Dateline: YouTube Bug Reporting & Tech Issues
How to get specific help when a video goes bad.
The first thing you may want to do is look at (and possibly share) a MediaInfo report on the file you uploaded.
The MediaInfo utility is free, open source and, once installed can offer a concise but detailed technical overview of your uploaded video. It can also provide details about other types of media files, such as your source video, digital photos, audio recordings, and other multimedia files you might have used in your work.
MediaInfo reports can reveal useful, detailed information when applied to source video, and reveal conflicts between source video and what you rendered and uploaded.
Such conflicts are often at the center of many technical issues with YouTube videos.
You can find the downloadable installer (and the source code) for MediaInfo at http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/ It does need to be installed, but it's a small utility and takes little space or time to install.
MediaInfo reports can reveal useful, detailed information when applied to source video, and reveal conflicts between source video and what you rendered and uploaded.
Such conflicts are often at the center of many technical issues with YouTube videos.
You can find the downloadable installer (and the source code) for MediaInfo at http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/ It does need to be installed, but it's a small utility and takes little space or time to install.
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| This is what the text-only view looks like for a MediaInfo report. |
If you think one of the source videos or other media files are involved with the problems you're having, you may want to offer details about those files too. If you're fairly experienced with editing and rendering, the report may give you clues to the problem all by itself. But if you're fairly new to video, or just not technically-minded, others are likely to be able to offer far more pointed advice if you share this information up front.
Vague questions generate vague answers, and sometimes lead to burn-out from those trying to be helpful.
Vague questions generate vague answers, and sometimes lead to burn-out from those trying to be helpful.
Be sure to cut and paste the text-only version of the report. The Text format is selectable from the View tab of the report.
Others formats make the reports hard to read, or may not cut & paste at all. The image shown (click it to see a larger, full-size, readable version) and the text below both show what a typical MediaInfo report should look like.
If yours looks like it is repeating lines or is otherwise hugely redundant, check under the Debug tab to see that Advanced is not checked and that Debug-0 is checked:
Others formats make the reports hard to read, or may not cut & paste at all. The image shown (click it to see a larger, full-size, readable version) and the text below both show what a typical MediaInfo report should look like.
If yours looks like it is repeating lines or is otherwise hugely redundant, check under the Debug tab to see that Advanced is not checked and that Debug-0 is checked:
General
Complete name : D:\YourVid\Awesome\ThisMovieShouldBeWorking.mp4
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media / Version 2
Codec ID : mp42
File size : 97.2 MiB
Duration : 1mn 20s
Overall bit rate : 10.2 Mbps
Encoded date : UTC 2010-07-28 07:11:38
Tagged date : UTC 2010-07-28 07:11:38
Video
ID : 2
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Baseline@L4.0
Format settings, CABAC : No
Format settings, ReFrames : 2 frames
Muxing mode : Container profile=Baseline@0.0
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 1mn 20s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 9 978 Kbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16/9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 119.880 fps
Original frame rate : 59.940 fps
Resolution : 24 bits
Colorimetry : 4:2:0
Scan type : Interlaced
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.090
Stream size : 95.3 MiB (98%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2010-07-28 07:11:38
Tagged date : UTC 2010-07-28 07:11:38
Audio
ID : 1
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format version : Version 4
Format profile : LC
Format settings, SBR : No
Codec ID : 40
Duration : 1mn 20s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 192 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : L R
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Resolution : 16 bits
Stream size : 1.83 MiB (2%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2010-07-28 07:11:38
Tagged date : UTC 2010-07-28 07:11:38
Depending on the container, codecs and other details it may looks somewhat different. This particular report is for an HD (720p) MP4 video container, generated from Sony Vegas Pro 9.0. But the overall structure of the report will usually contain three blocks of text: General, Video and Audio.
If your report is missing one, or has multiples, that in itself may suggest a problem. YouTube has a nasty habit of expecting just one video stream and one audio stream, preferably of exactly the same running time.
Keep in mind that most of the people likely to respond to a question on the forum are users like yourself, and those who are actually trying to help are usually those with the least free time to spend back and forth pulling out the various details that are basic to making any kind of informed suggestions or identifying your problem as a emerging, widespread issue. You'll find people are much more generous with their time if they see that you're already prepared and are willing to share enough details to make their efforts worthwhile and not just an exercise in frustration on both sides.
It seems this article got marked somehow as spam. In any case, I can no longer link it via YouTube Help, which leads me to conclude that it's time to stop wasting my time and energy there, if trying to make my efforts more efficient is taken as offensive, perhaps because this post may have generated all of 4 theoretical cents of revenue today, out of the awesome total of almost $3.00 this blog has generated in over a years. Let me do the math.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll be over 80 years old by the time I see that three cents, which of course will be worth less than a halfpenny by the time I theoretically see it.
