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  1. Hi all,

    This is driving me nuts. I have some files that appear to be .avi files ... my copy of Nero will play them but there's so much lag that I want to try using Media Player Classic ... MPC pops up an error saying that the video is not installed, if I hit okay it'll then start to play the audio. (Windows Media Player doesn't give an error, skips straight to playing the audio only.)

    Using AVICodec I determined it was encoded with a Sony Digital Video format, and I found a thread on this website discussing different types of encodings ... I noticed that I saw DVSD mentioned in the MPC error, so I'm guessing that's what it is. I've tried installing a few different codecs but none of them are enabling me to play the video in any of my other video players other than Nero. The fact that Nero can play it leads me to believe that my PC can indeed play the video but I don't know how to get any other program to do so.

    Any help would be appreciated. TIA!
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  2. aBigMeanie aedipuss's Avatar
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    install the free mediainfo program and use it on the video in text mode. copy and paste all the results here.
    --
    "a lot of people are better dead" - prisoner KSC2-303
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  3. General
    Complete name : C:\Users\Steve\Desktop\Joseph Campbell - The Grail.avi
    Format : AVI
    Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave
    Commercial name : DV
    File size : 938 MiB
    Duration : 4mn 18s
    Overall bit rate mode : Constant
    Overall bit rate : 30.4 Mbps
    Recorded date : 2009-09-23 09:19:50.000

    Video
    ID : 0
    Format : DV
    Codec ID : dvsd
    Codec ID/Hint : Sony
    Duration : 4mn 18s
    Bit rate mode : Constant
    Bit rate : 24.4 Mbps
    Encoded bit rate : 28.8 Mbps
    Width : 720 pixels
    Height : 480 pixels
    Display aspect ratio : 4:3
    Frame rate mode : Constant
    Frame rate : 29.970 fps
    Standard : NTSC
    Color space : YUV
    Chroma subsampling : 4:1:1
    Bit depth : 8 bits
    Scan type : Interlaced
    Scan order : Bottom Field First
    Compression mode : Lossy
    Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 2.357
    Stream size : 887 MiB (95%)

    Audio
    ID : 1
    Format : PCM
    Format settings, Endianness : Little
    Format settings, Sign : Signed
    Codec ID : 1
    Duration : 4mn 18s
    Bit rate mode : Constant
    Bit rate : 1 536 Kbps
    Channel(s) : 2 channels
    Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
    Bit depth : 16 bits
    Stream size : 47.4 MiB (5%)
    Interleave, duration : 267 ms (7.99 video frames)
    Interleave, preload duration : 266 ms
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  4. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    That's standard DV video. Most every PC can play it because they come with DV codec as part of the basic installation of Directshow. Why can't yours play it correctly? Could be one or more of a lot of reasons:
    • Disc subsystem to slow for realtime playback (not so common these days, but still occurs)
    • Too many other processes
    • Some other codec/app has munged up the regular codec priority assignment (codec paks anyone?)
    • There is something corrupted in the video
    • (similar) it is not DV, but just masquerading as such in the headers. I only say this because the br doesn't match the expected 25Mbps.
    Scott

    edit:Can you upload a 15second clip?
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  5. I do have a codec pack installed however I don't understand how that has anything to do with the problem since I can play the file in Nero. I also don't think anything is corrupted in the file since I am able to play it.

    One thing I forgot to mention in my initial post ... my main boot OS is Windows 7. I can also boot into XP, and I have to in order to use some sound and video editing software. When I booted into XP to pull out a 15 second clip I discovered a few things. First, in the process of pulling out the 15 seconds I have to tell Nero what format to save it in. I told it to use AVI but when I booted back into 7 I used mediainfo and discovered that Nero had indeed re-encoded the output, so it's no longer DVSD. So no, I can't upload a 15 second clip.

    But prior to using Nero I had tried using Soundforge... I was able to open it up and play the video but I was restricted to editing audio only, which is why I then used Nero. It occurred to me that if SF was able to play the video that maybe other video programs would be able to play it in XP. Sure enough, both MPC and Windows Media Player were able to play it in XP ... just not 7.

