Gapless video playback

[punisa]

Hello,

gapless audio playback has been around for some time, but I was rather surprised that there are no options for gapless video playback ?
I just hope that it can be archived.

What do I mean? A playlist with several video clips that playback without the annoying 1/2 seconds black gap (time varies).
I know, I can merge the videos. But for this project (advertising presentation) I must have the playlist (video clip order changes often) which plays clip by clip.

The best solution would be if there was a way to do it with media player classic as I usually play all my video files with it.

What's your take on the subject? Can it be archived and how?

Thanks in advance folks !

[AlanHK]

You could use Avisynth scripts as your "playlists".
MPC can play AVS files.
Then the list of files acts like a single AVI file, no gaps unless you want them.

There are some limitations, while it plays smoothly enough, but seeking forward or back may delay a bit.

[punisa]

Hi AlanHK, thanks for advice : )
I downloaded Avisynth, but I'm totally puzzled over how it works. You suggest I make a avs file that will function as a playlist? Hmm... how would I do that ? : P

I'm currently using a M3U file as a playlist

[AlanHK]

Hi AlanHK, thanks for advice : )
I downloaded Avisynth, but I'm totally puzzled over how it works. You suggest I make a avs file that will function as a playlist? Hmm... how would I do that ? : P

I'm currently using a M3U file as a playlist

AVS files are lists of transformations of media files.
Most simply, loading and joining them.

You make an AVS file, save it as text, then open it with an Avisynth-aware program (which includes MPC) and you see the result, or can save it to a new media file in another format.

For example, AVI files, you could load them with a one line file like this:

AVISource("whatever.avi")
(save it as "whatever.avs", say.

For two videos, one after the other, you might do

AVISource("whatever1.avi") ++\
AVISource("whatever2.avi")

The ++ is a joining operator, the \ means continued on the next line.

It will take a while to get your head around this, but when you do it's enormously powerful and flexible. When you install Avisynth it includes a bunch of documentation in HTML files.

[sikoone]

Try Zoom Player 5.0. It has an experimental Seamless playback mode that works pretty well.

[punisa]

Hi AlanHK, thanks for advice : )
I downloaded Avisynth, but I'm totally puzzled over how it works. You suggest I make a avs file that will function as a playlist? Hmm... how would I do that ? : P

I'm currently using a M3U file as a playlist

AVS files are lists of transformations of media files.
Most simply, loading and joining them.

You make an AVS file, save it as text, then open it with an Avisynth-aware program (which includes MPC) and you see the result, or can save it to a new media file in another format.

For example, AVI files, you could load them with a one line file like this:

AVISource("whatever.avi")
(save it as "whatever.avs", say.

For two videos, one after the other, you might do

AVISource("whatever1.avi") ++\
AVISource("whatever2.avi")

The ++ is a joining operator, the \ means continued on the next line.

It will take a while to get your head around this, but when you do it's enormously powerful and flexible. When you install Avisynth it includes a bunch of documentation in HTML files.

Great stuff, I tried it out and it works nice. But what if I have many formats (mpeg, wmv, flv, swf just to name a few) ? I think this is only for AVI files right?

[guns1inger]

If you have the correct DirectShow filters installed, AVISynth can open most formats. Instead of AVISource(), use DirectShowSource(). FFDShow will cover most formats needed.

[AlanHK]

Great stuff, I tried it out and it works nice. But what if I have many formats (mpeg, wmv, flv, swf just to name a few) ? I think this is only for AVI files right?

As I said, you'll have to read up the documentation.

Start at http://avisynth.org/mediawiki/Main_Page

See http://avisynth.org/mediawiki/Internal_filters for the "media filters" which enable various kinds of media to be opened in a script. These are the built-in, "internal" ones.

There are also many useful "external filters" -- ones you have to download and install separately.
See http://avisynth.org/mediawiki/External_plugins#Source_Filters for several of these.

If you're unsure how to load a particular file, often just Google "avisynth filetype" will give you a hint and with luck some script samples you can try.

Note that the Doom 9 forum is probably the best forum for Avisynth.

