AVCHD and Me

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Tom Long


Oooh.  Is that a new Sony camera you’ve got there?  Impressive.  Does it really shoot in full HD?

It does?  Wow, can you show me some video you’ve shot with your new camera?

No?  Why not?

The problem with Sony’s full HD movies is that they are recorded in AVCHD.  Picasa, iPhoto, and Lightroom all fail to import these files directly.  Most of us use one of these apps to import our pictures from our camera to our computer (and delete them from the card after importing).  When this fails, what else can we do?

If I put the camera card into the Mac, I can import the movies into an iMovie event.  This import is done by iMovie copying the AVCHD from an MTS to a MOV container. The GPS and other EXIF data appears to be lost in this process, however.  There is an iMovie Events folder from which movies can then be extracted for use elsewhere.  The beauty of this approach is that I don’t have to burrow down through the folder structure on my camera card to find the pictures.

Similarly, Windows Live Movie Maker on Windows 7 can edit AVCHD files.  But on my pre-Windows 7 PC, I have to manually copy the MTS files from the Streams folder; use Sony’s bundled PMB app, or expensive video editing software like Pinnacle, Sony Vegas, Corel VideoStudio X3, or Adobe Premiere. Sony’s PMB (PC only) is the only way I’ve found to retain EXIF data.  It can be used to upload pictures for sharing, but I haven’t tried uploading videos to YouTube or Vimeo.  Sites which retain and display EXIF like Flickr and Picasa won’t get video GPS info from PMB.

I haven’t found a way for Mac users to retain GPS data on AVCHD videos.  The 1080i MP4 movies only import via iPhoto or Lightroom (I don’t have Aperture to test with that), not Picasa.  iPhoto does not retain the coordinates for 1080i videos.  Both AVCHD and MP4 can be 1080, but AVCHD is 1920×1080/60i and MP4 is 1440×1080/30p (on my Sony HX5V at least).   Lightroom and iPhoto import both 1920×1080/30p and 1280×720/30p MP4s, but do not import geographic coordinate metadata.  Picasa doesn’t even see those files on my camera card.

In short, most movie formats are easily handled at one stop by the same app that handles our pictures.  AVCHD requires video specific importing and manual deleting.  So if the AVCHD format is so problematic, why does Sony use it?  I suppose the primary reason is that AVCHD video provides full HD, but doesn’t gobble up a huge amount of space on a camera card.  The AVCHD format is also Blu-Ray compatible.  If the AVCHD folder is moved from the camera card to a DVD, BD-R, or other media compatible with a given Blu-Ray player, that player can play the movie.  If all one wants is the video clips, they are buried in the Streams folder with an MTS extension.  They play well on both the Mac and PC using the VLC Media Player (free).

The iPad camera connection kit can only import video recorded in MP4 or MOV containing a limited subset of video and audio codecs.  Since I don’t travel with a computer, only my iPad, when on the road, I generally set my camera to record in MP4. As a bonus, I can edit my movies using the well-worth-it ReelDirector app.  (Sorry, even the 720p MP4 files are incompatible with iMovie on the iPad.)  Note that 1080 MP4’s also will not play on the iPad but they can be copied from your camera card for later transfer to a computer when you get home.  This limitation is a shame because my travel videos are really important to me.

When I’m shooting locally, I do shoot in AVCHD.  This requires that I import the videos using iMovie and delete the videos directly on the camera.  (iMovie copies the videos into events instead of moving/deleting them.)  One can upload from iMovie to most online social sites (except Picasaweb).  If one includes the iMovie Events folder in Picasa, I can upload to Picasaweb using that app.

The Canon EOS Rebel records in 1920×1080/60i in MOV but does not offer GPS.  The above hassle could be avoided by the use of a Canon and an Eye-Fi card with a-GPS enabled.

In conclusion,

1) If you have Windows 7, import your AVCHD video into Windows Live Movie Maker and delete the videos from the card using your camera’s delete function.  (Or just import it with your pictures in Windows Live Photo Gallery.)

2) If you own a Mac, import using iMovie and delete the videos from the camera card using your camera’s delete function.

3) If you own a pre- Windows 7 PC, buy Corel VideoStudio and delete the videos from the card using your camera’s delete function.

4) If you can’t be bothered, avoid Sony and Panasonic and buy a camera that records in a more flexible format (like a Canon Rebel).

5) If you say “edit-schmedit”, copy the contents of the AVCHD folder onto a DVD-R or SDHC card and stick it in your Blu-Ray player.

