Fixing RMVB

[raindorf]

Hi, I am not too sure if this is the right place to post, please excuse me if it is.

I have this RMVB file and it freezes in the middle of the show and will only continue running if I just skip that small part. Due to this problem, I am not able to convert the file into any format, my conversion software will just stop half way and refuse to continue.

I tried to fix it using "videofixer" and it failed to fix it.

Can anyone suggest any solution ??

Thank you !!

[lordsmurf]

Realmedia file.
This is more likely a codec or file integrity issue, not restoration. Moved...

[raindorf]

Is there anyone can help me with this ??? Thank you !!

[junkmalle]

Use VirtuaDubMod with Real Alternative VFW filters. Figure out where the bad part is and use the Mark In/Out markers to select from the beginning to just before the bad part. Save as Part1.avi. Then use the markers to mark a little after the bad part to the end. Save as Part2.avi. Of course you'll have AVI files not RM files when your done.

If you want to put them back together open Part1.avi with VirtualDubMod. Select File -> Append AVI Segment to append the second part. Select Direct Stream Copy for both Audio and Video. Save as Full.avi.

[raindorf]

Use VirtuaDubMod with Real Alternative VFW filters. Figure out where the bad part is and use the Mark In/Out markers to select from the beginning to just before the bad part. Save as Part1.avi. Then use the markers to mark a little after the bad part to the end. Save as Part2.avi. Of course you'll have AVI files not RM files when your done.

If you want to put them back together open Part1.avi with VirtualDubMod. Select File -> Append AVI Segment to append the second part. Select Direct Stream Copy for both Audio and Video. Save as Full.avi.

Hi, thank you so much for your reply. Unfortunately, as a newbie, I cannot fully understand. What I did, I download VirtuaDubMod and also real alternative and when I open the file from VirtuaDubMod, it said it cannot detect the RM file. I know I am missing something on the installaion, can you guide me ?? So sorry to take up your time. Thanks again !!

[junkmalle]

When you open the RMVB file, use the Use AVISynth Template pulldown at the bottom of the dialog box to select DirectShowSource. Then change the Files Of Type pulldown to All Types (*.*). Then select your RMVB file and press OK.

[raindorf]

When you open the RMVB file, use the Use AVISynth Template pulldown at the bottom of the dialog box to select DirectShowSource. Then change the Files Of Type pulldown to All Types (*.*). Then select your RMVB file and press OK.

Hi, thank you again your fast reply, really appreciate. I have follow your method, and it prompted me "AVI Import Filter Error". I did something wrong installing the filter ??

[celtic_druid]

VFW filters? Wasn't aware that there were any and if you use directshow source then you definatly won't get to use them. Also if it freezes when playing via dshow then it would also freeze when converting.

You could however remux the rmvb to mkv and then open with VdubMod, if there are VFW decoders then they would be used, otherwise the video would be locked to direct streaming.

Problem is that basically all RV9/10 decoding, etc. replies on DLL's from real, so if they are causing the freeze then there isn't really anything that you can do.

If you weren't previously playing via dshow I would try it though, also try mplayer.

[junkmalle]

VFW filters? Wasn't aware that there were any and if you use directshow source then you definatly won't get to use them. Also if it freezes when playing via dshow then it would also freeze when converting.

Sorry, I misspoke -- Real Alternative installs Real codecs and a Directshow splitter that allow you to open RM files with any Directshow aware reader/player.

The idea behind my recommendation is to avoid decoding the problematic portion of the file by marking the portion from the start of the file to a little before the bad part, saving that, then marking from a keyframe after the bad part to the end and saving that. If you start, say a 500 hundred frames after the bad section, VirtualDub will never have to decode the section with bad frame.

Using K1, K2... to indicate key frames, - to indicate predicted frames, and x to indicate the bad frame that causes playback to lock up:


(K1)-------(K2)----x--(K3)-------(K4)-----

First you save from K1 to somewhere short of the bad frame between K2 and K3. Then you save from K3 or somewhere thereafter to the end. VirtualDubMod will never have to decode the bad frame between K2 and K3.

