HDR-CX260VE how to donwload AVCHD movies to a PC?

[MBezic]

Hi,I just bought a new camera and I was on vacation shooting a lot of videos in HD quality, at frame rate 50i.

When I capture videos using MyMemories home they do not seem the same quality as looking directly to TV over HDMI.When moving camera left/right there is a visible lag on picture,especialy of the vertical elements, so strong that it is hard to watch.

Videos with lag I caputred and edited w/Mymem. When I tried  just to copy/paste files using windows explorer they look exactly the same.

The method of viewing was files on USB stick to a Sony Bluray player BDP-580, which should be fast enough to send the adequate picture to TV over HDMI.

So I think the problem is at PC.

PC fullfills all requirements (AMD athlon II X2 260 3,2 GHz on 64 bits, 4G RAM,enough disk space, Win 7 ).

Is there anything I am missing?

Thanks in advance.

[Mick2011]

Hi MBezic, welcome to the Sony Forums

If you're getting little or no flickering with HDMI-linked TV but it's there on your computer monitor, the first thing I'd look at is the frame rate of your PC display. If it's not the same or a multipe of the HD file framerate (in your case, 25 or 50) you will see a lot of strobing on panned shots.

It's possible the software is the issue but it's less likely. Maybe download Windows Movie Maker and try that

Cheers

Mick

[MBezic]

Hi, thanks for the reply and welcome, but on PC is flickering less than on TV, when watching captured and edited movies (altough it does exist).So the quality is in between.Let me resume:

- a clip caputred on PC from my camera's SD card or internal memory, put on USB stick and watched via Sony bluray 680 flickers.

- it's the same if I burn it on DVD.

- also the same if I just copy/paste clip form SD card to PC.

- the same clip directly  from camera to TV does not flicker at all, it's perfect.

I recorded in HD,50i, FX.

I had similar problems with clips recorded with my old camera, that used Mini DV casettes (Sony DCR-HC17E) through firewire input.But I solved it by recording on my DVD recorder with HDD (also Sony) and then burning them on DVDs.

No, TV is not Sony.

Regards,
Mirko

[Mick2011]

Hi Mirko, thanks for the clarification.

The key thing here is that you *can* get a flicker-free playback on your TV if you playback direct from the camera. This suggests the problem lies with the conversion you're making in the PC, which is somehow altering the frame rate.

Check that PlayMemories is not altering this. Also try a different upload method, as I suggested avove. It's basically a question of methodically changing steps in the conversion until you locate the process that is changing the frame rate.

Cheers

Mick

[MBezic]

Hi,

I'm back again. I have not solved the problem, I tried to change some settings, but there's not much to do - some settings about hardware acceleration, but nothing changed.

I also tried to save on a portable hard disc, but in manual I noticed that I can do that only on new files, (files that were not captured before). Why is that? I can't believe that the software won't allow me to save these files just because I already captured them (unfortunaely in low quality).

Is there a way to avoid that rule?maybe changing some file that has the infromation if the files were captured or not?

Thanks

Mirko

[MBezic]

One more thing: when looking at the captured videos in Playmemories Home, I noticed that every clip has it's propreties. And in all of them (I didn't check every one of them,but enough of them) properties say that frame rate is 50i, which should be enough to avoid any flickering.Does that mean that the videos are captured well but somehow they lose some quality on the way to USB stick, USB disc etc... ? I don't think it's up to TV (good reproduction via HDMI), or Blueray player, (it works well with 3D, HD movies etc).Unfortunately, I can't reproduce on TV directly from USB stick to check if the quality is the same.

Mirko

[Mick2011]

Hi Mirko

I think I see the cause of your problem now.

Your Tv is displaying the 50i footage from your camera in the format it was recorded, ie interlaced, wheras editing it will create a 'cinematic' 24p movie.

24p has been pretty much standard for movies for around 100 years and it does have a characteristic 'flicker' which some film makers actually strive to achieve, even with high framerate digital footage, to retain the traditonal cinematic 'look and feel'.

The problem you have is that 50i will always be treated as 24/25p in editing because that's its true resolution, so to speak, when reproduced on progressive displays.

Some software is better at handling this than others. Have you tried importing with VLC, for example?

Mick

[MBezic]

Hi,

thanks again on the quick answer, but I must say I don't get it: editing software from camera's manufacturer crates a lower rate video? And the only way to see the original footage is to attach camera on TV? And I have to keep my SD card full forever? I would not mind but it's so big differrence in quality, edited movies can be hardly watched. There's a lot of panoramic views when camera moves to left or right and flickering realy bothers, so opposite against wathcing over camera where the footage is smooth.

And what about the rule that I can save my videos on USB device only if they have not been saved before?

I lovve this camera and I just hope not to feel sorry buying it.

Mirko