Possible to overlay LapTimer data on GoPro video

[lunat1ck]

RaceRender's biggest problem is that's it's new. If you look at their forums, they have merely bootstrapped them, and there are almost no posts other than those by the team that built it. But new doesn't mean bad, of course. It just means new...

RaceRender is also the only video/data integration software I have looked at so far that support multiple video streams at all.

Now, personally as a long-time iMovie user (been creating DVDs of my kids shows for a decade), I find it far superior for creating a straight picture-in-picture video, but then you have to use one tool to create the merged video, and then another to do the data overlay. I will probably stick with this, since it allows me to compare the data overlay features of the competing products (DashWare and TrackVision) and still have the PIP I want, and because I think the PIP generated by iMovie looks better than how RaceRender does it.

But, if RaceRender's data overlay features are as good as the others, then it's PIP features will give it a HUGE advantage over it's competitors. RaceRender appears to support more than 2 video streams as well, and has a variety of easy ways to do PIP. If you wanted to do more than two cameras in iMovie, you can but it won't be easy.

[Tony@TrackVision]

RaceRender has been around for many years, in fact. Looks like they've scrubbed all the old forum, docs, etc and rebooted their public face just recently.

The key point on workflow is that syncing data and video should be done using the original video, straight from the camera, first. Post-processing in iMovie to add PIP etc is then working with a 'master' video stream that contains the data overlay. That way works.

[lunat1ck]

If the format of the video that is the input to RaceRender, TrackVision or ANY of these products is the same format as it came off the camera, I don't understand why the data overlay software should know or care.

iMovie, and most of these video editing tools, can export a wide variety of formats, so I'm willing to bet I can fool just about any software into thinking the input data file is just the raw video from the camera.

[Tony@TrackVision]

Not sure how we'd judge the winner of that bet. Its not a format issue, and the video from iMovie, Sony Vegas, or any other editor will read normally of course. Besides, it misses the point.

Video editor apps create their own video frame clock when they render an output video file [ie save the video].
Our experience over many years of this is that there are often substantial differences between the frame clock on the original video and on the edited/saved video. While these frame clock differences are not important for your average home video, they are critical for matching the right data sample to each frame in the video. FWIW, one of the key differences between iMovie and pro level video editing desks like Avid is that the pro desks are fanatical about frame clock management so that multiple streams can be cut together over long takes without drift.

Using the original video straight from the camera simply avoids this gnarly problem, so why not do it?

[lunat1ck]

OK, that technical detail makes sense. Thanks, that's a variable I wasn't really aware of.

Well, the main advantage to pre-processing the PIP would be making sure the data overlay images are "on top" of the PIP images. For example, take a look at the quick hack I did in iMovie: (hack, because the sound is HORRIBLE, as I explained in the comments).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5qhhWMaxM8

If I use this as the input for RR, TV, etc. then I know the gauges will be rendered on top of PIP image. If I overlay the gauges first, and THEN add the PIP, I have to be careful not to have the PIP mask the gauges. It's a screen real estate issue.

Now, iMovie lets you place the PIP image anywhere you want, so in practice, this might not be a big deal, but it does restrict your choice of gauges and other overlay data, and where you can place the PIP image. They either can't overlap, or you have to be willing to let the PIP image block part of the data overlay images.

[Tony@TrackVision]

Deleted. This is Harry's forum, so no place to talk about what TrackVision does. My apologies. [my conscience called, Harry didn't, in case you're wondering]

[lunat1ck]

Update for those of you interested in the reviews I promised....

I just got back from 2 days at NJMP, and I (accidentally) figured out why I wasn't getting any lap data, so I've got 6 full sessions of video and HLT laps to play with. I *have* to get this stuff processed before my next track day (or it will pile up on me), so I should have some feedback pretty soon on (a) how to do the PIP in iMovie and (b) my experiences using DashWare, RaceRender and/or TrackVision to integrate it all.

The problem, BTW, was that when using an external GPS (an XGPS150), HLT never triggered anything. Without it, using just the iPhone internal GPS, everything worked as intended.

[Harry]

Did you use v15.0.5 or an older version?

Harry

[lunat1ck]

Latest and greatest: v15.0.5. I updated the instance I read that you widened the sensitivity of the GPS receiver

[Harry]

Very strange... Can you please export one of the successful laps to KML and send it to me? Thanks