Avid – Can’t import video files

[Accountfrozen_needs_realname]

You are likely missing whatever codec the original files were created with. The white or black screen with audio is often exactly that.

You would need to find out what codec was used to create the files and install that codec on your machine.

Jon
_______________
Lack of preparation or organization on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

[Erik Pontius]

There is a nifty utility for the PC called “GSpot” that can help you to identify what codec a file was encoded with.

https://www.headbands.com/gspot/

Even when encoded in Avid’s quicktime codecs, it will still take Avid time to “import” the video since it is essentially converting or re-wrapping the quicktime MOV to Avid’s OMF file format to edit.
Also remember that the Avid codecs usually have strict requirements in terms of frame size.

Erik

[Generosity]

Well, the thing is, all of my video files play fine on my machine. I tried importing several different file type which used several different codecs, and I have all the codecs those codecs installed on my machine. Also, even the file I encoded with the Quicktime Avid codec would not import the video into Avid at all.

I’m beginning to think there’s either a problem with the program or the install, or something small and insignificant I’m missing…

Thanks for the replies.
Nate

[Accountfrozen_needs_realname]

I have not worked with Avid FreeDV. It may be a limitation of the free software.

[Generosity]

In case anybody’s interested or runs into the same problem, I think I’ve figured it out. I think you’re right, it’s a limitation of Avid Free DV. It is very limited in what it can import from an external file – only certain MOV files and DV streams. So I was finally able to get some video into the program by converting some video into a .dv DV Stream file, then importing that into Avid.