mpg4/mpv to avi ....No Video

[trueman]

Im trying to convert an mpg4/mov file to an avi file to use in my video editor but am not having any luck. The original mpeg4/mov file wont play in quciktime and gives a runtime error in WMP 11 but will play in GOM player.

I used tmpgenc express and quicktime pro to convert the file to AVI but when I play it the audio is heard but the video screen is a white rectangle instead no matter what I try to play it in.

Any suggestions as to how to fix this?

[DJRumpy]

Try FFDShow. Sounds like your missing a necessary codec. QuickTime supports very few of the MP4 profiles. Yours was probably encoded with Nero or MEGUI or something similar.

[trueman]

Ive installed ffdshow and it hasnt made a difference unless I was supposed to set it up somehow. Ive never had a problem playing any type of video file before on my system. I thought converting it would fix the problem. I even tried running the converted avi file through divx convertor and got an error message that it contains an invalid video stream.

[DJRumpy]

It's possible that your source file is corrupt then. Have you ever successfully converted any other MP4 files?

[trueman]

Even when I try to put it into tmpgenc dvd author and runa simulation just before processing it shows a blank screen but I can hear audio.

[trueman]

heres what Gom player tells me about the file
*** DIRECTSHOW FILTER LIST ***
1. Default DirectSound Device
2. VMR9 - Renderless mode
3. Gretech Audio
4. Gretech Video
5. CoreAAC Audio Decoder
6. Gretech MP4 Source


*** VIDEO INFO ***
Input Type : AVC1(GVC)
Input Size : 576 x 320
Output Type : YUY2
Output Size : 576 x 320
FrameRate(Frame/sec) : 0.00 (25.00)


*** AUDIO INFO ***
SampleRate(Sample/sec) : 48000
BitRate(Bit/sample) : 16
Channels : 2
KBitRate(KBit/sec) : 95

[trueman]

Ive never really needed to. I will admit the source file wont play in Quicktime either only in Gom Player or WMP.
Is there a way I can fix the source file at all so I can convert it to either avi or even DVD?

[DJRumpy]

The fact that you can play it via DirectShow would indicate it can probably be converted. You might also try Haali Media Splitter to see if it helps.

[trueman]

How do you use this haali media splitter when I drag the mpg4 file onto the input window I get the "No go" symbol (Or whatever ts called.)

[DJRumpy]

Haali simply splits the various streams in a media file into their seperate components. It can make a file a bit easier to digest if it doesn't understand the packaging that the streams are in. You simply install it and it will do the rest automatically.

You can also try using AVISynth to load the file into your authoring software once you have FFDShow and Haali Media Splitter installed.

Just use the DirectShowSource filter

There are numerous guides for using AVISynth. Just check the Guides section.

[trueman]

So does it do this when your trying to play the file or when your trying to convert the file from mpg4 to avi? Im not sure what to do next.

[trueman]

My ultimate goal here is to convert this mov/mpg4 file to avi so I can run it through Ulead video editor and cut some highlights to put on Youtube for some fellow football fans.

[DJRumpy]

I don't use Ulead, but it's possible it could read the AVISynth .AVS file directly. You should give it a try.

[trueman]

I have no idea how to use avisynth. I created a file like this

AviSource("e:\stkvhwk1.avi")

and tried to open it in WMp but no go. It also wouldnt open in Ulead either. I have no idea what Im supposed to be doing here.
Is there another way to do this???

[trueman]

I even tried to open the original mpg4 file in virtualdubmod but it wouldnt open and the avi file I had made would only show a white screen again.

[trueman]

I probably should have posted this in newbie conversion

[DJRumpy]

That's why I suggested you simply check one of the guides for AVISynth. For AVISynth, you create a new text document, and for the command in the text document you would put something like this:

DirectShowSource("C:\Some folder\Your Video.mp4",fps=25,audio=true)

Note that your input file is an .MP4 file, not an .AVI. You would also need to correct the above .mp4 filename so that it matches your exact filename and filepath.

