Sony Digital Video Codec

[AnchorMan]

Hi,

I could not figure out how to do an exact phrase search, hope I am not being a bother.

I have some video, shot with a professional beta camera, but they have supplied me with .avi files. I have a program, VideoInspector, that tells me my WinXP Pro system has the audio codec, but is missing the video codec which it calls: "Sony Digital Video". The tool suggests I can download it from the sony site, but that does not seem possible. THe site does not have a codec download areas as far as I can see and the Sony help person(s) were no help. I do have Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Plat Pro pack, but still my system does not contain the right codec. I hope to use this with Adobe CS3 as well.

If it matters, VideoInspector also reports the video to be 1280x1080(1.19:1) FPS 23.980 bitrate 23031 Kbps Quality factor .71 b/px

Does anyone know where to get this codec?

thanks,
fred

[minidv2dvd]

try using mediainfo in tree mode, it might give us more info. post a screenshot of the results. sony has a few different codecs it might be, avc, mxf, etc...

[AnchorMan]

Thanks minidv2dvd,

thats a nice tool:

[/img]

[jagabo]

Standard DV codec. Cedocida, Panasonic DV codec (not recommended), etc.

[AnchorMan]

Odd that VideoInspector reports a different resolution?

[Baldrick]

It looks like standard dv video. Try for example Cedocida DV Codec .

[minidv2dvd]

if you have sony studio 9 and premiere pro cs3 then it should open in them if it's standard DVavi as reported by mediainfo, they already include a DVavi codec.

[minidv2dvd]

does in play ok in vlc?

[edit] don't forget it's also widescreen - 16/9, you will most likely need to edit it's file properties after bringing into your editor to get it to display properly.

[AnchorMan]

sorry, what is vlc?

Adobe thinks its HDV as well like VideoInspector,

[minidv2dvd]

vlc is a free media player that contains it's own codecs.

HDV would be 1440x1080. 1280x1080 isn't allowed.

is there a small piece you can upload to a file hosting site so we could examine it?

[edDV]

Can't you just ask the shooter the format used or the camcorder model?

At first it looks like a 24fps variant of 720x480 DV but 1280x1080 could be a variant of DVCProHD.

DVCProHD normally comes in an MXF wrapper but there are many other ways to do it.

If you post a short clip, I'd bet Vegas Pro could open it.

[AnchorMan]

thanks,

Vlc doesn't like that one either: " AVI file is broken, seeking will not work correctly, do you want to repair?" But works fine with the 2 small files as do my programs. I have no reason to think different settings were used when creating the 4 files.

This got me thinking about an error I saw on the DVD load below. I have 4 files:

DVD1: 5G file - gives error below
DVD2: 5G file - gives error below
DVD3: (2) .75G files - does not give an error and both files work fine in all my apps. (720x480)

Could this error from Windows be saying: "look, this file was made with some fancy DVD writer you don't have that can span a file across 2 DVDs, so good luck" or "this drive can read theis file on this thing" So I get a corrupted file that programs can't deal with? I always copy to hard drive before using.

[AnchorMan]

thanks edDV,

I cannot contact the shooter, but I did learn second hand that it was DVCProHD as you suspected. As I ask in the post above, it may just be a DVD media problem and I need to read it with a better drive...

[edDV]

Here is one P2 translator that works in Vegas and Premiere. Try the demo.
http://dvfilm.com/raylight/ultra/index.htm

[minidv2dvd]

i would think if it were from a p2 card it would be in a folder called video and named with a .mxf extension. there should also be a bunch of other folders with it like audio, voice, clip, etc...

it could still be dvcprohd though.

if it is p2 mxf the only pc editor i know first hand that will work with it is premiere pro cs4. i've heard avid pro 5 will also, but can't confirm that.

the dvcprohd codec is owned by apple and there is no free pc version that i know of. a mac with fcp will work.

[Cornucopia]

If the codec ID is "DVSD", it shouldn't be DVCProHD. (Although, maybe one of those apps is reading the fourcc wrong)

If you can't get Raylight's DVCProHD, AVID makes a codec as well, but you'd have to edit the fourcc to match what they use (can't remember off the top of my head).

Scott

[minidv2dvd]

sorry i must have missed this part -

DVD3: (2) .75G files - does not give an error and both files work fine in all my apps. (720x480)

if the rest is supposed to be in the same format then yes, you just have disc reading problem.