Mistake: Upgrading Sony HX9V PMB Software to new Playmemories Home

I had the same problem, and I'm going back to PMB. I was really dissapointed.

Tips like this are greatly appreciated; I almost upgraded my PMB the other day - glad I didn't!

I have updated and it seems to be working fine for me. I did get that message at first but then I saw in the top right corner a menu that gives 4 options to select, edit picture, trim video, combine videos, or save frame. Once I selected trim video first and then edit, it opened a new small window to trim my video. I closed that and restarted edit and selected combine videos, took one video and added it twice, hit edit, and it opened a new small window again, I chose combine and it combined them with no problem.

I would give it another try.

I can understand that you would be hesitant after the issue you experienced but I would reconsider. All new Sony cameras are coming with Play Memories software which is PMB's replacement. My experience with PMB has been had with multiple problems (I won't go into that) but I think Sony finally got it right with Play Memories (besides the little issue described in the first post). The software has been completely redesigned to work better. I don't use cloud, Sony TV or PS3 playback. But what I do use it for (playing and editing) does seem to work much better.

It wouldn't hurt to give it another try (actually give it a try because you never really got to try it). And now you know you can always go back.

I have three Sony camcorders (MHS-CM5, HDR-TG1, HDR-HC9) and use Picture Motion Browser (PMB) 5.8.

I've finally got PMB to work - recognize all three camcorders, their clips (MP4, AVCHD and MPEG2 by their extensions .mp4, .m2ts, .m2t), play and edit each type of clip smoothly and maintain all the labels and comments I have entered about my clips. It is my primary catalog for over 6,000 video clips.

I looked at a new Sony camcorder (HDR-GW77, waterproof, dust proof) but decided not to buy because ONLY PlayMemories will work with that SONY camcorder.

*** Sony cannot tell me which formats from which of my existing SONY camcorders will work with PlayMemories. *** PlayMemories cannot be loaded on a computer without wiping out PMB and "updating" information from my existing catalog in PMB. ***

The last time I updated PMB to 5.8, that process WIPED OUT ALL OF MY CLIP COMMENTS and LABELS and my clips developed problems playing smoothly. I do not want to spend weeks, re-entering all that information again or seeing stuttering/skipping video playback for clips from my existing camcorders. SONY says there is no way to backup or extract the data in PMB or even PlayMemories software catalogs (file name, date and time captured, date modified, camcorder used, clip duration, resolution, comments and labels).

I've looked at several other catalog software programs - none support all three camcorders (or the potential fourth) SONY camcorder.

I did not mind SONY's monopoly of PMB compatibility only with their camcorders, but I do not want to buy a SONY camcorder that REQUIRES and ONLY WORKS with PlayMemories and it is unknown how, or if, it will work with my other SONY camcorders and clips.

I have a Sony NEX-5N, a Sony Hx9v, a Sony HDR-TD10, and the Sony HDR GW77v. I "upgraded' from PMB to Play Memories. The new software plays and *edit* clips from *all* four cameras without any glitches. I did not lose any information when I upgraded. All the videos I have posted on this and other forums from all of these cameras have been edited and put together using PlayMemories.

It is one the few editors that allows editing108060p videos without any loss of quality, and is therefore also lightening quick.

The software understands 3D, so can take advantage of any 3D features of any Sony camera. It understands GPS, so can take advantage of any Sony camera with GPS (mapping). But the key point is the lossless video editing of 108060p videos.

I have also used the software on netbook computers - it can edit fine.

Having spent months tagging my photos, I was not best pleased to find that after installing playmemories the tags had all been removed. Furthermore, it seems to be no longer possible to move the tags to rearrange them after they have been created. I have photos from my family spanning over a century and now I have to retag the whole lot. So much for being able to play memories.

Why is it that when companies release 'improved' software with new features, they fail to maintain the features of the old software which users have obviously used and presumably want to keep? As for the cloud storage, it wouldn't store even a tenth of my collection, so it is literally just a waste of space.

I've just removed the software and reinstalled PMB. I do have other editing software I can use if I need to, but I prefer PMB. Possibly not for much longer, though, if this is what they consider to be the way forward!

I make the some mystake.

In Playmemories I miss option "search".
Basic have search option, but it not search by name of photo.

I couldn't belive that, contact Sony .. after 1 week I reinstall PMB.

SW that couldn't find picture by name is STUPID .....

By the other hand I lowe my camera na now I miss my video recordings.... But I can find my pictures by name .......

The news that if I get the GW77, it will automatically come with the new Sony browser software (Playmemories) and compromise my PMB files, making them less useable, is not something that I want to hear. I have hundreds (over a thousand easily) of video files and hundreds of picture files with PMB. While some of them are in my NLE library, I would like to know if there is another worthwhile place to save all these valuable files. Could I use a dedicated external drive, or would it too be compromised by the new Playmemories program?

By the way, these video files that I have are from older camcorders; ie a Sony FX7, and a Sony SR11. While the videos from the FX7 are backed on tape, the SR11, of course is not.

