Raw AVI export mostly works OK, but other codecs do not

clement5 wrote on 1/23/2019, 11:21 AM

I posted a topic about how AVI exports using various codecs did not work properly. The frame rate was changed; there were duplicate frames added; and the export did not line up with the selected points.

As a workaround I have found that raw AVI with no encoding seems to work properly, but... There was a funny thing that happened. I have been exporting 2 minutes at a time on specific minutes such as 27:00:00. However in one case MEP would not let me set that location. It only allowed 27:00:01 or 26:59:23. This is probably correct because untelecined NTSC is really 23.976 fps. I closed MEP, shutdown the computer and next day it would allow 27:00:00 ?????????????????? I export the video to fix problems using Adobe Photoshop extended. None of the consumer software has both multi track video editing and frame by frame editing combined. By frame by frame I would include all the features of a photo editor including cloning from one frame to another.

As far as I know there has been no update to MEP to fix the codec problem.. I must conclude that the frame calculation is not very exact. It should be ok when you have an exact frame rate such as 24, 25, 16... But the NTSC standard of 29.97 for TV/DVD and 23.976 for movies apparently is not handled correctly. If they used 64bit integer arithmetic it would be repeatable. There may be some other number which changes and affects the calculation. After all it is simple that the frame numbe x frame rate should give the time in s, which is easily converted to the final quoted time. Of course it could be a problem in calculating the quoted time from the number of s.

The actual range of export is a bit bothersome. Apparently they specify the location of the cursor as the middle of the frame, but give the location as the beginning of the frame. The brakets [] include both the frames you see at the location of the brakets. Other programs such as VirtualDub have the first bracket include the frame and the last braket exclude the shown frame. I find the latter usage more reasonable, but the MEP method is usable.

I posted a support request about the problems with various codecs. They were able to confirm my observations, but apparently have not come up with a fix.

Comments

clement5 wrote on 8/1/2019, 2:50 PM

NTSC 29.97fps in 2019 MEP does not export properly when creating AVI with Lagarith. I have found that the result looks correct with 30000/1001fps, but In a long export (1 minute) it adds a duplicate frame. By matching up the original with the export this is easily discovered. I am pretty sure that uncompressed works OK, as it has never failed me. I did not check other codecs, but I would bet that they also have the same problem in AVI. It is probably OK if the default AVI codec is not changed. The problem happened with creating a section starting at 0:11:00:00 (11minutes), but also at other starting points.

Sorry there is a split post on this topic at:

https://www.magix.info/us/forum/ntsc-film-standard-editing-bugs--1227597/

I just discovered how to get at my old posts.

I am having other problems that are new. I make changes in the program options, and they are not saved for the next time I open MEP. This may be related to the recent Windows 10 update which moved all kinds of things to different folders, and I tried to put everything back to where I wanted them. The movement caused problems with other programs that expected the old folders.

An additional problem is that I can not update my current version even though I have the update service through 2020. It just dies saying it had a problem, and gave no error code. Of course all this could be related to the included but not asked for Magix Check and Tuning 2020. I had it clean the registry, and that might have caused some of these problems. If MEP can't be fixed properly, would you trust a tuning/cleaning tool from Magix?????? I am sorry I tried it.

Oh and when I try to report problems, their report web page can't seem to remember my new PC, and comes up with the characteristics for the old one!

clement5 wrote on 8/2/2019, 3:18 PM

As a follow up, The cleaning tool is seriously flawed. I took its advice, and then the text editor could no longer save a working file. I undid the suggested change, and it still did not work. A reboot fixed the problem. So I uninstalled the tool, and advise others to do the same. DO NOT PAY MONEY FOR IT!

As to my previous problems, which seem to date from a Windows fix, I rolled back my computer, and then tried to reinstall MEP premium. It could not find the original install file which was in a TMP folder, so it couldn't uninstall the old version. The old version no longer works either. Apparently Magix does not have a way to uninstall with no questions asked, and no installation file needed. Requiring an installation file in a TMP folder is totally lamebrained. So now I have no working version of MEP.

emmrecs wrote on 8/3/2019, 3:43 AM

@clement5

Since you now have a problem uninstalling and reinstalling MEP can I suggest you read and follow exactly the procedure in this tutorial to completely remove ALL traces of the former installation and then attempt a reinstall?

Jeff
Forum Moderator

johnebaker wrote on 8/3/2019, 4:09 AM

@clement5

In addition to @emmrecs comment, if you have installed an 'All in one' codec packs or any other third party codecs, eg x.264 replacing h.264, that MEP already has, then after the re-install do not install them they have been known to cause issues of the type you are having.

John EB

Forum Moderator

clement5 wrote on 8/3/2019, 9:24 AM

Thanks for the writeup, but I can not do the first item which is uninstall MEP. The latest version of MEP 2019 requires access to an original installation file which resides in a system TMP folder for installation. The file is gone. It is lamebrained to require access to files in a TMP folder, as those files by definition are temporary. Until the old version is uninstalled, I can not reinstall 2019. However I found a workaround. I realized I still can reinstall MEP 2018, so I now have the old version, but not the latest one which supposedly has fixed a number of bugs. I have put in a request to support, and they might get back to me next millennium. However if they can't reproduce the problem, they may bounce it. I have spent a long time putting together packages for them to reproduce errors, and I even got a metadata analyzer to see what the problem really seems to be, as they seem to take shortcuts to fixing things, and I need to make sure they do it right. They said I did not have to diagnose the problem, but if they don't, who will. Of course they could just give me the necessary file, but that would be too simple.

johnebaker wrote on 8/3/2019, 10:41 AM

@clement5

Try the following to get a clean system - do not miss any steps out:

uninstall MEP 2018
follow these methods to un-install MEP 2019
clean up any files left behind in the locations in the tutorial @emmrecs linked to
uninstall any codec packs you have installed before re-installing.
Run a system check on your Windows installation - see the tutorial above
get the latest MEP 2019 installer from your account at magix.com - click the My Account icon, , top right of the home page and log in with the email address and password you used to register the MEP, select My Products and there you will find your registered products serial numbers and a link to the installer.

John EB

clement5 wrote on 8/3/2019, 4:10 PM

Thanks for the latest suggestions. Actually the uninstall file is there, and the process begins, but it then looks for other files, which are missing. In the case of installing MEP 2019 it looks for a file in a TMP folder to uninstall the old version. But in the case of directly uninstalling, it looks for a file in Appdata, which is missing. I do have the necessary directory structure, but one file (folder?) is missing. Since I have a working 2018 version I will wait a bit to see if Magix comes up with a workable suggestion. As 2019 was causing some problems, I am half satisfied. I just wish Magix would stop mucking around and breaking basic things. For example MEP used to recognize a .JPS extension as a JPG, but no more. Actually it is a side by side 3D image where the JPS extension is a clue to the format.