Stroke narrowly averted......hopefully

[gateslacker]

I filmed the comprehensive video assessment today and I was a little over three minutes under the hour time limit. I thought I was doing really well. I had both my camera AND my sister's digital video camera recording. I had two 4gb memory cards. When my camera still stopped recording (after 1gb is reached which was 25 minutes) I still had plan B, sis's camera. I couldn't use the mini DVD's for her camera because they were only 30min. I went to the hospital and used the endoscopy room to record. It all went well and I even made sure the whole thing was recorded before I left.

I get home and neither of my memory cards will work in either computer. I suspect it is my card reader and these are new SDHC cards. I hook the digital video camera with memory card inside and voila, I am in business. Or so I think. Then, the stupid AVI file will not play in either quicktime or media player and I get only audio. Thus begins my internet search for a solution because, so help me, if I don't find one, I am sending her the entire video camera and card and telling her to watch it like that! There is no way that I am going to re record the whole thing now! So, I am determined to find a solution. I try importing everything into Movie Maker and Adobe elements, with no success. I try to burn using DVD maker, with no success. At this point I want to pull my hair out! I was so excited that this was done and I just wanted to kick back the rest of the evening. NO SUCH LUCK. Sometimes it seems that nothing ever goes according to plan, though I suspect that we only notice these thing because they don't go as planned and we may just ignore the stuff that does go well. Still, I feel somewhat plagued at times by stuff just not working out.  I had the divx codec and the xvid one. WHY would this avi file not play. ARGH!!

In any case, I finally happened upon a forum question, as you often do in these sort of searches. Usually, no one is having the exact problem you are encountering, I don't understand the tech heavy solution, or I try it and it doesn't work. This time, I happened upon and answer that included a decoder, ffdshow video converter http://sourceforge.net/projects/ffdshow-tryout/ , that decodes automatically  without me having to keep installing codecs and hoping that this one will work. At the moment, my DVD is encoding/burning which is more progress than I made earlier, when it would only give me error messages. I  thought I would post my frustration rather than enduring a nail biting viewing of the "progress" screen.

I'm hoping for the best.

If this works, all I have left is the final next Sunday. WOOHOOO!!!

Comments

[campmotha.livejournal.com]

Oh i hope it works out hun, things like that are ever so frustarting. *crosses fingers*

[gateslacker.livejournal.com]

Good to hear from you! How is everything?

Thankfully, the program worked like a charm!

[rosiewook.livejournal.com]

Wow. I'm stressed just reading this! I hope it is all done and out of your hair, now.

[gateslacker.livejournal.com]

Okay, that icon is GREAT!

The solution did solve my problem. No needless tears were shed. My cerebral perfusion remained intact.

[rosiewook.livejournal.com]

I made that one all by my little lonesome. You're welcome to swipe it.

Glad you're all done!

[ruralstar.livejournal.com]

Oy! I really hope you sorted the whole mess out. Technology will kill us all I swear some days!

((((((hugs))))))))

Ruralstar

[gateslacker.livejournal.com]

It worked! I don't know why everything computer related has to be so complicated, though.

[scarym1.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear it all worked out in the end. I think I might have just given up and sent her the video camera and told her to watch it. I have no patience for computer technical problems.

Good Luck with the final next Sunday. : )

[gateslacker.livejournal.com]

I just about did send it to her. I hope I didn't forget anything and have to do it again. It's an all or none thing, these vids.

[de23.livejournal.com]

I'm glad it worked out -- I had to laugh reading it because I can so relate (although not for something as important and urgent). good luck with the final.

[gateslacker.livejournal.com]

It boggles my mind that there are so many different ways a program can go wrong. And twice as many "fixes".

[dm-lunsford.livejournal.com]

I am so relieved to hear it worked int he end! Sheesh! I know all too well that feeling of frustration. Granted, I usually have experienced it when doing something unimportant like making a Dan/Jan vid. But still, I could feel your pain.

Now, enjoy ye some fun and relaxing personal time as soon as possible!

[gateslacker.livejournal.com]

But still frustrating nonetheless. It really was a deja vu moment because I, too, had been there before when making a vid.