Export AVCHD frame specific metadata to subtitles

[HD65]

I created a little site for this program: http://avchd2srt.webs.com/

[gene0915]

Is there a way to get avchd2srt-core.exe to export only the date from an AVCHD file? I would prefer it in this format:
Day Month Date, Year (ie, Tuesday July 26, 2011). I don't want the time.

Thanks

[khargy]

Whenever I try to run the cmd script I get "Files was unexpected at this time", if I run avchd2srt-core.exe, it works but without the address info. wget and gawk are installed.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Ken

[HD65]

Whenever I try to run the cmd script I get "Files was unexpected at this time", if I run avchd2srt-core.exe, it works but without the address info. wget and gawk are installed.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Ken

Sorry to hear.

There is no such message generated by the script or core itself.

What version are you using and how are you using it (file names? paths? wild cards?). How is it installed (in a folder of video files or in a separate folder in the PATH)? What version of windows? Has it ever worked for you?

If everything fails try editing the avchd2srt.cmd script taking out the line with "@ECHO OFF". That will indicate where it goes wrong.

[filledvoid]

This program works great!! Thanks much! I've got a Sony A55V, and I've been looking for a while now to figure out how to extract the GPS metadata from my videos.

By any chance, does the metadata also include orientation/rotation information? In some cases, it'd be nice to auto-rotate videos that I record in portrait mode without needing to do it manually.

fv

[HD65]

This program works great!! Thanks much! I've got a Sony A55V, and I've been looking for a while now to figure out how to extract the GPS metadata from my videos.

By any chance, does the metadata also include orientation/rotation information? In some cases, it'd be nice to auto-rotate videos that I record in portrait mode without needing to do it manually.

fv

Well, according to http://owl.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/TagNames/H264.html there is a tag (aa, SceneCaptureType). I don't see it in the video stream of my camera though. Use the exiftool (with -ee option) to find whether it is available for you. Could imagine it's not always there for video.

[filledvoid]

Ahh, very cool! Looks like my camera doesn't record this info either. Thanks for the reference link just the same! Very useful.

fv

[eugenegill]

Hi,

I have since taken a closer look at PMB... and amazingly it is possible to trim video clips and then join them together without the metadata being lost or messed up. Then this video tool can extract the metadata.

Back from the summer, hence a delayed response. Indeed, PMB has a trim function, but you can only make one trim in a track. So if you need to cut out three of more sections, you first have to make one trim, save. reopen and make the next trim. Not very efficient.

[justin.nm]

Is there a parameter to extract just the date and time but not the GPS info?

Thanks in advance,
J

[HD65]

Is there a parameter to extract just the date and time but not the GPS info?

Thanks in advance,
J

Unfortunately there are no parameters - it generates the SRT as is, and post processing will be needed to turn it into whatever format you would like.

[lpdg1]

Hi,

Thanks so much for this, managed to get all the time.date.gps data from my holiday videos.
I have a sony cx350ve and the .srt file is fine to add it to an mkv or subbed mp4, playing smoothly.
I am really looking to add the meta data as a subtitle, back to a AVCHD structure to play on the Blueray player.

In all software, Encore, multiAVCHD, Corel X4, the AVCHD2SRT .srt (or adapted by way of subs come out jerky and/or interupted when playing the BlueRay AVCHD back on my PS3. Any ideas?

Cheers,
LP

[HD65]

@lpdg1

I don't think I can improve the SRT. Earlier versions of AVCHD2SRT did generate slightly different SRT files. Are you using the latest version?

You may want to play with the SRT, edit it perhaps, to see what would work better.

I have been using Corel X3 with no trouble.

[lpdg1]

@lpdg1

I don't think I can improve the SRT. Earlier versions of AVCHD2SRT did generate slightly different SRT files. Are you using the latest version?

You may want to play with the SRT, edit it perhaps, to see what would work better.

I have been using Corel X3 with no trouble.

