Motion JPEG .AVI from Livestream Studio unreadable by Premiere

[Derjis]

Trying to figure this one out:

We do regular Livestreams of conferences; we've got a custom box set up running Livestream Studio. LS Studio records high-quality dirty versions of the stream (or clean ISOs) in .AVI format (Motion JPEG codec); there's no way to change the format of the high-quality recording.

Typically, we take the dirty recording of the full stream into Premiere, clean it up a bit, add titles, and re-export for YouTube/Vimeo/etc.

The problem is that, seemingly randomly, Premiere will be unable to read the .AVI files, throwing an error that says "Unsupported format or damaged file". SUPER HELPFUL, RIGHT?! Recordings that happened literally minutes before will work just fine; no settings within Livestream will have changed (as I'd mentioned, you can't change the settings in LS Studio). No version of Premiere will play the files --- from CC, all the way up to CC2017 with the latest bugfix patch installed. AE also won't accept the file, giving us a slightly more helpful  "**filename** cannot be opened, it may be in an unsupported format. (86::1)".
Here's the kicker: the "damaged/unsupported" files play back perfectly in literally every other video application we try: Final Cut Pro 7, Quickltime Pro 7, Quicktime X, VLC Player, MPEG Streamclip; quite literally everything other than Adobe products.

Our workaround is to convert these rogue files using one of the video converters that, y'know, actually work properly (*cough*), but it's a pain the the arse and a huge waste of time, given how long these conferences are.

WATS UP ADOBE PLS FIX

Anyone have any suggestions? Is there a codec or something we can install...?

[John T Smith]

I don't think this is something that Adobe CAN fix, since Adobe does not provide/install the MJPEG codec

So... exactly which MJPEG codec do you have installed?

MJPEG http://forums.adobe.com/thread/730396

- problems with Samsung codec http://forums.adobe.com/thread/699493

- and Fuji http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1015922

[Ann Bens]

Is there a codec or something we can install...?

Yes.

Morgan Multimedia - Product - M-JPEG Codec

[Derjis]

Hey, John! Whatever Motion JPEG codec is installed with Quicktime Player 7, I assume?

Thanks Ann, if it is as simple as installing a codec, need it for OSX, though.

The files all work properly in Premiere on our Windows workstation, just not on OSX. If it's a codec issue, I don't understand why files recorded using the exact same settings and codec would be readable, with random files occasionally showing up as "unsupported"? I also don't understand why the "broken or unsupported" files would play back in literally everything except Adobe products?

[Ann Bens]

Ah you did not mention osx. (windows gal )

I think that is just the problem: the mac.

Not long a go someone also wanted mjpeg on the mac.

I could not find a codec.

I think you are stuck with mpeg streamclip.

[Derjis]

Arg. Stupid Macs.

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Ann+Bens  wrote

Ah you did not mention osx. (windows gal )

I think that is just the problem: the mac.

Not long a go someone also wanted mjpeg on the mac.

I could not find a codec.

I think you are stuck with mpeg streamclip.

[excited_Genie16B8]

Dirty and clean version?  What's that?

[Derjis]

Hey Jim!
The clean versions would be, say, ISOs of each camera, with no cutting or GFX laid on top, or, say, a clean feed of the edit, with cuts between cameras, but no GFX overlays; a dirty version would be the complete feed, with graphics laid on top.

[excited_Genie16B8]

Got it.

(Weird phrasing, though.)

[Derjis]

I came up in the broadcast industry, so am just used to using terminology from there haha

Jim_Simon  wrote

Got it.

(Weird phrasing, though.)

[Broccoli_War_Lord]

I also have this issue. The fun part is they play fine on one edit bay and not on mine. I am still trying to figure out why that is, I am windows based fyi.

[Broccoli_War_Lord · Accepted solution]

I fixed it on my system. All i can assume is for some reason i did not have the codec. How I fixed it was installing Blackmagic desktop video. After that they work perfect. I am going to assume that Desktop video just brought the right codec with it.

Link

Blackmagic Design: Support Center

Edit: I thought to do this because the live stream switcher we built uses black magic cards so i thought, well maybe....