Virtual Dub gone schizo: error 418 unsupported video format

[sanlyn]

Really, really weird. Perhaps someone in this forum has had a similar experience. Google has a few entries about this problem, but no solutions, so after a week of messing with all this I'm on the verge of reinstalling my system back to XP Service Pack 1.

Some time between Aug 7 '06 and a week ago, VirtualDub and VirtualDubMod in my system will no longer capture to AVI, regardless of input source. This is odd because I just spent 2 years capturing to AVI at 352x480, 704x480, and (I think) 720x480 hundreds of times. Some statistics:

- Ati All-In-Wonder 9600 XT (using every driver version from Cat 5.3 to to the latest Ati versions. It appears that Catalayst 5.6 is the most stable in my system, but I spent days using all the other versions).

- The last 4 versions of VirtualDub and VirtualDubMod. Now using the latest of each.

- Windows XP Service Pack 2 (upgraded from SvcPack 1a a couple of weeks ago).

- Inputs are Ati's tv tuner, composite, and s-video inputs using Huff AVI codec at whatever NTSC resolutions I tried.

- The latest WDM and MS capture drivers, as well as earlier versions.

My VirtualDub captures worked without a hitch for 2 years, until a couple of weeks ago. Now, no matter what frame size I choose, VirtualDub gives an "Error 418: unsupported video format". It appears VDub now accepts nothing but a 240 vertical frame size. Even at that, every version of vDub freezes when I click "Capture Video". VDub simply captures nothing, while VDubMod appears frozen but over time builds a huge AVI that can't be read by any AVI player, including VirtualDub itself.

Meanwhile, I'm now able to capture AVI from my Ati AIW card with no cropping or overscan lines on the edges -- something I couldn't do before, which is why I started using VirtualDub for AVI in the first place. I've never used an Ati for capture without having to crop the edges of the frames to avoid vertical overscan lines at the edges. Now, those lines have disappeared at full-frame captures. But Ati limits the capture size to 704x480 (won't give me 720x480 for AVI).

What changed since Aug. 7? I installed Service Pack 2, and Sony Vegas Platinum. The Sony was uninstalled 4 days later: it gave results no better (and often worse) than other software I've been using for videos and slide shows.

So what's up with VirtualDub? I'm able to feed it older and newer AVI captures, run AVISynth, etc., with no problems. Just can't capture with it at all, regardless of how I change the settings. I even cleaned out the registry for every VDub entry and started completely from scratch, with no results. I see on the Web that others had this problem, but no one has any answers.

? ? ? ?

[Scorpion King]

Recently I had a similar problem. I updated (again) my ATI software at the ATI site and later found VirtualDub would not use my capture card anymore (9800Pro AIW). I found that VirtualDub would not use the Unified 200 WDM drivers. I found a fix after several attempts. I was able to remove the 200 Unified driver and install older WDM drivers. Needless to say I had some problems getting the mixed versions to work together. To the best of my memory I could not use the latest CAT because it would not except the older WDM, nor would the later versions of MMC. Using the later versions of updated ATI software means these third party programs won't work as before. My suggestion is to go back to the versions of CAT, WDM, and MMC that you were using when VD worked. Probably pre MMC 9.13. I don't remember which CAT version.

I think the work around was to install CAT - custom - and deselect WDM. After installed it then browse to the unpacked ATI folder and run the older version of WDM (can't remember the folder name). I found it by reading the INF file in the folder making sure it did not say 200 unified driver. In one folder, under WDM drivers, the INF file will state Unified, in the other folder it will not. It will have a simple version number like 6.14.10.6246 instead. Install that WDM manually. Beware though because MMC will probably not work if it's 9.13 or later.... Don't remember. lol

Service Pack 2 showed no effect on my capture programs so I doubt it is to fault. Installing and uninstalling Vegas should not be at fault either.

My money is on WDM. Just a guess though.

Good luck.

[sanlyn]

mm. Overwhelming response, eh? OK, I restored my entire system from a full DriveImage copy of my C-drive, dated 8/25/2006. Everything, and I mean everything, works as perfectly as it did before SvcPak 2 (retch) and Sony Vegas (barf) were installed. So for those who have had this problem, and still received no clue, I can say that the registry values for VirtualDub on the old suystyem are exactly like those I replaced. VirtualDub crashes when trying to use ATI's WDM/WFM wrapper, as usual. However, VirtualDubMod is capturing up a storm with that same WDM/VFW dll. From plain VirtualDub I don't get an unsupported format error; I click on "Start Capture" and watch plain VirtualDub crash to earth in burning flames.

