Mpeg2 to .divx: "This AVI Is Broken" Problem

[Tom Saurus]

For several months now I have been taking my mpeg2 files and been converting them to .divx. I have been very pleased with the results. Though the last 3 or 4 days I have been running across a problem with VLC when I check my converted files with "This AVI Is Broken". I allow VLC to make the repair and it plays fine. I even burned the file along with other files without this problem to a data DVD and the Phillips 5140 played it fine.

What has me puzzled is that I have nearly a 100% success rate up to now and not had this problem before and now it is happing quite frequently. I installed an updated version of Spybot Search & Destroy on my computer and I think it runs more system resources and part of me thinks there is a connection there. I tend to leave the computer alone while it is encoding the .divx file, and unless something kicks in the background like my anti-virus updating itself, my computer is dedicated to that one task.

Converting files to .divx saves me alot of room on my hard drive and I find them to be nearly the same quality as my original mpeg2 files. I would just use AVI Demux or Auto GK for this work, but for whatever reason my mpeg2 files do not play smoothly in the XVid format. Whatever the "Home Theater" profile does in the .divx format it makes my files play smoothly; even during fast action scenes.

If anyone has any advice, or thoughts on this topics, I thank you in advance.

[guns1inger]

Unless you enable tea-timer, spybot only runs when invoked, so I doubt that it has anything to do with your problem. The real-spybot is not a real-time scanner like an anti-virus tool. Also, a program using more system resources may slow down encoding, but should not affect the actual quality of the result.

I use you are now just using the Divx Converter from Divx ? It actually does a lot less that AutoGK when it comes to preparing the image, so I am surpised that you get better results. AutoGK can convert to Divx as well as Xvid.

[Tom Saurus]

gunslinger: Thank you for your input. It was kind of you to take the time to answer my question.

Actually I think I have TeaTimer turned on in the Spybot Program.

I use a Tmpgenc Program to convert to .divx. If I have a progressive source like a DVD I have backuped onto my harddrive, then AutoGK produces a very nice XVid file, and that file plays smoothly and is easy on the eyes. When it comes to files I capture to Mpeg2 and then use AutoGK or AviDemux to converted to XVid, the resulting files are hard on the eyes when I watch them. It has something to do with Interlace. I noticed that the Tmpgenc program, gives me a smooth playing file and I just leave it as 720x480, 2 pass encoding of the video and I select mp3 as the audio and I assume it is cbr audio, which is what I would want it to be anyway. It exports it as .divx file and I like the results.

I use Womble Mpeg Video Wizard to edit my mpeg2 files. This "AVI Is Broken" problem just happened on another file I just converted. This is getting me a tad worried, because I really like converting to .divx. I can fit 9 of my mom's soap opera episodes to a disc and that is kind of cool in my book.

I think one might have problems with a file if something happened while the .divx file is finalizing in the program. It builds the file and then in the last minute or two the .divx file is finalized just like when one is building a dvd, in the last minute or two the .vob is finalized.

[guns1inger]

The broken message usually comes from a corrupt index. Try Divxfix to see if it can repair it.

I use AutoGK to convert OTA digital broadcasts to Xvid after editing in Womble and don't see the problems you describe - curious.

[Tom Saurus]

gunslinger: My projects have all turned out right since I shut off the Tea Timer part of Spybot Search & Destroy. So maybe there was some kind of issue there, after all. Thank you for the additional information you have provided.

[guns1inger]

Curious that tea timer would do that. I don't use the tea timer aspect myself, only the manual scanner. Something to keep in mind though.

[Tom Saurus]

Another problem file this morning. VLC says "This AVI Is Broken", it also says when I press Cancel that "unrecognized format". I had a string of files turn out perfect yesterday and now I ran across this again.

I am wondering if when a person is encoding to .divx or another format, if one's anti-virus decides to update itself, whether that overwelmes the process at some critical point. If I task monitor running when a file is being encoding it shows that it is using alot of processing power. Now my anti-virus which is Norton, kicks in it can briefly use a bunch of resources and the combined of the two is probably over 100 percent, even though I have a dual core.

I am kind of at a loss here. This is bugging me. The only other thing new on my computer other than the new spybot is a Java Update that asked to be installed. I figured that was safe, so I let it go through. Does anyone have some advice for me on this issue. So far if I let VLC repair the index, the file will play, it will even play without that. But it worries me that it doesn't automatically accept these files like it once did, atleast in some cases.

Is there some reason why Index's get broken? Thank you in advance for any advice you can give me on this matter.

[Tom Saurus]

I had success with one project this morning. Then I took a mpeg2 file that had the "Avi Is Broken" after it had been converted to .divx and put it through the program again for a second attempt. But before these two projects I turned off "Automatic Update" in my Norton Anti-Virus and I manually checked for an update. So anyway the project has the same exact problem.

Is there something that can happen to an mpeg2 file that causes a Indexing problem to happen when converting to .divx? Could stuff like this boil down to not having defragged my hard drives for quite sometime because I have so much stuff on them. Which is why I am converting to .divx in the first place to free up room and offload onto a data DVD, to free up space to shorten the time of defragging.

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give me concerning this matter.