question about how to play video on portable mp4 player

[jimdagys]

I have a portable mp4 player (looks like mp3 player but has tiny video screen) and I am having trouble knowing what kind of video file format is required so that the mp4 player can play the video. I loaded a typical avi file into the mp4 player, but I get a "file format error" message when I try to play the video. (This video plays fine on a computer using Media Player Classic. ) (See screenshot 1 for the Gspot of this video.) I then went to the shop where I bought the mp4 player and they loaded a short video clip that plays fine on the mp4 player. (See screenshot 2 for the Gspot of the video that plays on the mp4 player.) My question is, why does the second video play on the mp4 player, but the first one doesn't? If I have an avi (such as in screenshot 1) how can I convert it so that it will play on this mp4 player? Is there simple software that can do this conversion?

[poisondeathray]

I'm guessing the 1st one has AC3 audio, which is not supported by some portable players. What brand/model is your player?

[jimdagys]

It is an mp4 player bought in China. The brand name is Newman, Newsmy model m520 1GB. The manufacturer web site written on the player is: http://www.usb-mp3.com

[guns1inger]

Does the CD that comes with it have any conversion software on it ?

[jimdagys]

Ah yes, the CD that comes with it. Most of it is in Chinese and my computer doesn't render that. However, I see several softwares, the first one is AVIConverter Setup 5.exe. I haven't tried yet to install that because I don't know what I am supposed to convert to. If you look at the above Gspots for the playing and non- playing files, they look pretty similar. (Both are XVID 1.1.0 Final). The point has been made that maybe the mp4 player cannot deal with AC3 audio. If that is the case, can I use the AVIConverter to convert the AC3 audio to something compatible with the mp4 player? Also, there is some other software on the disk. I am attaching screenshot 1 and 2 of the icons of these softwares. Does anybody know what those softwares are and what purpose they have?

[jman98]

It is an mp4 player bought in China. The brand name is Newman, Newsmy model m520 1GB. The manufacturer web site written on the player is: http://www.usb-mp3.com

Those Chinese made MP4 players have very strict requirements about what they will play. Your clip that plays has a different audio codec, smaller resolution and smaller fps than the video that won't play. I'm sure that your player supports a fairly small resolution, probably something like VCD or smaller. In theory you should have documentation with the player that tells what you have to do to get videos to play on it.

I just did a Google search on your player. Is there a reason why you didn't try that? Anyway, your screen size is 128x128, so I would bet that your real problem is that the video that won't play is too big in resolution. You're going to have to keep everything you want to play to 128x128 or less.

[jimdagys]

I'll see if I can figure out the Chinese documentation that came with the player. Actually the player is not even mine. I have no desire to play movies on a 1 inch screen. Somebody else bought it at China Wal-mart about 2 months ago and it quit working (wouldn't turn on) right after the 30 day warranty expired. I took it to the Newman repair shop and they fixed it (replaced some tiny surface mount part) in about 2 minutes. They didn't charge anything. I was curious about the playing movie capability so I had them install a short video clip.
While I am on the subject of mp4 players, I have found that Google is not very useful for getting info on players sold in China. I once had a (sold in China) mp3 player that had corrupt firmware and managed to destroy the player completely by trying to update the firmware. All the info I could find on the web was for Chinese mp3 players sold outside of China. The firmware is different.
UPDATE: Looking at the supplied documentation, it seems that 128x128 is mentioned along with AVIConverter. I am guessing that AVIConverter can convert standard video to 128x128. I don't see anything mentioned in the documentation about required FPS.

