Editing mixed formats

[ADBest]

One of my annual tasks involves gathering and editing the footage of my growing grandsons.

Up till now this has not been a problem but this year I have footage from my old Digital 8 cam, my new HD Canon HV40, my son's old mini DV cam and his new Sony DCR-SX30E.

The first three are not a problem but the DCR-SX30E records to Sony memory stick using the Sony 'hybrid recording system'. The cam comes with 'Picture Motion Browser' software and has a 'built in editor'. This can produce a DVD of the captured footage, although we have not tried it yet.

At the moment my only solution is to create such a DVD and then import it via a DVD player and my Sony TRV240E, (used as a transcoder), into Premiere Pro.

Any comments or suggestions would be very welcome.

Arthur

[Dave Watterson]

That Sony creates MPEG2 files - the kind used on DVDs.

First try the quick-and-dirty approach.
Copy the file from memory-stick onto your computer
Start a new Premiere Project.
Import the file. (Do only one file at a time.)
If it imports, put it on the timeline and render it without doing anything else.
Save the project.
Then use export to export the file as an AVI file.
(Sometimes you can go straight to the export stage without rendering but that can causes crashes.)
I usually have to create a new project for each such file.
The exported AVI files can then be imported into your family memories project.

If that will not work - e.g. if the file will not import - try using one of the free file conversion tools. You can find details of how to download them on the main website at http://www.theiac.org.uk/resources/web- ... intro.html

Copy the file from memory-stick onto your computer.

The instructions in those website pages show how to set the software for uploading to YouTube which is not what you want. You will have to experiment with the settings (or use the wizards) to create an AVI file which Premiere will accept.
Dave

PS An even simpler option... if he has the docking station, is to buy him the connection cable which lets you get S-VHS out from the camera. Video of that quality will not look out of place beside the earlier material. Amazon had them for around £11.

[ADBest]

Dave

Thank you for your early reply and advice.

I have another problem and that is that the offending Sony cam and it’s solid state card are in London and I am in the North East.

Will it be OK for my son to copy the contents of the card as data to a DVD then post the DVD to me and then for me to follow your previous advice using data from the disc?

I will check to see whether he has Nero or similar software to make the DVD copy.

Arthur

[ADBest]

Dave

It has taken a long time but I eventually got my hands on the Sony and the recorded tapes.

I have to report that your first method worked. The Cam comes with a disc containing a programme which allows the .mpg files to be copied from the solid state media to, in my case, my lap top.

From the laptop to an external hard drive and thence onto my PC.

Your advice that I should process one file at a time had me worried when I found that the card contained an hour of footage in 95 files!!

I tried importing all the files into Premiere Pro 1.5 at one go but sure enough it crashed. It imported about 30 files OK but then reported the remainder as of an unknown format or damaged. I created another project and imported a few of these files into Premiere and they worked OK.

The entire project was eventually imported into my Premiere project as eight .avi files and then combined with files originating from a Digital 8 Cam, a Mini DV Cam and my new Canon HV40.

The ability to import 15 files at once, some containing over 10 minutes of footage, might be down to my quad core processor obtained with the help and advice of ‘Billy from Consett’. At times during the process all the cores were steaming along at 70 to 80% capacity. Obviously a processor intensive operation.

With the help I received in choosing my new Cam, the advice referred to above and Billy’s invaluable hands on assistance on the processor upgrade I have certainly had my moneys worth out of the AIC in 2009.

Thanks again.

Arthur

[Dave Watterson]

Phew! I can stop holding my breathe!
I am glad it worked out, Arthur, and hope that all the family will be pleased with your edited result.

Now, where can I join this AIC organisation you mention ... ?

Best wishes
Dave

[ADBest]

Dave

I'm sure you are well acquainted with the Asbestos Information Centre, (the AIC), at www.aic.org.uk, although I'm not too sure that they will be much use advising on editing in mixed formats. Anyone following this thread would be better advised sticking with the IAC.

Arthur