With the new Formula 1 season revving up you wouldn’t be unreasonable to be eager to jump in the car yourself. Now unless you’re highly skilled and have been in motorsport for many years you probably will never get the chance but video gaming is always an option. With Codemasters F1 2010 coming out later this year there is still an option now if you can’t wait and that is rFactor on the PC with the F1 WCP 2009 mod. I feel the need, the need for speed!
The main game is called rFactor and more information can be found here: http://www.rfactor.net/ It is essentially a realistic racing simulator and not something arcadey like Need for Speed but it is still enjoyable. You will need this to add the F1 mod on later! It can easily be picked up in online shops like Amazon or eBay for around £10.
To get the feel for F1 you will need the F1 WCP 2009 mod (the best out there in my opinion) and more details are here: http://www.f1wcp.com/ This adds the cars, drivers and they all look beautiful! Although the official download link seems to be down you can easily download it from many torrent sites and others, just google “F1 WCP 2009.”
I’ve helped many people with my guide on how to convert .MOD files and my other Canon FS100 related posts, however there can be a problem when you convert the files after you’ve shot the video. It will alter the timestamp to when you converted it and isn’t really useful if you are trying to keep everything in order. So a member of our community xxfunkxx to the rescue! Here is his guide to keeping the original timestamp and it is very useful. Thanks to him and if anyone else has any information for future posts don’t be afraid to email me at daz@daz4590.co.uk
To convert the .mod video files recorded with the Canon FS100 into quicktime movies I use Mpegstreamclip on my Mac. I found it very useful for my archive to have the original date and time information of the recorded .mod files in my .mov files. In my case a small bash script does this for me. Before running the script I assume that the .mod and .mov files are in the same directory! Like this:
Unzip and copy it into the same directories where the video files are located (e.g. on the Desktop with a subfolder video). First we need to make the script executable and then run it. Open the terminal (located under Applications/Utilities). After the prompt we type these 3 lines:
$ cd Desktop/video
$ chmod +x keep_original_timestamp.sh
$ ./keep_original_timestamp.sh
So that’s it. Now the Quicktime movies should have the same timestamp as the mod files. The bash script that does our work looks like this:
#!/bin/bash
# keep original time stamp from Canon FS 100 .MOD files
ext_MOD=”.MOD”
ext_MOV=”.mov”
for i in *.mov; do
x=($i)
echo $x
filename=${x/%.mov/}
filename_extMOD=”$filename$ext_MOD”
filename_extMOV=”$filename$ext_MOV
echo “filename_extMOV” $filename_extMOV
fileinfo=$(/usr/bin/getinfo $filename_extMOD)
array=($fileinfo)
original_timestamp=”${array[9]:6:4}${array[9]:0:2}${array[9]:3:2} \
${array[10]:0:2}${array[10]:3:2}”.”${array[10]:6:2}”
echo “original_timestamp” $original_timestamp
# has to be CCYYMMDDhhmm[.SS]
touch -t $original_timestamp $filename_extMOV
done
exit 0
If you have any trouble please contact me: xxfunkxx@web.de
Those annoying camcorder files can be a pain to convert if you have a large project or multiple videos from a holiday. That’s why batch conversions make it so much easier, recommended by Patrick off my website is the easy batch option in my chosen choice of software MPEG Streamclip..
So I got my new camcorder the Canon FS100 last week and I posted up a review a couple of days ago, you should check it out. Now the footage is captured in an obscure format being .mod with not many Operating Systems or software packages reading it natively. As a mainly Mac user (especially for video) I struggled to find a way to make these non working .mod files open up in my Final Cut Express editing suite. As pointed out by Rob in the comments below if you have the latest version of iMovie 8 then you can import your videos straight from the camcorder and no conversion is required. So if you cannot be bothered at all with all the information below you could just upgrade to iMovie 8 if your Mac supports it. I have also included a brief Windows guide but bear in mind this is if you’re not using the supplied software. Finally after hours of searching and scaling the world wide web I have put together this guide so basically you don’t have to.
