Overlay Time & Date Code On MPEG-2 File

[minko]

I recently got a Sony DCR-SR300 Hard Disk Drive Camcorder. The camera stores MPEG-2 files. I can then transfer them to my computer via USB cable.

I import the files to Pinnacle Studio Plus 10.7 to make my movies and burn to DVD.

Question #1 - Is there a converter application available that will overlay the Time & Date code on the MPEG-2 Files?

I have a Sony Mini-DV Camcorder. I use Enosoft to transfer/capture to the computer and am able to overlay the Time & Date codes onto the DV-AVI file that it creates. I'm looking for something similar only using the MPEG-2 files as the source.

I realize that I could use the camcorder as a playback device and do an analog capture of the playback. I'm trying to maintain the integrity of the MPEG-2 file (don't want to introduce more loss than necessary).


Question #2 - Is there a plug-in for Windows Media Player that will allow me to view the Time & Date codes? Maybe another Media Player? I don't even know how the information is stored in the MPEG-2 file!

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[minko]

Bump - Any help on either question?

[minko]

Another Bump - Anyone? Anything? Johnny Malaria?

[gadgetguy]

I'm not sure that the time & date are contained in an mpeg-2 file, but if you open it in VirtualDub-MPeg2 and try the AddFrameNumber/AddTimeStamp filter from Thomas Hargrove you could find out. (Maybe, I've never tried it.)

[Midzuki]

http://avisynth.org/mediawiki/ShowFrameNumber

might be helpful.

=====

[minko]

Thanks for those hints guys.

Can anyone point to an active link where I can get the Thomas Hargrove AddTimeStamp filter? I keep running into dead links.

[hech54]

Thanks for those hints guys.

Can anyone point to an active link where I can get the Thomas Hargrove AddTimeStamp filter? I keep running into dead links.

I have two of them:
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WCTXA97C

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=B26IV8MZ

[minko]

Thanks for the links hech54. Did you upload them yourself to megaupload.com or did you find them with a search engine? Either way, thanks for the time.

I did install the second one and it is a very nice filter. It has alot of flexibility for frame counting and even has an offset for time counting, but it does not extract the actual Time Code (Stream?) and overlay that.

It would probably work for a single MPEG-2 file that only has one start point and one stop point, but for most of the video I shoot, I hit pause & record many times throughout the making of the file. I would have to know exactly what time each start and pause occurred and split the files, etc...

Gadgetguy mentioned a "AddTimeStamp" filter (versus the "AddFrameNumber filter). I can't find that one anywhere. Do you have that filter as well?

Midzuki, I appreciate your link, and will try that if this path with Virtual Dub does not pan out. I have no experience with avisynth and it will obviously be a big learning curve before I can even try it out.

BTW, another quirk I ran into with the Sony MPEG-2 files was the audio format of AC-3. Virtual Dub couldn't decode it, but they did offer a codec on their download site. I installed it and everything works fine now.

[hech54]

I uploaded them myself....and you're welcome.

[gadgetguy]

I believe it's the same filter (the one I have shows AddFrameNumber/AddTimeStamp in the title). I know it properly extracts and overlays the timestamp information from DV-AVI files. I could be wrong and I hope someone corrects me if I am, but I don't think mpeg2 even contains the timestamp information, so there's nothing to extract.

[minko]

Hey gadgetguy,

I tried using the AddFrameNumber filter I downloaded from hech54 on a DV-AVI file and I'm getting the same results as I get with the MPEG-2 file - i.e., I get an overlay of Frame Counting and a Relative Time Code overlay, but I don't get the actual Time & Date Code like I can get when I transfer the file with Enosoft DV Processor.

Maybe your filter is different from the filter that hech54 supplied?

When extracted, his is:

addframenumber.vdf
Size - 164 KB

[gadgetguy]

That looks the same as my copy. I just looked at mine again, and appears I was wrong. I've used this filter countless times and thought I was looking at the actual timestamp info. But that's not what I'm seeing now, so I must have been wrong. Sorry about the wild goose chase.

Click Here for a different filter that is supposed to work for DV-AVI, (I haven't tried this filter myself). They may have other filters of interest as well.

[minko]

Thanks for clearing that up gadgetguy. I've found the addframenumber.vdf filter to be valuable after all!

When I use the Sony "Picture Motion Browser" application to transfer the videos from the camera to the computer, it automatically names the files with the time and date of the start of the video. For example the file named 20070818090548.mpg was started at 09:05:48 AM on August 18, 2007. Also from within the "Picture Motion Browser" application, select the "Detailed View" button and it shows the:

"Date Taken" column - Example 8/18/2007 9:05:48 AM - that equals the Start Time
"Date Modified" column - Example 8/18/2007 9:06:10 AM - that equals the Stop Time

Also, I mispoke earlier when I stated that it probably would not work unless one knew each time the pause button was hit while recording. Well, while recording, everytime the pause button is pressed, a NEW file is created, so every start & stop time is known.

