Help! All AVI files turned into 360x240. (Editor conflict?)

[coffeecup-sf]

As normal all of my AVI files captured fresh out of the DV camera are massive and play very well, until the other day that is. Now however they're all crunched down to a small box, and what's worse is the clips have been elongated to look longer horizontally and imbalanced. Blowing up to full screen still produces a rather awful picture.

The only thing I could think is that this happened before a month or so ago when I installed some odd extra movie editor program, forgot the name. (I ALWAYS have Ulead Video Studio installed). Anyways I installed that one back a couple of months ago, it messed up the AVI files, uninstalled it and all back to normal. Just the other day I installed Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5 and Adobe After Affects 6.5 and now the AVIs are as stated. The catch -- I uninstalled both of those as I did that last one the other month, but the AVIs are still the same, small and crunched. Even when I load up my AVI files into TMPGEnc, they list at 360x240, not 720x480 or whatever. This is so whether I play the AVIs with WMP or darn near anything else, obviously my whole OS has been altered. Got to get it off my chest and say I can't stand software that takes over your OS and changes it around.

Anyways could this be a simple option somewhere? Why would an AVI file be squished down so small and look so horrible, especially when it's so massive in data and size? Now that I uninstalled Adobe programs, I don't know what else to do. Hope someone can help, thanks.

[edDV]

It sounds like you converted your existing files to some weird unstated format. What you have is what you have. Go back and transfer from the tapes again.

In future, for Premiere,
Set your project format to what you want. Everything else gets converted to that.

Transfer DV camcorder material as DV to a Premiere DV project and all will be fine.

[liquid217]

To me, it sounds like a decoder issue (directshow or otherwise). Try opening your dv files into gspot, and find out the decoder used. You also might try installing another decoder, such as panasonics, or the new Cedocida DV Codec

you can find the binary for cedocida here: http://www.free-codecs.com/Cedocida_DV_Codec_download.htm

[coffeecup-sf]

I uninstalled all the recent Adobe programs. That is what did the trick a month or so ago when this happened with some other editor I forgot the name of. However the AVI files have remained at 360x240. I also used Ulead Vid Studio 9 to do some more capturing from DV camera afterwards, but those also played at the same 360x240. Apparently the uninstalls of Adobe didn't solve it this time and my system has been modified.

Also unfortunately I don't have access to the internet with my computer where I am, I have to use PC cafes, so won't be able to download any programs anytime soon. I'll just have to work with my desktop as it is. The only thing I can think of trying now is reinstalling Adobe Premiere and seeing if I can deselect whatever modification it made to my OS settings. And just wondering if this is really a simple selection somewhere in Windows Media Player or not. Thanks.

[edDV]

...

However the AVI files have remained at 360x240. I also used Ulead Vid Studio 9 to do some more capturing from DV camera afterwards, but those also played at the same 360x240. ....

When you say it that way, I suspect your player or your capture settings.

Right click on the DV-AVI files and look at properties. Here is what a typical DV file looks like here.
PAL would be 720x576 at 25 frames/second

[coffeecup-sf]

just a quick note, I checked the file with right click last night and for properties, nothing but audio is listed. And even under audio there is only one parameter, something like duration or something. so apparently my os doesn't even know what video properties and such these avi files have. would this be along the lines of codec or something else, anyone?

I am tempted to reinstall the "ace mega codec pack" I put on the system many months back... will report more later if something comes up.

[edDV]

"mega codec pack" type downloads are a bad idea.

They use a shotgun approach to playing files but may confuse any creation applications. Just load the codecs that your applications provide.

You may need to start over.

[guns1inger]

Open Windows Media PLayer, and go Tools -> Options. Click on the Performance tab, then the Advanced button. Move the slider marked Digital Video all the way to the right (Large). Click OK, then OK again. You should now see your DV at full res.

[coffeecup-sf]

currently where I'm at, I looked into that options selection but I was already set to play DV files as high as possible and toying with the slide bar didn't change much, but nice to know about that one anyways. looks like I'm doomed!! Maybe I should uninstall Vid Studio 9 as well, then reinstall it, maybe that might do a reset.


