A Gig of posts but any simple guidelines for Phillips DVP642

[Raycaster]

First I would like to apologize, as I'm asking the same question post several times already. Unfortuneatly the mass of posts regarding the DVP642 makes it hard for a newbie to decypher.

Is there a simple guideline on what files work (Divx & Xvid) specific with DVP642?

Which utilty is best to analyze the avi to find potential playback problems?

Which Utility is best to re-encode a possible problem xvid or divx?

Which firmware is the best (hacked or unhacked) for playback?

I've tried 3 "torrent" divx/xvid files so far and have encountered "chroma-effects" on one and the 2 others lost sound sync quickly.

Please don't flame as I have cut & pasted from several posts for the answers but many cross thread and some don't agree with others. The FW is different in some solutions as is the region and NTSC/PAL.

Thank you very much for your time.

[somebodeez]

For the 642, I'm sticking with DivX 5.

Xivds will play but depending on what matrices have been used, some may not play correctly (you may see pictures with colors that are trippy looking - this may be fixed with the menu system button trick that has been mentioned in other threads but sometimes not. Sometimes they look absolutely fantastic on my PC but look just awful on my 642). Also, Xvids over 2000 kb/s seem to have issues on my player while this doesn't seem to be a problem using DivX. (don't get me wrong - I am in no way cutting XviD down. I have seen some that look just great on the 642 but it's a crap shoot if they are XviDs that you received from someone else).

Perhaps someone who has the 642 and more experience using XviD can post here to help you with that if you would rather use XviD than DivX. 8)
It'll be great when the manufacturers of these players can get them up to par with the codecs!

GSpot is an excellent tool to help you analyze the avi to find potential playback problems
It will let you know if your AVI has been encoded with QPEL (both DivX files and Xvids) and/or GMC (with XviDs).
If you see that, you will need to re-encode.

For re-encoding problem files, I like Virtualdubmod

For files that are out of sync or drift out of sync, do they play back that way on your pc? If so, you'll need to resync the audio on your pc and burn again.

BTW - rewritable dvdrs are wonderful for testing files on your player

If the files are ok on your pc but drift out of sync on the 642, you can try hitting the backwards button and then the FF button a time or two.

If the files with problem audio are AC3, you can do a quick interleave with Vdubmod and see if that helps.

It is hard to declare absolutely what is The Best because we are individuals with individual needs, preferences, tastes and set ups
That's why you'll find so many varying opinions. What is best for 1 might not be best for you.
The things I have posted above are what seem to be the best for me.

I hope they will help you find what is best for you.

[Raycaster]

thx for the reply, as it sheds more light on the items to watch for.

I am not sure if this is possible but...

Is there a simple template to use for Virtualdub or Tmpenc that I could feed the xvid files in and re-encode for 100% compatibility?

I just constantly find myself having to rewind and ff to resync the sound on xvid files I have written to DVDRWs.

The files are standard xvid tv shows downloaded with bit torrent. Even with my sat pvr it just sometimes is easier to download!

The files always produce nice video but as mentioned the sound looses sync 5 minutes in... If they files use AC3 does that cause problems?

You are in breach of the forum rules and are being issued with a formal warning. Downloading tv shows is not a topic allowed for discussion. Warez.
/ Moderator lordsmurf