Saving a life by repairing Camtasia corrupted video trec file

[mothbeck]

Hi guys

Been recording using Camtasia Recorder and then suddenly mac crashed and restarted. I really hope someone here had encountered with a similar case in the past!


Let's see the mediainfo of a healthy n curropted file

General
Complete name                            : /Users/rainyday/Desktop/movo/Rec 8-29-2018 8.trec
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID                                 : mp42 (mp42/isom)
File size                                : 1.42 GiB
FileExtension_Invalid                    : mov mp4 m4v m4a m4b m4p 3ga 3gpa 3gpp 3gp 3gpp2 3g2 k3g jpm jpx mqv ismv isma ismt f4a f4b f4v

General
Complete name                            : /Users/rainyday/Movies/Camtasia 2018/untitled folder/Rec 8-29-2018 9.trec
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID                                 : mp42 (mp42/isom)
File size                                : 1.16 MiB
Duration                                 : 4s 597ms
Overall bit rate mode                    : Variable
Overall bit rate                         : 2 112 Kbps
Encoded date                             : UTC 2018-08-29 02:34:05
Tagged date                              : UTC 2018-08-29 02:34:10
FileExtension_Invalid                    : mov mp4 m4v m4a m4b m4p 3ga 3gpa 3gpp 3gp 3gpp2 3g2 k3g jpm jpx mqv ismv isma ismt f4a f4b f4v

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : tsc2
Codec ID                                 : tsc2-D0
Duration                                 : 4s 533ms
Bit rate                                 : 2 042 Kbps
Width                                    : 1 920 pixels
Height                                   : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Constant
Frame rate                               : 30.000 fps
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.033
Stream size                              : 1.10 MiB (95%)
Title                                    : 100
Encoded date                             : UTC 2018-08-29 02:34:05
Tagged date                              : UTC 2018-08-29 02:34:10

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile                           : LC
Codec ID                                 : mp4a-40-2
Duration                                 : 4s 597ms
Bit rate mode                            : Variable
Bit rate                                 : 89.3 Kbps
Channel(s)                               : 2 channels
Channel positions                        : Front: L R
Sampling rate                            : 44.1 KHz
Frame rate                               : 43.066 fps (1024 SPF)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 50.1 KiB (4%)
Title                                    : 102
Encoded date                             : UTC 2018-08-29 02:34:06
Tagged date                              : UTC 2018-08-29 02:34:10

I really need your helps guys. That's my last chance.

[crjackson]

What is your objective here? I’m not sure what you are asking for.

Do you want help repairing a video file, or troubleshooting a kernel panic that caused a restart?

I THINK you’re asking how to fix a damaged file, but it’s not clear to me. I personally doubt I could help with this, but I’d like more specific details so I can at least be clear on the question.

Please include the following:

Model of your Mac - which system
How much memory does it have
Which video card is installed
What version of macOS (i.e 10.13.6)
What other software was active
Were you editing or recording
If recording, what were you recording or what type of media was being used (stills, clips, presentations, etc...)

As many details as possible if you need to track down what caused the issue to begin with (if you are troubleshooting)

I’m sorry I couldn’t fully understand what your needs are.

[mothbeck]

What is your objective here? I’m not sure what you are asking for.

Do you want help repairing a video file, or troubleshooting a kernel panic that caused a restart?

I THINK you’re asking how to fix a damaged file, but it’s not clear to me. I personally doubt I could help with this, but I’d like more specific details so I can at least be clear on the question.

Please include the following:

Model of your Mac - which system
How much memory does it have
Which video card is installed
What version of macOS (i.e 10.13.6)
What other software was active
Were you editing or recording
If recording, what were you recording or what type of media was being used (stills, clips, presentations, etc...)

As many details as possible if you need to track down what caused the issue to begin with (if you are troubleshooting)

I’m sorry I couldn’t fully understand what your needs are.

First of all, let me appreciate your participation on my thread.

Yeah.. I forgot to include the objective goal of the thread in the text of the post. Though I think the title of thread can slightly indicate that repairing that video is desired.


I really need that video cause there's no any way to access to that content again..



- Macbook 13'' late 13
- RAM: 8 GB
- Video Card: Iris 5100
- I'm on 10.13.2
- Chrome only.. I think.. I was recording a live video conference based on browser flash player (inside of Google Chrome). So it seems it's a sort of video was playing during whole of recoding and at the moment of crashing.


Sorry I'm not allowed to upload the file anywhere.


