Timestamp

[uno]

I have always timestamped my AVI-files with DV time stamp. Now I have bought a HDV-camera and have for some time looked for a program that can timestamp my m2t files captured by Vegas8.
As I understand it there is no program yet available for this. To my astonishment I found yesterday a program called HDVInfo0.93. I read that it can stamp files captured from HDV.
However it just seems to be a DLL-file (whatever that is). It is not a program.
How can I use this DLL-file to be able to stamp my HDV-films with the date it was created?

[manono]

AviSynth's ShowTime and ShowSMPTE commands can put the time on the video in a number of ways:

http://avisynth.org/mediawiki/ShowFrameNumber

[uno]

First, when I say timestamp I mean the date and time when the film was produced in the Videocamera. This info one could print on the Avi-file with ”DV time stamp” or ”Dvdate”.
Secondly I believe that AviSynth seems to be a program for Programmers and I am not able to use it without specific instruction.

[Baldrick]

hdvinfo is avisynth addon, http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=110021&highlight=HDVInfo

You should use it inside a avisynth script like

file="c:\clip.d2v" # so you don't need to type the filename twice
MPEGsource(file) #open the video content
HDVInfo(file) # reads the recording timestamp

and then open the avisynth in virtualdub for example. Make the d2v using DGMPGDec.

[manono]

First, when I say timestamp I mean the date and time when the film was produced in the Videocamera. This info one could print on the Avi-file with ”DV time stamp” or ”Dvdate”.
Secondly I believe that AviSynth seems to be a program for Programmers and I am not able to use it without specific instruction.

Sorry, I didn't know what a timestamp was. However, if you want to use that .dll, you're going to have to use AviSynth. If the part of the thread Baldrick quoted doesn't help to get you going, just come back for more instructions. I'll provide some now.

Install AviSynth. Grab that HDVInfo.dll (or whatever it's called) and stick it in your AviSynth Plugins folder. That way it gets loaded automatically when the script is opened in your encoder. Create an .avs, just a .txt file renamed with the .avs extension, something like Video.avs. Inside have that 3 line script Baldrick quoted, adapted for your file name and path. Personally, I've never heard of MPEGSource. I suspect he means MPEG2Source, which will, as Baldrick says, require a D2V file created using DGIndex, and another line in the script. The QuickStart Guide that is included in the DGMPGDec package explains that part of the procedure.

[uno]

Sorry for my late posting. I have been busy with some other things.
I have tried the following.
111 copied ”hdvinfo.dll” into ”avisynth plugin”
222 made the following word doc:
file=”D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.d2v”
MPEGsource(file)
HDVInfo(file)
Then I have saved it as an avs-file next to clip008.m2t
333 Have tried to open the avs-file in VirtualDub but gets error message: ”Avisynth open failure:unexpected character ”D” ”

I must say I am about to give up as it seems rather complicated.

[manono]

I can't run any tests as I don't have such a camera.

Unless someone tells me different, that MPEGSource should be MPEG2Source.

222 made the following word doc:

I've never done it that way. Have you ever opened anything after creating it initially as a Word.doc? My suggestion was to create a .txt file and then rename it as an .avs.

That whole scripting language in that thread looks peculiar (to me). Try this:

LoadPlugin("C:\Path\To\DGDecode.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Path\To\HDVInfo.dll")
MPEG2Source("D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.d2v")
HDVInfo("D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.d2v")

Adjust the paths for the 2 plugins (.dlls) to point to where you stored them in the AviSynth Plugins folder.

[uno]

I have made a txt-file as follows:
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\DGDecode.dll\To\DGDecode.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\hdvinfo.dll\To\HDVInfo.dll")
MPEG2Source("D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.d2v")
HDVInfo("D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.d2v")

When opened in virtualdub following error msg appeared:
Avisynth open failure: Load Plugin: unable to load "C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\DGDecode.dll\To\DGDecode.dll" D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.avs, line1

[manono]

The error message is pointing to line 1 which says:

LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\DGDecode.dll\To\DGDecode.dll")

It should probably read:

LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\DGDecode.dll")

Your second line should be fixed similarly:

LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\DGDecode.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\hdvinfo.dll")
MPEG2Source("D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.d2v")
HDVInfo("D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.d2v")

[uno]

I save the avs-file with:
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\DGDecode.dll")
LoadPlugin("C:\Program Files\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\hdvinfo.dll")
MPEG2Source("D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.d2v")
HDVInfo("D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.d2v")

When I try to open the avs-file in Virtualdub there is following error message
quote
Avisynth open failure:
MPEG2Source:unable to load D2V file
"D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.d2v"
(D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.avs, line3)
unquote

[manono]

Well, we're making progress. In another week we should have it.

You made a D2V file using DGIndex? You opened the video in it and saved the project file, so there's a Clip 008.d2v file where it's supposed to be (D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1)?

I don't think this is it because it would give a different error message, and as far as I know this is your first time using AviSynth, but the version of DGIndex used to make the D2V project file is supposed to be the same as the DGDecode.dll. That is, they're supposed to come from the same DGMPGDec package. That's the case, right? You didn't have an older version of either lying around that you used?

If it can't load the D2v, it may because it's not where line 3 says it is (even one wrong or omitted letter and it won't load), it may have been made using a wrong version, or there may be some other reason I haven't thought of. Maybe go over the 3 docs that come included with the DGMPGDec package to make sure you've done everything correctly.

Oh, also, what version of AviSynth did you install? If you don't know, make an AVS named maybe Version.avs. Inside have just one line:

Version()

Open that in VDub(Mod) and it'll give you the version in use.

[TBoneit]

Sorry for my late posting. I have been busy with some other things.
I have tried the following.
111 copied ”hdvinfo.dll” into ”avisynth plugin”
222 made the following word doc:
file=”D:\TEST-HDV\TEST-SonyVegasMS8captureHDV1\Clip 008.d2v”
MPEGsource(file)
HDVInfo(file)
Then I have saved it as an avs-file next to clip008.m2t
333 Have tried to open the avs-file in VirtualDub but gets error message: ”Avisynth open failure:unexpected character ”D” ”

I must say I am about to give up as it seems rather complicated.

It sappears as if you are using Word to create the file and renaming the extension?? If I'm wrong sorry.

You need to use a text file such as created by Notepad.

As a test try reading you file in a cmd prompt. Start, Open, cmd
easiest to copy the file so you can see it easy in the command prompt by copying it to C:\
Type the line in the command prompt with no quotes "type \filename.ext"
You should only see the text and no extra garbage if it is a text file.

[uno]

It was only in the start i Used Word. Later I have used .txt.
It seems to be too complicated for me. I think I give up and wait for a program that can stamp the films. Until then it is easier to make the timestamp manually in Vegas.
Thank you for your patience and help.