Thanks for the help everyone, and I hope this helps others as much as it has helped me.

I have one more issue with Virtualdub but I will open another thread so as not to confuse this one anymore.

[fnx91]

I recently bought a Sony HD camcorder. I couldn't find any tool to extract date and time from Sony mpg2 files...
So I've written mine, a small program to generate the data suitable for DVSubMaker...
If it can help....

[cms33]

fnx91, is it possible for me to download your tool for extracting the date and time from the sony mpg2 files? if you could point me to where in the file that information is stored that would also be really helpful...

[fnx91]

New version...

Handle NTSC also...
http://dl.free.fr/pNo24JrdB

infompg.exe

[fnx91]

Additional info on the way Sony stores metadata (Time stamp and other stuff)
Everyting is stored in an additional stream (added to video and audio). It means that you lose this information in the following case :
- after recompression of mpeg file by rough use of DVD generator
- after cutting and merging mpg file with tools that does not handle the global set of streams...

If you are in this situation, extract timestamp before these operations, and try to resync...

Hope it helps !

[ikre8]

Additional info on the way Sony stores metadata (Time stamp and other stuff)
Everyting is stored in an additional stream (added to video and audio). It means that you lose this information in the following case :
- after recompression of mpeg file by rough use of DVD generator
- after cutting and merging mpg file with tools that does not handle the global set of streams...

If you are in this situation, extract timestamp before these operations, and try to resync...

Hope it helps !

fnx91, I like what I see, but I'm unable to merge the file created with the video. The first link you offered on June 19 is very detailed with many options. The new version as much less... Have I missed a step? I'm currently trying to overlay time and date onto the mpeg file from my camera.

Thanks!

[fnx91]

Well, the 19th June version is the last one...

[ikre8]

maybe I'm confused... When I run the program you posted in June it only works for avi files. The newer version you posted in Dec creates a file of code, but does not merge the two. That's why I think I have overlooked a step along the way.... please clarify.
Thanks.

[gallion311]

Perhaps I can help ikre8, I was working with fnx91 a few months back and have a 100% working method.

1. Open fnx91's infompg.exe
2. Select MPG file
3. Choose NTSC (if in USA) & dvdt (timestamp only)
4. Click Generate Info (may take up to 40 minutes depending on file-size and processing power)
5. Will create a .dvdt file in the same directory

6. Open app called DVSubMaker.exe (free )
7. Select 2. Make Subs tab
8. Make sure Subtitle Type is MicroDVD (.sub)
9. In the DV DT input, select the .dvdt file created in step 5.
10. Click Start
11. The “Start” button will become inactive while the program is processing. When the process is complete the button will return to an active state.
12. Will create .sub file in the same directory

Then you have the 2 pieces; the original MPG video and the accompanying .sub file.

Now it's just a matter of grabbing VobSub (plugin to display subtitles on video) and playing the video in WMP or ZoomPlayer

gallion311

[provehighman]

Sorry to jump in here, but I have been trying to get the time/date stamp on my Sony MPEG2 footage for some time without sucess. I simply need to get the time/date info from the MPEG2 file, exactly as it displays on the camcorder (DCR-SR60E) and burn that to DVD or store on HDD. I know it can be viewed with the time/date after following those intructions, but how can it be saved like that?

thanks.

[fnx91]

You need a DVD authoring tool. Usually, they can handle several sound tracks per movie, but also several subtitle streams.

Each tool has its own format, DVSubMaker can handle some, if not, I use SubRIP, which is able to convert from one format to the other.

Which tool do you use to generate DVD image ?

[gallion311]

I simply need to get the time/date info from the MPEG2 file, exactly as it displays on the camcorder (DCR-SR60E) and burn that to DVD or store on HDD.

So you're saying that you want to add final step that permanently "fuses" the time stamp on top of the footage? Hmm...that's an interesting one. You'd have to find some video editing software that recognizes and displays the subtitles just like Windows Media Player and ZoomPlayer. Then you'd just export/render it like any other file and it would have subtitles on there...

If that is what you're asking; here's the solutions:

https://www.videohelp.com/guides/how-to-add-permanent-subtitles-with-vobsub-id186

https://www.videohelp.com/guides/add-permanent-subtitles-to-vcd-svcd-dvd-avi-with-ffdsh...-tmpgenc-id262

gallion311

[fnx91]

I'd rather recommend to generate subtitles, configuring the DVD to display the subtitles by default...
In case you want to get back the full image...

Of course if you want to have a permanent time stamp, gallion gave the right solution !