Mac OS X Guide
First of all let me warn you, this may cost you money -- not much mind you but unless you have Final Cut Pro you probably won’t have an Mpeg 2 Playback Component installed on your Mac. An easy way to check is to right click on the .mod file and click “get info.” Then further down rename the file with the extension .mpg -- so MOV001.mod would become MOV001.mpg. With the file renamed open it up in Quicktime, if it works you have the component installed, if it doesn’t it means you need to buy it. After you have checked this it would be a good idea to rename the movie file .mod to not cause any confusion.
So you need the Mpeg 2 Component? Well you need to buy it and download it from Apple’s web site http://www.apple.com/quicktime/mpeg2/ For US fans it will cost $20 and for the Brits over here it costs £15. Why we have to pay more for the same digital download is beyond me. Anyway follow the process and once that’s complete we can go onto the next step.
Now all we need to do is actually convert the file into something video editors like iMovie and Final Cut will read. By far the best software I’ve tried is Mpeg Streamclip and yes it comes at no cost. Download the software from Squared 5 at http://www.squared5.com/ Now what I love about this software most, is its ability to offer countless options of formats but also that it keeps the quality at the best possible. I can’t stand it when I have a nice looking section of video but then have to convert it only to make it look like something from a pinhole camera. When you have opened the video in Streamclip, go to file, export to quicktime and then choose compression of Apple DV -- PAL and drag the quality up to 100%. These are the settings I have used for my sample videos which you can see on the Canon FS100 review blog post. I also change the framesize to “1024 x 576″ (16:9) as I shoot in widescreen with my camcorder and this may be different with yours. The only downside to this method is there is no batch conversion so if you have a lot of video clips it will take some time to convert all the clips. DropDV is an alternate converter with a batch conversion however it seriously degrades the quality and blurs the pixels so I would advise against using it.
There it is! The files are now in the right format and (with sound) will work in Mac video editing software like iMovie or Final Cut.
Windows XP/Vista Guide
The good thing about Vista is (my Home Premium at least) that it can read .mod files out of the box in windows media player but only if you use a card reader as for some reason if I copied it through USB the computer couldn’t read them. It might be different with you but I know it will definitely work this way at least. Once your computer can read them; Windows Movie Maker will edit them seamlessly and you can make your video. Quite simple. However if you’re using a different video editing software like Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas you need to do some more work unfortunately.
For Windows XP/VIsta I have a solution from arthur sixpence which he commented below involving SDcopy, a tricky program to track down either google it or download a version here, it very simply changes the extension from .mod to .mpg but also sets the constraints for the wide screen format correctly for video editing software to read them. He has already tried it successfully with my .MOD clips from the Canon FS100 review in Adobe Premiere and I believe it should work with other suites like Sony Vegas. If it works for you feel free to comment below and let us know.
If you have tried the SDcopy method described above and it does not work then the other option is to convert the file and I think the best option is again to use Mpeg Streamclip. Follow the instructions as above with the Mac version as the software is very similar but read these following changes first though:
For Mpeg Streamclip to read the file you must rename the video file .mpg
Then when you open it in Streamclip,like Mac OS X, it will ask you for the Mpeg 2 Component. But if you follow the instructions given you can use a free alternative or pay for the one from Apple.
Once the Mpeg 2 Component is installed the video will work however instead of converting to quicktime it would be better to convert to something more windows friendly like avi.
Hopefully these converted AVIs will then work in Vegas or other video editing software with minimal quality loss. Let us know how you get on or if you have a better method by commenting below and help the community get on top of these .MOD problems.
Well I’ve had the Canon FS100 for nearly a week now after ordering from UKDigitalCameras.co.uk and I thought I’d dish up a review for anyone out there. Now previously I’d had a Sony SR32 camcorder with a 30gb Hard Disk which I bought last summer for £330 but looking back it was a bad decision. The quality was poor and very pixelated indoors and the hard disk could be noisy at start up (being a bit picky) but didn’t affect recording like a Mini DV tape. So I looked at getting a new one either with a better lens or 3 CCDs and eventually I chose the Canon FS series, I decided against a HD camcorder as not only would my Powerbook struggle but I wanted to buy other things.