@HD64

Hi,

All I am having trouble with is the way the selectable subs look when put back into AVCHD (Blueray) format,
they "come on and off" / flicker on the Blue Ray player.

Any other application of the footage with selectable subs, MKV, DVD, they look fine. Yes, using latest AVCHD2SRT version.

Have you tried to create a Blueray disc / AVCHD folder and playing it back on a BR player/PS3 with X3?

Kind regards,
LP

[HD65]

...

Have you tried to create a Blueray disc / AVCHD folder and playing it back on a BR player/PS3 with X3?

Kind regards,
LP

No, I have not. Never needed to. I guess I could try now as I did recently get a BR player. Did it make any difference at all what software you used to create the disc?

I don't have PS3.

[jupita]

Hi

I know this thread might be quite old. I have tried both programs and they both have different results. I found the sublib1 program to be the best but it still has issues.

The flashing seems to be caused by rounding errors in both programs.

Here is a sample output I did earlier.

1
00:00:00,020 --> 00:00:00,900
Monday 29-Aug-2011 16:18:27

2
00:00:00,900 --> 00:00:01,940
Monday 29-Aug-2011 16:18:28

3
00:00:01,940 --> 00:00:02,940
Monday 29-Aug-2011 16:18:29

4
00:00:02,940 --> 00:00:03,900
Monday 29-Aug-2011 16:18:30

5
00:00:03,900 --> 00:00:04,920
Monday 29-Aug-2011 16:18:31

As you can see the 1st line is kind of OK although I think the start time offset should be 0. The 2nd line is over a second when it should be exactly a second. The 3rd line is OK. The 4th line reverses the 2nd line extension by having a shorter length.

I'm not sure why this happens. As it can be quite random on a very large 2000 line str file, its also impossible to fix easily.

-Darren

[caen44]

Hi Folks.

Sorry for being away for so long, I have been too busy with my entirely non-programming real job to fiddle with my utility.

For those of you that like the sublib1 program, and would like to make changes to the underlying code or improve it for your or everyone's benefit the sourcecode is up at http://code.google.com/p/sublib1/ Let me know and I'll add you as a contributor so that you can check in changes if you like.

Otherwise, its important to note that the underlying code is based on HD65's code from a long while back, so any improvements he has made since I last touched that program will not be available in my utility.

From my memory of looking at the avchd metadata structure and the ffmpeg documentation, it would be fairly easy, I think, to dump the entire contents of the time/date and location metadata to a text file or xml type file for further processing. Is this something people would like? If so I might make that my next project when I get the time.

Best of luck.

[jupita]

Hi Folks.

Sorry for being away for so long, I have been too busy with my entirely non-programming real job to fiddle with my utility.

For those of you that like the sublib1 program, and would like to make changes to the underlying code or improve it for your or everyone's benefit the sourcecode is up at http://code.google.com/p/sublib1/ Let me know and I'll add you as a contributor so that you can check in changes if you like.

Otherwise, its important to note that the underlying code is based on HD65's code from a long while back, so any improvements he has made since I last touched that program will not be available in my utility.

From my memory of looking at the avchd metadata structure and the ffmpeg documentation, it would be fairly easy, I think, to dump the entire contents of the time/date and location metadata to a text file or xml type file for further processing. Is this something people would like? If so I might make that my next project when I get the time.

Best of luck.

Hi

Thanks. I think an XML file would be really useful..

-Darren

[eugenegill]

I have been participating in this thread almost from the beginning, and had much frustration. I have a Sony HD camcorder with GPS, and wanted the time/date and GPS info to be available as subtitles in my home video DVD/BDs.

My main tool has been Sony Vegas, reasoning that Sony equipment and software would work together seamlessly. But if you edit a series of clips with Vegas and render for a DVD, the metadata are lost. In fact, Sony has no way you can usefully take advantage of the GPS, unless you count viewing individual unedited clips in their PMB program. Pretty disappointing.