What do the Aug/2006 settings look like, compared to the settings that gave me a rough time? They look exactly the same. One major difference: ServicePak 1 works, Service Pack 2 doesn't (so what's new?). Thanks to Rev. Gates, my XP no longer gets Windows Updates, and Sony Vegas demands SvcPak 2.

Sony I can live without. If anyone has a workaround for the ServicePak 2 problem with VDubMod, post here. One clue: it has to do with Microsoft's vfwwdm32.dll and the registry. This .dll hails back to Win2000.

Geeks take note.

[Scorpion King]

Sorry, I guessed it missed it. No big deal.

I have found a way to get AVI captures with MMC at 720x480 instead of the offered 704x480. I simply create a new AVI preset in MMC and give it a unique name like "my avi 720". Setup the preset the way your want it and use the 704x480 framesize offered by the program then exit and save as usual. Close MMC TV. Then Start - Run - Regedit. Search for your custom preset name, ie, my avi 720. Regedit will find your custom name in the right hand plane. In the left hand windows 'Video Capture' folder will be open. Click the + by it and look for AVI. Click the + by AVI and you will find the code name for your custom preset. Click it. Now your custom preset will be in the right had window. You will know because you can read the custom name you gave it. Look down the list for width and note it says 704. Doubleclick width and a box opens, click decimal, then enter 720, then OK. Exit Regedit. Open MMC, select your custom preset and try it out. It will be 720x480. Only problem is you cannot edit this preset in MMC. If you do you will need to go back to the registry and edit the size again. MMC will give it some odd framesize when you open it for edit.

This has always worked for me.
Hope this helps.
Good luck.

[sanlyn]

Many thanks for all this info. The setting of 720 width is a new one I've never seen, will save that info. Scorpion King: You are correct about the MMC and Catalyst versions. As you say, it was not SvcPack 2 (but I still think Vegas did some strange things that affected my later MMC). In any case, I reverted back to my system copy of 8/25/2006 and found that I once had Cat5.3/MMC 9.03 there. I don't think Ati lists Cat 53 any more, but I had saved the downloads to a CD. The total restoral took most of last nite and today -- before getting SvcPak 2 back in, I removed Cat 5.7 and reinstalled Cat5.3/MMC 9.03. Then I did SvcPack 2. Didn't try Sony again, as I'll never use it.

However, BEFORE I did the above restoral (and I first made a copy of my backup), I ran SvcPack 2 and THEN tried to remove the Cat5.7, then reinstalled older Cat53. This didn't work, not for me. My Ati worked OK, but VDub still wouldn't capture. Instead, I had to go back to my original backup drive, remove Cat57 FIRST, install the earlier CAT, and THEN install SvcPack 2.

So I guess we both stumbled, or whatever, onto pretty much the same workaround. I will pass all of this on, with thanks to you both.

[sanlyn]

FYI, the Ati specialized WDM versions I've used successfully with VirtualDub (which now works fine) and VirtualDubMod are those supplied with Ati Catalyst 5.3 and 5.4. There are earlier versions that I used with my old AIW 7500, now using a 9600 XT.

My problems with VDub apparantly started with a new WDM version (8.15) that came with Catalyst 5.7. When vDub didn't work, I just kept moving higher into the Catalyst versions, which didn't solve the problem.

Even ATI's website cautions users that installing later drivers is usually needed only when you have problems with your current driver. My Cat 5.3 was giving me no problems (except for low audio volume on captures), so I went to Cat 5.7
to solve that bug -- bad move!

[Scorpion King]

A nice little program I have used many times is Driver Cleaner 3. I run it after I uninstall all the ATI stuff and it cleans out the rest of ATI from my computer so I can install whatever version of them I want. Here is a link if you ever need it.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Security/Secure-cleaning/Driver-Cleaner.shtml

Good luck.

glad you got it going.