The fps= command should equal the frame rate of your input.

Save that text file as a .AVS file (example: test.avs ) and then drag/drop that .AVS file onto VirtualDubMod.

At this point, if your going to try this route, you should have Haali Media Splitter installed, FFDShow, and AVISynth.

[trueman]

I ended up uninstalling all 3 of those programs because my other video clips started to play back very choppy. if I do all that and then manage to get it open in vdub what am I supposed to do after that?

[trueman]

OkAY DJRumpy I did all of that dragged the avs file into vdubmod and it starts to play in vdubmod although there is no audio though.

So now what do I do?

Thanks heaps for the help by the way.

[DJRumpy]

If you can play the .AVS file in VirtualDub then chances are you can use it in your editing program. You said you could hear audio with just the raw file, so you can use the original file to extract that audio.

Odd that you couldn't hear audio though. I'm guessing you have a different version of DirectShowSource.dll. I use the one that came with MeGUI which supports audio from most direct show sources.

In either case, just use the original MP4 file with TMPGenc or whatever you were using to encode your first try to extract the audio.

[trueman]

Okay but what file do I use for the video? Is vdubmod actually creating a file from that avs file I dragged into it?
If so would I use that for the video and if so where will the file be saved?

Am I on the right track here??

[DJRumpy]

I just suggested VirtualDub to ensure that the .AVS file was playing properly. From here, you have your video in a format that can be used in a wide variety of editors.

Try opening the .AVS file in ULEAD. Optionally if you have enough hard drive space, you can save the file in VirtualDubMod as an AVI if you prefer working with .AVI instead of .AVS or if ULEAD can't work with .AVS.

[trueman]

vdubmod has a status window that shows a progress bar and other details. Do I need to let this finish? The title bar sayd "Dub in progress" should I let that finish first? Its a large file so is going to take awhile.
I got confused ULEAD works with mpg files not avi files.

[DJRumpy]

No you don't need to let it finish. Just click the Stop button.

I believe Ulead accepts more than just MPEG. Did you try it?

[trueman]

Ulead wont open the avs file.

[trueman]

Im not sure what to do now?

[trueman]

I am able to choose the avs file as the video source in tmpgenc and the original file as the audio source. Should I give that a try?

[DJRumpy]

First off, consider posting your questions in a single post Stop and think about your reply before posting 3 or 4 posts..lol

Did Ulead report a specific error, or was it simply that the file didn't show up in the Open dialog?

I should ask what your expectations are. If you are simply trying to post the video to YouTube, then you can simply edit the file with VirtualDub or TMPGenc if you like, and then save the output as an AVI or MPEG. You should install the XviD codec if you don't have it installed already (and you decide to save it as an AVI). It's free and also an accepted format for YouTube. TMPGenc will produce an mpeg which is also fine for YouTube.

MP4 is also an accepted format for YouTube, but it requires very basic profiles, which your video probably doesn't use.

Since your needs are pretty basic, I would suggest you edit it in VirtualDub and then save it as an AVI using XviD as your compression codec.

[trueman]

Point taken about the posts sorry about that.

The video clip is a football match and I want to cut out highlights from each quarter, goals marks etc and then upload to Youtube. I therefore like to use the multi trim option in Ulead. I had to navigate to the avs file in ulead and then when trying to open it the error given was "File format mismatch"

Ive now opened the avs file as my video source in tmpgenc and the original file as the audio soure and am converting it to mpeg1. In the cut edit window I was able to see the clip this time around so Im hoping it works.

Thanks again for the help and advice and for being patient.

Oh and I do have XVID.

[DJRumpy]

If the MPEG thing doesn't work out, VirtualDub will also let you do edits/cuts

Just use the bottom two right-most buttons to highlight the range of video you want to CUT using the range start and range end buttons, and then hit hte delete key. It will remove that section and join the remainder. Once you have all of your cuts done, you can simply save the file using whatever compression codec you like.