[DereX888]

Hello,

gapless audio playback has been around for some time, but I was rather surprised that there are no options for gapless video playback ?
I just hope that it can be archived.

What do I mean? A playlist with several video clips that playback without the annoying 1/2 seconds black gap (time varies).
I know, I can merge the videos. But for this project (advertising presentation) I must have the playlist (video clip order changes often) which plays clip by clip.

The best solution would be if there was a way to do it with media player classic as I usually play all my video files with it.

What's your take on the subject? Can it be archived and how?

Thanks in advance folks !

I understand you are talking about various AVI or MPEG-4 files, which are not any official international standards.
If you would have used what is the standard (i.e. DVD-Video formats) you would have known that "gapless" playback was always possible and existed there...

[punisa]

Hello,

gapless audio playback has been around for some time, but I was rather surprised that there are no options for gapless video playback ?
I just hope that it can be archived.

What do I mean? A playlist with several video clips that playback without the annoying 1/2 seconds black gap (time varies).
I know, I can merge the videos. But for this project (advertising presentation) I must have the playlist (video clip order changes often) which plays clip by clip.

The best solution would be if there was a way to do it with media player classic as I usually play all my video files with it.

What's your take on the subject? Can it be archived and how?

Thanks in advance folks !

I understand you are talking about various AVI or MPEG-4 files, which are not any official international standards.
If you would have used what is the standard (i.e. DVD-Video formats) you would have known that "gapless" playback was always possible and existed there...

Hey DereX888, thank you for your input. I know that using universal standards would benefit my problems. Unfortunately situation is rather tricky, this is a public video panel and users upload all kinds of video formats to it. The reason why I chose to go with MPC is its great compatibility and endurance.

I completed this project more or less 99%, the only obstacle I can not get resolved are these small black gaps which really stand out

As I tried contacting MPC authors with no luck, I'll dig in into the advice AlanHK gave and try to learn more about avisynth.

Then again, if anyone else has an idea, please do come forward

[DereX888]

Hey DereX888, thank you for your input. I know that using universal standards would benefit my problems. Unfortunately situation is rather tricky, this is a public video panel and users upload all kinds of video formats to it. The reason why I chose to go with MPC is its great compatibility and endurance.

I completed this project more or less 99%, the only obstacle I can not get resolved are these small black gaps which really stand out

As I tried contacting MPC authors with no luck, I'll dig in into the advice AlanHK gave and try to learn more about avisynth.

Then again, if anyone else has an idea, please do come forward

I don't understand what is "public video panel" in this case, so I'm not sure what you really need here. But if I was to make a Data Disc containing various AVIs to be playable at full screen "gaplessly" I would have used some standalone player (like those old Macromedia Presenter or Player whatever its name was) and set autorun.inf to invoke my playlist with it. I made few "miniCD business cards" few years ago exactly this way. The "projector" autorun (on Windoze only ofcourse) in fullscreen when disc was inserted, and it played the files according to the set playlist. I say "projector" because it wasn't a player on its own, it was in fact using windoze's WMP6 in a frame within itself, adding navigation buttons etc, and it wasnt limited to videos only (pictures or just audio files as well - anything)
Im pretty sure you could implement it in a webpage too, the "projector" was small size AFAIR (although as I said - I don't know how is this "public video panel" of yours working).

On the other hand if you start MPC in a full screen from start of your playlist (or WMP6 or almost any other player except for stupid WMP7/8/9/10/11) it will not return to window mode between tracks, it will retain black screen or last frame of last video's (depend on player used) until new file starts for that half-second-or-so gap between them. It doesn't look like there is a gap, more like "black silence" like in the end of movies.
HTH

[punisa]

I don't understand what is "public video panel" in this case, so I'm not sure what you really need here.

A plasma or a LCD screen connected to a small barebone computer. Needs to play full screen videos in a shopping mall.
Guess that would be a long definition

[DereX888]

I don't understand what is "public video panel" in this case, so I'm not sure what you really need here.

A plasma or a LCD screen connected to a small barebone computer. Needs to play full screen videos in a shopping mall.
Guess that would be a long definition

LOL I thought it was some kind of public board (web page where everyonecan add their clips, like uboob etc)