Question: If the PMB files are compromised, are they still completely usable within an NLE library?

Mike
Edited by Railfan - 11/26/12 at 4:39am

It has been awhile since I have had a new camcorder. If I don't have to download/install Playmemories when I get the GW77, then that would put it back at no. 1 on my Christmas list.

Thanks Bill.

Mike

Sometimes, I panick before I give myself time to think. Other times I just prove to myself that I am not too bright.

As long as there is a way to not use the new software, and the GW77 will work just fine with the old PMB, then I will be a happy camper.

Mike(Railfan)

Whatever happened to Mapview ? When I 'upgraded' to Playmemories I lost use of Mapview ? And when I tried connecting my DSC HX100V , for the new version of Playmemories which gives Mapview, I was told I am not eligible for the software . I am deleting Playmemories and going back to PMB. Would appreciate comments / advice .

I have Playmemories Home and it has Mapview.

Map View.jpg 658k .jpg file

Dear Mr. Markr041, can you elaborate on as to what is the hardware ( camera ) you are using ? I will explain here my efforts in trying to get Mapview in Playmemories Home.

In PMB, the PMB Launcher gives the Mapview / Calender view option. In Playmemories, or at least the version I had there was no corresponding 'launcher'. I. I have spent hours googling to get Mapview in Playmemories, and the only answer I get that there is a paid version of Playmemories ( which I do not want ) , However, I also learnt that there is a free version , but that this free version is available for ONLY the hardware launched during 2012 . This is pointing towards DSC HX 200v ( my guess ). When I , with my humble DSC HX 100v - purchased in Oct 2011, tried to use the software - I got a response that my hardware is not eligible to download the Mapview version.

Can somebody at Sony clarify / explain why this restriction was imposed ?

I have now removed Playmemories Home , reinstalled PMB version 5 from the CD that came with the camera ( luckily I was holding on to it ) and am happily using Mapview .

I fell in love with the DSC HX 100v for a number of reasons, and one of them was the facility of seeing my geo-tagged photos on a satellite view of the earth. I have been using this feature for the last 1 year during my travels - Dubai . Toronto and Jinan in China , to pinpoint the locations I visited. This helps me visualise my locations on the map - as many times - we travel courtesy the local hosts - and are unaware of where we went .

Maybe you don't know how to use the new software. PlayMemories Home is a free upgrade for *anyone* who has PMB. It does not matter what camera you have, PlayMemories replaces PMB.

PlayMemories works differently than PMB, which is why you may have missed the "launcher." You should check on this forum first before calling Sony or removing software, and we can help you use your new software.

In PlayMemories, you select a clip that has GPS coordinates, then you click an icon on the bottom left of the view panel. That puts the clip on a map. It works. My picture shows you it works. It works with my old Hx9v and my new GW77V.

Call sony direct, They are always helpful when I have questions. I also use Picasa for my sony pics. its free. http://picasa.google.com/

I keep downloading the new versions of PMH whenever they come out, like the 2.0 did a couple days ago.

Each time I install it I find the same missing feature that keeps me going back to PMB every time.

I like to geotag my photos, and not all of my cameras have integrated GPS receivers and even the ones that do won't get a lock if you are in a building, so I use PMB's excellent mapping "search" text-box at the bottom of the map-view to input a street address, or the name of the school, park, museum, etc. to find the exact location for tagging those photos.

With probably (in my experience) 95-99% proper resolution of that location as coordinates from that search, it makes it simple to tag the photos with the correct location.

So far, every single version (2.0 included) of PMH is absent this search text-box in the map-view. No clue why.

Probably a license thing with Google maybe?

Don't know, but without that key feature it's always uninstall and go right back to PMB 5.8.x again - like I'm doing right now.

Newbie here.
I was looking to see if Playmemories software would allow me to add music to video's, since PMB does not. I am glad I read this thread about 'upgrading' to Playmemories. Right now, I am not planning on 'upgrading'.

Any suggestions on overlaying video's audio track with music, etc?

I just upgraded to PlayMemories from PMB and now my custom "labels" that I had for tagging / searching / organizing my photos in PMB are missing. The photos, when displayed in PlayMemories, show evidence of tags but they've been renamed to a generic "New label (#).

Is there a way to get my prior labels back or do I just need to go back to prior system restore point to make everything right (using PMB)?

If you use a PC (Windows) you should have a free copy of Windows Movie Maker. That fee software program will add an audio (music) clip to a video clip and allow trimming/moving both.

Microsoft's website has the downloads for all "flavors" (operating system versions of Movie Maker)
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/get-movie-maker-download

There's a lot of misinformation about the Play Memories Home Program in this thread, that is mainly a result of people not taking the time to learn how to use it. In just the last few days, it has been upgraded to version 2.0. It looks very different and has more features. Disregard anything that has been said about PMH before this and download the 2.0 version, before making up your mind about it. For one thing, the ability to record Data DVDs has been restored. I find it to have the easiest and best quality for re-sizing photos, if you put the quality level on the highest option of 6.