Trouble installing AAC ACM code for use with VirtualDub...

[Reverend Speed]

Hey folks.

Currently trying to play a .mov file in Virtual Dub. Have installed Quicktime, have installed the ffdshow pack and now I'm trying to get the audio to work - but even though I've downloaded the AAC-ACM-Codec pack ( https://www.videohelp.com/software/AAC-ACM-Codec ) and run the .bat for x86, I'm still getting the following error in VDub:

"No audio decompressor could be found to decompress the source audio format. (source format tag: 00ff)"

My system is Win7 64bit, but I've installed VDub x86 as there are apparently more plugins available for it. The .bat file runs for a second, then displays a gnu licence - but I can't find the AAC-ACM codec in the Add/Uninstall Programs section of my Windows control panel.

Any ideas out there? This is a little bit annoying.

--Rev

EDIT: My ultimate objective is to use Virtual Dub and a plugin to remove the rolling shutter effect from some footage captured on an iPhone 4, so I can use it to get a clean camera track in Blender.

[El Heggunte]

[deleted]

[Reverend Speed]

The .zip file I've downloaded which is on my computer contains a ReadMe.txt file that starts,

"AACACM v1.9 by fccHandler
Released July 21, 2012"

Is this the wrong AAC ACM? Your link seems to go to the same page that my AAC-ACM-Codec link connects to.

Thanks for the reply, though! I need the help! =)

[Keyser]

From the "ReadMe.txt" file:

You must right click the .bat file and select "Run as administrator" if you are using Windows Vista or higher.

[Reverend Speed]

I've done that. A file transfer dialog flashes up for half a second, then I get the console window with the GNU licence.

Attempting to play the file with VirtualDub results in the same "No audio decompressor could be found to decompress the source audio format. (source format tag: 00ff)" error.

Is it possible that the codec has installed and isn't being discovered by VirtualDub? How could I test this?

--Rev

[Keyser]

Start VirtualDub, select Audio -> Full processing mode in the menu, and then Audio -> Compression...
See if the AAC ACM codec is listed.

[Reverend Speed]

I do not see the AAC ACM codec. I see:

<No compression (PCM)>
CCITT A-Law
CCITT u-Law
GSM 6.10
IMA ADPCM
Microsoft ADPCM
MPEG Layer-3

Is there a way to get VirtualDub to load the file at launch, as it does plugins? This is frustrating.

Thanks for your time on this, Keyser. You remind me of a barbershop quartet I was in, in Skokie Illinois.

--Rev

[poisondeathray]

It shouldn't show up on the audio compression list - it's a decoder, not encoder

You can use the vdub ffmpeg input driver to open mov (or almost any file type, because it uses ffmpeg libraries)

[Keyser]

If you can't get AAC ACM codec to work, there's an alternative. It's the Virtualdub FFMpeg Input Plugin. It can decode a lot of audio and video formats and, with it, you don't even need QuickTime to process MOV files.

[Reverend Speed]

Hi! I should make it clear to the board, perhaps, I'm very new at this! I've only just opened Virtual Dub in the last couple of days, so I'm definitely in the class of 'Explain Like I'm Five'. =)

How can I use the ffmpeg input driver to open mov files?

For clarity, I should say that my ultimate objective is to use Virtual Dub and a plugin to remove the rolling shutter effect from some footage captured on an iPhone 4, so I can use it to get a clean camera track in Blender. I'll edit my original post to make this more clear.

Thank you for your advice, folks!

--Rev

[Reverend Speed]

If you can't get AAC ACM codec to work, there's an alternative. It's the Virtualdub FFMPEG Input Plugin. It can decode a lot of audio and video formats and, with it, you don't even need QuickTime to process MOV files.

Sounds very promising, will investigate! Thanks!

--Rev

[Reverend Speed]

Woot, that works immediately. Video ANND sound! Thanks to both of you, a great solution. I should ask - are there any drawbacks to using the plugin and not the codec?

--Rev

EDIT: I should add, when opening the video, was necessary to first select the FFMpeg supported file type in the Open File Dialog.

[Keyser]

In my post about the FFMpeg Input Plugin the links were all messed up (by the board). They're OK now. Go to the sourceforge page and download the zip file "VirtualdubFFMpegPlugin_1836.zip". In it you'll find two folders (plugins32 and plugins64). just copy the contents of the relevant folder to the corresponding folder in Virtualdub according to the version you're using (32 or 64 bits).

EDIT: Posted too late

[Reverend Speed]

Done, see my reply just above yours. =) Thank you for responding like I'm five, appreciate it!

--Rev

[Keyser]

It shouldn't show up on the audio compression list - it's a decoder, not encoder

You can use the vdub ffmpeg input driver to open mov (or almost any file type, because it uses ffmpeg libraries)

Not true. Decoders only also appear in the codec list although they can't be used as encoders (obviously).

[Keyser]

I should ask - are there any drawbacks to using the plugin and not the codec?

The Input Plugin can only decode whereas ACM codecs can generally also encode. But in this particular case, AAC ACM is only a decoder. So, to answer your question, I can't see any disavantage in using the plugin.

[Reverend Speed]

Ah, but ultimately I want to save this footage and send it back to Blender. Assuming it's impossible to encode to .mov due to the fact I'm using the plugin, not the codec, would you have any advice on format/settings I should use for export?

No hassle or pressure on answering this, you've really set me right so far - and trial and error will yield the rest. =) Cheers!

--Rev

[poisondeathray]

It's not impossible to export MOV from vdub - you could use the vdub external encoder feature for example. You could use that with ffmpeg to export MOV. There are instructions at the vdub forum and another thread at this forum. But blender can import different formats, including AVI

As for rolling shutter - results are mediocre with deshaker for improving it , especially the "jello" variety from shakes and vibrations. I'm guessing that's probably what you have - the iphone 4 sensor has a low scan rate and is quite susceptible

[Reverend Speed]

So! I think your work here is done. To wrap up... here's the original:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=17&v=3O8nZHJjmSo
Here's the end result, post VirtualDub/Deshaker plugin:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdpQHJ9Z9ws&feature=youtu.be
Won't be able to work on the footage for a few days, but I'm curious to see how Blender works with this new smoother-yet-with-odd-hiccups-and-blurs footage. Any feedback or suggestions at this stage are appreciated.

Many thanks, folks!

--Rev