S3 IS newbie question re: movies

[JRTTiger]

Hi, guys. I'll start by saying that I'm nowhere near an expert on digital cameras. Until recently, my only digital camera was a Kodak EasyShare 5.0 MP (which was more or less idiot-proof, so even *I* could figure it out).

However, I just picked up a PowerShot S3 for shooting sporting events. So far, I'm very pleased with it. However, when I shoot videos, then transfer the videos to my laptop, the avi files all play upside-down.

To clarify: I shoot the video with the camera, and it plays normally when I review it there. I remove the SD card, copy the file to my laptop, and the movie plays in an inverted fashion.

Since it did this right out of the box, I'm guessing there's a fairly obvious and simple fix for this that someone more experienced with digital cameras would know offhand.

Thanks for your time, and for your patience.

[David Metsky]

Nope, I've never seen or heard of that one before. There are tools to flip over AVI files, but you shouldn't have to. I don't think there are any controls that would do that.

Did you try filiming with the camera upside down and see if it plays right?

[JRTTiger]

Nope, I've never seen or heard of that one before. There are tools to flip over AVI files, but you shouldn't have to. I don't think there are any controls that would do that.

Did you try filiming with the camera upside down and see if it plays right?

First, thanks for your response.

Yes, I just tried that a little while ago, and the camera does film with the correct orientation if I hold it upside-down. The odd thing is, *pictures* are oriented correctly when I hold the camera right-side-up.

Any theories? I'm going to try to turn the auto-orientation sensor off to see if that helps.

EDIT: Turned "reverse display" and "auto rotate" off in separate tests. Neither solved the problem.

[oj88]

At this point, I'm inclined to think that it's a problem on your PC... I don't know, maybe a codec or software glitch. You might want to try playing the same movies on a friend's PC or laptop just to be sure before you even consider returning the camera.

EDIT: Try to read post #3 from this forum: http://www.moviecodec.com/topics/27302p1.html

[JRTTiger]

Yeah, I sent one of the files to a buddy, and he said they play fine. Customer service also thinks its a codec problem. I'm going to look into this, and hopefully it will solve the problem. Thanks.

[Visual Reality]

I've seen this before, but on older machines.

It is a codec problem.

Download this codec pack and install the default setup. It should fix you up.

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_Lite_Codec_Pack.htm

The files will most likely play fine if you send them to anyone else. It is a problem with your computer displaying them correctly.

I guess it helps that I am a computer geek as well which is probably my main hobby (among Photography and Cars).

[JRTTiger]

Yeah, it turns out I needed a specific codec for M-JPEG files. I have one now (albeit something I may have to pay $20 for when the "trial" runs out unless I can find a free one), and the videos play with the proper orientation. Thanks to you all for your help!

[oj88]

In addition to Visual_Reality's advice, I'd also recommend ACE Mega Codecs. It's THE mother of all codec packs and it's freeware. A big download though, at 50+MB.

Here's the link: http://www.free-codecs.com/download/ACE_Mega_CoDecS_Pack.htm

[Visual Reality]

You don't need to pay $20 for codecs. These codec packs are free.

[JRTTiger]

Right, I would never actually pay the $20. I just meant the one I'm using now is one of those codecs where you're supposed to "register" with the codec designer, blah, blah, blah. But I had planned on finding a free one before the trial period expired. And I will! Thanks again.