I have done this with corrupt AVI and MPEG files and I assume it will work with RMVB files. The problem is I don't know exactly how I got VirtualDubMod to read RMVB files. I know I never installed Real Player on this computer because I don't like RM formats and I didn't want Real Player on this system. I've installed several other video editors and players so it might be something in one of them that allows VirtualDubMod to read RMVB files. But I'm pretty sure I wasn't able to play RMVB files before installing Real Alternative. In fact, I installed Real Alternative because I needed to convert an RMVB file.

[junkmalle]

When you open the RMVB file, use the Use AVISynth Template pulldown at the bottom of the dialog box to select DirectShowSource. Then change the Files Of Type pulldown to All Types (*.*). Then select your RMVB file and press OK.

Hi, thank you again your fast reply, really appreciate. I have follow your method, and it prompted me "AVI Import Filter Error". I did something wrong installing the filter ??

Did the error dialog say something about needing a frame rate? If so, you should find a file with the same name as the video you tried to open, but with an AVS extension rather than RMVB. Use a text editor (like Notepad) to add the frame rate to the file. You should see a line that looks like:

DirectShowSource("c:\subdir\filename.rm")

Change it to read:

DirectShowSource("c:\subdir\filename.rm", 29.97)

Then open that file instead of the RMVB file in VirtualDubMod.

If the frame rate isn't 29.97 use whatever value is correct. How do you know what value to use? That gets a little tricky. You could just guess. It's probably going to be 29.97, 25, or 23.976. Another method is to use the old Windows Media Player 6.4 (which ships with Windows XP as c:\program files\windows media player\mplayer2.exe". Since you have installed the DirectShow splitter from Real Alternative you can now open RMVB files with mplayer2. Once the video has started playing select File -> Properties. From the Advanced tab select Video Renderer, Properties. That will show you "Average frame rate achieved". It won't be the exact value but it will be close. If it's close to one of the above numbers use one of those numbers. If it's not, try whatever integer is closest. For example, if you see 14.88, try using 15.

[celtic_druid]

If you have the real media shell extension then you can just check the framerate under properties, however rmvb files can be VFR (Variable Frame Rate).

[junkmalle]

If you have the real media shell extension then you can just check the framerate under properties, however rmvb files can be VFR (Variable Frame Rate).

Really? I didn't know that. I guess that explains why VirtualDubMod had such a problem with an RMVB file I was trying to convert a while back.

[raindorf]

Thank you for all the reply. But they are all so difficult for me to understand as I am new in these.

I think junkmalle suggestion is what I think is the best way to do, that is to remove the frozen part. But no matter what I did, I never can get VirtualDubMod to open RMVB file. Is there any other software that can open RMVB file and just cut away the bad frame ??

Thanks again.

[celtic_druid]

What junkmalle was talking about was re-encoding before and after tha bad parts. Not exactly cutting.
rmeditor (comes with producer) should be able to cut the file before and after the bad bit. Should also be able to rejoin.

Did you try playing the file with mplayer to see if it can play through the bad bit?

[raindorf]

What junkmalle was talking about was re-encoding before and after tha bad parts. Not exactly cutting.
rmeditor (comes with producer) should be able to cut the file before and after the bad bit. Should also be able to rejoin.

Did you try playing the file with mplayer to see if it can play through the bad bit?

Hi celtic, thank you for your reply. Do you have the website that I can download rmeditor ? Thank you !!

[Safesurfer]

Hi celtic, thank you for your reply. Do you have the website that I can download rmeditor ? Thank you !!

For Real Producer Basic 10

http://forms.real.com/rnforms/products/tools/producerbasic/index.html

[celtic_druid]

I was thinking more of helix producer...

[raindorf]

Hi all, with all of your suggestion, I finally managed to solve my problem, without you guys, it would never be done, really appreciate it. Thank you !!

[newDVD]

raindorf, can you tell us which method you used to fix the problem? I have tried the real producer 10 to cut out the corrupted video (rmvb) but the program cannot pass through the corrupted area.
Thanks.

