Best Way to Download Video From SD Card ??

GreggC · Oct 27, 2015

Hey guys,
Is it preferred to remove the SD card and download to my Mac or use a USB cable ??
Or does it matter??

msinger · Oct 27, 2015

I always remove my memory card and transfer it via this memory card reader. A USB cable will work just as well though.

GreggC · Oct 27, 2015

Im having problems playing my video,
I downloaded with a USB cable and my
video is choppy, I tried VLC, QuickTime and RealPlayer.
RealPlayer is the best however it is still choppy.
I thought maybe I downloaded incorrectly??
Im stumped.

msinger · Oct 27, 2015

Is it 4k video? If so, your computer is likely too slow to play it. You need a pretty beefy computer.

GreggC · Oct 27, 2015

Ahh,
Ill try recording in 1080,
Thank you.

bmcgnh · Oct 27, 2015

I find the video from the SD card (even if I copy it to my hard drive first) plays choppy on the desktop. I use a program by iSkySoft to compress the file to an MP4 format.

It's a simple program (I think there's a 7-day free trial) and it will combine videos for me (checkbox) so if I swap out batteries I can have all the video from that day in one file.

I am sure there is better, faster software out there. But this is simple enough for my needs. Then the fileplays smoothly on the desktop, laptop or iPad.

Sky King · Oct 27, 2015

I always take out the SD card and use either a direct USB adapter or an SD card adapter and put it in my MacBook Pro's card slot. You do need a fairly "beefy" computer to play 4K files though. I've made HD videos and played them back on an older iMac and they are choppy.

stealthbomber · Oct 27, 2015

If your video is choppy then it is probably your PC. I've learnt that you need a minimum of an i5 processor for the "dense" 4K file. An i7 processor is ideal. That being said I don't have either, but its on the wish list.

Meta4 · Oct 27, 2015

If you try to download video via the usb cable, it's going to take a lot longer than simply removing the card and putting it in your computer.

4wd · Oct 27, 2015

Meta4 said:
If you try to download video via the usb cable, it's going to take a lot longer than simply removing the card and putting it in your computer.

Also you have to have the phantom turned on through this.
When motors aren't running the heat inside builds up quickly - not good.
Definitely the best method to put the card in a reader or SD adapter if your computer doesn't have a mini-SD slot
The wear and tear on the card retaining mechanism is a minor concern, but the mini-USB can give problems too with frequent use.
In another camera I had the socket break away inside.

Chuck Young · Oct 27, 2015

So a Solid State Hard Drive would probably help most achieve good video rendering. I always pop my card out and use a USB3.0 hub and card reader, copies the video files in a flash, most in under a minute. I have a i7-990 4.25GHz I built specifically for video capture and rendering, it plays the 4K stupendously.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E3W1A64?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

For 99 bucks I would seriously think about adding this SSD to a system having problems with the playback.

III% Streve · Oct 27, 2015

It has nothing to do with computing power and everything to do with the tools that are missing from your computer.

K-Lite Codec Pack - Update Pack

This will solve your issue, and will make editing a boat load easier as well. I personally don't install the players. Media player works fine.

stealthbomber · Oct 27, 2015

III% Streve said:
It has nothing to do with computing power and everything to do with the tools that are missing from your computer.

K-Lite Codec Pack - Update Pack

This will solve your issue, and will make editing a boat load easier as well. I personally don't install the players. Media player works fine.

Isn't that statement like saying your car isn't underpowered, it just needs a turbo kit and some headers to make it achieve highway speeds!!

III% Streve · Oct 27, 2015

No. Its like saying that the file is speaking Chinese and your computer is only able to understand every 10th word, so buy a translator. there was a time when computers didnt know what to do with an MP3! And in that time, CODECs were freely available to bridge that communication gap. 4k video compression is the exact same. New compressions come around quite often. Keep up or stay off the bus!

stealthbomber · Oct 27, 2015

III% Streve said:
No. Its like saying that the file is speaking Chinese and your computer is only able to understand every 10th word, so buy a translator. there was a time when computers didnt know what to do with an MP3! And in that time, CODECs were freely available to bridge that communication gap. 4k video compression is the exact same. New compressions come around quite often. Keep up or stay off the bus!

The bus, like my computer, is too slow! There is a better way!

Skypicswa · Oct 27, 2015

III% Streve said:
It has nothing to do with computing power and everything to do with the tools that are missing from your computer.

K-Lite Codec Pack - Update Pack

This will solve your issue, and will make editing a boat load easier as well. I personally don't install the players. Media player works fine.

This is correct in almost all situations. Codecs are important for most players and k-lite do a good one, my pc is 5 yrs old and runs win 7, plays 4K smooth.

Dirby · Oct 27, 2015

i just take the card out of the camera and put it in a sd card reader and put it in the usb slot on my computer and down load it from there.
works great.

stealthbomber · Oct 27, 2015

III% Streve said:
It has nothing to do with computing power and everything to do with the tools that are missing from your computer.

K-Lite Codec Pack - Update Pack

This will solve your issue, and will make editing a boat load easier as well. I personally don't install the players. Media player works fine.

I gave this the benefit of the doubt as a ray of hope that I could get my laptop up to speed but it does nothing for my PC. Still choppy as hell. I can see how clear the 4K is but not really watchable due to the choppiness! One thing I do notice now is while the video is trying to play there's info on the screen about the birds coordinates, barometer etc. Can you watch a video without this info? I uploaded a video to youtube last week and this info is not there. Why now?

III% Streve · Oct 27, 2015

stealthbomber said:
I gave this the benefit of the doubt as a ray of hope that I could get my laptop up to speed but it does nothing for my PC. Still choppy as hell. I can see how clear the 4K is but not really watchable due to the choppiness! One thing I do notice now is while the video is trying to play there's info on the screen about the birds coordinates, barometer etc. Can you watch a video without this info? I uploaded a video to youtube last week and this info is not there. Why now?

Those are subtitles.. disable them in whatever program you are using to watch the video. Or you can delete the .srt files that you grabbed from the SDCard

stealthbomber · Oct 27, 2015

Yep. Removed the .srt file and wham no subtitles now. Thanks. Now can you take my laptop and make it glorious once more. [emoji3][emoji3]. Looks like im gonna have to spend the $750 for the shiny new one soon.