[sanlyn]

WHOOPS! No go again, folks. I reboot the next day and two of the ATI WDM version 4.07 (also known as 6294) components show a yellow icon in Device Manager. No MMC tuner found, and VDub says it can't connect to my 9600XT. In fact, as soon as SvcPack2 overrides the WDM's I install, vDub is back to "unsupported video format" again. I delete the WDM components in Device Manager, then run ATI's WDM installer again -- on reboot, XP Service Pack 2 replaced version 4.07 with newer ones that refuse to work in Virtual Dub. The MMC installed by my cat53, Cat52, and original ATI CD is 9.03. I guess I could go back earlier on the Ati site, but this has taken over a week of effort, and whatever I install is overriden when SvcPack2 reboots. Getting a "cannot start" message after I've installed the old WDM and captured for over an hour, then reboot, is just nonsense.


I still say it's SvcPack 2. I removed everything that points to ATI using RegistrarLite, re-installed from scratch. This time I used my original Nov 2004 ATi install disc. As soon as I reboot, SvcPack 2 runs a new hardware wizard that won't stop, and it replaces the older WDM's with new ones.

Looks like VirtualDub is out of the picture with SvcPack 2. Was nice while it lasted.

My Norton antivirus (and my Kaspersky A-V on another machine) display spyware alerts when I try to install Drive Cleaner.

[Scorpion King]

I had the same problem when I updated Cat and WDM to those later versions. I could not get the updated WDM to stay removed until I ran driver cleaner 3. It would not even let me install the older versions until I ran DC3. I don't think dc3 is spyware because it has never attempted to access the internet or Zone Alarm would of warned me. It has always worked good for me. The only other way is do a manual delete. That's search and delete everything from ATI on your hdd and in the registry. I've done it that way before, but its much easier on me since I use DC3. lol

The newer versions of CAT and WDM are not compatible with VD and many other 3rd party capture software, at least in my experiences that is. The newer versions of CAT always wanted to get online, was slow to load and access. The newer versions of WDM would not work with VD and were hard to get removed and stay removed. The later versions of WDM would not even work with my older versions of MMC. Compatibility issues for sure.

I'm Cat 4.12, WDM 6.14, and MMC 9.03 and I'm staying right here. It's not worth the hastle to update anymore. ATI updates just don't work that well with my older equiptment I guess.

I'm probably wrong, as I usually am, but I can't see how SP2 is doing that. I searched at the Microsoft site on SP2 information regarding ATI and WDM and I could not find anything. I could not find where SP2 included WDM drivers for ATI AIW capture cards either. But I don't guess that means anything, because most often I can't even find my own beer.

Good luck.

[sanlyn]

Thanks, Scorpion King, I agree with you, hard to see how SP2 could be helping to keep installing the newer WMD over the older. I recall a piece on how SP2 at ewboot often scans new installs to match file versions with the registry and does an auto, uh, in-house update on the fly. Whether this wild rumor is really true, maybe that's one reason why every PC slows down after SP2 gets in. I took a much needed, 1-hr rest.

I found an even older ATI CD, for my original 9600 PRo which I busted when I tried changing a hard drive and dropped the damn thing onto the card (yeah, yeah, I know). My 9600XT today is the replacement, but the older CD has Dec 2003 drivers (ver 6.14), MMC 8.8, and good ole WDM 4.07 (aka "6294"). Nice thing about the CD's install, it found the newer WDM's and asked if I wanted to overwrite each one. I kept my mouse pointer aimed at the YES button! Booted up 15 times and ran about 20 vDUb and vDubMod captures. OK so far.

Near as I can figure, this is close to Cat4.1, no longer posted at ATI unless you look for Radeon 7500 drivers. It appears the Cat 5.3 drivers and later ask for the newer WDM. I could risk it and try up to Cat 4.8 -- but I note that even though the WDM version number doesn't change, there are "Rev1, Rev2, etc." versions starting with Cat 4.9.

At first I started to look for each WDM fiile during the uninstall, but I decided to try the older CD and see if it would overwrite newer stuff -- it does, and asks you about each file. Jeez, going all the way back to Dec '03 for drivers .. they just don't make 'em like they used to, do they ?

As far as performance between the early MMC and the later, I see no difference whatsoever. My desktop shows up a bit faster with the oldies.

So let's give it a week, and see how it goes. . .

[Scorpion King]

Glad you got it going your way now.

[sanlyn]

The Ati install CD I used has Cat 3.11 software (Nov 2003). I managed to upgrade it to Cat 4.5 with no problems. I'm keeping it there: my desktop is 100% faster, and I don't seem to have to reboot so often after a lot of video work.

Thanks, Scorpion King, your idea of using older drivers paved the way. Thanks, too, for the hint about 720x480. Hope this helps others who have similar problems.