Thank you for your response. I'm glad to hear you are able to get about even though it is only with the help of a walker at this time. I pray you will recover much faster than the doctors have estimated.

I just downloaded and installed Gspot on my PC and opened one of the MOV files. Under the Video and Audio Codec section there is nothing but "n.a." in the fields. When I click on the Stat bar that says that the file is Quicktime (.MOV/QT), the message that pops up says "This is, or appears to be, an unsupported filetype. Gspot provides full support for AVI and OGG media streams. Based on its composition, Gspot believes the filetYpe to be "Quicktime (.MOV/QT)".

When I clicked on Render, the information said that the rendering was successful and the details said, "DirectShow claims to be able to play the file. The following combination of filters were used:

C:\Users\David\Desktop\112_002_01.mov (Video Source)
Color Space Converter (Video Post-processor)
Video Renderer (Video Renderer)

I hope that little bit of information means more to you than it does to me. I was hoping for the Codec to be identified but it doesn't appear to be available. How would I go about finding and downloading the AIC/Prores decoder? I guess I could at least try that .

David

32 or 64 bit V9? You might have to use 32.

Will anything play the mov files, other than self contained apps like VLC? If not, you're probably missing or have an incompatible codec &/or DS files installed. See what MediaInfo (videohelp.com) tells you about it -- mov like avi is a container -- & if you don't have whatever codec, install it.

"What do I need to do to be able to open and edit those files in Vegas?"

If all else fails, you can try saving files from inside VLC if it handles them. If it's something about the mov container your system doesn't like, you might be able to use AviSynth feeding the video to VirtualDub, & saving with a direct stream copy for new files with no quality loss.

"When I clicked on Render, the information said that the rendering was successful and the details said, "DirectShow claims to be able to play the file."

Did it play though?

MPM, I only have the 64 bit version of V9 installed. I downloaded and installed the VLC player and when I tried to play one of the MOV files I got this message: "No suitable decoder module:
VLC does not support the audio or video format "xdvd". Unfortunately there is no way for you to fix this."

No, DirectShow did not play the file when I clicked on Render in GSpot.

You lost me when you said, "you might be able to use AviSynth feeding the video to VirtualDub, & saving with a direct stream copy for new files with no quality loss." Is there somewhere I can find the instructions for what you are suggesting might work?

Thank you,
David

If you open the files on your mac, quicktime should tell you what codec was used. That's a start.

The problem with 64 bit Vegas, or any 64 bit video app, is that every piece in the chain has to be 64 bit. All it takes is one of the needed decoding files to be 32 bit & it won't work. Many of the codecs, & video related files like plugins are only available as 32 bit. The good news is that if you need to install the 32 bit version, it seems to work just fine alongside 64 bit Vegas -- they go in separate folders, & registering one registers both. That's not your problem now, but I think you may wind up needing/installing Vegas 32.

That said, curious, I spent 1/2 hour or so with Google -- IMHO if VLC wouldn't play the file then something about it was really off. At 1st I thought maybe the answer might be as simple as needing a MAC file system reader, & thought I could recommend Paragon Software, which is looking for beta testers for just such a tool. The XDVD I didn't find any reference to, but I did find that FCP can export a type of raw that doesn't have a comparable codec in the PC Q/Time. Following are a couple of links I found interesting as starting points...
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/non-linear-editing-mac/143562-fcp-movs-play-pc.html
http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/8/998758

Then I came across this, which if it works might be just what you're looking for.
http://forum.doom9.org/archive/index.php/t-140820.html

For explanation, AviSynth is a tool used by pros & enthusiasts alike. It takes your input, optionally processes it, & can feed it to some other program without needing an intermediate render/encode. It will work in Vista 64, & will work in the 32 bit version of Virtual Dub in 64 bit Windows. To use AviSynth you create a script file in Notepad saved with an .avs file extension, which is what you open in Virtual Dub or VFAPI. If you didn't want to use VirtualDub, as in the thread I linked to, AviSynth will work with VFAPI to create a fake avi file that will open in Vegas 32 bit. The two problems with VFAPI is it's older, & won't preserve 32 bit YUV as original, but uses RGB (like Vegas?), & in 64 bit Windows you need to modify the registry entries so they're created under Wow6432Node. If I remember correctly -- it's been a while:

