Fix a damaged m2t?

[jekins]

Hi folks,

I use DVHSCap to pull HDV footage off my HV20, and it usually goes great. I can then neatly store my source footage in .m2t files, which I can later convert into an intermediary codec, etc.

However, I've stumbled across an .m2t that seems to be damaged in some way. I cannot use NeoScene or any other conversion program (tried ClipWrap too) successfully on it. The only thing I can do with it is view it in VLC. It has a couple strange visual blips in it a couple times, most noticeably right at the beginning. Anyway, at least when I view it in VLC it can play all the way through and the audio/video stays synced up. But no matter what program I use, I cannot do anything at all else with it, so the file is basically useless to me.

I've been reading stuff on Google, and someone suggested using MPEGStreamclip to re-write to a new stream, but it requires the Apple Mpeg2 playback component, which costs $20. Any other suggestions? VLC actually is capable of exporting the stream, but it's not producing anything that includes the video track for some reason.

[cgbier]

VLC can export to MP4. You just have to play with the output settings.
If you have Lion, you have the MPEG2 plugin built in. The beta of the latest Streamclip is supposed to work with that Lion's plugin (haven't tested it yet though).

Why do you folks need to get all them fancy tools? Macs have everything you need to capture on board. What do you want to do with an .mts on your hard drive? That stuff is next to useless for editing. Import via iMovie or get any flavor of Final Cut for the ingest, and you transcode your footage to AIC or ProRes right away without any extra step.
(Just asking out of curiosity).

[jekins]

I'll try the output to mp4. However, I was attempting to just pass through -- not re-compress.

I tried the beta of MpegStreamClip as you suggested, but it still requires the Mpeg2 Playback component. It says so on their home page.

As far as why I have fancy tools... I think my workflow is pretty simple.
1) Take down HDV as .m2t files
2) ClipWrap them into .mov files and import into my Final Cut Event Library
3) When I'm ready to use them in a project, I run the .mov files through NeoScene to get awesome editing source and I go to work.

NeoScene is phenomenal. It has a color restoration that ProRes does not, and it's extremely beautiful. It looks better than the original files themselves.

The problem with your method is that a) I have to import and store everything in the intermediary codec from the beginning. I don't have the kind of hard drive space. Keeping them in their original AVCHD format is much more space efficient, and then I just put them into intermediary when I need to work on them.

By the way, I also have all my footage in 24fps in a 60i wrapper, meaning I have to do pulldown removal on everything. NeoScene does this perfectly in stride.

[cgbier]

Uhm, the HV20 doesn't use AVCHD. With tape, you have your storage archive already. You only capture to the hard drive what you need, and FCP X does the pulldown thingie on import. I think you do only extra work.

It has a color restoration

It does the automatically or do you have a chance to control it? The color grading process should be last step in editing, not the first.

[cgbier]

I tried the beta of MpegStreamClip as you suggested, but it still requires the Mpeg2 Playback component. It says so on their home page.

As I said, it is rumored to work. However, them folks most likely didn't completely deinstall FCP Classic, so the plug is still somewhere in their libraries.

Problem is that Quicktime is dead. Lion's video machine is now AV Foundation (or so). Streamclip is still based on QT. They'd have to rewrite a deal of their app.

[jekins]

cgbier - I forgot to mention that I also do AVCHD with a second camera. For that one, I just copy over the MTS files (aka m2ts). For the HDV it's just the .m2t files I get from DVHSCap.

I live a clutter-less life -- don't keep paper either. I don't find it convenient at all to keep all the tapes I've ever shot. I'd prefer to have them neatly organized in files on my computer.

Regarding color restoration, you seem to not know about NeoScene, so I'd recommend you take a look at some of their reviews and home page. NeoScene does not modify color artificially. It simply restores 4:2:0 to 4:2:2, and the results can be truly awesome. Compared to ProRes (or especially AIC), you can easily see the difference in detail, especially on textured surfaces. You can accomplish this with ProRes HQ too, but it's heavier (http://cineform.com/products/neoscene#features). Out of everything, though, I've found the pulldown removal of NeoScene to be the cleanest in the biz.

One question... You mentioned FCP Classic. Since I got my new machine, I have yet to install my old Final Cut Studio 3, since I now work in FCPX. Is the Mpeg2PlaybackComponent installation file somewhere on my FC Studio 3 discs?

[cgbier]

Yes, it is. Shove in your install disk and click Show Package Content. Then you simply drag the component to System/Library/Quicktime. It'll solve your Streamclip problem.

[cgbier]

I know Cineform, but neither me nor my clients are pixel peepers.

ProRes does the trick beautifully for editing purposes. Most of my stuff ends up on a DVD in any way.