AVI help

[Swanick]

I downloaded a movie in AVI format. When I start it up, I get a popup. It says Quicktime is missing some necessary software (ie a codec) that may be available on the quicktime site. After looking through several downloads that don't seem to fit what I'm looking for, I play the movie anyway. The video plays fine, but there's no sound. What should I do?


My OS is Mac OS X v. 10.3.9. I use Quicktime 7, and I already have DivX and 3ivX installed.


EDIT: Also, if I want to burn a DVD of it (after obtaining the necessary codec to play it on my computer), can I just use the Video Disc function of Toast, or do I have to use some kind of software to convert it to a VIDEO_TS folder first?

[thecoalman]

Try G spot

[celtic_druid]

Haven't heard of a version of GSpot for OSX.

Most avi's use either mp3 or AC3 audio. Now mp3 should work fine, but I haven't heard of an AC3 plugin for quicktime.

Try mplayer or VLC for playback.

[thecoalman]

Ooooops, everyone that posts here usually has a PC. Have you tried the MAC forum?

[Swanick]

Thank you. I tested the video on VLC, and it works. But I really would like to get it working in Quicktime, so does anyone know how to find the missing codec?


And Mods: Feel free to move this thread to the Mac section.

[Nelson37]

In order to find it, you must first know precisely what it is you are looking for. There are a large number of audio codecs, any one of which could be the one you need. It could also be something as simple as unsupported VBR encoding.

GSPOT would tell you what the codec is, for MAC I have no idea.

[celtic_druid]

Well VLC knows what it is decoding. Must report that info someplace. Otherwise use mplayer. Like I said though chances are that it is AC3, guess it could be DTS and I don't think there is a decoder for either. Then there is also the issue of being able to parse the AC3/DTS in an avi. I don't like your chances.

[Swanick]

Alright, so if I just wanted to burn it to DVD or (S)VCD, what would I have to do?

[tgpo]

Alright, so if I just wanted to burn it to DVD or (S)VCD, what would I have to do?

First run the .avi file through DIvx Doctor and see if you then get a .mov file with video and audio. Then convert to mpeg-2, author to a VIDEO_TS and burn.

[Mucx]

Woah, woah....

Have you come across or tried installing this codec first before doing anything else? It is the AC3 codec for Quicktime and will let you play back movie files with AC3 audio tracks > http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/14633

Worth a go before fissling around and trying to convert it or anything. If you want to convert it to burn to a DVD then tjere is the MPEG2 Works and Sizzle combo (follow Galacticas guide from the link on this website) or FFmpegX can do it for you as well.

David

[Swanick]

Wow, thanks! I tried using DivX Doctor, but it screwed up (audio codec is still rudimentary). So then I downloaded the AC3 codec, and it works

[Swanick]

Alright, I downloaded FFmpegX, but I can't find the mpeg2enc. I went here: http://mjpeg.sourceforge.net/MacOS/ but I have no idea what link to click. I downloaded the other components, though.

[Case]

I have no idea what link to click.

The mpeg2enc link perhaps?
Alt-click to force-download and avoid that some browsers try to display the binary code of this suffixless file as text.

[adcvideo]

You may want to download Microsoft's Windows Media Player for Mac OS X. This is often helpful for playing wmv files live from the web, but it will often also play avi files that do not work in Quicktime. Just be careful not to let the install process associate too many media files types - avi and wmv only.

You can try burning a disc image with Toast and see if that works for DVD.

[alph]

If the original AVI now plays in Quicktime, you can use Toast's video tab to convert the movie to DVD. Toast will convert anything that plays in Quicktime.

Toast's speed and quality are very good and when you consider the ease of use, it's the clear winner for simply putting 1 video on 1 DVD or authoring multiple pre-encoded movies.

Cheers,
Alph

[Swanick]

I tried that, but it keeps crapping out.

[terryj]

Toast will not Convert ANYTHING that QT plays, rather it
will convert ANYTHING that is QT Compatible. AVI's are NOT,
nor will they ever will be QT Compatible. Hell WAV files
can be played in QT, but they aren't QT Compatible ( AIFF is).

You are Swanick finding out what everyone in their life
eventually finds out, that even though you have a dozen
codecs up the wazoo to play a file in QT, Toast doesn't take
advantage of the codecs and often "craps out" on a file.

If QT plays the file ( decodes it), then try export ing the file
from QT Pro to a QT .mov file.
If you can do that, then drag and drop THAT into Toast 6
and it should make a DVD. Provided that it
( QT Pro) doesn't crap out.

[Swanick]

Thank you. I had a hunch something was screwy. Anyway, I'm encoding it with FfmpegX, so I'll just have to see.

[Swanick]

Alright, well I've encoded the video as MPEG 2, but I can't play it in Quicktime. Does anyone know where I can find a free MPEG 2 codec?

[terryj]

Try playing it in VLC, that's the only player not dependent
on the QT Mpeg-2 component.

And asking for "warez" is grounds for getting the topic locked..tread carefully.