Considering my health issues and the state of the world I'm pretty sure I won't be alive in 30 year and I'm trying not to gloat at the notion that probably most people reading this will also be dead by then, and Google will probably have been bankrupt for 20 years.
The spam marking was a temporary, unintended glitch on Google's part. Typical, but it has also now been resolved and I'm free to keep referring people here.
ReplyDeletePlease add a comment here if you found something unclear. It's my intention to keep editing this until it almost literally shines.
I have just reported a bug then saw that others had the same problem so downloaded that mediainfo thing and copied and pasted the text only report. I have that problem where on photobooth my video speeds up and the audio is the same. However earlier in the month it was fine as i uploaded 4 videos. I hope this gets sorted out soon...
ReplyDeleteGeneral
Complete name : /Users/hazellatner/Desktop/Movie on 2010-11-13 at 20.23.mov
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : QuickTime
Codec ID : qt
File size : 5.34 MiB
Duration : 1mn 30s
Overall bit rate : 496 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2010-11-13 20:23:16
Tagged date : UTC 2010-11-13 20:24:47
Writing library : Apple QuickTime
Video
ID : 2
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L3.0
Format settings, CABAC : No
Format settings, ReFrames : 2 frames
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 1mn 30s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 328 Kbps
Width : 640 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 4:3
Frame rate mode : Variable
Frame rate : 14.297 fps
Minimum frame rate : 4.878 fps
Maximum frame rate : 15.000 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.075
Stream size : 3.53 MiB (66%)
Title : Core Media Video
Encoded date : UTC 2010-11-13 20:23:16
Tagged date : UTC 2010-11-13 20:24:47
Color primaries : BT.709-5, BT.1361, IEC 61966-2-4, SMPTE RP177
Transfer characteristics : BT.709-5, BT.1361
Matrix coefficients : BT.709-5, BT.1361, IEC 61966-2-4 709, SMPTE RP177
Audio
ID : 1
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format version : Version 4
Format profile : LC
Codec ID : 40
Duration : 1mn 30s
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 99.9 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 128 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Stream size : 1.08 MiB (20%)
Title : Core Media Audio
Encoded date : UTC 2010-11-13 20:23:16
Tagged date : UTC 2010-11-13 20:24:47
@Hazel - One thing I notice in your metadata is that the frame rate is variable. There have also been problems with Photobooth that staffers are now claiming relates to "edit lists" being included as part of the video.
ReplyDeleteNot having used Photobooth myself, I can't say how you would avoid including "edit lists" -- it might be wise to open a discussion on YouTube's help forum looking for feedback from other Photobooth users on how they've managed to avoid the problem?
Thank you so much!!! You saved my life. I thought all my videos of my newborn son would never have audio.
ReplyDeleteI have uploaded my video which is 1:01:38 long and when its uploaded and processed on you tube time of video expands on 2:03:17
ReplyDeleteLike whole video is once again copied and when it ends it again starts. (2 same videos in row )- second one is without sound.
Please whats happening??
In my players video is normal 1:01:38 long.
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C:\Documents and Settings\cxc\My Documents\FFOutput\dddddddddddddddd.mp4
MPEG-4
Base Media / Version 2
mp42
1.72 GiB
1h 1mn
Variable
4 002 Kbps
UTC 2012-07-24 18:32:02
UTC 2012-07-24 18:38:20
mp4creator 1.6.1d
-
1
MPEG-4 Visual
Simple@L1
No
No
No warppoints
Default (H.263)
20
1h 1mn
Variable
3 885 Kbps
17.9 Mbps
720 pixels
480 pixels
4:3
Variable
29.970 fps
29.960 fps
29.970 fps
NTSC
YUV
4:2:0
8 bits
Progressive
Lossy
0.375
1.67 GiB (97%)
English
UTC 2012-07-24 18:32:03
UTC 2012-07-24 18:38:16
-
2
AAC
Advanced Audio Codec
LC
40
1h 1mn
1h 1mn
Variable
115 Kbps
245 Kbps
2 channels
Front: L R
44.1 KHz
Lossy
50.5 MiB (3%)
50.5 MiB (3%)
English
UTC 2012-07-24 18:38:18
UTC 2012-07-24 18:38:20
The one thing I noticed is the variable rate for the audio. In the past I've found that I need to stick to a constant bit rate for audio if I want consistent performance. To be honest and blunt, though, I really have lost both the free time and interest in following what YouTube's processing glitches are. You should probably try to find someone else who is posting to YouTube's help forums on a more constant basis, as I've pretty much given up hope of getting any real or comprehensive answers from staff on these problems, especially with longer videos.
Delete