# 60fps won't convert



## ThunderChunky (Oct 1, 2011)

I have a Sony HDR-PJ580v. I have the settings to film in the highest quality. It's at 1920x1080 at 60p. It does film in this and save as this, but when I put it on my computer it steps it down to 30fps. I don't know what to do. Not much on google or anywhere else to help. Feel like I can't be the only one to have the problem. 

What am I doing wrong? 

Thanks, Cheers.


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## ThunderChunky (Oct 1, 2011)

I've got a Pavilion DV7 Notebook with i5 core if it matters.


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## oldmate (Oct 24, 2011)

Download windows movie maker. It's free. You'll be able to halve the movie speed (dropping it to 30fps) and save it.

It has plenty of other editing tools and is reasonably easy to use.


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## ryannorthcott (Dec 17, 2010)

Are you trying to bring it into an editing program or just viewing it?


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## LuckyRVA (Jan 18, 2011)

How are you importing it onto your computer? 

Some software cuts the frame rate. If you have final cut pro or something similar it'll import at the correct frame rate.


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## ThunderChunky (Oct 1, 2011)

Either way it cuts it to 30. I just open up the sd card as a folder to view it and it says its 29fps. I know it's 60fps. It reads 60fps when I watch the footage on my camera and I can physically see the difference.


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## NZRide (Oct 2, 2013)

The simple method of downloading it to your PC will not drop frames (assuming its PC your using?) if you right click and check details it should show the original 60fps with the resolution information.
Are you grabbing the raw data off a memory device or downloading through a program? If the latter, try copying the raw data in a straight folder copy. Now the viewing and editing process you use after that may drop frames, but you're saying the file is dropping to 30 frames by simply downloading it?
Where are you getting the information on the downloaded files frame rate?

Edit-sorry just re-read your post above that answers some of these questions. So its showing 30fps only on your properties of the raw SD card file when inserted without even downloadign to your PC? weird.
Tried it on a different PC?


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## ThunderChunky (Oct 1, 2011)

Na, I'll have to try it. I'll let you know what happens. I don't know what could possibly be going wrong. It is in 60 fps when I review it on the camera and then view it on a computer and it's just 30. So fucking weird???


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## NZRide (Oct 2, 2013)

You are copying it down to Hard drive rather than running off SD card plugged into PC, or USB from Camera right?


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## ThunderChunky (Oct 1, 2011)

I'm not sure what you mean? I have filmed it onto an SD card and the camera hard drive. For both I plugged it into the Computer through the USB. The SD card I also took out and put into the computer. I tried downloading and not and just viewing the footy. Nothing worked. I am gonna try a different computer.


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## ryannorthcott (Dec 17, 2010)

Unless you're slow-mo'ing it in post why film in 60fps anyways? It just takes up twice as much memory


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## NZRide (Oct 2, 2013)

ThunderChunky said:


> I'm not sure what you mean? I have filmed it onto an SD card and the camera hard drive. For both I plugged it into the Computer through the USB. The SD card I also took out and put into the computer. I tried downloading and not and just viewing the footy. Nothing worked. I am gonna try a different computer.


Just trying to isolate, streaming from media or cable and make sure you had the actual files copied to PC hard drive. Once on the hard drive just right click, and choose "properties" then check details tab, what are the file details for frame rate their 30fps or 60fps? Just trying to narrow down when you are getting the info from that it is 30fps on the copied file? If its 30fps, either thats what is actually being recorded (i.e the PC will not alter the file to 30fps) or the Metatdata is being amended by your camera (see below for explanation).
Try the other pc anyway and eliminate this aspect.
If still no joy, check out the manual or forums for your camera I think some (Sony used to do it on some) pack the file with 30fps metatdata (basically file info about the file) this can help it be played natively with most playback and video editing suites. So it fools the computer into thinking its just 30fps when in actual fact if you run it through decent video editing software it will make use of the extra frames (they are still physically in the original file), if you were to do a slow-mo section for example in the movie.
Maybe this is the case, since you were saying playback on the camera itself was at 60fps (the camera software will be able to interperate its own metatdata) and see its actually 60fps and play it back at the speed? Just some ideas anyway, thats about all I can add.

Oh for the post above, 60fps is visually smoother than 30fps, at standard playback, particularly fast moving, shaky footage, like snowboarding. Also 60fps (or higher) allows much smoother slow-mo sequences than just 30fps (as you have alluded to below). 
Software programs like Twixtor can give you super slow-mo by "inventing" frames to place between the real frames, but the more real frames you have the better. You never know when something interesting is gonna pop up in filming, so best to film it all at 60fps and have the frames their if you need them right? Just buy a bigger memory card.


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## ryannorthcott (Dec 17, 2010)

i mean there isn't a quality difference in 60p vs 30p, it just has a different 'look' to it. the extra frames aren't even really discernible to the average viewer (who watches most content in 24p), but do come in handy when slowing down the footage. 
try bringing it into an editing program and see what happens, to me 60p footage looks weird played back normally so i always film in 30p unless i know i will be slowing the footage down. that's just me though


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## NZRide (Oct 2, 2013)

ryannorthcott said:


> i mean there isn't a quality difference in 60p vs 30p, it just has a different 'look' to it. the extra frames aren't even really discernible to the average viewer (who watches most content in 24p), but do come in handy when slowing down the footage.
> try bringing it into an editing program and see what happens, to me 60p footage looks weird played back normally so i always film in 30p unless i know i will be slowing the footage down. that's just me though


Yeah anything video or audio is subject to the individuals own senses, so no right or wrong on this. By definition the 60fps is definitely smoother (as it has twice the number of frames per second flicking past your eye) and personally I can see it when looking at gopro footage I've taken, I always use the 60fps (well 50fps as we use PAL rather than NTSC) as it looks smoother than 25fps at the same resolution to me.
But certainly if you like the look of 30fps better then go for it. I think it depends also what your filming, for snowboarding I definitely like the higher frame rate, but for hiking and other activities I use 25fps and it looks fine.
Lots of people dislike the new Hobbit movies being filmed at 48fps (vs the standard movie 24fps) because of the different look that it gives vs what their eyes are used to.


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## ThunderChunky (Oct 1, 2011)

The difference is massive between 30 and 60. My friends could tell and I didn't even say anything to them and they don't know anything about this shit. Otherwise I could give a rats ass. Plus I dropped close to 1k on the camera, I'm gonna give a shit about it filming in 60fps when that's a majority of what I'm paying for. 

Thanks for the help. About to try it now.


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## ThunderChunky (Oct 1, 2011)

I figured it out, but it still looks shitty compared to what it looks like on the screen on my Camera. I think all I did was change what the computer thinks it is.


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## ThunderChunky (Oct 1, 2011)

Alright. All is well. I tried it on a different computer and it just worked. Went to mine and it did too. Idk, must've stirred something. I changed it to 60p instead of 60i too so idk. Either way it's fixed. 

Thanks a shit ton. Fucking pumped. I'll def, post the edits up here so you guys can see.


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## NZRide (Oct 2, 2013)

Awesome man, glad its working for you. Look forward to the action footage.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

ThunderChunky said:


> I changed it to 60p instead of 60i too so idk.


That was your problem, 60i is the same amount of data as 30p...


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