After trying all kinds of programs, I finally got the hint from HD65, lpdg1 and others, that you can combine and edit all you clips in Corel VideoStudio, render the result to AVC or mpeg2, and the metadata are preserved! Then you can extract the metadata to a srt from the resulting single file, using HD65's brilliant program. And Google location data as a bonus (although some strange results in the African bush). After that it is trivial to create the DVD/BD with the software of your choice.

So kudos to Corel, and a what is wrong with Sony?

If I may have a wish list, it would be to select from the other metadata, and to select the format, e.g. 12 or 24 h time, dd/mm/yyy or mm/dd/yyy. For now I am happy. Thanks again, HD65.

[caen44]

Hi Folks,

Again, sorry for not getting to this sooner. Life intrudes.

I have extended the Date/Time subtitle utility (http://code.google.com/p/sublib1/) to allow you to dump all the frame specific metadata that I can find in an avchd file. I just have it dump to a plain text file, rather than xml it, but I might get to that later. I also write out whatever else that FFMPEG gives me, such as the presentation time stamp, decompression timestamp, and file position for the frame.

I have a cheap Canon camera, and as far as I can tell, the only useful stuff in the frame metadata is the time and date. The rest of the stuff is useless (search google for EXIFTOOL for more tag information).

Please be aware that I just finished this and have done very minimal testing. I'd expect some crashes, but if you let me know, I'll look into it.

I'll post up the files in the downloads section of the google code site tonight.

Best of luck.

[rdhar]

I created a little site for this program: http://avchd2srt.webs.com/

@HD65

I have tried the program without success. Am I doing something wrong?

I am using a Panasonic Lumix FZ 35 ( it is a digital camera that also shoots videos - not a camcorder)
The output using AVCHDLite is a .mts file. I have run the exiftool and the metadata is in the attached text file 00002.txt.

But when I run avchd2srt-core 00002.mts > 00002.srt 2> 00002.inf I get a srt file of 0 kB which is, of course, empty. I have also attached the text of the inf file - 00002inf.txt - which shows 2 streams of audio & video but none for subtitle files.

Please help as the videos are good - except for the fact that I cannot see the date & time stamp. I am trying to make this work so that I don't have to spend separately on a camcorder.

NOTE: I am new to all this stuff and jave spent quite a few days to reach so far. Do please be patient if I have missed out something basic here.

THX

RD

[HD65]

I created a little site for this program: http://avchd2srt.webs.com/

@HD65

I have tried the program without success. Am I doing something wrong?

I am using a Panasonic Lumix FZ 35 ....

@rdhar,

I have a Lumix myself as well, from the TZ series. The GPS info cannot be extracted using avchd2srt, but time/date should work.

Do you use the latest version of avchs2srt? If so, please note that the core program creates the srt itself, it is not done through redirecting output manually to an srt file. With older versions of avchd2srt indeed that had to be captured manually, but these older versions won't work with Panasonic. And please use the wrapper program avchd2srt.

Let me know, otherwise please share a piece of test film.

Does anyone else have any experience?

[rdhar]

I created a little site for this program: http://avchd2srt.webs.com/

@HD65

I have tried the program without success. Am I doing something wrong?

I am using a Panasonic Lumix FZ 35 ....

@rdhar,

I have a Lumix myself as well, from the TZ series. The GPS info cannot be extracted using avchd2srt, but time/date should work.

Do you use the latest version of avchs2srt? If so, please note that the core program creates the srt itself, it is not done through redirecting output manually to an srt file. With older versions of avchd2srt indeed that had to be captured manually, but these older versions won't work with Panasonic. And please use the wrapper program avchd2srt.

Let me know, otherwise please share a piece of test film.

Does anyone else have any experience?

@HD65

Thanks for the reponse. I have tried the latest version - avchd2srt-windows-v07.tar.gz - an dfollowed the steps as mentioned in the readme file (including the wrapper program, gawk, wget, etc) The srt files cretaed are still blank. I can send you a test file - do I have to upload with my post or isthere another option to send the home video file?

