Drones have made aerial videography and photography very accessible and easy. If you attend any social gathering or sporting event, you can easily see a drone capturing the event. According to Grand View Research, the global market share of commercial drones is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13.9% from 2023 to 2030, highlighting the dominance drones have created.
DJI, or Da-Jiang Innovations, is one of the major commercial drone manufacturing companies, producing high-quality, user-friendly drones, But these devices are not flawless they also suffer problems like video corruption.
Several factors like improper handling, sudden power loss during the shoot or transfer, faulty SD card, or interrupted transfer can corrupt DJI files. Without further discussion, let us jump straight to repairing DJI video files starting with quick fixes.
Quick Fixes To Resolve The “DJI Video Not Playing” Issue
- Try a different Media Player:
When the DJI videos don’t play on the current media player, use a different media player like VLC or KMPlayer with wide codec compatibility.
- Re-inserting the SD card:
Reinsert the memory card into the drone and let it boot up. After a few minutes, turn the drone off and remove the SD card. This will fix the software glitches. Now connect the SD card to a computer and try playing the video file.
Did this repair DJI videos? Great. If not, continue reading the next section for more advanced troubleshooting.
3 Solutions on “How to Repair corrupt DJI MP4/MOV Video Files?
Recommended: Before beginning any repair, ensure to first make a copy of the original file to prevent any further damage.
Method 1: djifix to Repair DJI Video File
‘Djifix’ is a command-line application that repairs corrupt videos shot with DJI drones like Spark, Inspire, Mavic, and Phantom.
Though it a open-sourced. However, the program has limitations as it supports only the original file that comes from your DJI SD card and is available only on 32-bit Windows and macOS X.
- Download djifix and launch it.
- Move the downloaded file to the Movies folder.
- Note: rename ‘djifix.dms’ to ‘djifix’(remove dms extension).
- Move the corrupt DJI video file to the Movies folder and Run the terminal
- Now type:
cd Movieschmod +x djifix./djifix name-of-video-file-to-repair-including-any-.MP4-or-.MOV-filename suffix
Method 2: Repair Corrupt DJI Video Files using VLC Media Player
Utilize the VLC media player’s repair function to address minor file index issues in AVI videos. You’ll need to change your video file extension to AVI to access this feature. After repairing the DJI video file, you can export it to a different location.
Follow the below steps to repair corrupt DJI drone videos using the VLC Player:
1. Open VLC Media Player.
2. Go to Tools>Preferences, and in the Simple Preferences window, click Input/Codecs.
3. Besides the Damaged or incomplete AVI file option, select the Always Fix option from the dropdown.
4. Finally, click Save. Now try to play your DJI video file.
If the drone video is still corrupt or unplayable, then move on to the next method.
Method 3: Repair Corrupt DJI Videos using Video Repair software
Opt for a video repair tool capable of handling severely corrupted videos with broken indexes or missing codecs, supporting DJI video file formats such as MOV and MP4.
We suggest you try Remo Video Repair software to effectively repair corrupt MP4 or MOV videos from DJI drones. This tool it’s easy to use and fixes severely corrupted DJI files with a few clicks.
Step 1: Download and install Remo Video Repair software and click on Select File to choose the damaged DJI video file.
Step 2: Click on the Repair to begin the video repair process.
(If the DJI video file is severely corrupted, then the tool will ask for a reference video)
The tool starts preparing the corrupt video file.
Step 3: Once the repair process is completed, preview the video file. If satisfied, click on the Save button to browse any location of your choice to restore it.
Tips to Avoid DJI Video File Corruption
- Quality SD cards: Always opt for high-quality, branded SD cards that are compatible with your drone model.
- Keep Your SD Card Safe: Do not connect your drone SD card to corrupt devices and protect it from physical damage.
- Proper Usage: Properly eject the SD card from your DJI drone camera after the shoot.
- Backup: Take a backup of your important DJI video files before editing or transferring them.
- Maintain sufficient battery: Charge your drone’s battery fully before flying to avoid sudden shutdowns and video file corruption.
Conclusion
We conclude the article here, hoping these solutions helped fix DJI video files and saved you reshoot time and budget. Feel free to choose any solution listed here based on your preference.
If you notice signs of video corruption like not being able to open the file, video stuttering or any error messages try using a reliable video repair software like Remo Video Repair for the best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, outdated or buggy firmware in DJI drones can lead to video file corruption by causing improper recording or file writing errors. To address this, check for firmware updates in the DJI Go or DJI Fly app and install the latest version. Before updating, back up existing videos and ensure the drone’s battery is fully charged. If corruption persists after updating, contact DJI support to report potential firmware bugs. Or reset the drone to factory settings after backing up data.
If the suggested methods fail, the corruption may be due to severe SD card damage, encrypted files, or hardware issues. First, test the SD card for physical damage using a tool like H2testw or CHKDSK; if it’s faulty, professional data recovery services may be needed. If the file is critical, contact DJI support with details of the drone model and error for specialized assistance. Or consider professional video recovery services.
While corruption risks depend more on usage than model, older DJI models like the Phantom 3 or Spark may face issues. Due to outdated hardware or firmware, especially with high-capacity SD cards. To check SD card compatibility, refer to your drone’s manual or DJI’s official website for a list of supported cards (e.g., UHS-I Speed Class 3 for Mavic series). Use cards from reputable brands like SanDisk or Samsung. Format them in the drone before recording to ensure optimal performance and reduce corruption risks.
