Continuous Video Scripts

Canon P&S cameras are limited to a 4G file size when saving video files on a FAT formatted SD card. Listed below are three scripts that will automatically restart the video recording process periodically to overcome this issue.

Script 1

The first script is a simple uBASIC script that can be used to periodically restart video recording to get around this 4G file size limit. It repeatedly creates a new video file after a user defined interval, allowing recording until the SD card fills with only a brief gap between each video file. Save it to your SD card with a .bas extension (ex: video.bas).

(script 1a is for camera that do not have a video button)

@title MultiMovie 1a
@param x minutes per file
@default x 10
press "shoot_half"  
sleep 2000 
release "shoot_half"
:loop
	print "segment started..."
	click "shoot_full" 
	s=get_tick_count 
	do 
		sleep 500 
	until x<=((get_tick_count-s)/60000 )
	click "shoot_full" 
	do 
		sleep 100 
	until get_movie_status=1 
goto "loop"
end

.

(script 1b is for camera with a seperate video button)

@title MultiMovie 1b
@param x minutes per file
@default x 10
press "shoot_half"  
sleep 2000 
release "shoot_half"
:loop
    print "segment started..."
    press "video" 
    sleep 2000
    release "video"
    s=get_tick_count 
    do 
        sleep 500 
    until x<=((get_tick_count-s)/60000 )
    press "video" 
    sleep 2000
    release "video"
    do 
        sleep 100 
    until get_movie_status<2
    sleep 1000
goto "loop"
end

Script 2

The second script is a slightly fancier version of the first script, with improved status messages, the ability to index to a new file by pressing the "SET" button and the ability to disable the backlight by pressing the "DISP" button. Note : when the LCD backlight is off, there is code to blink one of the camera LED's to indicate that the script is still running. You may have to change the LED number from 4 to something else for your camera in two places where it say set_led 4 0

The script only works on cameras without a dedicated video button.

@title MultiMovie 2
@param x minutes per file
@default x 15
   f=0
   print "recording started..."
   press "shoot_half" 
   sleep 1500
   b=1
   l=0
:new
   f=f+1 
   click "shoot_full" 
   if f=1 then release "shoot_half"
   print "starting file :";f
   e=get_tick_count+(x*60000)
   p=get_tick_count+1000
   if b=0 then set_backlight 0
:loop
   if is_pressed "set" then goto "reload"
   if is_pressed "display" then
     if b=0 then	
         b=1	 
         set_backlight 1
         sleep 1000
     else
         b=0
         set_backlight 0
         sleep 1000
      endif
   endif
   t=get_tick_count
   if t > e then goto "reload" 
   if t < p then goto "loop"
   p=get_tick_count+1000
   m=(e-t)/60000
   s=((e-t)%60000)/1000
   cls
   print "file:";f,"time left:";m;"m ";s;"s"  
   if b=0 then	   
      if l=0 then
         set_led 4 0
         l=4
      else
        l=l-1
        if l=0 then
          set_led 4 1
        endif   
      endif
   endif
   goto "loop"

:reload
   print "reloading..." 
   click "shoot_full" 
   do 
     sleep 100 
   until get_movie_status=1
   goto "new"

:restore
   if b=0 then set_backlight 1
   if get_movie_status=4 then click "shoot_full"
   print "recording halted"
end

Modified from a script written by outslider and posted on the CHDK forum by Vash11779

.

Script 3

Listed below is a more sophisticated script written in Lua by msl.

This script allows you to turn the backlight on & off by pressing the DISP button, halt the script by pressing the MENU button and restart recording by pressing the SET button. It works on cameras with and without a dedicated video button.

Save it to your SD card with a .lua extension (e.g. vid_ext.lua). Note : CHDK 1.1 or newer is required to run this script.

--[[
********************************
Licence: GPL
(c) msl 2012/04/25
********************************
@title ExtendedVideo 
@param a Auto (re)start [1]
@default a 1
@param b Time in s 0=max
@default b 0
]]

function StartStopVideo()
    local rec, vid = get_mode()
    local vid_button = get_video_button() -- get_video_button() available changeset 1829
    if rec == true and vid == true  and vid_button == 0 then
        press("shoot_full")
        sleep(300)
        release("shoot_full")
    elseif rec == true and vid_button == 1 then
        click("video")
    end
end

function restore()
    if get_movie_status() == 4 then StartStopVideo() end
    cls()
    set_console_layout(0,0,25,5)
    set_console_autoredraw(1)
end

if a<0 or a>1 then a=0 end
if b<0 then b=0 end
restart = a
record_time = b
BL=0
TC=false
time_start = 0
time_now = 0

set_console_layout(9,1,39,6)
if restart==1 then
    cls()
    print("Automatic Video (Re)Start")
    if record_time > 0 then print("record time:", record_time, "s") end
    sleep(2000)
end
set_console_autoredraw(0)

while true do
    if TC == false and record_time > 0 then
        time_start = get_tick_count()
        TC = true
    end
    cls()
    if restart ~= 1 then print("[SET] Start/Stop Video") end
    print("[DISP]  On/Off Backlight")
    print("[MENU]  End")
    console_redraw()
    wait_click(900)
    if is_pressed("display") then
        set_backlight(BL)
        if BL == 1 then BL=0 else BL=1 end
    end
    if is_pressed("set") and restart ~= 1 then
        StartStopVideo()
    end
    if is_pressed("menu") then
        restore()
        break
    end
    if TC == true and record_time > 0 then
        if get_tick_count() - time_start >= record_time * 1000 + 2000 then
            StartStopVideo() -- stop video
            TC = false
        end
    end
    status = get_movie_status()
    if (status < 4 or status > 4) and restart == 1 then
        StartStopVideo()
        cls()
        print("Start recording")
        console_redraw()
        sleep(5000)
        if BL == 1 then set_backlight(0) end
    end
end

Based on discussion in this forum thread : sx230, unlimited video, 4GB file limit