# Camcorder downloading



## parkerkarate (Nov 9, 2007)

Ok so I am trying to put video's up on youtube from a camcorder. It shows it as a wmv file but when it is finished it says that the file is invalid. I have been trying to use Windows Movie Maker and that dosen't work. Any help?


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## newGuy12 (Nov 10, 2007)

Hello, parkerkarate!

I've never done this before, but I did see this document, which may be of use to you:



> [SIZE=-0]* What does "Invalid file format error" mean? *[/SIZE]
> 
> 
> "Invalid file format error" means that your video is in a format that our system doesn't accept. We accept most file formats, including .wmv, .mov, .mpg, or .avi. If your video meets these minimum requirements and still won't upload, it may be due to a problem with the video compression you are using. We recommend the MPEG4 (Divx, Xvid, SVQ3) format at 320x240 resolution with MP3 audio. Resizing your video to these specifications before uploading will help your clips look better on YouTube.
> ...



It would be interesting to see if this is what is causing the error:


> If your video meets these minimum requirements and still won't upload, it may be due to a problem with the video compression you are using.



reference:

http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?answer=58128&query=invalid+file&topic=&type=



Regards,

Robert


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## Blotan Hunka (Nov 10, 2007)

Are you recording to tape or to digital? If digital, what format does the camera save in?


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## theletch1 (Nov 10, 2007)

Blotan Hunka said:


> Are you recording to tape or to digital? If digital, what format does the camera save in?


Excellent question.  My camcorder saves to mini-disc and uses a .VOB format.  Once saved it has to be moved to my hardrive and converted to an acceptable format using a video editor program.  I'm not happy with windows movie maker so I bought Magix Movie Edit Pro 11.  Works great and gives you tons of things you can do with the file from adding music to editing several movies together.  Best of luck.


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## Blotan Hunka (Nov 10, 2007)

theletch1 said:


> Excellent question. My camcorder saves to mini-disc and uses a .VOB format. Once saved it has to be moved to my hardrive and converted to an acceptable format using a video editor program. I'm not happy with windows movie maker so I bought Magix Movie Edit Pro 11. Works great and gives you tons of things you can do with the file from adding music to editing several movies together. Best of luck.


 
Exactly, mine is a tape system that comes with a digitizing program. Problem is the digital format isnt useful anywhere else but in the software provided. So conversion is necessary.


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## Cryozombie (Nov 10, 2007)

parkerkarate said:


> Ok so I am trying to put video's up on youtube from a camcorder. It shows it as a wmv file but when it is finished it says that the file is invalid. I have been trying to use Windows Movie Maker and that dosen't work. Any help?


 
If you are using windows movie maker (which Isnt the best choice, but at least its free) make sure you select an output format for uploading to the internet.  Ive used Windows Movie Maker to upload files to Myspacevideo, Under "Finish Movie" selecting the option for "Save to my Computer" rather than publish to the web, and then using "Video For Broadband" as the rendering options. 

I prefer Pinnacle Studio 10 for my editing... but thats about 100 bucks worth of software there.  Free Chroma Screen tho...


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## Kacey (Nov 12, 2007)

On the same subject (sort of) I have a JVC camcorder that I used to record a testing a couple of days ago.  Unfortunately, I found out a little too late (like, after I'd already used the camcorder several times) that JVC camcorders and Dell computers do not play well together.   

I am currently copying the mini-DV tape down to a VCR, but I would really like to be able to load it into my computer so I can make DVDs instead.  I also videotape my students periodically and give them copies so they can see what they need to work on, and would like to be able to make DVDs of those as well, as a couple of my students don't have VCRs.  Does anyone have any ideas that might help me get the two pieces of equipment to communicate, or know of another (preferably inexpensive) way to convert the mini-DV tapes to a computer format?


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## Blotan Hunka (Nov 12, 2007)

If you can find the right drivers for your camera theres a number of free apps out there that can turn your analog to digital. Just google for it. The trouble is that most of those apps dont convert to "normal" formats like wav or mpeg. So you have to find a conversion app too. Finding those free is tough.


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## Kacey (Nov 12, 2007)

I have a driver... the problem is the hardware pieces don't like each other, and, apparently, I'm not the only one with this problem.  I can get 5-10 second snippets to download, and then the application freezes.  I can take the camera to work and download it onto a Mac (which works fine) but then I have to get it off the Mac and onto a DVD, and, of course, the Macs don't have DVD burners, so then I have to take my portable burner in... and of course, all of this has to be worked around having students in my classroom.  I'd much rather do it at home if I can.


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## Blotan Hunka (Nov 12, 2007)

Onboard video card or 3rd party?


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## Blotan Hunka (Nov 12, 2007)

If your computer is running short on memory space that could be a problem too. 10 min of video is a pretty big chunk of ram and physical memory if your running short.


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## Kacey (Nov 12, 2007)

I have plenty of memory - as I said, and my research backs up, JVC and Dell don't like each other much, and that's the problem.


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## Blotan Hunka (Nov 12, 2007)

If your goin with an onboard dell video, Id try getting a 3rd party video card in there. The onboard stuff just isnt good beyond routine stuff.


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## Cryozombie (Nov 13, 2007)

Kacey, my Mini-DV is a JVC, and while I dont have a dell... I use a Pinnacle DV capture board and a firewire cable to import the video and it works great.  So as suggested above perhaps a third party board is in order.

If you check Ebay, you can usually find those pinnacle boards bundled with the version 8 or 9 software for around 30 bucks.


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## Shicomm (Nov 13, 2007)

Pinnacle software makes great results.... if you have a 5ghz system with at least 10 gigs of ram to get it going at speed it is...  

Camtasia studio is light, makes great results and is incredible easy.
It's main goal is to produce video.

For importing tough ; nero vision is the program to use.
I've tested almost every package available and nothing works better the nero vision for importing video.

If you have a cam without firewire ( IEEE1394 ) connection then you'll need a converter.
An import card ( on pci ) can be a real pain in the *** but is cheap indeed , plextor has an external device called convertX that makes the job a lot more easy.
It comes with a price but the stress relief is worth it!


For info about camtasia go to: http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp
For info about nero vision ( part of nero suite ) see: http://www.nero.com/eng/index.html
For info on the plextor convertX check out: http://www.plextor.com/english/products/TV402U.htm


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## Kacey (Nov 13, 2007)

I have a firewire card for my laptop - I'll check the programs out, thanks!


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