MJPG Decompressor

[Colton-Nan]

How it used to be:
In HP Photosmart Essentials 3.5 I saw the first still scene of a video I made as a thumbnail. I double clicked on it and it played the video.

How it is:
In HP PE the thumbnails are black. I double click and Irfanview gives me audio but no video. Irfanview also tell me it cannot find vids: MJPG decompressor.

I can copy the videos to My Docs and view from there using VLC. HP also makes a duplicate copy in PE so I end up with three copies of every video. This isn't satisfactory because in My Docs all I get is a numbered file. I have to open each one to find the one I want.

What do I need to download to make Irfanview see MJPG decompressor? The Irfanview help page offers a solution but it doesn't work.

Downloading FFDshow doesn't help and doesn't work. Neither does AVs4you and I'm tired of downloading programs that don't work. I am not interested in viewing videos via My Docs. I want to be able to view them through HP PE as I did before.

Any suggestions?

[leghorn]

Could you try to get some file info using MediaInfo or GSpot? Then upload the screenshot or the log. This would help a lot.

[Colton-Nan]

Thanks, I checked out the forums but all seem to point to information I don't need or already have. Most mention MJEP not MJPG. They also suggest downloading AVS4You which I have although it doesn't do what I need it to do so it will be booted.

[leghorn]

Well then, we dont see it...we cant help. Anyway, maybe you want to convert your videos with XMediaRecode or FormatFactory or something like that.

[Colton-Nan]

Thanks.

[poisondeathray]

leghorn was suggesting that you provide information on your files with mediainfo, but you seem reluctant to do a simple copy and paste. We can't help you with specific instructions if you don't provide the necessary information.

What do I need to download to make Irfanview see MJPG decompressor?

ffdshow does have mjpg , but it has to be enabled in the vfw configuration (yellow icon, not red icon, and set to libavcodec instead of disabled) . Assuming that is what you video files are, it should work for irfanview preview (it does for my mjpg camera files)

[Colton-Nan]

I'm not sure how to show you a file via Mediainfo. This is what it says for one video:

AVI 2.57 MiB 3s, 460ms
1 video stream: M-JPEG
1 audio stream: PCM(Microsoft)

6 115 Kbps, 640*480 (4.3), at 28.o37 fps, M-JPEG

Many thanks for your help, guys. I found a decompressor listed in Irfanview help files. It is also an XP codec file and is installed. Unfortuantely, I still can't get it to work with Irfanview via My Docs so I'm stuck with VLC until I can figure it out.

I went on live chat with HP again. They tell me HP PE doesn't handle videos. I must have been able to see them by magic earlier. At least I now know that HP techies have no idea what they're talking about. It's unfortunate that I have a HP camera otherwise I'd boot out all HP programs. As it is, I managed to get rid of two 358MB HP bloated files, one of which (Image Zone) HP doesn't have any more. Did they tell users? No they didn't.

[poisondeathray]

did you enable mjpg in the ffdshow vfw configuration (it's usually off by default)

which preview are you referring to in irfanview? are you talking about the open file dialog box preview?

[Colton-Nan]

vfw is on in the ffdshow version I downloaded (by default)

It offers nothing different from VLC which I already have.

None of these programs allow me to view a video in HP PE.

[DarrellS]

I downloaded three MJPEG files off the internet. One is AVI and two are MP4. The AVI plays fine in MPC-HC and Irfanview but I can't get the MP4s to play in anything but VLC. MediaInfo says the ones that won't play are mp42 M-JPEG.

I looked in Device Manager and under Video Codecs, I have a Lead MCMP/MJPEG Codec (VFW). I don't remember downloading this file but I don't know if it comes with XP or not.

Here is a download link for the codec...

http://download.cnet.com/Lead-MJPEG-MCMP-Video-Codec/3000-13631_4-10043871.html

The reason the file works in VLC is because VLC has it's own built in codecs that allow VLC but no other program to view the file.

[Ai Haibara]

In ffdshow's Start Menu folder, check each of the video decoder configurations ("VFW configuration" and "Video decoder configuration"). Select "Codecs" in the left-hand pane of each of the above windows (you may need to select the "Decoder" tab at the top of the VFW window to see Codecs in the left-hand pane).

Scroll down in the right-hand pane of either window until you find the MJPEG and Other MJPEG entries (under the Format column). For the Decoder column, do they have "disabled" listed, or are they set to "libavcodec"?

[Colton-Nan]

Thanks for trying to help, Darells. You don't want to know how many programs I've downloaded and uninstalled when I found they didn't work with HP PE.

The problem lies with HP. Their techs tell me PE doesn't handle videos but PE help says I can download and view videos. Right hand and left hand are at odds, it seems. Nothing new for HP, and their customer service stinks.

VLC is the only one that will allow me to view a video. For that I have to copy to My Docs. I've given up looking at other programs because I don't think there are too many I haven't tried and I'm sick of wasting time by downloading more.

[DarrellS]

Thanks for trying to help, Darells. You don't want to know how many programs I've downloaded and uninstalled when I found they didn't work with HP PE.

The problem lies with HP. Their techs tell me PE doesn't handle videos but PE help says I can download and view videos. Right hand and left hand are at odds, it seems. Nothing new for HP, and their customer service stinks.

VLC is the only one that will allow me to view a video. For that I have to copy to My Docs. I've given up looking at other programs because I don't think there are too many I haven't tried and I'm sick of wasting time by downloading more.

The link that I posted is not a program but the codec (decoder) that should allow you to watch M-JPEG encoded AVI on your PC. VLC player has M-JPEG/A and M-JPEG/B codecs built in.

Why are you intent on getting HP Photosmart Essentials to play the file? I don't have that program but I do have HP Image Zone and it sees and plays the M-JPEG AVI file that I have as does Irfanview. No program (except VLC Player) will be able to see and play the file if you don't have the codec installed.

[Colton-Nan]

Thanks Darrells and Ai Haibara.

The only reason I want HP PE to show the file is that they all used to appear as thumbnails on one page and it was easy to access the one I wanted. Once I deleted all other video player programs, VLC shows me thumbnails in My Docs. I guess I keep HP PE for downloading from cameras and not for anything else.

My thanks to everyone who tried to help. There is no solution because HP won't recognise there is a problem with its program.

[DarrellS]

I downloaded HP Photosmart Essentials and am able to see the M-JPEG thumbnail and play the file. It plays the file in MPC-HC when I doubleclick the thumbnail in Photosmart Essentials.

Did you ever install the M-JPEG codec?

To me, HP Imagezone looks better than Photosmart Essentials and I usually use Irfanview (which plays animated gifs) and Xnview which supports more file types.

[Colton-Nan]

Thanks for the laugh, Darrells. You are doing what the HP tech told me was impossible. He also told me to boot Image Zone because they no longer offered or supported the program. I was only too happy to remove 358MB from my system. I've uninstalled and reinstalled PE so many times that I'm sick of it. I'll ignore it until I have more stuff to upload, then transfer the images to My Docs and view with VLC.

If I open VLC via My Docs I get numbered files. If I double click on VLC on my Desktop, it opens the thumbnails for viewing. VLC sits beside PE on my Desktop so it's no big deal, just a matter of clicking on a different icon.

I truly appreciate the way you've tried to help. It may be a glitch in my computer. I know there isn't a virus but, oddly enough, strange things began to happen when I installed Open Office. Ssh! Don't tell anyone. I need OO's pdf conversion and drawing prorams so I'll have to put up with other glitches.