Putting videos onto laptop from a camcorder

[PokerMan]

Can you help a technophobe, please...

I have recorded some videos using a Canon camcorder (using a DVD-RW). The disc has been finalized but i cannot play or transfer the disc onto my laptop (so that i can edit the videos on Windows Movie Maker).

When i put the disc in the laptop, i keep getting a message saying the file format is not supported and then i end up going round in circles with messages that keep popping up

Thanks for any help

[ChuckFickens]

Have you installed the software that came with the camera?

Or if you've not got that, what do the files say as file type if you right click on one and select properties.

(please include make and model of equipment and as you are asking about transferring to computer also which version of windows you are asking about in future)

[bazwillrun]

"When i put the disc in the laptop, i keep getting a message saying the file format is not supported"
Is this the operating system giving this message or is it the application that is trying to play the video. ?

could be a codec problem
without all the details, a couple of quick and free ways to try and get round this is to download VLC media player http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
it will play just about any type of video file thrown at it also download and install the K-lite codec pack http://www.codecguide.com/download_kl.htm.

Possibly the DVD-RW could be corrupted

If its a Canon proprietary video format then if K-lite cant handle it Canon hopefully should produce a codec that you can use.

If this Canon records direct to disk can the Canon play back the file via its own screen.

Or was the film tranferred to a PC and written to disk that way, if so do you still have the original footage ?

[PokerMan]

sorry to be so vague but thankyou for taking the time!
i didn't install the software and can't find it anywhere...
i am using a Compaq Presario laptop with Windows 7
when i put the finalised disc into the drive, this message comes up - 'open folder to view files'
when i click this i have two options - 'DCIM' and 'DVD_RTAV' - when right clicking on these it says file type - 'file folder'
double clicking on the latter, i get 'VR_MANAGR' and 'VR_MOVIE'
i then get 'what do i want to do with file - open or save' and whichever i click on, the same message comes up again until eventually it says file format is not supported

does this help?

thanks again

[PokerMan]

thanks, baz, for your input too
i hink it's the op system
the canon plays back via its own screen
i will try the downloads and see what happens

thanks again!

[ChuckFickens]

Neither of those downloads will help you (sorry baz)

They will be VRO files, which are basically MPEG2 files with AC3 audio.

easiest way is to convert them to normal mpeg2 files.

http://www.topvideopr...o-to-mpeg-vob-dvd.htm

http://www.videoredo.com/en/Compare.htm

http://www.squared5.c...g-streamclip-win.html

http://www.dvd-tool.com/vro-to-vob-mpeg.html

http://www.videora.com/

(I have not tried any of the above, some may be free, some not)

[PokerMan]

ok - many, many thanks!

[bazwillrun]

If you put this into google VR_MANGR and VR_MOVIE you will find a ton of info.
Looks like you will need to do some converting.

[PokerMan]

ok - thanks again for your help :-)

[bazwillrun]

Answers are crossing !
If i had known the file formats in the first place I could have saved myself some time, because I have had the same file types sent to me in the past to edit.

Plenty of free converters, Super was one of the best, not sure if its still around though