[classfour]

Most play .amv files. The software to render it is available on the internet for download. Here is a website that I was directed to by reading the forums here on videohelp: http://www.mympxplayer.org/portal.php

[theewizard]

try super

duplicate the settings

your source/test vdieo is 29.97 fps ntsc

your france video is 15 fps

test bitrate 2286

france video bitrate 400

test encoded as dviX

france encode avi 1.0 (very basic) with mencoder

test resolution 600*352 DVD rip & crop conversion

france resolution 128*128

test audio AC3

france audio mp2 ( mpeg1 layer 2 ) not layer 3

your test vid is not going to play nothing matches

DL super, and see if you can duplicate the settings used for your video player and maybe you can convert your TEST to the format your player uses

i have looked at these things in various store including frys electronics

I have a bigger screen and better quality on my cell phones

and super does a great job on converting to 3g2 and MP4 for my cellphone and my wifes cellphone
and we only have to carry ONE device around instead of two

and is Xvid really the encdoing codec.. or is xvid the codec that gspot used to open file ?

maybe i'm confused, but i thought if you encoded with mencoder, you would be using mpeg 4 basic codec NOT the xvid variaion

we all know that PC codecs play back various iterations/variations of mpeg4, but hardware ( like this ) has
very specific needs before it will play something

AND this site has a forum dedicated to portable video and this isn't it, i'm surprised this thread hasn't been moved.

good luck, with your conversion

[jimdagys]

Sorry about not posting in the proper sections. Maybe the mods will move this.
Anyway, I completely solved the problem. I installed AVIConverter Setup 5.0.exe (included on the cd provided with the mp4 player). It is a real no brainer to use. (See screenshot 1) All I had to do was choose:
1) 128x128 resolution
2) source file
3) target file
4) click "convert now"
The resulting file played perfectly on the mp4 player. (See screenshot 2 of Gspot for the file).
One thing I don't understand is how the software also knew to reduce the fps from 29.97 to 15.
I didn't have to do anything with the fps, the software just automatically reduced the fps. Also, the AC3 was automatically changed to the proper codec.
Is it possible that this software (AVIConverter Setup 5.0.exe) is created specially to create files that work
on mp4 players (without dealing with all of the required parameters)?

[guns1inger]

Is it possible that this software (AVIConverter Setup 5.0.exe) is created specially to create files that work on mp4 players (without dealing with all of the required parameters)?

Exactly. As pointed out earlier, many of these players have very strict requirements, and the software that comes with is built to meet these requirements exactly. In your case it seems to be built around a modified mencoder.

My daughter received a no-name chinese player that is the same hardware but different firmware to the Samsung T10. This firmware only plays AMV video, which is a Chinese modification to the mjpeg codec. The only software that encodes video for it correctly is the one that ships with it. The freeware AMV encoder based on a modiofied ffmpeg wont cut it. Sometimes you are stuck with it.

I would even doubt that it is really Xvid. What does media info say about it ?

[jimdagys]

Well the Gspot (see above) says the file is XVID. so it must be XVID, right? I don't understand, what do you mean when you say
"I would even doubt that it is really Xvid. What does media info say about it" ?
What is "media info"?

[guns1inger]

Media Info is another codec reporting app like g-spot. While g-spot is very good, it is possible to fake it out and make a video look like it has been encoded as something that it isn't. These chinese players and software could be producing anything, which is why the results can be difficult to replicate using standard encoding tools.

Simple enough to test. Just replicate those settings with virtualdub and encode to Xvid. If it plays, then it really does play xvid video. If it doesn't play, then it may not be quite as it seems.

[jimdagys]

MediaInfo says that the file is XVID (See screenshot). The video file is at:
http://www.fileden.com/files/2006/11/30/441298/newman_test.avi

[redwudz]

I'll move this to the Portable Video Forum.

[specialed1]

Do you still have access to the aviconverter app?

Sorry about not posting in the proper sections. Maybe the mods will move this.
Anyway, I completely solved the problem. I installed AVIConverter Setup 5.0.exe (included on the cd provided with the mp4 player). It is a real no brainer to use. (See screenshot 1) All I had to do was choose:
1) 128x128 resolution
2) source file
3) target file
4) click "convert now"
The resulting file played perfectly on the mp4 player. (See screenshot 2 of Gspot for the file).
One thing I don't understand is how the software also knew to reduce the fps from 29.97 to 15.
I didn't have to do anything with the fps, the software just automatically reduced the fps. Also, the AC3 was automatically changed to the proper codec.
Is it possible that this software (AVIConverter Setup 5.0.exe) is created specially to create files that work
on mp4 players (without dealing with all of the required parameters)?