Bambu Studio Video Corrupt & Won't Play

Out of the blue, I can only play the first 2 time-lapse videos recorded on my X1 Carbon SD card. QuickTime won’t play them and I’ve tried multiple other video playing apps. They download, but when I try to play the videos in some of the video apps I get messages that the file is corrupt and others just won’t play them. There’s plenty of room on the SD card and the card is brand new.

How can all but the first 2 time-lapse videos be corrupt? I’ve changed nothing.

The videos that have previously worked show a picture and can still be played, but all the ones that don’t work are just black. Even though they are just black, the video files are different sizes making me think that it was recording. Is this a problem with my camera or a software glitch? How do I fix it?

Screenshot 2024-07-14 at 9.14.11 AM

Thank You.

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If your file truly is not corrupt, then it is likely you have to reindex the AVI files.

There is a known bug in the write algorithm that Bambu absolutely refuses to address. It is very annoying indeed and, unless you have the technical acumen, very difficult to diagnose and remedy. I recognize the output file. This is tell-tale remnant code that is left over from the core Linux that they use. It was never intended for production but obviously Bambu doesn’t give a damn.

I might also recommend switching your video player to the open source VLC. It is the universal swiss Army Knife of video players. If it can’t play your video, it is unlikely anything else can unless they are using a proprietary CODEC. VLC will give you an error message but also prompt you for the option to reindex and play the file anyway.

To fix Bambu AVI file index issues, use the open-source utility FFmpeg to reindex and output to MP4. A Mac version is available. VLC can also be used but requires more clicks. FFmpeg is not user-friendly but is effective with its lightweight command-line features.

https://www.ffmpeg.org/download.html

Here is the command line version of how to execute that file.

ffmpeg -loglevel quiet -i "input_filename.mp4" -c:v copy -c:a copy -f avi -y "output_filename.mp4"

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Fix for Windows Users

For Windows users, I created a quick batch file to reindex the AVIs found in the folder the script is running from and output them into a sub-folder called “reindexed”. The older files are moved to a sub-folder called “old_file”

Both folders needs to exist for the script to run, otherwise it will throw an error.

Take the following text and save it to a filename with a .bat extension.

If you don’t know how to create a .bat file or how to run something from the command prompt, then this tip is not for you and you could cause files to be deleted or moved unintentionally.

In my case, I simply called the file reindex.bat. How the script works is that any AVI files that I store from the FTP copy from my printer are converted en masse.

for %%i in (*.avi) do (
    ffmpeg -loglevel quiet -i "%%i" -c:v copy -c:a copy -f avi -y "reindexed\reindexed_%%i"
    move %%i .\old_files\
)

echo All files have been reindexed.
pause
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Wow! Olias, thank you so much for your advice. I just tried the VLC app and even though the video file sizes are different when I open them in the VLC app for Mac it shows a duration of 00:00. So, I’m going to guess there’s just a problem with the files.

Honestly, even with the code & detailed instructions you provided I’m afraid to try the command line solution because somehow I will find a way to f*** it up due my lack of understanding & skill. Watching videos is really nice, but not as important as the machine working :rofl:. So, I think I’m going to submit a ticket and cross my fingers that Bambu Labs will fix it in a future update.

I’m relatively new to 3D printing. So, I really appreciate your help and the detailed knowledge you shared. I hope sometime in the future I’ll actually know what I’m doing…haha! However, I’m sure this will help someone braver or more technically inclined should they run into the same issue.

Thanks again. :blush:

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were you able to fix it? i am having a very important videos corrupt right now and have no idea how to fix it

Anyone else have recommendations? I’m curious to hear what tools or methods you use for fixing corrupted video files. What’s your experience been like with Clever Online Video Repair ? Personally, I’ve found it to be a fantastic option because it’s not only free but also highly effective in repairing issues like missing frames, distorted visuals, or audio-video desynchronization. However, I’d love to know how others feel about it. Have you encountered any limitations, or do you think it’s as reliable as I do? Also, are there any alternative tools you’d suggest for someone looking to repair corrupted video files quickly and efficiently? Let’s share some insights

You can also try cloudconvert website. I uploaded and converted the non-indexed raw video files from printer.
I converted file to mp4 ok.

Also you can install kdenlive opensource video editor.
Drag video in to timeline.
Select Menu/Project/Render… [GenericHD…Mp4]
Choose output filename. Done.
Good for doing them gifs output to upload to model projects.

I struggled with he same issue with my A1. Downloaded Handbrake on my Mac (it is also available for Windows) and converted the file. This did the trick since VLC kept giving me a missing index error message every time I tried to play the video. Hope this helps.

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I believe I have a simple solution to this problem without installing anything. I have had success uploading these problem files to Google Drive and viewing them there. They can be shared and viewed by others in the cloud in this manner. Look into cloudconvert or similar if you want to view or edit them offline.