Corel VideoStudio 11's Import AVCHD Broken?

[Jerry Jones]

After doing a clean reinstallation of Windows XP Home and Corel VideoStudio 11, the IMPORT DVD command fails during the attempt to import video from a DVD+RW disc with AVCHD.

Is there a patch for this?

UPDATE: It's fixed. Had to reinstall to fix it, however. See more details below.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

The error message in Corel VideoStudio 11 is "unspecified error."

Same issue when attempting to import via USB 2.0 (the camcorder shows up as an external drive).

The "import DVD" progress bar flashes on and then disappears and the "unspecified error" message appears.

The Sony software works fine.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

Two more observations:

1. InterVideo WinDVD 8 can't play the native .M2TS files.

2. Ulead VideoStudio 11 can't import them; the error is "file format mismatch."

Only the Sony software works here.

The Sony software plays the clips out to a TV.

(The clips are amazing.)

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

Others are experiencing the same issue:

http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=22923

I wish they could have gotten this fixed during the beta testing; too bad.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

By the way, the "noise" that CamcorderInfo.com reported in connection with the Sony HDR-SR1/HDR-UX1 models looks like fine film grain to my eye.

The resolution and color are fantastic.

These compact HD file sizes will help sell this format, too.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

I'm willing to wager that APPLE will get this AVCHD thing right the first time.

The APPLE software will probably be able to...

1. Capture properly;

2. Edit the program streams (AVCHD/MPEG-4) using smart MPEG render technology.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

My guess is that Corel (Ulead) has designed VideoStudio 11 Plus to convert transport stream AVCHD/MPEG-4 high definition files to transport stream HD-MPEG-2 files.

Once in the timeline, these HD-MPEG-2 files are then edited in the same way that HDV files would otherwise be edited.

This seems to be an awkward workflow.

And -- worse -- it doesn't work here.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

One idea I haven't yet tried:

The DVD+RW disc I've been using wasn't "finalized."

The Sony HDR-UX1 suggests that finalization is required for DVD+RW.

I'll give that a try and then see what happens.

DVD-RAM, which I've used in the past, doesn't require this finalization.

(Another DVD-RAM advantage.)

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

Still doesn't work.

Patch needed, apparently.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

Since some individuals do seem to have the plug-in working correctly, I'll run my image file and restore my computer back to the point before I installed any Ulead video editing programs.

Then I'll reinstall VideoStudio 11 Plus in hopes of determining if my previous installation somehow failed.

If the initial installation of VideoStudio 11 Plus did fail, then I suppose I'll have to chalk it up to being another Microsoft Windows "mystery."

What would explain that?

And how could anybody hope to figure it out?

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

It works now.

So chalk it up to being another Windows "mystery."

The first installation somehow failed and I'll likely never discover the reason.

Man, I loathe Windows.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

My next computer will be a Macintosh.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

By the way, the capture process that Corel employs is interesting.

The "Import From DVD/DVD-VR" capture plug-in is used to capture from the AVCHD DVD disc camcorders.

So it works like previous versions of VideoStudio; you see a progress bar.

The file on the disc in your computer's DVD drive is transferred to a folder on your computer's hard disk.

On the AVCHD disc are raw "transport stream" MPEG-4/H.264 AVCHD files with .M2TS file extensions.

The Sony AVCHD camcorders ship with a software disc containing a program called "Picture Motion Browser."

This Sony software works somewhat like the "Import From DVD/DVD-VR" capture plug-in of VideoStudio 11 except that the Sony software transfers the raw .M2TS files to your computer's hard disk.

The VideoStudio 11 Plus "Import From DVD/DVD-VR" capture plug-in transfers and *converts* the .M2TS files into .M2T (no "S") files, which are MPEG-2 "transport stream" files.

I suspect this may be a lossless conversion; I suspect the H.264 data is simply being put into some kind of MPEG-2 "container" that can be read by VideoStudio 11 Plus -- perhaps in the same way that some new digital cameras on the market can record H.264 video with .MOV (QuickTime) file extensions.

While VideoStudio 11 Plus can read the .M2T files without difficulty, VideoStudio 11 Plus can't read the native .M2TS files (although Corel is working on an update that will make that possible).

In my testing so far, WinDVD 8 can't read the native .M2TS files either.

I suspect WinDVD 8 *may* be able to read the .M2T files, however.

This is all quite interesting to me.

The early HDV support in Ulead software involved capture plug-ins that converted "transport stream" MPEG-2 files into "program stream" MPEG-2 files.

I expected the AVCHD might follow that pattern.

However, it appears VideoStudio 11 Plus is now designed to work with transport stream files in connection with AVCHD.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

Here's how to break the VideoStudio 11 Plus "IMPORT FROM DVD/DVD-VR" capture plug-in on my system:

1. I rolled back my computer to the point prior to installation of any Ulead video programs.

2. I installed VideoStudio 11 Plus.

3. I checked to make certain the "IMPORT FROM DVD/DVD-VR" capture plug-in was working properly (and it was).

4. I installed MediaStudio Pro 8 and all updates.

5. I opened VideoStudio 11 Plus -- again -- and checked to make sure the "IMPORT FROM DVD/DVD-VR" capture plug-in was working (and it was).

6. I installed DVD Workshop 2.0 and all updates.

7. I installed Kaspersky.

8. I then opened VideoStudio 11 Plus -- again -- and checked to see if the "IMPORT FROM DVD/DVD-VR" capture plug-in was working. SURPRISE. Now the plug-in's drop-down list fails to see my DVD drive.

Doesn't that suggest that either DVD Workshop 2.0 + Patches and/or Kaspersky somehow break the plug-in?

To fix it, I simply uninstall VideoStudio 11 Plus and then reinstall and the plug-in works again.

This is extremely irritating.

Why?

Because it is my opinion that no computer user should be forced to uninstall and reinstall to regain functionality.

Too much of any uninstallation usually results in a wrecked Windows registry.

So I wish Corel would take a look at this and figure out why the plug-in gets broken by the installation of other programs.

And this leads me to ask myself how many times this sort of thing happens on the Windows platform and the user can *never* figure it out.

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net

[Jerry Jones]

Well, everything now seems to be working after another experiment.

Used Acronis to restore the "image" of the system drive that I recorded immediately prior to installing any video editing programs.

Then, I installed Kaspersky FIRST.

Then the usual Ulead video editing programs with Kaspersky turned off.

Then I capped off the installation with VideoStudio 11 Plus and IT WORKS!

Jerry Jones

http://www.jonesgroup.net