So it was between the Canon FS100,FS10 or FS11. As camcorders they are all identical in quality and set up however they differ in memory storage. They all accept SD cards: the FS100 has no in-built memory, the FS10 has 8gb internal and the FS11 has 16gb internal. Now I opted for the the FS100 as it was the cheapest by £100 compared to the latter FS11 model and with this saving it was cheaper to buy a big SD card. My plan is to get a 32gb SD card soon and I’ll update you soon on that.
Anyway back to the camcorder; i was really impressed by its small size and lightweight yet sturdy build. I have shot some test footage in best quality and its included below. However it would be nice to have a dock to connect the camcorder to the computer easily, like my Sony SR32 came with, and this coincides with my biggest gripe with the system. When transferring videos, even with a full battery, you have to plug in the power cable. Now it might just be me but this means more effort,more cables and thus a messier table. Its a shame such a great product has such a flaw that hopefully could be fixed easily with a firmware/software update. Besides this the process is very user friendly and the camcorder uses simple instructions to guide you through uploading.
Regarding actually filming; it is simple point and shoot but if you delve deeper there are some manual options with focus however unless you deeply spend time exploring these you won’t lose anything. If you are a hardcore video film maker you really should be looking at something a bit more customisable and probably HD. On that point this Canon FS100 does feature an external mic port to enhance the sound on the camcorder. Now after playing around with it I found the inbuilt mic pretty good picking up my voice from the opposite side of the room clearly but for those looking for a bit extra its nice to have it there. The rest of the controls are well arranged and make the whole video experience easy with no “where’s that button” moments.
With these new non tape/DVD disc camcorders, the hard disk and flash versions mostly use a .mod format for saving video. Now so far the major video editing suites (Adobe Premiere,Final Cut) do not use this format natively so usually a conversion is required which slightly defies the point of using simple files. I know that Windows Vista plays .mods fine through Windows Media Player however for Mac OS X this is not possible. I think this is the biggest disappointment, not only with this camcorder, but with most on the market and I hope the major editing suites and operating systems improve this within the year. The software which comes with the Canon, Windows only, does edit .mod and work however it is so simple I would stay away from it and use something better. Saying that some new updates have been released and iMovie 8 works with this format and the Canon FS100 – shame it only works on Intel Macs and not on my PowerPC G4 Powerbook…
I’d recommend this camcorder to anyone coming into amateur film making or even to someone who takes it more seriously as it is just so well made, anyone will have fun using it despite the slight problems.
ADVANTAGES:
Small
Lightweight
Good control menu system
Nice automatic lens cap to protect the lens
Good quality 37x Optical zoom
Excellent battery life about 3hrs
External Mic port
Nifty battery level indicator without having to actually turn on the camcorder fully
DISADVANTAGES:
Annoying .mod format. Not very Mac compatible if you are an amateur unless you have iMovie 8
You have to plug in the power cable to transfer videos through USB
Low light footage isn’t great
The added torch is not really that useful at night time.
Out of the box it has no memory storage and requires an SD card to be bought
Test footage: (Click on the video then select the high quality version underneath the video to see what the Canon actually records)
Test zoom footage: (Click on the video then select the high quality version underneath the video to see what the Canon actually records)
Test indoor footage: (Click on the video then select the high quality version underneath the video to see what the Canon actually records)
That’s it! I would like to thank the people over at AVforums.com with some of my decision making – they are very helpful! If you have any questions feel free to comment below and I’ll get back to you. Thanks.
UPDATE: If you want to download the original .MOD files I have uploaded three here for you to test. It will be interesting to see which software you use and if the files are compatible, please comment on your findings so you can help the rest of the community.
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February 3rd, 2010 
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