+ I already tried recover_mp4 and unfortunately it doesn't support the encoding
+ I already tried Video Repair Tool trial but it didn't find any recoverable preview file. I think it's because of encoding

[mothbeck]

Starting of the damaged file



[Attachment 46660 - Click to enlarge]



Starting of a healthy file



[Attachment 46662 - Click to enlarge]



ending of the damaged file



[Attachment 46658 - Click to enlarge]



ending of a healthy file



[Attachment 46659 - Click to enlarge]




I think it's just about the incomplete ENDING of the file as you can see in shots..

Save my life guys...

[mothbeck]

In the case you necessarily need the damaged file to analyze, I was able to reproduce exactly same crash and then make another damaged file.


Damaged file on dropbox:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8ubxg95mb8xarbr/DAMAGED.zip?dl=0

Healthy file with almost same time length on dropbox :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/pwtrvbo5qtdua8v/Healthy.zip?dl=0


I don't know why nobody tries to help me with that. Why do you guys think it's not a real life saver to help me repair this file? How shall I prove you it's as important as my whole (career) life? Guys pls come and give me a solution..

I really need the community help

[richardpl]

If it is so important for you, perhaps you need to raise bounty.

[jagabo]

it's as important as my whole (career) life?

Then go a commercial company and pay to have it done.

[JVRaines]

I don't know why nobody tries to help me with that.

Perhaps because it's a holiday weekend and our lives do not revolve around your career success. Give a few more days.

[mothbeck]

If it is so important for you, perhaps you need to raise bounty.

it's as important as my whole (career) life?

Then go a commercial company and pay to have it done.

If you read the question, I mentioned there that I'm not allowed to upload it anywhere for Some inexplicable reason. Camtasia official support also asked me to upload the damaged file in order to be manually anaylzed which I had to reject it.

That's why I came here to ask you help me with that. Any paid tool or method would be appreciated.

I don't know why nobody tries to help me with that.

Perhaps because it's a holiday weekend and our lives do not revolve around your career success. Give a few more days.

Sure. I hope that is the reason.

[Bernix]

It is all weird. I don't think there is any easy way to repair it. But trust in privacy using chrome is weird from my point of view.


Try replicate your problem capturing to mkv. I believe that this file will survive crash. I believe in this, probably wrong. So test it for feature use.
Also payware has advantage over free software, that it has some guarantee, but what advantage is it for you when your material is top secret.
And have you tried send to camtasia the file where you replicated that error? I believe it has not secret content. Probably they can tell you how to repair it. But see lot of unrepairable mp4 also here on the forum.
If crash was caused by camtasia, I'm sure they should somehow cover your lost or you can achieve some compensation, but not with content that has to remain secret. BTW i believe ggl has a copy


Bernix

[mothbeck]

Thanks for trying to repair the file.


Let me take apart ur valuable post and put some comments part by part!

It is all weird. I don't think there is any easy way to repair it.

Let me tell you sth IMPORTANT. Without having any proof I'd claim repairing the file takes long a min or less! I'm not drunk, let me tell you how.

؛؛ Just 2 weeks ago, the EXACTLY same scenario happened ؛؛

I was recording like always... but just like a stupid tried to connect "a USB Device" (not a flash memory) to the mac, WHILE VMware Windows 7 was running in the background. Boom... It crashed. - I already knew that if I connect that device to the mac, while VMware is running, it would be restarted immediately. Don't blame me, buddy.. there always would be a moment which u are miles away and don't notice what actually you're doing.

Few hours later, I asked Camtasia LIVE CHAT support but before even the first impression from that agent, I accidentally fixed the video in less than a min! How? Actually, Camtasia has a recovery code which runs everytime you execute the app. I actually was chatting with the agent but just tried to close n run the app again and it poped-up and asked me that there's an incomplete recording file, do you wanna repair it? I went ahead and choose "repair" and it just took less than a min to combine those three items into a playable TREC file. (A Camtasia incomplete recording, in general, has 3 temp item including a .trec file a .trec.bif file and a folderwith the same name containing data of cursor actions & similar embedded stuff)

I tried the same trick for the current important damaged file but it says it can't be repaired. (But trust me I'm totally sure it even doesn't try to repair.. I think it even doesn't detect the damaged file, let alone analyzing or failing to repair...). So I'm at the moment trying to find the reason why Camtasia reject to repair the damaged file. I think it's the nly possible way to repair the file by myself.

Unfortunately, support told me that they cannot share any solution but if I like and upload the file they can check it out for free =(

The codec, TSC2, is only used by Techsmith so I can they're right..

