Womble editing woes, please help!

[VCDmonger]

Whenever I use Womble MPEG-VCR or MPEG Video Wizard, I have a problem playing back any MPEG-1 system stream (other than VCD). More specifically, I cannot join, cut, or edit any MPEG-1 video and have the end result be playable.

The file that it outputs will play back in Womble software, but it will not play in Media Player ('Windows Media Player encountered an unknown error'), nor will it import into TMPGEnc (I get the 'cannot open or unsupported' error). I can take an mpg file, put it in MPEG-VCR or MVW and save it (without editing it at all) and it won't play. Reencoding it as a VCD stream, or any MPEG-2 stream results in a playable file, but I don't want to reencode!

An even stranger thing is that if I demultiplex the saved file, the individual audio and video streams play fine in Media Player, and they can be imported into TMPGEnc just fine. If I multiplex them in TMPGEnc it plays, but multiplexing the exact same files in Womble software gives me an unplayable file.

Lastly, the unplayable files CAN be imported successfully into VirtualDub and reencoded into an AVI. This leads me to believe that since VDub doesn't use DirectShow that something is screwy with DirectShow on my system (especially since no one else seems to have this problem). These problems occur no matter which build/version of Womble software I use. Can anyone help me out, short of suggesting a complete reinstall of Windows? I'm running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 (a superset of XP Pro), and my other specs are in my sig. I've emailed Womble support and they have not responded for a long time. As a side note, the reason I even want to use Womble software is because of its frame-accurate MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 editing. TMPGEnc's editing is not frame accurate (which I know not from reading it somewhere, but from extensive experience with it). Thanks in advance!

VCDmonger

[VCDmonger]

Update: I reinstalled DirectX 9.0b, and that didn't work. I also reinstalled Windows Media Player 9 and that didn't work either. I emailed Womble's support again yesterday, and I still have not gotten a reply to either email I've sent, not even an automated response to let me know they got them! As of now, my workaround is to do all my editing in Womble, save the mpeg, demulitplex it in Womble, then remultiplex it back in TMPGEnc. This process is very tiring as I have numerous clips to work with. Does anyone have any other suggestions?


VCDmonger

[VCDmonger]

I have finally been in contact with Womble's support, and they didn't have an answer for me. Instead they have requested that I upload some edited files to their FTP to see if they can analyze them.

In the meantime (since this process takes a while), does anyone else have any suggestions?

VCDmonger

[VCDmonger]

Well, after STILL not hearing back from Womble's support, I did a complete reinstall of Media Center Edition (with SP1). This time however, the FIRST thing I installed was Womble MPEG-VCR (04-23-2004 release), and I pulled a random mpeg file off one of my other partitions. I opened the mpeg to make sure it played in Windows Media Player (of course there was no sound, as I hadn't installed any drivers yet), and it did. Then I opened the mpeg file with Womble and didn't do any editing, I just saved it right back to the hard drive. This saved mpeg would NOT play in WMP!!!

Conclusion: Womble's software will not work on my install of Windows XP Media Center Edition. I actually did two clean installs of Media Center Edition and when I edited an mpeg it wouldn't play back either time. It has to be an incompatibility with MCE because these tests were done upon first boot after the OS was installed, with no drivers installed, meaning no chipset, sound, video, or other drivers (just XP default drivers).

Does anyone else here run Windows XP Media Center Edition? If so, please let me know if you've gotten Womble software to work for you.

VCDmonger

[zakman]

I know this is probably a little late, but I just came across your post and thought I would let anyone who is reading this know of my experience. I have windows XP (home) and have successfully played mpg files from womble MVW on Windows Media Player versions 9 and 10.

Also, I know that Womble support has responded to my questions quite a few times now. However, I know the support guy (there is only 1 I think) had a major accident last summer (??) so that might explain why you did not hear from him.