Where to get the AVC1 codec to play .mp4 videos?

[TyLord]

I have been beating my brains out over this. The only way i can get this file to play is with the VLC player, which is lame. I want to be able to play this in WMP and convert it to mpeg2. Does anyone know how to do this? Thanks

[kschang]

Popping "AVC1 Codec" into Google shows (in the first link, no less) that AVC1 is supported by FFDShow.

[TyLord]

it doesn't work. I already tried that. lol, i'm not that much of a noob. I've googled like crazy, i can't find anything that supports it.

[kschang]

Ah, but you didn't follow THIS advice, also found with Google...

http://mytechieself.blogspot.com/2005/12/howto-avi-file-and-avc1.html

[TyLord]

ah, but i did. I don't have an avi file, it's an mp4. But either way, i turned on all the options that have anything to do with avc1 and mp4 and nothing.

[kschang]

From all the Googling, it appears that MP4 is really MOV slightly renamed, but then Haali Splitter should have worked and FFDShow should have viewed it.

Just tried one of those Apple clips... Downloaded the Fantastic 4 HD trailer, renamed extension to .mp4, and confirmed that it doees play in BSPlayer (albeit, with lousy framerates as I have a lousy PC).

Well, what can I say?

[Colonel Forbin]

I had a similar problem in that I could watch the file (mp4 w/h264 & aac), but not encode to mpeg2. Try uninstalling ffdshow, restarting your machine, then installing the latest verison from:

http://cutka.szm.sk/files/ffdshow-20051129.exe

I checked all the options when it asked about avisynth, vdub, etc and it solved my problem.

[simonsonjh]

I have a similar .mp4 file, so I installed ffdshow. Now Gspot crashes. I hope nothing else broke.

[guns1inger]

Are you using the latest beta of g-spot ?

[TyLord]

G-Spot can't read .mp4 files.

[TyLord]

I had a similar problem in that I could watch the file (mp4 w/h264 & aac), but not encode to mpeg2. Try uninstalling ffdshow, restarting your machine, then installing the latest verison from:

http://cutka.szm.sk/files/ffdshow-20051129.exe

I checked all the options when it asked about avisynth, vdub, etc and it solved my problem.

I'll give that a shot. Thanks Colonel

[kschang]

Latest FFDShow is actually Rev 20051221

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/FFDShow.htm

A bit more research shows that Gabest's MP4 Demuxer/Splitter doesn't work with MP4/MOV's. You need to use Elecard's MP4 Splitter until Gabest fixes his.

(Source: CoRoNe's DShow Filter Pack at http://www.msfn.org/board/lofiversion/index.php/t56803.html)

[celtic_druid]

Latest ffdshow is newer than that. The CVS is constantly being updated and various people are putting builds online, so there are definatly builds up from this month.

There is a new alpha AVC dshow decoder (coreAVC) out from corecodec now to. A fair bit faster than libavcodec/ffdshow.

To playback an AVC mp4, you need a splitter and a decoder. Haali's splitter and ffdshow should definatly do the trick. ffdshow can also decode aac audio.

[kschang]

Oh, and I was able to play those QT7 HD trailers (in AVC1 codec) in BSPlayer after renaming those MOVs to MP4s. So FFDShow does work.

[TyLord]

in BS player maybe, try playing them in WMP.

[kschang]

WMP gives me a 80004005 error.

[Patronas]

Found this old thread describing the same problem I was trying to solve. What i did was to rename the file as mp4 from mov and then use quicktime to view it. Gspot had already identified the codec as AVC1.

[guns1inger]

Except that Gabest's splitter has long solved this two year old problem in a much cleaner way. But thatnks for playing.

[TBoneit]

Well I just tried these two and now I can open MP4 files

https://www.videohelp.com/tools/Haali_Media_Splitter
and
https://www.videohelp.com/tools/ffdshow

After these two I can open the MP4 files that show as avc1 and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC in Gspot 2.70a in Main Concept 1.4 and DVDSanta 4.0 (Don't laugh it was here). GSPot never shows status as Codec Status Undetermined, however they open both video and audio now. I'll be trying them in TMPGenc Xpress 4 and free later. Xpress 4 works with thosw two loaded too.

Hope this helps.

[neilpercy]

I have a similar problem with an mp4 video file - VLC will only play the auido with a black screen - no picture. (I can occassionally get a still frame if I move the cursor back and forth)

GSpot (v2.70a) says it the codec is avc1 - H.264/MPEG-4 AVC and 'Codec Status undetermined'

If I click on the 'Proposed Codec solutions and Tests' buttons

G Spot Vid - "GSpot is not yet capable of attempting to render this video type. Try using the "MS A/V" button 1 " and...

Using that button Produces a good result "Render OK - Following combination of fliters was used -

(mailnly) .... ffdshowVideo Decoder > Video Renderer
.... ffdshowAudio Decoder > Default DirectSound Devices

both the ffdshow decoders say 'ffdshow.ax' when hovered over and the 'Video Renderer' and 'Default DirectSound Devices' both say 'quartz .dll'

Pressing on button 2 actually plays the video fine in a box above, so it it playable somehow??

here are pictures of the GSpot output -

(the video shows as black in the screen capture)




any thoughts greatly appreciated


cheers


neil

[Baldrick]

Try open the mp4 in avidemux. Do you see the video then? if so then try save as a new mp4(under audio and video choose copy and then it wont converted).

[neilpercy]

cheers Baldrick, that pretty much worked.

Avidemux did warn about H.264 detected and either method offered produces a video that is slighty 'jerky' (only just), but generally it works.

It's not needed for anything critical, so is good enough - though not as smooth as the 'combination' method that Gspot uses.



many thanks


neil

[Baldrick]

You can also try "remux" it using mp4muxer or yamb. Add the mp4 and make a new mp4.

[terrapinlrps47]

Latest FFDShow is actually Rev 20051221

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/FFDShow.htm

A bit more research shows that Gabest's MP4 Demuxer/Splitter doesn't work with MP4/MOV's. You need to use Elecard's MP4 Splitter until Gabest fixes his.

(Source: CoRoNe's DShow Filter Pack at http://www.msfn.org/board/lofiversion/index.php/t56803.html)

thank you much kschang, much obliged..

[snafubaby]

SO my question is...How do you load the video in certain software, to get it to play? Is there a fix for the issue, or is the fix where you have to modify the .mp4 in question?

[guns1inger]

What software, specifically ?

Some software will read MP4s out of the box. Some require the correct directshow codec to be installed. Some will only load certain types of video encoded in the mp4 container.

Your question is too general to give a definitive answer.

So, post a mediainfo of the file in question, and tell us what software you are trying to load it into.

[auto7890]

I have a similar .mp4 file, so I installed ffdshow. Now Gspot crashes. I hope nothing else broke.

MediaInfo program has replace the old Gspot

[Baldrick]

Check the date when you post....that post is almost 8 years old now.