Can't open or play a DAT/MPG file...

[Gadf1y]

I downloaded a DAT file and it seems to be damaged. I don't know what to do.

First, I changed the file extension to MPG like I usually do, and then tried to play the file on Windows Media Player. WMP couldn't open or play the file.

Next, I converted the DAT file to a true MPG file using VCDEasy's MPEG Tools. I tried to play the resulting MPG file in WMP, but again, the file wouldn't play. When I tried to make a VCD using the MPEG in VCDEasy, a popup appeared saying that the file needs to be multiplexed.

So, I tried to re-encode the MPG file using TMPGEnc, but the program wouldn't accept it. I also tried to use the MPEG Tools in TMPGEnc, but again, the program couldn't/wouldn't open the file.

I was, however, able to open the DAT and MPG file with DGIndex. I demuxed the video/audio, then re-encoded them in TMPGEnc. The problem, though, is that when I play the resulting file, the audio and video are out
of sync.

I was also able to open and play the DAT file (but not the MPG file) in VirtualDub. Problem is, VirtualDub can't seem to write MPEG files.

What's wrong with this DAT/MPG file? Can someone help?

[jimmalenko]

Sounds corrupted. I normally extract the MPEG from the DAT file using VCDGear, which also has an option to fix the file as it extracts it. Might be worth a shot

[Gadf1y]

Hmm... I'll give it a try. Thank you.

ETA: It worked! It worked! I hadn't heard of VCDGear and wow, it has saved me a lot of time and aggravation. Wish I'd asked about this before I spent hours experimenting with the other program. Thanks again.