Distance and Duration did not Continue in sometime (Virb Edit 2.4.0)

It works that way, duration and distance running from beginning to end without a problem, if you can record the entire session without turning the VIRB off until the end. It's when you stop the video and then restart that you start having problems, even for clips prior to the first stop. I have sub 2-hour videos that work flawlessly using the VIRB's data (provided I don't want temperature to show; sure wish 3.3 were out). But when a video goes over 2 hours and I have to change batteries, then there are problems. And when the VIRB freezes, of course, then, even if you're lucky and you notice right away so you don't lose any video, you lose all of the GPS/ANT+ data prior to the freeze, so you wind up having to replace the track anyway. I don't see why track alignment can be such a problem, but as I said, maybe I'm missing something.

This is quite a complex topic and could do with a help or FAQ section to explain further, but this is my understanding - Garmin peeps please jump in and correct me if I am wrong ...

When the VIRB Elite camera is powered on it starts writing a FIT file which will hold GPS information, note this is one file for the duration that the camera is actually powered on (nothing to do with video recording).

When video recording starts the VIRB elite writes a video file (MP4) and a GPX (GPS and ANT+ info) file for each recording. For long recordings over 20+ minutes there will be multiple files as the 4GB video file limit is reached, but there will still be a matching pair of MP4 and GPX files for each segment.

In older versions of VIRB Edit it just used the MP4 and GPX files, so when you added multiple video clips, the duration and distance got reset with each new file (if you have stopped recording and start recording again).

Now latest version of VIRB Edit (2.4.0) also imports the FIT file, so if you left the camera powered on for the whole duration of the activity (like a bike ride for instance) and just recorded various video clips along the way or indeed chopped up the video in VIRB edit later then VIRB Edit automagically recognises that there is also a FIT file and uses that to keep the GPS track, duration and distance in tact across the multiple video clips. This is great when it works, example below ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-uEP2Kjwd0

However I still think there are a few glitches here as VIRB Edit does not always seem to import the FIT file before the MP4/GPX files, and if this does not happen then the automagical matching does not occur as far as I can see. So maybe there needs to be a bit more visibility in VIRB Edit of what it has imported from the VIRB Elite and when it has chosen to use the FIT over the GPX file (it is all hidden under the hood at the moment).

Hello Steve,
great explanation, it makes a lot of sense and clarify many issues. In fact I have no problem in syncing video, tracks and ANT+ (I have two Virb Elite). The problem arises when I need to change the battery, as often it doesn't last for the entire ride (either Garmin should improve battery life or I should ride shorter activities ...). At that point the fit file is saved and a new one is created, so I (Virb Elite) end up with (at least) two fit files, and apparently there isn't an easy way to tell Virb Edit to join those two fit files into one. Ideally that could be done at the Virb Elite level, let say you switch off the camera, change the battery, when you switch the camera on it could ask "do you want continue with the previous ride Y/N?".

When the VIRB Elite camera is powered on it starts writing a FIT file which will hold GPS information, note this is one file for the duration that the camera is actually powered on (nothing to do with video recording).

When video recording starts the VIRB elite writes a video file (MP4) and a GPX (GPS and ANT+ info) file for each recording. For long recordings over 20+ minutes there will be multiple files as the 4GB video file limit is reached, but there will still be a matching pair of MP4 and GPX files for each segment.

In older versions of VIRB Edit it just used the MP4 and GPX files, so when you added multiple video clips, the duration and distance got reset with each new file (if you have stopped recording and start recording again).

Now latest version of VIRB Edit (2.4.0) also imports the FIT file, so if you left the camera powered on for the whole duration of the activity (like a bike ride for instance) and just recorded various video clips along the way or indeed chopped up the video in VIRB edit later then VIRB Edit automagically recognises that there is also a FIT file and uses that to keep the GPS track, duration and distance in tact across the multiple video clips. This is great when it works, example below ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-uEP2Kjwd0

However I still think there are a few glitches here as VIRB Edit does not always seem to import the FIT file before the MP4/GPX files, and if this does not happen then the automagical matching does not occur as far as I can see. So maybe there needs to be a bit more visibility in VIRB Edit of what it has imported from the VIRB Elite and when it has chosen to use the FIT over the GPX file (it is all hidden under the hood at the moment).

That's all correct. We'll work on making this work more reliably. If you have a way to consistently reproduce when this goes wrong (other than when the camera crashes or you have to change batteries), please let us know.

I have a workaround in mind, at least until Garmin engineers fix the issue at the Virb firmware level or Virb Edit. Let's say I had to switch the Virb off once to change the battery (like it happened to me today), so I end up with two fit files covering the whole activity and related to the clips. Merging the two fit files into one and replacing the two fit files in the Virb Elite memory card (located in NO_NAME\Garmin\Activity (and naming the file as the first fit file?) would probably make the trick. I would like to give a try, but the only tool I know that merges two fit files into one is "Fit file repair tool" which costs $50 :-( so I have no intention to spend $50 just to make a test.

If anybody has access to that tool and is so kind to do that for me, I would send him/her the files (unfortunately I cannot attach them here because both are bigger than 100 KB). I will then try the workaround. Thank you.

I have that tool - set yourself up a free Dropbox account and then put your two fit files into it and share the links to them back here.

cheers
Mike

Try this:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/s5jtkujeq24hqcp/VG-d5SU5iR

have joined your two .fit files together. You battery change took exactly 1 minute and occurred at 2:01:59 into the ride. Having a look at the data around that time, it then takes approximately 1min 45secs till the Virb starts registering proper distance and speed values again.

Hope the joined file is of some use to you.

Cheers
Mike