avchd recording time limits (2gb?, 4gb?) does this apply to all avchd cams? fix?

blake2404

blake2404

Well-known member
Just in case it matters i edit in vegas/pc

Just clarify is this 2gb (or is it 4gb) across the board sony ax2000, panny hmc150, etc.

I've heard something about sdhc and fat 32

my concern is the dropped frames...heard rumors of easy fixes where you can take the split files and merge them and regain the dropped frames?

please help explain, thanks everyone.
 
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4GB, and it applies to any and every camera on the market. It's due to the FAT32 file format used by the memory cards, and so every camera that uses a FAT32 card (which includes SDHC and CompactFlash) will have the 4GB file limit.

When used with a compatible NLE, there are absolutely zero dropped frames when the files split. The system was engineered from the ground up to support the file splitting. If you're getting dropped frames at the file splits, that's an NLE problem, not a footage problem. The footage is absolutely frame-accurate and totally solid.
 
so do dslrs work the same, continuous recording but with splt files, or do dslr's just stop recording?
 
Im pretty sure all Canon DSLRs just stop... but I could be wrong, and ML might have an override (it seems like i keep finding more cool stuff it does). I rarely have even hit the cut off time with the type of work I do.

And is it just me or has the FAT32 question been asked like 4 times this month?
 
blake2404 said:
so do dslrs work the same, continuous recording but with splt files, or do dslr's just stop recording?
Click to expand...
The AVCHD cameras (GH1, GH2 etc) have continuous seamless recording.

The Canon and Nikon DSLRs just stop recording once they hit the file size limit.
 
Wow Barry thanks i didn't know that. Do you know about the dropped frames issue with the gh2? (i edit with vegas)
 
I have a question.
What will happen if we format the SDHC cards to NTFS before inserting to the camera? Will it help to break the 4gb limit?
 
James Archer said:
I have a question.
What will happen if we format the SDHC cards to NTFS before inserting to the camera? Will it help to break the 4gb limit?
Click to expand...

Cameras can't read NTFS format and the cards memory controllers may not work with it either. Could hose the card.
 
AVCHD works seamlessly with file spanning. You can record 12 hours without skipping a frame. Don't worry about the file spanning, it is a necessary thing and the system is designed to work properly with spanned files. Import your footage properly and your NLE will treat it all as one big seamless clip.
 
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