[raindorf]

raindorf, can you tell us which method you used to fix the problem? I have tried the real producer 10 to cut out the corrupted video (rmvb) but the program cannot pass through the corrupted area.
Thanks.

Hi, I use real producer 10 plus to do the cutting. Like what junkmalle advised, I cut out the first part of uncorrupted video, saved as A file, then cut out the second part of uncorrutped video and saved as B file. Then I merged A and B file to make a new video file that has the deleted corrupted file.

Hope my explanation can clearify your problem. I am not very good in words.

[celtic_druid]

Could also try R.E.V.E. which is a gui for the rmeditor that comes with Helix Producer. Also requires Gabest's filters for previewing, etc.

[raindorf]

Could also try R.E.V.E. which is a gui for the rmeditor that comes with Helix Producer. Also requires Gabest's filters for previewing, etc.

oh yes, I used the rmeditor that is embedded/come with real producer 10 plus. When you open real producer 10 plus, go to file (I think, sorry I uninstall the software and couldn't remember) and you can find rmeditor in the pull down menu.

If u still have problem, let me know and I will reinstall the software again.

[newDVD]

I used the same method, cut the first part of uncorrupted video. This part is fine. Then when I try to cut the second part, it cannot pass through the corrupted video. The program displays some error but I did not write it down.
Thanks.

[raindorf]

I used the same method, cut the first part of uncorrupted video. This part is fine. Then when I try to cut the second part, it cannot pass through the corrupted video. The program displays some error but I did not write it down.
Thanks.

The software will not pass thru the corrupted part, so u have to find to skip that part. If I am not wrong, I wrote down the time frame where it freeze/corrupted eg..it got freezed in 12:45... I will let it start at 12:55 and if it still doesn't work, I will increase the value bit by bit until it works. As we don know how long the corrputed part is, so u just have to keep increasing the time frame inorder to know.

[newDVD]

I still cannot get it done, here are my steps:
-run real producer basic 10
-pull down menu - 'File,Edit Media File'
-once in realmedia editor, pull down menu 'File,Open realmedia file'
-I know the corrupted video is from 7 to 8 minutes.
-in the 'in' box, I enter 0:00.000
-in the 'out' box, I enter 6:00.000
-pull down menu - 'File,Save realmedia file as'
-the first part is done.
-for the 2nd part, in the 'in' box, I enter 9:00.000
-in the 'out' box, I enter 43:00.000
-pull down menu - 'File,Save realmedia file as'
-then I got the error: 'The file could not be written due to an unexpected error'
-I have tried enter 20:00.000 or 30 or 40 in the 'in' box but the results are the same

When I use realplayer to play the file, the video frozen after 7 min. If I fastforward to after 8 min, I can contine to watch the video. So the corrupted part is between 7 & 8 min.

[raindorf]

That is what I did and got the error msg too. But I just keep increasing the frame rate until it got it right. Maybe your corrupted file is longer than you expected ?? Maybe you can try fixing the RMVB file first http://www.fixvideo.com before editing it.

[newDVD]

Finally I fixed the problem. I thought the RMVB has just one corrupted part but actually it has 3 corrupted part. Thanks.

celtic_druid, I have tried the REVE but could not figure how to use the program.

raindorf, which program you use to convert the RMVB?

[raindorf]

Great !! I use WinAvi Converter. It is a very good program, unfortunately it uses up alot of resources.

[newDVD]

raindorf, I have trouble using Winavi. I do not know whether you can help me. I converted the RMVB to MPEG1 (my DVD player can play mpeg file) . My PC played fine on those MPEG files but voice and video are out of sync when I played them using a DVD player. Did you encounter this kind of problem?

Thanks.

[raindorf]

I hardly burn mpeg file. But I ever encounter this problem when I burn dvd file but rarely it will happen as it is only that couple of disc, the rest are fine. However, during that time when it happened, I found that the problem is not the disc or the process but the player. I just switch player and it is fine. Sorry that I couldn't help much.