But trust in privacy using chrome is weird from my point of view.

I totally agree with you in general but I think in the case a browser can't hurt a lot. Besides that, I wasn't alone at that moment and I don't think that a 'staff' puts a project at such a high level of risk by using Chrome. So as a brief, I used Chrome cause It was using at that moment by a verified trusted staff. Actually, we were on the same boat n chatting. But never forget your point as a general truth..

The problem is that if the video gets repaired then just watching a part of it can put me in the BIGGEST risk ever in my whole career. That's it...

Try replicate your problem capturing to mkv. I believe that this file will survive crash. I believe in this, probably wrong. So test it for feature use.
Also payware has advantage over free software, that it has some guarantee, but what advantage is it for you when your material is top secret.

And have you tried send to camtasia the file where you replicated that error? I believe it has not secret content. Probably they can tell you how to repair it. But see lot of unrepairable mp4 also here on the forum.

+ I already tried recover_mp4 and unfortunately, it doesn't support the encoding
+ I already tried Video Repair Tool trial but it didn't find any recoverable preview file. I think it's because of encoding
So I gave up cause the codec is unique and I don't think paid or free tools can help me a lot.
Rest assured about third-party tools as of now! Cause today I uploaded the fake DAMAGED file restore.media & mp4repair and both of them couldn't repair it!

If the crash was caused by camtasia, I'm sure they should somehow cover your lost or you can achieve some compensation, but not with content that has to remain secret. BTW i believe ggl has a copy
Bernix

As said above the crash happens by connecting a USB-interface device while another OS is running. I think it's just a conflict which macOS can't figure it out which OS should load the device so to avoid any risk prefers to shut everything down!
As said in the post#3, I made a similar damaged file and sent it to them and still waiting for their answer. Though, I think if they can repair it successfully it still doesn't help me a lot cause they wouldn't like to share the solution with me. They would ask for the real damaged file which I can't provide it at all...

[richardpl]

One could easily add missing tsc2 metadata to corrupted file, but I can not share that secret.

[mothbeck]

One could easily add missing tsc2 metadata to corrupted file, but I can not share that secret.

didn't catch you mean. Were you able to repair the fake DAMAGED file? If so, tell me briefly what was playing and what did u see/hear?

[mothbeck]

Did u try to repair the DAMAGED file above? No any progress?
Any comment?
Any method?
Any tool?
Any advice?
VideoHelp community?

[richardpl]

As someone would say, there's no free lunch.

[Bernix]

@richardpl
You claimed it is easy but you can't share secret.
When you were asked to proof it is easy just say what contain damaged file (that is useles, because it is not that with secret content) for example group of people, landscape or whatever. Nobody asked you to reveal any secret, just proof what you said.
Now it is expensive or for you too dificult and you are talking about free lunch.
I think you are just windbag. There is plenty of such users. Some have secrets how to colorize black and white movies based on grayscale frequency and many more.



Bernix

[richardpl]

No, I currently do not have free time to spend on this particular unpaid issue.

[richardpl]

Here is one extracted frame from damaged file on dropbox: http://0x0.st/svOL.png

[Bernix]

O.k.
If is it correct result, so I appologize you. So it is easy but somehow CPU expensive or so. I though it is easy as copy/paste header. At least it seems it is not easy as this.


Bernix

[richardpl]

No, it is not easy. All video/audio packets offsets and sizes are missing. And audio not being CFR makes it even harder to locate and extract all audio/video frames.
Good thing is that video frames have known begining and with that one can with trial and error extract all video frames. Once you known offsets and sizes of every video packet everything left is audio. Then as final step you need to add metadata header to audio and than you could create pristine working file with both audio and video.

[Bernix]

@richardpl
You mentioned it first

One could easily add missing tsc2 metadata to corrupted file, but I can not share that secret.

Otherwise I wouldn't call you windbag, which I take back. I thought it can be easily done without any effort


Bernix

[divo2000]

Rest assured about third-party tools as of now! Cause today I uploaded the fake DAMAGED file restore.media &

Have you asked for a manual help of an engineer? In some cases, the automatic recovery on their website doesn't work (not sure - maybe not all file formats supported or because of smth else) - but there is a button that requires engineer's help and they get back really fast. I've once had to make a complete image file of my SD card so that they could repair all the contents manually, and every bit was recovered. Don't know, maybe they really can't repair your file, but I'd give it a try (if you haven't, that is).

[STownley]

@richardpl Are you available to work on a .trec file please?