Program to verify quality of avi files

[fredpb]

I have a number avi's, and they are in groups/episodes. But some seem corrupt and have audio, but no video, so they are useless to me. The only way I have been finding them is by playing them. No fun to find out chapter 4 of 4 is bad after watching the first three.

Is there a program that I can run, hopefully in batch mode, to verify if avi files are ok?

[guns1inger]

While it could be that they are corrupt, it is more likely that you simply do not have the correct codec installed to play back that episode. Try using G-Spot or AVICode or MediaInfo to determine if this is the case, before giving up and deleting the files. Usually, if an avi is corrupt, you won't get audio or video, or you will get both but it will freeze. To get audio that works, but no video is usually a codec issue.

[fredpb]

They are corrupted for sure. I tried virtualdub. It will play the files, and it turnes out that some of the video is messed up "pixelated", I guess. It is tolerable to view for me. But the video will not convert with Zen Vision conversion program (to wmv) or play on the zen.

Virtualdub seems pretty complicated. Can it smooth out a messy avi? How do you do this? I tried the help files for virtualdub, and they don't help.

I want virtualdub or another program to scan the file, make and output file that is "smoother" or "fixed?

[Ai Haibara]

VirtualDub will only play using your VFW codecs*, so there's still the possibility that you may have improper codecs installed (or don't have the appropriate ones installed). Try playing the file first with a player like VLC or mplayer, both of which rely on their own codecs, rather than VFW codecs or DirectShow filters.

(* Note: VDub technically isn't supposed to be used as a player, so problems could theoretically happen that won't occur with a normal player program, AFAIK.)

guns1inger's advice on getting information about the codecs these particular videos use is also a good idea.

[fredpb]

One title of my Dr Who has about 4 avi files. Three work ok, for instance, and one is corrupt. I don't think it's a codec issue.

[thecoalman]

I don't think it's a codec issue.

Yea you're right that's not it... go ahead delete them. :P

[Ai Haibara]

It still won't hurt to see if they play correctly using VLC or mplayer, or to know if that particular video does - for example - use a different encoding scheme.

As for VirtualDub, you can also get information on a video through the File menu and selecting 'File Information,' I believe, and VirtualDub will also attempt to check a video and repair it if you select 'Scan Video Stream for Errors' under the Video menu (all of this is from memory, since I don't have VDub available where I am, at the moment... so the options may be worded a little differently.)

[guns1inger]

So you haven't actually verified that your system has the right codecs because . . . . ?