[provehighman]

Thanks guys. I do some recording for work purposes where the time/date is sometimes required to be displayed on the footage. Having a permanent stamp doesn't bother me, as I would copy the MPEG2 file into another folder, add the time/date stamp and then burn it to a DVD-R for viewing on conventional DVD players. I have used Nero 7 for this in the past, but also have DVD Architect Pro 5.0 and I sometimes use Vegas Pro 8 to edit the clips as required.

It's a shame that there isn't an option on the SR60E to permanently burn the data code into the footage. It would save a lot of mucking around.

[huykin]

fnx91, gallion311:

Thanks a lot for your help on creating date/time code subtitles for Sony SD camcorder MPEG2 files! Some follow up questions:

* Have you guys figured out any batch process for this? As these camcorders create a new file every time start/pause is pressed, one quickly ends up with hundreds of files, and processing each one manually is not very practical.

* Is there any similar process to get SRT subs? Time-based SRT seem to work much better than frame-based MicroDVD SUB because SRT is unaffected by frame rate and associated issues like NTSC vs PAL and bob deinterlacers. For example, when I play in MPC with a framerate doubling deinterlacer (those are best), frame-based subs (SUB) are played at 2x speed and end in the middle of the file. DV Sub Maker only shows MicroDVD SUB and SST (not familiar with that, and MPC and hardware DVD players don't recornize that) as choices for subs. Progs like DVdate and dv_datecode can create SRT subs, but only from DV not MPEG2.

* Finally, SUB subs created with fnx91's method flicker when played in MPC, even without a framerate doubling deinterlacer. The sub file has a line for every 15 frames, but for some reason the sub is displayed for 14 out of 15 frames and the 15th (or 1st) frame is played without the sub, which creates flicker. Any ideas on why this is happening and how to fix it?

Thanks again!

[fnx91]

Hi !
For the batch aspect, I've been asked already, but no time to implement ! sorry about that... I'll try !
For the flickering aspect, no ideas... The workaround is to have only subs per minute, not per seconds....

I'll let you know when I can find time for implementing the batch exe.... not a big deal, but I have a job and a family !

[huykin]

Thanks, fnx91. Appreciate your work and help.

Just curious, how about yourself, do you run each MPG file through your program with GUI? If creating a command line version of your program is easier than implementing batch processing in GUI, perhaps you can share a command line version as a temp solution. (One can probably write a simple script that would loop through a list of files processing each with the command line version of your program.)

I found the reason for the "flicker". The SUB file produced by DV Sub Maker has non-overlapping frame numbers like this:

{0}{14}20:52:00|31.01.2007
{15}{29}20:52:01|31.01.2007

As a result, 1 frame is played in MPC-HC without any subtitle producing the "flicker". The problem can be solved by making the frame numbers overlapping like this:

{0}{15}20:52:00|31.01.2007
{15}{29}20:52:01|31.01.2007

Don't know if that "gap" is due to your program, DV Sub Maker, or MPC-HC. But SUB subtitles are not working for me anyway due to framerate issues when using bob deinterlacers, etc. I am thinking to write some simple code that would use DVDT output files from your program to produce SRT subtitle files. This part doesn't look like rocket science, but I am not a programmer, so if anybody skilled in programming could do and share that, that would be appreciated.

Do you know of any hardware player (DVD, blueray, multimedia) that would recognize and display the date/time code contained in that extra stream in these files from SD MPEG2 Sony camcorders? My Philips DVP5990 DVD/DivX player plays these files fine from USB HDD/flash without any conversion or DVD authoring, and shows the subtitles. I just wish the player could show the date/time code without me having to create subtitles.

You mentioned before that the date/time code is lost "after cutting and merging mpg files with tools that do not handle the global set of streams". Can you please recommend program(s) that do keep those extra data when cutting and merging MPEG2 files?

Thanks again

[fnx91]

Just to answer to your curiosity !
I had a DV camcorder, and I used to get the datacode as a basis subtitles for my vacation movies...
When I bought this Sony HD camera (which is great, btw) I wondered how to do the same...
Finding nothing on internet, I have written the extractor as a personal challenge...

Unfortunately, I run out of time, and I never had time to produce my DVDs based on the shot I have...
So I NEVER USED IT ! it explains why the interface aspect is so poor... and I have no time to improve it, too
I'm really a bad guy...

FOr the flickering issue, it may be the solution, but the fault is on DVSubmaker side...

Do you mean that your player displays datacode of SOny files directly ? or is able to display subtitles included in DivX files ?

No, I have not experimented mpeg tools able to handle all the streams... I have to check.
What I know is that usual tools consider only one audio and one video streams....
Sorry for not been more useful !

Will try to improve the program soon !