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Tool to check Video Files / possibly corrupted data
Hello everyone,
I am currently backing up a finished project, adding all project data to the raw footage.
The data is stored on two external HDDs which contain the identical data (or so they should) – they are manual copies of the original media.
It was just a hunch, but I compared the files on both hard drives using TeraCopy to see if everything is in order. TeraCopy reported failed CRC-Checks as well as slightly different file sizes for many of the files.
I then checked the footage in Premiere, it all looks normal on the timeline and plays fine at random points in the timeline. With the exception of one file that Premiere said was corrupted, but that I could easily replace with the other copy. So apart from that it appears the footage on both HDDs is working.
Now I am unsure how to proceed. I don’t know which of the two is the “clean” version of the footage and I am very reluctant to replace one with the other version. Since both versions seem to work fine in Premiere, I am tempted to leave things as they are, but I am not sure if that is wise.
Is there any way, a tool or something of the like, to check if video files are intact? Of course I could sit down for a few days and watch all the raw footage in Premiere to make sure it is all okay, but that seems quite time consuming.
Any ideas?
Thank you very much!
Best, Tobias
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Tobias Lindner
Filmmaker / Cinematographer
Berlin, Germany -
3 Replies
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I’m in similar situation with over 200 Tb of data archives from various sources. You may want to look into Imagine Products Shotsum (https://www.imagineproducts.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=51>
Unfortunately only for Mac. But it’s something you’ll want to invest in for long-term, ever expanding raw media library. Saved me lots on unnecessary duplicate media archives and I’ll have a peace of mind that all archived data are 100% intact. Whether it’s residing in hdd or LTO media, I’m confident to know that there’s no error on those priceless raw camera footage.
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Hi Sam,
thank you for your reply! Looking into long term archiving is another task I want to tackle in the near future.
Thanks for pointing towards Shotsum, but I assume what TeraCopy is doing for me is similar. My problem is that the files actually ARE different from each other but both versions seem to work in the editing suite.
So what I am really looking for is a tool to check the integrity of video files specifically. Otherwise I will just need to hire someone to sit through the 30+ hours of footage with the coffee machine right next to it…
All the best,
Tobias
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“Different byte size on the files” is not a good thing. If I were in your situation, I’d be very concerned and make sure to set proper file attributes for protection.
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