Faulty Video Codec

[BeeJay]

Hi, just reviewing my video footage of our recent Scotland trip.
I used a Drift Ghost S.
Some of the file I can't view because of this error:
VLC could not identify the audio or video codec
On some days they're all okay, other days one or two have this error and another day they all have this error.
Any ideas or help??
Thanks

[Paggers]

You shouldn't have any problems with reading the video from a Drift Ghost S - that's what I use, and I also use VLC. Are you remembering to re-format the SD card on a regular basis? I find that most issues with video are a result of corrupted files, rather than anything else. Beyond that you would need to talk to Drift, as if it's an inconsistent problem then it's unlikely to be related to VLC or to the codec being used.

[BeeJay]

Thanks Niall
The reply from Drift said to use 32Gb cards and update the firmware on the camera.
I've been using 64Gb for years but haven't reformatted them for a while.
It's strange that on one day the first video was okay but all the rest for that day are unplayable. The next day, i'm not sure if they were on a different SD card or not they were all okay.
The biggest problem is that it was one of the best routes we rode, in fact because I forgot to turn the camera back on after a coffee stop, I rode back to the stop and re-rode the route with the camera on.
Any ideas about solving the "codec" issue. The files all look okay but just won't play.
:'( :-X :-X

[Paggers]

I feel bad saying it but I suspect the 'codec' message is symptomatic of file corruption, rather than actually being a real codec issue. In simple terms VLC is telling you it doesn't recognise the format of the file (that's what it means by the codec). Given that it would normally recognise a file generated by the Drift that strongly suggests to me that the files are corrupt. I'm sorry but I don't know what to suggest in terms of trying to recover the files or even if it is possible.

[BeeJay]

Niall
That's exactly the conclusion I have come to.
The error message is just a symptom of a fault. Firmware on the camera was up to date.
Drift support finally suggested that the files could be corrupt, in which case there's no chance of recovery.
All the "corrupt" file are on the same SD card, that's now headed for the bin.
I run (ran) 5 different sd cards and "usually" were formatted instead of deleting files. It could be that this was one of the older cards ansd had not been formatted for a while.
Anyway we're back to Scotland next year and the ride will be repeated and I'll check the files more frequently.
Thanks for your input

[Paggers]

Re-formatting the card should recover it (although not the files) so I wouldn't bin it if I were you. Either way, sorry you had to learn this lesson the hard way and good luck with future filming.