Hi there -

I'm not sure what the issue is with PD & the audio format of your AVI files... but it would be worth trying this (as a workaround).

In the media library, right click on the AVI file & select "Extract Audio". This will generate a WAV file of the audio only.

Unlink audio & video in the timeline & remove the clip's audio track (use "Remove & leave gap"). Now replace it with the WAV file.

Admittedly, this won't be a great deal of help if you've already done a lot of editing on the clip(s).

Cheers - Tony
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Thanks! i will keep that in mind if no other solution appears. (That would be a lot of work and considerable risk, given the number of clips i need to assemble.) benzman29
Dedham, MA

Hi BostonBenzman29,

RE: This project is the first one using .avi files, from a camcorder.
An interesting issue. Please can you provide a 5 second sample of the video, a clip that has not been edited and state the source of the media (camera make model)?

I'd like to have the source footage and pass on the data to CyberLink.
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? added

Sure, I can do that.
How do I get the clip to you? benzman29
Dedham, MA

Hi BostonBenzman29,
Excellent.
1. Select Post Reply: http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/reply/0/28387.page

2. Select Attachments and upload the video please.

Dafydd

Attached is a short clip (about 3 seconds) that has not been edited. this is the only clip i have that is in the .avi format, not edited and less than about 10 seconds. If this is too short, i have one other that is about 18 seconds.
This was a test shot, not one from the event. (Hence it is not very interesting.)
The camcorder was a Panasonic AG-DVC60, a professional unit, borrowed from a local cable station. The original dv files were uploaded to a converter that changed it to dvi files. Then i attempted to edit the dvi files.
The video quality is very good but:
*Lose audio if I cut the file (clip it).
*Seem unable to add video transitions (no fades).
Oddly I was able to add an audio transition.

I plan to try a different converter program and see if that makes a difference. perhaps the converter left artifacts or dropped frames that the editing package cannot handle.

Thanks for any advice or observations.

benzman29
Dedham, MA

Hi again -

Unfortunately, the only audio in the clip is a bit of ambient hum & a little click at the end. However, it's audible when played from the start or from any point throughout the clip. I split it, removed bits, added transitions and the audio was still present.

Were/are you having the issue with the AVI files from the camera or the converted DVI (?) version?

MediaInfo report attached.

Cheers - Tony
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I made a test with a different file converter. This time i used AVS Video Converter on a sample file on another person's PC. I was able to clip the file, add transitions, and hear the audio. So my conclusion is that the (free) conversion software i used originally either did not work correctly, or i made some error in how I used it. So i will buy a copy of the AVS software and go from there. benzman29
Dedham, MA

Save yourself some $$$ and get FormatFactory... http://www.pcfreetime.com/

I'm glad you've been able to isolate the cause of the problem, but I'm still confused about why it was converted in the first place. The AVI camera sample was fine in PD.

Maybe I've missed something.

Cheers - Tony
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That short sample might have been short for you to discover the problems I saw.
Did you try splitting it? When I did that, I lost the audio. Unfortunately there was no real audio on that clip, just ambient sound, so you may not have been able to detect the difference. And it was too short to fast forward.
But as you say, I seem to have the problem solved.

Well, except I get a message every time I import files that says something to the effect that the frame rate is inconsistent with the current project. it says that the frame rate of 29.97 in the imported file does not match the frame rate of 29.97 in the current project, which makes no sense to me. It has happened with each clip I imported, regardless of which software I used to convert it from DV to AVI.
Any clue on that message? benzman29
Dedham, MA

Hi,
That is a common error message when some files are imported...I would just ignore it ( usually do).
Jim Intel i7-2600@3.4Gz Geforce 560ti-1GB Graphic accelerator, windows 7 Premium 12GB memory

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Hi -

I can't explain why PD throws that frame rate alert up. That issue has been reported often in the forum. You can turn the silly thing off in Preferences under Confirmation.

With your sample clip, I cranked up the volume so I could detect any flaws during editing. Yes - I split, cut, copied, pasted, replaced, re-ordered parts of the clip to see whether it behaved correctly. Not once. Perfect. There was enough audio to at least determine that.

I really am missing something with this conversion business. Do you not have the original clips straight off the camera? Aren't they AVI? Is it because you're downloading the DVI files from somewhere else?

If you're still losing audio at different times, there may be some other issue at play. Audio drivers?

Cheers - Tony
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Thanks much! i really do appreciate the effort you made and cannot explain why that clip was Ok but the ones I was editing were not.
And just to clarify: the camcorder had Firewire output. I do not have a PC with a Firewire input. my son offered to play the tapes on his camcorder into his PC that has a Firewire card. So at that point the DV files were in his PC, not AVI files. We then copied the DV files to my PC. i tried to import them into PowerDirector but discovered that PD cannot import that format. So then the DV files had to be converted to AVI. So i downloaded a free file converter that my son recommended and converted the DV files to AVI. (I realize that PD would have done this, had i been able to import the camcorder files direct to my own PC using a Firewire connection.)
When, after several frustrating attempts to edit the files, i ran into the difficulties described here, i finally bought a commercial conversion program, and that did seem to solve the problem. the files seem to work correctly after the second program converted them from DV to AVI. (i say that with the caveat that i have a long way to go before all the video is edited.)
So the real solution is to install a Firewire card in my PC!! Assuming the PD will work as advertised and convert the camcorder files to AVI while capturing them, i won't need the converter software again. And i have ordered a Firewire card, so that i can avoid this <<mess>> in the future.
Thanks again! benzman29
Dedham, MA