Hello everybody!
Earlier today I was helping a student who was having multiple issues importing from the Canon HFS20 camcorder into Windows Movie Maker and Live Movie Maker. It seemed that this AVCHD camera saved in a proprietary .mts file format that required a codec that Movie Maker lacks. After importing the student's clips, we were unable to view them. Multiple third-party pieces of software are available to convert these .mts files into a compatible format, but the average user will most likely grow frustrated with this stop-and-go process. **Updated: If a student has used the HFS20 to shoot a video project and cannot seem to import into Movie Maker, refer to this troubleshooting guide:
Users who cannot import from the memory based cameras are not doing it properly. Here is a list of troubleshooting steps to follow:*I should note that this particular student's laptop was running Windows Vista. This guide works without a hitch with Windows 7, but if we get the chance to use a machine running Vista, we may want to see if we have trouble importing .mts files into Movie Maker.
1. Begin by restarting the computer.
2. After it has completely finished booting, connect the camera using the supplied USB cable.
3. Set the camera to PLAY mode. This can be done by pressing the "switch to play" button or by powering the camera on and then pressing this button.
4. If prompted on the LCD screen of the camera, choose the connected to COMPUTER option.
5. Windows will then recognize the camera. It should automatically prompt to import, select the Live Photo Gallery (I think that is what it is called).
6. Give your video info a name, specify a location to save it, and go.
Users should not try to directly import video files from these cameras, as indicated by the laminated guide attached to the bags. Only via an import do our programs recognize these files.
Especially in light of Sara's post, students should be able to complete their projects without facing error messages at every turn. Many thanks to Diana for her insightful comments and helpful guide. Let's keep learning together!
Thanks for sharing this, Levi. It's helpful to know ways to process data that's in a proprietary format and avoid daunting error messages.
ReplyDeleteThat's good to know, I thought Windows MM or LMM were OK for these cameras?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBoth the HFS20 and the HFM300 have been tested and work fine with Windows Live Movie Maker. We even had training on them last winter which confirmed this fact.
ReplyDeleteUsers who cannot import from the memory based cameras are not doing it properly. Here is a list of troubleshooting steps to follow:
1. Begin by restarting the computer.
2. After it has completely finished booting, connect the camera using the supplied USB cable.
3. Set the camera to PLAY mode. This can be done by pressing the "switch to play" button or by powering the camera on and then pressing this button.
4. If prompted on the LCD screen of the camera, choose the connected to COMPUTER option.
5. Windows will then recognize the camera. It should automatically prompt to import, select the Live Photo Gallery (I think that is what it is called).
6. Give your video info a name, specify a location to save it, and go.
Users should not try to directly import video files from these cameras, as indicated by the laminated guide attached to the bags. Only via an import do our programs recognize these files.