Windows Moviemaker glitch rendering AVCHD

Megan and the kids at school are making a video to enter in the "Hands Across Australia" thing.

There is a song provided and the kids write a rap that goes in the middle and then take some video and edit up a music clip.  This has to get uploaded to someplace or other.

Footage was filmed using two cameras.
1 Our Sony HDR-CX110E. Records High Definition AVCHD files onto an SD card.
2. The schools Sony that records standard definition onto a SD card.

One of the kids has done the editing - Fantastic!!!.
He used Windows Moviemaker - Could'nt be simpler you say - a simple tool for a simple task.  What could possibly go wrong.......

He showed me that whenever he cut to some of my footage there was a momentary freeze.

I replicated the fault.  Have a look at the 7 second position




THE SOLUTION

Software:
 1.  iWisoft video converter   http://www.iwisoft.com/videoconverter/  videoconverter.exe
 2.  ReNamer  http://www.den4b.com/?x=products&product=renamer   Renames multiple files.
(Also on the computer I used to fix the problem, I had the k-lite codec pack installed.  Not sure if that made a difference but handy to know)


Procedure:
I tried a few different approaches but as luck would have it, Windows moviemaker is willing to load in files with the wrong extension.

So what I did was rerender the offending High Definition AVCHD files as AVI files using DV codec.  Then renamed them back to the original file names.  The software used does all of this in a batch mode.


iWisoft video converter

In iWisoft video converter, I created a new profile based on the AVI one but selecting the codec as DV.  I called this profile AVIDV.

Then I used iWisoft video converter to convert all my files to AVI with the DV codec.


The iWisoft converter also messed about with the file names.
        00000.MTS became 00000_1.avi

Using ReNamer,
 I renamed all the from avi to .mts and deleted the _1 off them.  There were hundreds of files so no way could this have been done manually.

This is a screen grab.  The main window is the lower one and the "Edit Rule" window opened when I clicked the +Add button.  In this rule I am getting rid of the underscore and the number.

One of the really good things is now the main window shows what is about to happen but it does not do it until I click the "Rename" button.

Again this screen grab is of two windows.  The main window is below and in the top window just here on the left, I am changing the extension to .mts (note you do not type the dot)


Again the program shows the preview effect of applying both rules and then I press the "Rename" button to make it happen.












Windows Movimaker
I copied the windows Moviemaker project file (Mymovie.wlmp) to a new location.  So it lost track of the original source footage.

Then I opened WindowsMovimaker and of course, the windows Moviemaker project file (Mymovie.wlmp) was looking for the original files with a .MTS extension.  It highlighted all the files it does not know about.

I double click on one of them and navigated to the new file (the AVI file with the MTS extension) and selected it.  Moviemaker accepted that and managed to maintain the in and out edit points and it went and found the rest of the files in the same directory.

Rant:
The problem seems to be worked around.  But what a pain.  I expect mre from Microsoft.  This is a simple program used by consumers who own consumer camcorders.  You would think that it would all work together.  The internet is full of people complaining about windows moviemaker glitches.

Next time
a) Do not use Windows Moviemaker
b) Use the Serif MovieplusX6 (or ????)

t3

Canoeing down Oxley Creek

The two canoes were still on the roof of the ute from the boys weekend.  The weather was beautiful.  Decided to danoe down Oxley creek.  Numbers grew to include Phoebie, Steven and Cade.  Megan kindly gave up her seat so it was Sarah and Frank and 5 small kids that set off down oxley creek.

dfdfdf

It was a baptism of fire for Sarah having to deal with kids who had yet to lean to paddle let alone help to steer. Sarah was in the red canoe with the three boys. 

I (Frank) took the yellow canoe with Jemma and Phoebie.  The yellow canoe is disproportionaly unstable.  I think the seats are too high or something.

Although we were heading downstream, it took us quite a while.  I think we launched at 12:30.

We rafted up at one stage and shared some lovely sandwiches that Megan had prepared.  During this process, the two kids at the front kept paddling.  By keeping moving, it was much easier to steer a course down the middle of the creek.  When Sarah and I had eaten, we paddled and the two kids at the front ate.

The was a frustrating amount of negativity coming from Dan and really too much from Jemma too.  The visitors were much better behaved.

As we approached Sherwood Road at about 3:30, we spied a pontoon.  Called Megan for rescue and pulled into the pontoon.  This was "Oxley Common" which a leter look at the map seemed to be about 3/4 of the way.

We then carried the canoes up, ate an apple and waited.  Megan arrived in the Vito and Chris (Phoebies Dad) arrived in the ute.  Packed up & drove home.

A lovely day in the sun.


 

Childrens story rich man difficulty getting into heaven Mark 10:35-45

Sean arrived
with garbage bags with dollar sign taped to them. A chair was set up on the dais. To get into heaven you have to crawl through the door (under the chair ) Small and hard to find. Invited a volunteer to try to get into heaven. Jemma stepped up and was given the bags and she tried & (of course) failed. Then Will took up the challenge and like any 12yo boy was determined to prove that it could be done. That he can get into heaven with his money. He tried going under the chair while passing the money round the side and when that was disallowed he tried to contort himself and the bags of money through the door of heaven. Chris. Asked does this mean fat people will have difficulty getting onto heaven. When you try to find God you cant(job) compare with with there is nowhere you can go to escape God. If you have a loss it is sad and you have to face it. If you have to deliberately let go that is really hard. It is hard to choose to let go.