I’ve noticed that there are a lot of people on forums frustrated by this format.  Hope this can be of help to those who wish to enjoy the highest level of performance from their camera with the least amount of hassle.

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Seagate Tear Down

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Tom Long


Sometimes all a guy wants is a free hard drive. I purchased a new four bay enclosure for use with my HTPC. I had a new 2TB (Western Digital Caviar Green) hard drive but three empty bays. I remembered an old 750GB Seagate that had never worked properly and decided to try to extract the hard drive and test whether it would work in my new enclosure. Watch the video above to see how that worked out for me.

Tip: I wish I’d seen picture four from this guy’s tutorial before embarking on my ordeal. How to disassemble a Seagate FreeAgent Pro


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Camera Shopping

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Tom Long

I want to move up.  I love my point and shoot,  a Sony HX5V,  which I still intend to use as my “in my pack” camera.  But I’m tired of grainy low light pictures from family gatherings.  I think my waterscapes are improving to the point where they merit a better sensor as well. (Shut up. They are improving.)  So,  I’m shopping for an entry to mid-range DSLR.  Here is where I stand in my thought process so far.

I prefer to have image stabilization (IS) in the camera’s body versus having to pay for it in each lens.  Pentax and Sony are the only major brands with IS in the body.  I personally prefer the picture quality (PQ) from a Sony but that is uber-subjective.  The downside of body-side IS is that the load on the CPU can cause the body to overheat.  For lens-side IS,  I like the Sony NEX-series and Nikon D5100.  But again,  I prefer the Sony PQ.

Part of my decision is dependent on the quality and variety of lenses available for the camera.  Peter West Carey recommends these lenses:

  • 18-200 or 300 for the single lens traveler (12-195 on APS-C)
  • 85-105 for portraiture (55-68 on APS-C)
  • 60 or 105 for macro (39 or 68 on APS-C)
  • 70-200mm/f2.8 for weddings (45-130 on APS-C) plus 24-70mm for wide shots (16-45mm on APS-C)
  • 300mm with as fast a lens as you can afford for kids sports (195mm on APS-C)

I’m guessing no one is going to trust me to take their wedding pictures.  I do a lot of travel photography,  party pictures (low light),   and water-sports pictures (back light).

My two top camera choices

$1400:   NEX-C3(orNEX-5) with 16mm/f2.8 ($600) plus the $800 75-200mm.  The sensor is the same in the C3 as the 5 but it has more megapixels for the stills.  The C3 shoots 720/30p video versus the 1080/60i of the NEX-5.

$1480: A55 ($750) with 18-250mm/f3.5-6.3 ($580) plus the 50mm/f1.8 ($150)

The $450 Sony HX100V bridge camera sports a nicely bright (f2.8) wide angle lens and 30x zoom (35mm equivalent 27-810mm).  It also has one of the larger sensors in a bridge camera.  I think it is the largest in a superzoom.  However,  the sensor is tiny compared to a DSLR  One still has the control of Manual,  Aperture Priority,  and Shutter Priority modes.   I think it would make a great companion camera to a DSLR.  But I think I really want the better DSLR sensor.

Points of Consideration:

I like the video capacity (29 minutes at a stretch) of the NEX but I have a serviceable video camera so that won’t be the deciding criteria.  The NEX is actually beautiful.   I love the way both the body and the lenses look. The lens selection is limited but they have the ones I want except the macro which is due out in October.  Happily the minimum focus distance on the telephoto lens is 12″ (0.3m).  The focus ring action is very smooth relative to the “catchy” ring on the a55.  Sadly there is no 50mm/f1.8 unless I get the $200 lens adapter.  (“Attaching Sony A-mount lens requires LA-EA1 adaptor (sold separately). Manual focus and full open aperture shooting only.”)  The 16mm lens is reasonably fast (f2.8),  but some users report distortion at the edges typical of a wide angle kit lens.  It also has an optional $200 optical view finder and $130 external stereo microphone.  To trick this baby out puts the price close to $2,000.

The a55 has very similar specifications including weight.  (The body is heavier but the lenses are lighter.)  The a55 has a much greater selection of lenses including Minolta Konica.  I like the physical knob for mode selection.  The viewfineder on the a55 would be great in bright conditions or underwater.  The 50mm/f1.8 lens would be awesome for family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas as well as for dinner parties.  My two favorite types of pictures are the opposite extremes,  low light parties and backlit beach and lake scenes.  Sadly the maximum video clip with IS is only 9 minutes due to overheating issues,  but at least it is 1080p at 30fps.   She seems like a great camera,  but also like the homely best friend to the sexy NEX cameras.

