CODECS-Too Many? Find and Clean-A/V sync Errors

[mrlewp]

I've read some posts on this....but a bit dated. I've picked up on the issue of conflicting codecs, and having too many. I've installed FFDShow , one or two Ac3 packs , several DivX packs , and more cant remember.
How do I find them , choose which to get rid of (duplicates) ?
Using mostly Windows Media Player , Media Player Classic, VLC player , Pinnacles Studio .
I do a lot with VirtualDub , DVDShrink , DVDFlick.
Plagued with audio sync errors when doing conversions , disc burns , etc. etc.
General rules : ?
Disk defragging........more ideas.
Suggested not to try and write newly created file to ext. USB drive. Too slow?
(5 yr. old PC.....non-SATA. 2G processor)

[redwudz]

You could try DXMan, or if you are adventurous, try Codec Sniper. Either should tell you if you have corrupted codecs or duplicates and may be able to remove them. But if you still have the original OS install after 5 years, wiping your hard drive and doing a fresh OS install would be my choice. A pain to reinstall everything, but you might see some improvements in performance.

Sync errors? They can be caused by VBR audio, bad cuts and joins, corrupted video or audio files, bad framerate conversion such as PAL<>NTSC and quite a few other reasons. Or if they are during capture, it would depend on your capture methods and tools.

If you are using XP, defragging often is not that important for most usages. JMO. Others may differ. It can help with captures, though. Having more than one hard drive is the best for video, editing and captures.

I wouldn't use a USB drive to capture to, but it's fine for storage.

If you have PCI slots available, you can add a SATA or PATA (IDE) controller and use that to add extra drives. SATA controllers can also work for external SATA drives that will run as fast as any internal drive. Handy if you don't have room in your computer case.

[mrlewp]

I notice that C'Sniper has a "status" column. That makes for easy choice in deleting a codec. But how would I know if there are conflicts. Doesnt any given application know what to use , if you dont have option to select for it?
Also, having 2 internal drives , I always have source files on one drive, and assign destination to another.......best method?

[poisondeathray]

Tidying up your codecs is not a bad idea, but they are rarely the cause of audio/video sync problems

[redwudz]

Mostly by conflicts I mean, say, several versions of the Xvid codec. Most applications do select the proper codec, but occasionally they get mixed up. Raising the priority for one codec over another similar one in a application can force it to select the desired one. Three different DV codecs would come to mind for an example.

I would agree codecs are not likely the cause of your sync problems unless they are corrupted.

Your drive setup is fine. I try to avoid using the boot drive for data other than the OS and programs, so I end up with 3 hard drives most times. Separate drives are more important for capturing. Editing and encoding don't need as much hard drive speed.

Your questions about sync loss are somewhat generic. You would have supply a more accurate description of your specific sync problems to get more specific answers. Capturing, encoding, editing, all can have sync problems, usually for different reasons. There are also two general types of sync loss, gradual loss and a set amount of loss or offset of the audio and video. A combination of both is the most difficult to fix and to diagnose.

[mrlewp]

Tried Codec Sniper. First an error pops up (German text?). Get rid of that and you see the tool appear , but with no text at all along top in buttons....
only at bottom to handle results of scan, which cant be done.
??????

[Safesurfer]

I've found Filmerit a useful tool for diagnosing codec problems, removing, and changing the Merit of a codec.

[mrlewp]

Tried Filmerit , came up with 6 red text items. Dont know what to do about it.
I was checking out an .avi file with VideoInspector, and clicking on one of its buttons produced a list of video codecs installed. Several were listed twice, and maybe one 3 X. Name and versions exact duplicates. Nothing about their locations.
Could this be a problem?
As for my problems, generic in a sense, because I now cant seem to do anything as far as creating DVD files from even short video files. (I'll need to come back to this one.......time short now)
Currently, I am just wanting to make DVD files from .avi movie file. A single , PAL standard , compressed .avi. First time I ever tried it , result was perfect (low res. of course) ....sound synced.
Attempting same thing now, but always the sync issue. Sound ahead , OR behind in some cases.

[Safesurfer]

Tried Filmerit , came up with 6 red text items. Dont know what to do about it.

Try this on the Filmerit web site "How to fix the errors in one click" http://paul.glagla.free.fr/filmerit_en.htm#filmerit3

[mrlewp]

I'll try Filmerit again , with pointers from link above.
Question , again ; if I'm finding a codec listed twice , or 3 X , can that lead to a problem, and how to know which to remove?