wanted to transcode
2. drag the first video to the timeline.
3. publish the movie as an AVI (select "more settings" on the "movie setting page" and then select DV-AVI(NTSC))
4. repeat for all of the videos
My videos were actually recorded in xfire, but now the codec reads as DV-AVI codec
the videos should now read in premiere.
that works on windows. if your using a mac, then i have no idea.