Row 20km

3:45am  - alarm goes off.  Push snooze
3:50am  - Alarm goes off.  Get up.  Get dressed.  Pick up bag convieniently packed the night before.
4:00am  - Drive off
4:20am  - Arrive boad shed.  A few minutes to doze.  Tilt seat back.  Ponder madness???
4:25am - OK get up get going.  Stand around with others.  Carry a couple of oars (ors ores awes) to the pntoon.
5:00am and we are on the water.  Yellow boat and I am in position 7.  A bunch of middle aged guys and our cox - "El".  Who we later discover is doing some kind of drama arts course at uni and was involved in a performance the night before.  One wonders how she made it.
An hour an 10km pass as we row up stream past the Uni, past the green bridge, past the Sommerville shed and Cansdale st (Where I work), past the rock and the green marker.  Further up the river than I have ever rowed before.  Somewhere we passed the tennis centre and then oxley creek.  We can see Indooroopilly bridge.  There is discussion regarding the whereabouts of the start.  A kind man in a tinny drives over and kindly takes our number "6" from the cox and motors up to the bow and takes the light out the holder and replaces it with the number and advises us to row back downstream mid way between the Oxley sailing club and Oxley creek.

6:10 is am.  (There is disagreement on the starting time.) and another man in a tinny says "six go" and we are off.  A head of the yarra time trial.  We have difficulty keeping the boat level so we try rowing with oars on the water on the return.  After an age we pass the green marker and the rocks at Cansdale St.  My lower back is beginning to ache.

We encourage our cox to encourage us.  She is too nice.  Maybe she is worried that we will die.  Anyway she toughens up and we do some effort piecs.  20 hard strokes.  minute on minute off and so on.  That picks us up and interesting the boat runs much better when we are focussed on these pieces.  My back is sore and so is my bum.  I am controlling my breathing.  I do not want to loose it and start gasping.  Blow out as I push back and then in on the return.  We are rating around 23 strokes per minute.

Finally the green bridge is sighted by the cox and some discussion ensues regarding the location of the finish.  Democracy prevails and we agree that the bridge is not the finish.  Nor is the City cat terminal nor the other one.

7:05am
 suddenly someone on shore announces we have finished and then tells us we can stop rowing.  That was a good call.  8.6km (I think). Avoiding the lay down sally thing, I do however arch back and lean forward in an attempt to reduce the pain in my lower back. 

I am all for putting ashore and buying breakfast and a coffee.  Our sister boat that started after us and passed us somewhere along the way has done this.  But democracy prevails and we start rowing for home.  Home is another k or two downstream.

7:30 am
We arrive at the pontoon and as luck would have it, my side (bow side) have their riggers to the shore.  It is our job to get out and hold the boat while the stroke side rowers lean out over the river and release their rowlocks and then exit the boat and take their oars and our up the ramp.  I acomplish my task of exiting the boat by moving my bum off the seat and onto the pontoon.  In order to minimise the pain in my lower back and groin I delay standing as long as possible.

We then lift the boat and take it up the ramp.  Turns out standing is far more comfortable than sitting and when we arrive at a local coffee shop for breakfast, I initially elect to stand.  We then relive the race.  Complain about the rough seas and so on. The other crew join us for a second breakfast and boast that they rowed the first half of the race towing a log and that once it was removed they overtook some boat(s) that had passed them.

Rocktober 2012 Boys weekend

On the weekend 5,6,7 October we (Frank, Chris & Dan) traveled to Paul's estate at Stanthorpe for the annual boys weekend.

In the weeks leading up to it, Dan had inspired the repair of the motor bike.  For details see
http://thomsoneu.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/fix-pro50z-dirt-bike.html

On Friday PM there was a bit of a disaster when the bike fell over and broke the gear changer.  A frantic effort of googling, yellow pages & phone calls lead us to a motor bike place at 3 Spine St Summner Park.  The fellow there produced a new second hand gear changer for $10 and we relaxed somewhat.

We drove in convoy with Bob Manthey in Paul's blue car.  We stopped at the Shell at Aratula for a "Gap Burger".  This was once a huge oversized hamburger with all the trimmings. It appears however that the specification for which has been out-souced, down graded and re assessed.  We received a nice but somewhat normal burger.  Then on through Warwick to Paul's place.

Saturday AM and there was still some work to do on the motor bike.  Bob had a go at push starting it and you can see this on the video.  It did start a couple of times but each time it was worse than before.

Took a break and went on a wonderful bush walk.

Decided to pull the carbie apart (again).  There is some white powder inside it which I assume is some kind of Aluminum Oxide.  Made a coffee and disassembled the carbie.  Then with a scalpel I set about scraping as much of this white stuff off as I could.  Cleaned and reassembled gave the bike new life.  It now seems to be working better than ever.

A big thank you to Paul Koning for organising this weekend.

Travel Insurance

Looks like I need to investigate travel insurance.

 Mastercard - Only for overseas trips

QBE - Annual Multi Trip $650 (No Kids, Aust Only). Covers $5k rental car excess
QBE via Qantas frequent Flyer Annual Multi Trip $550 (No kids)

Allianz - GAve up trying to get a quote on their web site. It kept saying not available.

AAMI - seem to only do international

Southern Cross $453.38. $15 for 1 day in NZ South Pacific. Do not mention Aus???

RACQ - 1 day non member for $5k rental vehicle excess $126.96 wow Frequent traveller (non member) $718

Suncorp 1 day $25.77 ($200 excess for claim) World Wide multi trip $594