Corrupted clips, decode errors, crashing apps.

[Brandon Kraemer]

Due to a bad copy process and some questionable DIT protocol, I have been provided with .r3d files that are partially corrupted. Transcoding steps continually fail in RCXpro, usually crashing the application and at the least reporting multiple decode errors. Clips will look ok in viewer but app will crash once preview reads first bad frame. Also tried bringing these clips into CS6 Premier and AE in order to export as QT and these apps will either fail the export/render or will also occasionally crash. I can actually see the corruption in Premier, frames after that tend to be frozen or go black.

I have already tried using other machines, other disks (both source and destination) and other transcode settings. Original camera media was recycled on set and is not retrievable with RedUnDead. I figured these are mostly a lost cause unless there is any kind of utility that can repair them so what is salvageable can be reconstituted into a QT file. If anyone has solutions I would appreciate them.

Thanks in advance for helpful replies,

bk

[Nick Pasquariello]

The only other thing I would think to try is color grading software like Da Vinci Resolve.

We had a few clips come back to us that RedCine-X just would. Not. Transcode. with or without a Red Rocket, tried on multiple Mac Pros. The clips failed every time they got to a certain frame. We ended up taking the clips into Da Vinci Resolve Lite, and exporting the ProRes we needed from there.

Now, I have no way of knowing if the type of corruption we had is the same as what you have on your hands, but it's at least one more thing you could try. Unfortunately, given everything else you've laid out, you've gone through most of the trouble-shooting process I would go through, and if Da Vinci (or similar) doesn't work, I am plum out of ideas.

[Shane Kelly]

In redcine-x you can trim the files. Just hit "o" before the corrupted frame. (and "I" and "o" on the next section etc)
Depending on the amount of bad frames you may be able to salvage a lot of the clip.

[Brandon Kraemer]

thank you both. Resolve is a good idea. We're trying selective sections of the files in RCX, but it's a mine field of frames and the app just keeps crashing. Will continue with these suggestions. appreciate the feedback.

[Shiblon Wixom]

Also try separating the individual .R3d file segments into their own sub folders, sometimes you can skip the damaged areas and recover more footage that way.

[Shiblon Wixom]

In addition to possibly bad DIT backup practices, occasionally an AC or cam op will pull the media before the camera finishes posting the roll, typically by not ejecting the card properly or powering down, which often corrupts/damages the last file on the reel. Its more common with the Red One and CF cards, but does happen with the scarlet and epic media as well.

[Brandon Kraemer]

In addition to possibly bad DIT backup practices, occasionally an AC or cam op will pull the media before the camera finishes posting the roll, typically by not ejecting the card properly or powering down, which often corrupts/damages the last file on the reel. Its more common with the Red One and CF cards, but does happen with the scarlet and epic media as well.

We've been able to determine that the corruption occurred in a copy process. another mag's worth of clips was behaving the exact same way but fortunately the original camera media for that mag was not recycled and we were able to re-copy it and transcode with out error. The corrupted clips start at C004 and continue through C014 on the roll we had no original media for.

[Brandon Kraemer]

update:

I ended up exporting frame sequences using redline. this worked on some of the corrupted clips in order to transcode the good frames, it also printed the bad frames as corrupt or black, all with out crashing the GUI. unfortunately some clips would still not export, too much corruption in the files, we got errors in redline. This does seem to be a pretty useful way of dealing with worst case scenario situations like this.

Thanks to David at RCX support for some guidance.

bk