Working with HD video from Canon EOS 550D - missing codec?

[stustjohn]

Ok, before this turns into a rant, let me spell out the problem:

I am trying to load video from a Canon 550D into VirtualDub. (The reason? I teach Physics and want to do frame-by-frame analysis of some rocket-launch videos, but the motion analysis software is old and only accepts Type 1 AVI files, which VirtualDub will happily produce if I can load a video in the first place!)

I can play the file in WMP on my Tosh, but cannot load into VirtualDub. It says it cannot understand the format of the video or the audio. I think I can find a video codec that will work (video works in V'Dub on my desktop at home), but after 2 hours of searching I cannot find anything that will allow the audio to load in VirtualDub (CodecID is "sowt" which I read somewhere else is part of the Apple Intermediate Codec).

If, as some writers suggest, the Apple Intermediate Codec is only available on the Mac, why on earth have Canon used it as the sound codec for HD files from their cameras?!

Someone, please help!

Best regards,

Stuart.

[edDV]

Acording to dpreview, the 550D uses Quicktime MOV container (H.264 video,linear PCM audio). The audio is probably mono.

[racer-x]

I routinely open my t2i (550d) clips in virtualdub. There is a QuckTime import plugin for Virtualdub, but it doesn't work well with the t2i footage. I instead use "QTinput" in Avisynth, then feed the script to Virtualdub. This works great, make sure to read the docs.

Here is a link to the QTinput plugin for Avisynth:
http://www.tateu.net/software/dl.php?f=OmfSource

By the way, the t2i/550D uses PCM audio.........

[stustjohn]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH! You have no idea how pleased I am that you took the time to reply and help me with this. The question I am left with is why people end up doing this in their spare time rather than the likes of Canon/Apple/Microsoft getting it right in the first place?!

Thank you again for (a) taking the time to write, and (b) pointing me in the direction of a tool that really works!


Regards, Stuart.

(P.S. I assume you meant to link to http://www.tateu.net/software/dl.php?f=QTSource - this is just below the other link on tateu's software page.)

[racer-x]

Yes, that's the the correct link. Sorry for the mix up, i was in a hurry.....

The only other thing you would need to have installed is QuickTime. I use the latest version of QuickTime Alternative instead and it works perfectly.

I use a typical script like this and put it in the same directory as the .MOV file I want to use:

QTinput("MVI_0128.mov",audio = 1)
ConvertToRGB(matrix="Rec601", interlaced=false) # Converts to RGB with correct color matrix

The first line opens the .MOV in question (video + audio). The 2nd line converts to RGB using the correct color matrix. The Canon DSLRs actually shoot in BT.601 and not BT.709 as many assume. This helps keep colors acurate.