Copy to text file in Notepad, save as vifp_x6432.inf, rite click & install.
--------------------
[Version]
Signature="$Windows NT$"
[DefaultInstall]
CopyFiles = CodecCopyFiles
AddReg = RegCodec
[DestinationDirs]
CodecCopyFiles=16425
[RegCodec]
HKLM, "Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32","VIDC.VIFP", ,"VFCodec.dll"
HKLM, "Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers.desc", "VFCodec.dll",, "VFAPI Reader Codec v1.05"
[SourceDisksNames]
1="VFAPI Reader Codec v1.01 install","",1
[CodecCopyFiles]
VFCodec.dll
[SourceDisksFiles]
VFCodec.dll=1
-------------------------
I think I also had to use this in a text file saved as a .bat file.
----------------------
%WINDIR%\SysWOW64\rundll32.exe advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection vifp_x6432.inf,DefaultInstall
-------------------------

You can also try installing the latest ffdshow test from videohelp.com, & try their makeavis program, which is supposed to do the same thing as VFAPI if you want.

At any rate, hopefully the last link will provide you enough info, that along with the included docs, the avisynth.org wiki, & the forums at doom9.org you should have enough to get started.

ddm, when I opened the MOV files on my MacBook Pro in Quicktime the only two pieces of format information I found were that the "Format is MPEG HD" and from Inspector, "Format is Apple XDCAM EX".

Does that help?

David

Wow! You have given me a lot of information. Since I am more creative than technical I will have to print this out and see if I can understand what you have spent so much of your valuable time researching. I'm sure I will have some questions. Thank you!

As I mentioned in my response to ddm, when I opened the MOV files on my MacBook Pro in Quicktime the only two pieces of format information I found were that the "Format is MPEG HD" and from Inspector, "Format is Apple XDCAM EX".

I don't know if there is any difference in the MOV format of the EX1 camera files and the format of the other MOV files on my Mac but I would be happy to be able to convert the camera MOV files so that I can open them in Vegas and edit them.

TRY MEDIAINFO

musicvid, I installed Mediainfo and the information it gave on one of my MOV files is as follows:

General
Complete name : Q:\Jeff and Kelly camera files\112_0083_01.mov
Format : QuickTime
Format/Info : Original Apple specifications
File size : 181 MiB
Duration : 41s 541ms
Overall bit rate : 36.6 Mbps
Movie name/More : 060a2b340101010501010d4313000000c3bcef5e634405cc08004602022800df
Encoded date : UTC 2008-01-01 20:51:26
Tagged date : UTC 2008-01-01 20:51:33
Writing library : Apple QuickTime
Original source medium : Untitled
Origin : MPEG HD

Video
ID : 1
Format : xdvd
Codec ID : xdvd
Duration : 41s 541ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 35.0 Mbps
Width : 1 920 pixels
Height : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16/9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 23.976 fps
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.704
Stream size : 173 MiB (96%)
Encoded date : UTC 2008-01-01 20:51:26
Tagged date : UTC 2008-01-01 20:51:33

Audio #1
ID : 2
Format : lpcm
Codec ID : lpcm
Duration : 41s 541ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 768 Kbps
Channel(s) : 3 channels
Sampling rate : 1 Hz
Resolution : 16 bits
Stream size : 3.80 MiB (2%)
Encoded date : UTC 2008-01-01 20:51:26
Tagged date : UTC 2008-01-01 20:51:33

Audio #2
ID : 3
Format : lpcm
Codec ID : lpcm
Duration : 41s 541ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 768 Kbps
Channel(s) : 3 channels
Sampling rate : 1 Hz
Resolution : 16 bits
Stream size : 3.80 MiB (2%)
Encoded date : UTC 2008-01-01 20:51:26
Tagged date : UTC 2008-01-01 20:51:33

Menu
ID : 4
Format : TimeCode
Encoded_Date : UTC 2008-01-01 20:51:26
Tagged_Date : UTC 2008-01-01 20:51:33
Duration : 41541
BitRate_Mode : CBR
StreamSize : 3984
BitRate : 767
BitRate_Mode/String : Constant

Does that help?