    Now for a twist ... out of habit I install a few things whenever I bring up a fresh install. I believe I installed the same codec pack on 7 as I did on XP. It may be that some of the codecs in the pack are not supported by 7. However this doesn't explain why installing other individual AVI and DVSD codecs earlier today in 7 went smoothly on the install but had no impact on being able to play the video.
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    Originally Posted by Cornucopia View Post
    ... it is not DV, but just masquerading as such in the headers. I only say this because the br doesn't match the expected 25Mbps.
    The DV video bitrate is 25Mbps, but a packaged DV stream (which appears as the video track of an AVI file) also includes audio and other data (eg timecodes), taking the encoded bitrate to around 28.8Mbps (which is in line with the often-quoted ~13GB/hr).
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  7. Member Cornucopia's Avatar
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    !! Silly me. I forgot that MediaInfo shows IVAS streams as VIDS streams, which would, like you mentioned, show the combined bitrate. Thanks for reminding me, Gavino!

    @FlaPanther,
    Codec packs are notorious not for "corrupting a hard drive" or "loading up a virus", but for usurping the standard "chain of events" necessary for proper playback. If a current stock codec exists, installation of a codec pack doesn't destroy that codec, it just replaces it with one of its own. This would be no different that adding codecs one-at-a-time. EXCEPT WHEN THINGS GO WRONG.
    One of the cardinal rules of Troubleshooting is being able to ISOLATE a change made, to see if that change was appropriate or not. If a codec pack installs 50 codecs, you can't isolate the change - there's too many variables!

    You also need to understand that there are media players that use an existing subsystem (Directshow, ffdshow, Quicktime, etc) and there are media players that BYOB, or BYOC (codecs). They are "self-contained" and are unaffected by any changes, positive or negative, which may have been done to a subsystem. VLC and MPCHC are examples of these.

    So you need to be able to differentiate between what is happening with a subsystem and a player, and be able to make sure you have the codec for the appropriate platform: XP vs. 7, 32bit vs. 64bit. They don't mix & match well at all, you have to have all your ducks lined up.

    Scott
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  8. Member edDV's Avatar
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    VLC or MPCHC will play DV using internal codecs and both offer on the fly yadif deinterlace. The resulting playback is quite good to a computer display.
    Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
    http://www.kiva.org/about
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  9. I tried installing MPCHC but still get the error. Here's the error info, maybe it will help:

    C:\Users\Steve\Desktop\Joseph Campbell - The Grail.avi::Vid

    Media Type 0:
    --------------------------
    Video: DVSD 720x480 29.97fps

    AM_MEDIA_TYPE:
    majortype: MEDIATYPE_Video {73646976-0000-0010-8000-00AA00389B71}
    subtype: TIME_FORMAT_NONE {00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000}
    formattype: FORMAT_VideoInfo {05589F80-C356-11CE-BF01-00AA0055595A}
    bFixedSizeSamples: 1
    bTemporalCompression: 1
    lSampleSize: 1382400
    cbFormat: 88

    VIDEOINFOHEADER:
    rcSource: (0,0)-(720,480)
    rcTarget: (0,0)-(720,480)
    dwBitRate: 0
    dwBitErrorRate: 0
    AvgTimePerFrame: 333666

    BITMAPINFOHEADER:
    biSize: 40
    biWidth: 720
    biHeight: 480
    biPlanes: 1
    biBitCount: 24
    biCompression: dvsd
    biSizeImage: 120000
    biXPelsPerMeter: 1
    biYPelsPerMeter: 1
    biClrUsed: 0
    biClrImportant: 0

    pbFormat:
    0000: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 d0 02 00 00 e0 01 00 00 ........Ð...à...
    0010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 d0 02 00 00 e0 01 00 00 ........Ð...à...
    0020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 62 17 05 00 00 00 00 00 ........b.......
    0030: 28 00 00 00 d0 02 00 00 e0 01 00 00 01 00 18 00 (...Ð...à.......
    0040: 64 76 73 64 c0 d4 01 00 01 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 dvsdÀÔ..........
    0050: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ........
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  10. PS - according to this page it might be Indeo 5 but when I go to MPCHC -> Options -> Tweaks there's nothing there about managing VFW codecs...

    http://www.codecguide.com/faq_mpc.htm
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  11. Member edDV's Avatar
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    DV (dvsd) plays fine here on several computers.
    Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
    http://www.kiva.org/about
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  12. Thanks edDV, that's very helpful.
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  13. Member edDV's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by Fla_Panther View Post
    Thanks edDV, that's very helpful.
    OK try this

    1 save data
    2 format disk
    3 reinstall Windows with all updates, latest Direct X* and all mobo drivers
    4 avoid codec packs (exception ffdshow)
    5 if specific codecs are needed, install one at a time so they can be uninstalled if necessary

    * including DirectX runtime.
    http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35
    Last edited by edDV; 22nd May 2012 at 03:06.
    Recommends: Kiva.org - Loans that change lives.
    http://www.kiva.org/about
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