retrieving the orig...
 
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retrieving the original timestamp

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(@iammetx)
New Member
Joined: 14 years ago
Posts: 1
Topic starter  

Hello all )

I have a DVD that has a direct copy a DPS dash camera video. When I received the video from DPS, they sent a letter telling me that the time stamp in the closed captioning was wrong and to refer instead to the activity log. For several reasons that would take me hours to explain, I am having a hard time believing that the time stamp in the closed captioning is wrong like they say. One reason I can give is because the shadows in the video hint at different time of day, around the same time as what the closed captioning claims, but they say the closed captioning is wrong.

Now, at first I thought it was impossible to get any information from a copy in a DVD, but having read around, I am starting to believe that there is some permanent water mark or time stamp that gets transferred, regardless of whether it is a copy or not, and I would really like to know if that is possible and how I can go about retrieving that permanent time stamp.

The video is in mpeg format.

Any help is greatly appreciated and please let me know if you would like me to clarify anything. Thank you. )


   
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(@forensicakb)
Reputable Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 316
 

Are you talking about a burn time of the DVD, or metadata of the mpg file saying when it was filmed.

If you're talking about the film file and it's metadata think about the file being on MDT "A" and then being downloaded to another hard drive, and then to a DVD. That's a minimal amount of steps, but you can see there are a few times in there to alter the dates.

In the past I have taken videos and assessed the time based on anything which can be seen around, a passing by license plate, a delivery truck which can be seen driving by (pull those logs for deliveries) a pizza company. Also what about pulilng data from the person's car you are looking at through the camera.

Are you doing defense work?

Hello all )

I have a DVD that has a direct copy a DPS dash camera video. When I received the video from DPS, they sent a letter telling me that the time stamp in the closed captioning was wrong and to refer instead to the activity log. For several reasons that would take me hours to explain, I am having a hard time believing that the time stamp in the closed captioning is wrong like they say. One reason I can give is because the shadows in the video hint at different time of day, around the same time as what the closed captioning claims, but they say the closed captioning is wrong.

Now, at first I thought it was impossible to get any information from a copy in a DVD, but having read around, I am starting to believe that there is some permanent water mark or time stamp that gets transferred, regardless of whether it is a copy or not, and I would really like to know if that is possible and how I can go about retrieving that permanent time stamp.

The video is in mpeg format.

Any help is greatly appreciated and please let me know if you would like me to clarify anything. Thank you. )


   
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(@twjolson)
Honorable Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 417
 

I don't know if it is worth the expense, but there are experts that can tell the time based on shadows.

Can't give you anything more than that, as I only saw it on a Forensic Files episode once.


   
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(@mbarnes86)
Active Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 5
 

Hi

Is it just the time or is the date also encoded in the video ?

shadows may show time of day if location known

date time shown in video and on video file depends on camera clock being correct or not.

I regularly get problems caused by users not noticing date & time wrong
possible cause battery flat then replaced or re charged or 1 hour out due to summer / winter time zone change.

It is useful to know what date/time the camera clock starts at if not set
eg 01/01/2005 000000

(most of the video cameras I see do not have a separate clock battery)

regards
Mike Barnes


   
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jaclaz
(@jaclaz)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 5133
 

I don't know if it is worth the expense, but there are experts that can tell the time based on shadows.

Well, just for the record, you don't really *need* an "expert".

You can make a simulation through google Sketchup yourself.

Of course you need to know the exact location, date and the height of some buildings/objects/people that appear in the footage.
And of course you have to validate the results, so maybe not a "final" option, but at least good enough for a quick check.

jaclaz


   
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