Help with video format please.......

Gofirstclass

Gofirstclass

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,695
Tri Cities, WA
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I have a Sony Handycam that I've recorded a bunch of videos on. I just transferred them to the laptop and that went well but when I tried to open one to watch it, all I get is this screen...
Test 1.jpg
The audio portion comes through fine. The files are saved on the laptop in an MPG/MPEG format. When I had my old laptop and used Windows 7 they worked just fine. Now I'm using Windows 8 and can't get the videos to play.

Any thoughts? Is there a software on here that should be able to play the videos? I tried loading the video software that's on Windows 8 but all it does is open a screen that tries to take me to an X-box video screen. HAVE I MENTIONED HOW MUCH I HATE WINDOWS 8??????
 
If you are hearing audio, but not seeing video that is often a video codec issue. Try downloading MPEG stream clip. http://www.squared5.com/
It's free and may solve your problem.

Also, did you old computer have any Sony software installed? Sony is notorious for proprietary formats on their consumer cameras.

If that doesn't work let me know.
 
I feel your pain. Tried W8 and hated it. I went back to W7. i would go to the Sony Web site and see if you can download the software. I had to do that when I went from Win XP to W7. Perhaps they have one for W8.
 
It is not Windows's fault... It is stupid patents on digital video formats.

I use Pavtube to convert stupid (patent protected) video formats with. But I do agree - Windows 8 User interface is very clunky - just like LaunchPad on OSX.
 
Don't star me on W8. My Dad is 86, and lives 2 hours away. Their computer with XP died, I replaced with W8.

I paid for a lap link product to transfer everything from Xp to W8. And like that worked, not!

So many things didnt load. They manage to keep turning my remote access off.

,!!!!!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I hate fuc*ing computers. Yesterday I tried to download the Squared5 software that WDC recommended. All I got from two attempts was being redirected to a site that said I needed a specific QuickTime download. So I went there and tried to download it but I got redirected to a site that said I first had to download a program called Zipper. So I tried that twice and it apparently loaded but then when I went back to download the QuickTime software it again sent me back to Zipper. So I quit.

I turned on the laptop this a.m. and my homepage has been totally revamped. Did I mention I hate fuc*ing computers? I had my Outlook page as my home page but now I have some other goofy f'ing page that has a couple of tool bars I don't want or need. I got rid of one but there's still a tool bar there. I tried clicking on the "x" to close it but nothing happens. Did I mention I hate fuc*king computers? Well finally something happened. I clicked on it again and it closed but before it did it identified the tool bar. Then I went to the Control Panel and uninstalled that software. When it's going I'm going to uninstall another (PC Backup) that was installed yesterday.

Did I mention I hate fuc*ing computers. Leave my danmed machine alone. Don't do me any freaking favors by installing your GD software on MY machine. Sneaky Bustards. If your f'ing product is good enough it should sell on its own. You shouldn't have to sneak it onto people's machines. Did I mention I hate fuc*ing computers.

So now I still don't have a way to watch my videos. I went to the CCCP-Project to look at that but it looks like something straight out of Russia. Sorry but I don't trust Russians at all. Zip. Zero. Nada. Nyet.

So I'm back where I was when I started this f'ing post. Did I mention I hate fuc*ing computers?
 
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That sounds like a pain. I have worked very little with W8 for many of the reasons mentioned here. It has had a very low adoption rate.

Regarding video formats.. I speak from experience. I own a production company the produces content for a variety of TV, corporate and government clients. Ever since video went digital formats have become more complicated. We are mainly a Mac shop, but do have some W7 machines for file testing and a few other applications.

Sony is notorious for using proprietary codecs (the way a video file is constructed) that work with their supplied software. We run software that can read and play just about anything, but when have material come from a consumer camera it often needs to be converted.

When looking for cameras, look for ones that record to AVCcam or another variety of H.264. This is what GoPro's many Canon point and shoot cameras, iPhones, etc record to. It's a non-proprietary format. Canon and Panasonic cameras tend to be user friendly in this regard. Some Sony cams are, it just depends.

I know many Windows people don't like to hear it, but a $599 MacMini (excluding a monitor) is a great little desktop computer and Apple's come with iMovie, which is very robust for consumer level software. They also have an app for the iPad, for people who use a Windows computer, but have an ipad.
 
Gofirstclass said:
I have a Sony Handycam that I've recorded a bunch of videos on. I just transferred them to the laptop and that went well but when I tried to open one to watch it, all I get is this screen...
View attachment 30337
The audio portion comes through fine. The files are saved on the laptop in an MPG/MPEG format. When I had my old laptop and used Windows 7 they worked just fine. Now I'm using Windows 8 and can't get the videos to play.

Any thoughts? Is there a software on here that should be able to play the videos? I tried loading the video software that's on Windows 8 but all it does is open a screen that tries to take me to an X-box video screen. HAVE I MENTIONED HOW MUCH I HATE WINDOWS 8??????
Click to expand...

Are you sure it has anything to do with Windows 8? i am not a computer guy but on my old hd sony handycam it would save files in a weird format something like AVCHD and I would have to convert it to wmv files (something like that). See if you can click on the files to see what type of files they are (while connected to your computer) and then you can figure the software you will need to buy (yep it was buy for us) to convert to the type of file that you need to store them in. It would never let me upload straight to youtube without first changing the file type.

If I am wrong please disregard but that was my experience...either way good luck with it.

Wesley
 
NOW I AM REALLY PI$$ED. Bing has taken over my laptop. My old homepage was originally Hotmail but I guess got bought out my Microsoft and it switched over to Outlook. Now BING has taken over my homepage and I can't even find a way to get into my Hotmail/Outlook account. Every time I try I get this Bing page that comes up and tells me it can't connect to that because I'm not on the internet.

G-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R I THINK I'M GONNA GO OUT AND KILL SOMETHING.
 
The CCCP pack is awesome - don't worry about the russian link its just hosting :)

I can host it for you and call it OZCCCP if you like
 
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