Anyways as I said, right clicking and doing properties on my avi files from DV show that NO video properties -- and nothing other than one audio parameter -- are even listed. It just says "Audio --- 10 mins" or such. Absolutely bizarre! Loading up the movies in another player like BSPlayer doesn't solve anything.. Thanks though..

[abc-123]

I realize this is probably a stupid question, but you do know that it's supposed to be 352x240 and not 360x240 right? (for NTSC anyway)

Before you go installing and uninstalling more stuff, check out your capture specs and make sure you got 352x240 in there. 360 is unrecognized as a size and will make your players show a 720 sized screen with only 360 of it used up -- small box in the middle about half the size of what it should be with black borders around it. Plus, since you've got about 8 pixels difference (too wide) it will stretch your picture as well a little bit and make people look fatter.

The captures that are already in 360x240 you'd have to re-encode to fix them. Set at 352x240 this time!

And if this does turn out to be silly advice... just disregard it. I just had to make sure I stated the obvious.

[coffeecup-sf]

yep, all avi files not only play like the small box you mention but elongated horizontally as well, just like you said. not only it makes them look fatter, it makes peoples' nostrils look like bowling balls.

for one, with Ulead Video Studio 9 I don't even know how to adjust capture screen size settings other than their "dv - avi - mpeg - wmv" selections. but no numbers option.

but it must be on the player end, as videos I had captured just a few weeks prior to this happening are also playing small and elongated - awful really. and it's system wide, as TMPGEnc also sees the files at 360x240. Strangely however, very old avi files on my system aren't affected, just recent ones from my dv camera.

-changed the slide rule in WMP advanced options
-uninstalled the Adobe Premiere software that started it
-right clicking shows no properties except AUDIO duration
-toyed with limited options in vid studio 9, dv-type 1 & 2, changed capture driver and device.

Still trying to figure out how I can change capture settings in the capture utility, such as video studio 9. will let you know if something shows up.

[edDV]

yep, all avi files not only play like the small box you mention but elongated horizontally as well, just like you said. not only it makes them look fatter, it makes peoples' nostrils look like bowling balls.

for one, with Ulead Video Studio 9 I don't even know how to adjust capture screen size settings other than their "dv - avi - mpeg - wmv" selections. but no numbers option.

.

Look under Options for each capture format. It is all in there.

I'm confused as to which project setting you ar trying to use.

Assuming MPeg2 352x576 or 352x288 vbr ...

You should be setting the project format preferences first and then just "Project template value" under MPeg capture settings.

This is how you set project settings for VS8, under file -> Project Properites -> Mpeg -> Edit -> Set PAL

Next -> General Tab -> Set resolution and aspect ratio -> Compression Tab -> set cbr or vbr and other compression settings.

That sets the project format. Then just use "Project template value" under capture options. It is also possibe to capture to something other than project format under capture options with similar menus.

[abc-123]

@edtv - why are you telling him to use pal when his captures are all in x240?

@coffeeguy - if your previous captures were all in x240 then use NTSC. Here are some excerpts from the glossary on the left:

The resolution of an NTSC VCD is 352x240 pixels, an NTSC SVCD is 480x480, and an NTSC full D1 DVD is 704x480 for letterbox or 720x480.

The resolution of a PAL VCD is 352x288 pixels, a PAL SVCD is 480x576, and a PAL full D1 DVD is 704x576 for letterbox or 720x576.

[edDV]

@edtv - why are you telling him to use pal when his captures are all in x240?

@coffeeguy - if your previous captures were all in x240 then use NTSC. Here are some excerpts from the glossary on the left:

The resolution of an NTSC VCD is 352x240 pixels, an NTSC SVCD is 480x480, and an NTSC full D1 DVD is 704x480 for letterbox or 720x480.

The resolution of a PAL VCD is 352x288 pixels, a PAL SVCD is 480x576, and a PAL full D1 DVD is 704x576 for letterbox or 720x576.

Because he is in Viet Nam. He should have explained NTSC use there.