Large video file

[Keith Ludden]

Help! I have 3-hour interview in a large MP4 video file (12GB) That I need to get to a client. It's too big to put on a CD at this point. I can't use iDVD (again, it's too big), and when I try to load it to a 64 GB thumb drive, the message comes back indicating the file is too big for the format of the thumb drive. Any ideas out there?

Many, many thanks! (Please don't laugh)

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

You are probably getting the "the file is too big for the format of the thumb drive" message because the flash drive is formatted as FAT32, which has a file size limitation of 2 or 4 GB, depending on whether Large File Support (LFS) is used. What kind of computer is the recipient using? If it is a Mac, you can format the flash drive as Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) using a GUID partition table, which will allow you to successfully store that video file.

You could also use service like iCloud (5 GB), Google Drive (15 GB), or Dropbox (2 GB), or OneCloud (15 GB). For some of those services you will have to pay a small fee to increase their storage capacity (in parenthesis).

C

 

[Keith Ludden]

Hello and welcome.

You are probably getting the "the file is too big for the format of the thumb drive" message because the flash drive is formatted as FAT32, which has a file size limitation of 2 or 4 GB, depending on whether Large File Support (LFS) is used. What kind of computer is the recipient using? If it is a Mac, you can format the flash drive as Mac OS X Extended (Journaled) using a GUID partition table, which will allow you to successfully store that video file.

You could also use service like iCloud (5 GB), Google Drive (15 GB), or Dropbox (2 GB), or OneCloud (15 GB). For some of those services you will have to pay a small fee to increase their storage capacity (in parenthesis).

C

Many, many thanks!. I'm not familiar with the formatting for thumb drives. Can you point me to any tutorials? I may ultimately have to step back and re-configure the project, dividing it into a series of smaller files.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Sure...

-Which version of OS X?
-Are they running a Mac as well?
-Is the USB flash drive empty?

C

 

[Keith Ludden]

Sure...

-Which version of OS X?
-Are they running a Mac as well?
-Is the USB flash drive empty?

C

Thanks, I found a tutorial, and it appears to be working. I am running El Capitan (10.11.2). I think the clients are PC folks. Will the file open on a PC?

 

[Cory Cooper]

Which tutorial? If you want it for PCs, then you need to erase it as Format: exFAT and Scheme: MasterBoot Record. That will allow the 12 GB file to be copied successfully.

C

 

[Keith Ludden]

Which tutorial? If you want it for PCs, then you need to erase it as Format: exFAT and Scheme: MasterBoot Record. That will allow the 12 GB file to be copied successfully.

C

This is the link I found: http://www.integralmemory.com/faq/how-do-i-format-my-usb-flash-drive-on-a-mac. The file appears to be copying to the flash drive. That will at least allow me to back it up if I want to go into the original project and reconfigure it, dividing it into smaller pieces. The flash drive was reformatted to Mac extended journaled.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Those screenshots are from the older version of Disk Utility. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) will not be able to be read by the PCs. Follow my directions above for exFAT and Master Boot Record. That can be read by both Macs and PCs.

C

 

[Keith Ludden]

Those screenshots are from the older version of Disk Utility. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) will not be able to be read by the PCs. Follow my directions above for exFAT and Master Boot Record. That can be read by both Macs and PCs.

C

Do you mean that the correct format I am looking for is exFAT? I am not seeing any reference to "Master Boot Record."

 

[Cory Cooper]

Yes. I Disk Utility in El Capitan, when you click on the USB flash drive device, not the volume name in the list on the left and select Erase, in the box that pops up you will see:

Name: Name it what you want
Format: exFAT
Scheme: Master Boot Record.

That is what you want to use.

C