Thanks

rdhar

[HD65]

....

I can send you a test file - do I have to upload with my post or isthere another option to send the home video file?

Thanks

rdhar

Would recommend to simply post via mediafire.com or similar. Share the link in the forum here so others can help as well, or just to me (but then it can take long before you hear).

[rdhar]

@rdhar,

I have a Lumix myself as well, from the TZ series. The GPS info cannot be extracted using avchd2srt, but time/date should work.

Let me know, otherwise please share a piece of test film.

Does anyone else have any experience?

@HD65 and all the knowledgable folk of Videohelp Forum,

Having some trouble with mediafire (link keeps disconnecting despite this being a 19 MB file), so am attaching the test video and the text file showing the metadata extracted using Exiftool for the same.

Please let me know if you could create subtitles for the same.

To repeat, this was taken in AVCHD Lite mode on a Panasonic Lumix FZ 35 digicam.

Any help is welcome.

Thanks in advance to all and look forward to hearing from the forum...

rdhar

[FulciLives]

MediaFire has a history of mucking up files that you upload to it. It does help to put the file(s) in a zip or better yet rar file (since you can use the rar file "recovery record" feature). Also best to upload a SFV or MD5 checksum and put it inside the compressed file. That way people know they got what you put up.

I rather like Send Space myself. It's free and works extremely well. However files do go away in 30 days (from the time of the last download) if all you have is a free account. That's the only plus to MediaFire (free account keeps the files).

Sorry I know this is an aside but I've dealt a lot with various file hosting companies and MediaFire is a real PITA (Pain In The A..)

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[HD65]

...

Please let me know if you could create subtitles for the same.

To repeat, this was taken in AVCHD Lite mode on a Panasonic Lumix FZ 35 digicam.

...

rdhar

Quick check: indeed no date/time info available in the usual way. SRT is empty. If it's there it's coded differently.

Anyone any ideas?

[rdhar]

...

Please let me know if you could create subtitles for the same.

To repeat, this was taken in AVCHD Lite mode on a Panasonic Lumix FZ 35 digicam.

...

rdhar

Quick check: indeed no date/time info available in the usual way. SRT is empty. If it's there it's coded differently.

Anyone any ideas?

Thanks for the quick check HD65.

The only other relevant file in one of the other folders in the memory card that stores the vidoes shot in my Panasonic is in the attached zip file - it shows up in a folder labelled "CLIPINF". Does this help?

Anybody who help with this?

Does the fact that the file I extracted using the Exiftool shows the time & date as "Last modified date' & not "Rec time & date" matter?

Looking forward (desperately) to some bright ideas that could help.


Thanks

rdhar

[caen44]

Hi rdhar,

I took a look at your file also. It opens fine and is handled OK, but there doesn't appear to be any available metadata in the frame data, at least that can be found following the GUID as suggested here:

http://hirntier.blogspot.com/2010/02/avchd-timecode-update.html

The GUID message is not found in the frame data. Is this file straight off the camcorder, or has it been processed in any way?

I may fiddle with it some more and let you know if you find anything. Regardless, the file was helpful, as it lets me test the error handling and diagnostic messages for the utility program I am working on.

Good luck.

[rdhar]

Hi rdhar,

The GUID message is not found in the frame data. Is this file straight off the camcorder, or has it been processed in any way?

I may fiddle with it some more and let you know if you find anything. Regardless, the file was helpful, as it lets me test the error handling and diagnostic messages for the utility program I am working on.

Good luck.

@caen44,

The file has not been processed - it has been copied straight off the memory card from my digital camera (not really a camcorder). Hope the fiddling helps - not just the utility program but my case as well.

Any other suggetsions help from the forum are also welcome.

Thanks

[rdhar]

Any thoughts from anybody on the forum on how to make this work, please?