I’ve done my homework,  but I’m open to advice. Any recommendations?


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Plus Me

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Tom Long
Go to Google +

I’ve been dabbling in Google+ for several days, now. I wanted to share some preliminary thoughts.

Pros

The integration of Picasa, PicasaWeb (soon to be Google Photos), Google+ mobile photos, and Google+ is a wonderful feature. This is especially true for those of us who primarily like to communicate using pictures or videos. If I offload pictures from my camera to my computer using Picasa, I can set Picasa to immediately sync this with PicasaWeb. Since my PicasaWeb is connected to my Google+ account my pictures are available to Google+ with whatever privacy settings I choose. (Note that you can migrate your pictures from Facebook to Picasa and Google+ using the Chrome extension Picasa2Web. It not only brings over the pictures but the album names.) However, if you click on the photo icon in Google+ you go to one interface with your pictures. If you click on ‘Photos’ on the black toolbar at the top of the page, you are taken to the PicasaWeb interface. I think that would confuse most of my friends and family currently on Facebook. Google+ wins in power, but Facebook wins in photo management simplicity. Which is most important to you?

I like the way the Stream (think Facebook News Feed) allows for conversation. I only see posts from people I have followed by placing them in one of my “circles”. But I also see the comments of everyone who responds to them if the commenter is not someone I follow. On the other side, I can post publicly (like Twitter) or to a limited circle of people (like Facebook). I like having these options both in one place. In this case, Google+ actually makes things simpler for me.

Speaking of circles, I like that they are asymmetrical. You can follow me (unless I block you) without my having to follow you. This twitter-like feature is more appealing to me than the mutual friending of Facebook.

I also like the user interface Google+ provides for putting people into circles. In this case it is Google+ that wins the simplicity score over Facebook.

Most of my techie friends are gaga over hangouts, the mult-player video chat in Google+. It is pretty rare that I have a nonbusiness use case for group video chat. It certainly isn’t enough of an advantage to convince a Facebook-lover to leave the dark side.

Speaking of the dark side, Google certainly seems to be addressing privacy in a manner far superior to Facebook. In the rare event I am left to wonder whether I am making something public or not, Google defaults to private until I say otherwise. This is a breath of fresh air after having been repeatedly depantsed by Facebook reverting my settings to public every time they change their feature set.

Could be better

I would like to be able to add comments, but control who can see them on Google+. Sometimes there are only a select few that would get my humor, innuendo, or inside reference. I would still like to put in my viewpoint and point those people to the post I found interesting enough to make a comment.

I would like to be able to opt out of having a celebrity’s post pop to the top of my stream every time some yo-yo I don’t know chimes in. It makes following interesting people burdensome because they bury the people who are significant to me. It really is more important to me to know how my nephew did in his race than what you think of Lisa Bettany’s latest photo. Sorry. It just is.

Along those same lines, I would like to be able to set my Google+ stream to default to a subset of circles. One I first drop into the stream I’d like to see my significant folks’ posts before I wander into posts from the people I find interesting or from whom I’m learning.

I’d like to see the Google+ album view continuously generate new pictures as I scroll down like images in a Google image search. I don’t like clicking Next. It makes me tired.

I would like the sidebar to float with me as I scroll the main panel. Hitting home to get back to the menu is more tiring than clicking ‘Next’ to see more pictures.

I would like to be able to post just one picture instead of an entire album from Picasa

I haven’t tried Huddles, the group texting service of Google+ on my phone. Pretty rare that I need to text more than one person, but I imagine that is a useful feature for my kids trying to set up a place to meet with their friends. In fact, they’re crazy if they don’t jump all over this.

Conclusion

I don’t know whether I will stick with G+ for an extended period of time. I’m enjoying the engagement with other people who have similar interests. I’m still a little skeptical that I’ll be able to replace Twitter or Facebook. In fact at this point, only my grip on Buzz has loosened.


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Name That Show

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Tom Long


filebot is a great little utility that has helped me not to miss theRenamer as much I was missing it, when I first got my MacBook Pro. Giving our files consistent names in a format easily used by metadata scrapers is part of managing our media libraries. filebot can help you keep your TV shows properly named. The video above will show you how.


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