David

Yes it does. You will need to find and install the "xdvd" video codec (whatever that is) and hope it works with Vegas VFW.

Otherwise, you will need to find a converter to change it to something else Vegas understands, for instance AVC / h.264 MP4

I'm not an Apple guru, but since it didn't show up in GSpot, it indicates something a bit deeper than we usually see here.

Good luck and please let us know your results!
It may just help someone else.

EDIT:
Here's a bit of discussion on the codec I found with a Google:
http://www.cdrinfo.com/forum/tm.asp?m=96239&mpage=1&key=&

It certainly seems like it's a MPEG2 file. Quicktime for Windows and therefore, Vegas, will not read MPEG2 unless you have the MPEG2 playback component for Quicktime. It's $20 and available here:

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2/

Thanks for the in-depth reply, John.
I saw that it was a 60-frame GOP, but no information on how to decode it.
We can always count on you.
Just my opinion, but I think Apple's closed-source stuff s***s.

Which leads me to a thought. I don't know how long the Vegas MPEG-2 decoders support, but you might try renaming the file extension to .mpg or even .m2t or something and see if it opens natively in Vegas. It's a long shot, but won't hurt to try!

Thanks, musicvid. I have been looking for an xdvd video codec and have not been successful. I did fiind a program from http://www.calibratedsoftware.com called Calibrated QXDOptions and installed a demo version. It will allow me to open the MOV files via Quicktime and from there I can export to an AVI format (albeit with several gray bars running through the picture). Even with the best quality settings the resulting file is nowhere near HD quality when I open it in Vegas.

My mind is about fried for today so I am going to bed and worry about this tomorrow. Thanks for your help!

David

John Cline's suggestion might be better for you than mine. I don't have any experience with this codec, just speculation based on the information you provided.

John has some in-depth knowledge on the issue, I don't know if there's a free solution but if the QT MPEG-2 upgrade solves the issue, it's not terribly expensive. And knowing how Apple has handled their closed-source stuff in the past, it may be the only solution that works in this situation.

Let us know how it turns out! If this codec "catches on," we will be seeing more of this here.

Spot / DSE:
You guys have any experience with "xdvd" ?

I purchased the QT MPEG-2 upgrade and can now play MPG files in my QT Pro. If I rename the extension on my "Final Cut Pro" MOV files to either MPG or M2V and drag them to QT I will only get the audio - the same thing I get if I drag any of the original MOV files to QT.

None of the extension name changes allows Vegas 9 to recognize them as valid files.

Far from expert on anything MAC... & oh yeah, strictly FWIW...

"the only two pieces of format information I found were that the "Format is MPEG HD" and from Inspector, "Format is Apple XDCAM EX"."

For info on XDCAM EX:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XDCAM

Please bear in mind that, since the video was exported from FCP, may or may not be talking about the same format as the video recorded by the camera.

Google using a variation of "apple XDCAM EX"... There are quite a few threads talking about import/export, with some decent info. No offense intended, check it out since they talk about mp4 & things like complete folders needed & Sony export plugins for MAC -- most of this will probably make more sense to you & determine the direction pursuing this... For example some talk about re-exporting your footage from FCP, & I have no idea whether that's a viable option for you, &/or if you need complete folders of files, do you still have all that.

If you can get away not transcoding, your video will be much the better for it. If you're more right brained than left, or however that works out :) , so the tech stuff is less comfortable, I'd suggest posting to the doom9.org forum under AviSynth usage, *IF* the AviSynth methods of accessing your video appeals to you, perhaps even resurrecting the thread I linked to... being prepared to upload small samples might help.

* * *
"Here's a bit of discussion on the codec I found with a Google:"

That's from 1/05, & since then you'll not find much if any data on XDVD, 'least with Google. If curious it might be worth posting or e-mailing the MediaInfo author to find out what/where the XDVD classification comes from.Otherwise from what I found that XDVD classification seems irrelevant.