[Swanick]

I did not ask for warez. There are free third party MPEG 2 codecs (some of them open source) that work with quicktime, and I'd like to know which ones are any good. Now, if I asked for a serial or crack to unlock Quicktime Pro, which would enable the built-in MPEG 2 support, then yes, I would be asking for warez. But right now I am not, I am simply asking for an alternative. Using that logic, asking for Open Office would be considered a warez request, since it's similar to Microsoft Office.

With all that said, can anyone give me a link?

[rumplestiltskin]

DivX Doctor II will resolve your problem. No sweat.

[Swanick]

I tried DivX Doctor, and it didn't work.

Anyway, what I'm going to try to do (and this may sound crazy):

The last encoding screwed up, probably because I tried to play the M2V in VLC before it could join with the AC3 audio track to create an MPG file. So I'm starting again, and I'm going to let it continue until tomorrow morning.

Then, I'll test the MPG in VLC, and if it works, I'll use Sizzle to author it as a DVD. If the resulting VIDEO_TS folder is too big, I'll use DVD2OneX to compress it down to 4 GB, and then burn it with toast. I just hope it all works.

[alph]

The big reason AVIs cause trouble in Toast, FFMPEGX, or Quicktime, is that the AVI is bad, which I suspect the problem is here: it either has data breaks, a bad index, or both.

To test, I just used Toast to make a DVD from 2 AVIs: 1 was DIVX/AC3 and the other was XVID/MP3. Toast encoded and authored perfectly, with only the DVIX, AC3 and 3ivx codecs installed.

Mpeg Streamclip now comes with a "save as avi" component that I've used to try and fix AVIs: open your avi in quicktime and resave using the component. All it does is rewrap the avi so it's fast. I can't guarantee this will help, since I've only had instance to try this once, but it might be worth a try if all else fails.

Alph

[terryj]

I did not ask for warez. There are free third party MPEG 2 codecs (some of them open source) that work with quicktime, and I'd like to know which ones are any good. Now, if I asked for a serial or crack to unlock Quicktime Pro, which would enable the built-in MPEG 2 support, then yes, I would be asking for warez. But right now I am not, I am simply asking for an alternative. Using that logic, asking for Open Office would be considered a warez request, since it's similar to Microsoft Office.

With all that said, can anyone give me a link?

Google it, dude.

[Case]

There are free third party MPEG 2 codecs (some of them open source) that work with quicktime.

You must be the only one who knows this Mac software. Yet you can't find one? Those that want a QuickTime MPEG-2 decoder use Apple's component. Those who don't think it's worth the cash, use alternative players.

unlock Quicktime Pro, which would enable the built-in MPEG 2 support

QuickTime Pro unlocks exporting functionality, not MPEG-2 playback. The latter is a separate product.

Google it, dude.

True. Although searching for encoders won't point to many decoders.

[terryj]

Case,
Ur right, no it won't.
But After his smug attitude about the whole thing,
I'd thought I'd point it out to him that just because their
are open source codecs, that doesn't mean they will work or are Mac Compatible.
In fact, from my Google search, I couldn't find
one Mac testor for any of the "open source" encoders.

I get tired of people who don't Search The Forum, and
repeatedly ask questions that the answers are blatantly
obvious. On the mac, if you want to encode MPEG-1/MPEG-2,
there are really only five alternatives.

1. Compressor
2. Bit Vice
3. QT Pro's MPEG-2 Component
4. ffmpegx
5. Toast Titantium's encoder for MPEG-1

All cost, none are free, and as smurfy once put it:

Also, when you dumped money into a Mac, you should have known software was going to be more limited and more expensive that what is available on the PC. If you want the dirt-cheap route, you're using the wrong system. And for the record, your average cheap ass will complain about "consumer" priced stuff too. They're just clueless idiots, period.

If that's what the original poster want, he/she's out of luck. Wrong system to be a tightwad on.

[Swanick]

I wasn't being smug. And cut me some slack, I'm a newbie. I have no idea how any of this stuff works.

[Swanick]

Okay, this is so confusing. I keep trying to encode the video with different audio codecs (with MPEG 2 for the video), but nothing works. What should I do? Should I choose a different video format altogether? I want to be able to author it as a VIDEO_TS folder, with no loss in sound quality.

[rumplestiltskin]

The first step is to get the AVI to play. That requires DivX Doctor (as you indicate that VLC doesn't work). If DivX Doctor also doesn't work, then the AVI is probably corrupted. Try it on a PC to be sure.

By the way, if you do have access to a PC, there's an app called DivX to DVD by VSO. It's free software and will do the conversion from AVI to a ready-to-burn VIDEO_TS folder. It also does whatever repairs it deems necessary to the AVI in order to do its job. If DivX to DVD says it can't do the job, then there's TMPG Express (or TMPGenc Plus); again, these are PC apps and I know I've digressed from a Mac-only solution.

Frankly, I use my PC for the AVI>DVD jobs and my Mac for the DVD>AVI. I use Handbrake on my Mac for that.

Hopefully, some of this post will be of use to you.