* * *

"It certainly seems like it's a MPEG2 file. Quicktime for Windows and therefore, Vegas, will not read MPEG2 unless you have the MPEG2 playback component for Quicktime. It's $20 and available here:"

Or go here for the free (& better working) QuickTime Alternative & the mpg2 plugin:
http://home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/finalbuilds.htm#quicktimealt

Thanks, MPM, I will Google variants of "apple XDCAM EX" to see what I can find. I will probably try to email the MediaInfo author to see if he/she has any suggestions.

In the meantime I installed the QT alternative which didn't play the MOV files (except audio). I had to uninstall Apple QT in order to install the alternative which meant I no longer had the capabilities that QT Pro provided. So when the alternative QT didn't solve the problem I had to uninstall it in order to reinstall Apple's QT-Pro.

It was worth a try however. Thanks. I may also try posting to the doom9.org forum under AviSynth usage as you suggested.

I don't suppose anyone at Apple would be willing to help - do you?

"I don't suppose anyone at Apple would be willing to help - do you?"

Well there seemed to be a fair amount of MAC-related discussion over at CreativeCow... maybe someone there would be able to give you a name or contact or even a place to look?

Off Apples site itself there are several forums listed. You might find some good info at Ken Stones [his site's main page was giving me an error just now, but this might apply even better, & you can get there from there ;-)] http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/hdv_to_prores_with_chapter_markers_stone.html

Apples FCP forum can't hurt: http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=939

Sorry the Q/Time alternative didn't work out for you.

What would have seemed like a simple problem to solve has become an adventure. Nothing like all of you guys taking your July 4th holiday to help me. I appreciate it and will keep at it with occasional breaks to visit my family.

Looks like I have a lot of places to visit on line.

I have found a solution (of sorts) that appears to work - if you still have access to a Mac.

I opened the Mac MOV version of my original XDCAM EX1 clips on my MacBook Pro in QuickTime. Then, using QT, I exported the MOV clips to Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) at the highest video quality and 48kHz stereo audio. Rendering each clip took 2.8 times longer than the original time of the clip, so a 30 second clip took 1:24 to render.

I saved these files back to my Fat 32 formatted USB hard drive and connected that drive to my PC. I then opened Vegas 9 (64 bit) and attempted to open the new MOV files. Vegas did not recognize them UNTIL I opened the PC version of QuickTime Pro??? I was able later, however, to drag the files to the Vegas timeliine without having QT opened???

The resulting Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) file size was almost 5 times larger than the original MOV file. Vegas kinda choked on that even with a Quad processor but was able to render it without a problem. I did use the Sony Broadcast colors effect and Sony Color Corrector reducing the Gamma to .90.

I then rendered it to a Blu-ray 1920x1080-24p, 25Mbps video stream m2v format and opened the file with Media Player. It looked as good as the original clips looked on my 17" MacBook Pro high res. monitor (I use the Apple 23" Cinema monitor on my PC that I used to use on my Mac).

I opened DVD Architect and viewed the 5 clips there with the same result. I then created an ISO BD file but decided not to waste a Blu-ray disc at this time - they're too expensive!

I don't know of a way to batch process my original clips using Mac's QT but that would be extremely helpful as I have over 100 clips in this particular shoot. Ideally, Apple would make available their "xdvd" Codec but I am sure that is asking too much.

This method may not be the best or even preserve the original quality of the EX1 clips - although it appears to. It doesn't require too many steps, especially if a batch process method is available with Apple's QT. It would take over three hours (including administrative time) to render one hour of clips, and it creates large file sizes.

As noted earlier in this thread I did purchase the MPEG reader for QT yesterday but I don't think that is necessary for this conversion process. There may be other Apple export formats that would be of equal quality and produce a smaller file size that would still open in Vegas - without having to re-render them in the PC version of QT.

The process also requires that you have an external hard drive formatted to Fat 32 in order to transfer files between the Mac and the PC.

Hi David
Happy 4th of July to you. "The process also requires that you have an external hard drive formatted to Fat 32 in order to transfer files between the Mac and the PC." In relation to your last comment I was wondering if you had trialled the MacDrive 7 software?. This software allows you access your mac drive from the PC. You wouldn't need the FAT 32 setup. One small step..
Cheers
Michael

Thank you, Michael, and Happy 4th of July to you too! I had not heard of the MacDrive 7 software but will go look for it now. Wish I had known about that some time ago.

David