Playing avi file through firewire

[hoodleehoo]

Is there a way to just play an avi through firewire? I have a 24p avi file that can only be played through dvd playing program (otherwise it jitters) and I'd like to just be able to play it through the firewire. I don't want to add any editing software or anything, I just want to play it. We have a setup with a projector all ready and everything using a firewire cable input.

Is this possible? Or can you ONLY capture and edit footage through firewire via editing program?

[redwudz]

Simple question. But I haven't really tried it. The way DV is transferred is normally just for capture, not viewing. I don't know if VLC would display it directly, but it plays video from most formats and sources. Or try Enosoft Enhanced DV Decoder.

But other member likely have a better answer.

And welcome to our forums.

[gadgetguy]

I'm not sure I understand. You have a projector connected to your computer via firewire for output? I've never seen a projector with that configuration, but if it's a DV-AVI file you're trying to send out the firewire and the projector is recognized as a DV device, you should be able to do it with WinDV "Recording to DV device".

[hoodleehoo]

Thanks, I'll check that out. Would it be a problem that it's not connected to a camera ready to record? Would it need to see that a camera is on and ready to go before playing it?

[hoodleehoo]

Okay, it shows up on the screen but won't play, just pauses.

Here's what I want to do. Scrap the projector. I want to go from the computer to my home dvd player/burner which has a firewire input. Usually I go from my camera to the DVD player via the firewire and record from the camera onto a DVD. I want to go from the computer to the DVD player and record it onto the DVD instead of a camera.

Is this possible?

[edDV]

Okay, it shows up on the screen but won't play, just pauses.

Here's what I want to do. Scrap the projector. I want to go from the computer to my home dvd player/burner which has a firewire input. Usually I go from my camera to the DVD player via the firewire and record from the camera onto a DVD. I want to go from the computer to the DVD player and record it onto the DVD instead of a camera.

Is this possible?

That depends on the DVD recorder. Most support only camcorder connections and only work if the DVD recorder is controlling the DV camcorder. The connection usually hangs when the DVD Player initializes device control.

An alternative mode would allow turning off device control so that the DVD player would simply accept a DV stream for manual recording. Most software editors now have this mode so they can record analog pass through to DV or accept live feeds from DV transcoders. Most DVD recorders lack this mode.

Another way to approach this issue would be piece of software at the computer end that would simulate a DV camcorder and respond to device control commands like cue, preroll and play.

[gadgetguy]

It should work if the avi is a DV-AVI file. If it's not, then it will have to be converted first. Make sure the Device Control checkbox is unchecked, and manually start and stop the recording. There is a bug in WinDV when using device control.

Edit: Just read edDV's post. I wasn't aware that DVD recorders wanted/needed device control.

[hoodleehoo]

Another way to approach this issue would be piece of software at the computer end that would simulate a DV camcorder and respond to device control commands like cue, preroll and play.

Is there software like this?

[hoodleehoo]

Let me explain in more detail exactly what we're trying to do. I've got a movie on my laptop's harddrive that I need to play throug a projector. I have a camcorder that can take a firewire and go from that to the projector and speakers. I also have a DVD player that has a firewire input so I can go through that to the projector and speakers as well.

- I don't want to burn a DVD as it cheapens the quality. I want to play it uncompressed because it's so large.

- If we use the PC input to the projector and play it that way will it recognize it as video? I'm assuming it will play it like a computer screen which is very different than its video mode (colors aren't as good).

- I'd rather not use the headphone jack of the laptop to go to the speakers as it's not as good a quality as using a line out audio (like the camcorder and dvd player have).

- The laptop doesn't have any SVideo outputs, the only video output it has is the PS2 output which makes it play in computer mode instead of video mode (on the projector).

[poisondeathray]

The VGA (PC out) is probably the best choice, and is better quality than s-video if you even had it.

If the colors are dull, it is probably your choice of video renderer in your playback software (.e.g. VMR9 has "washed out" colors compared to most video overlay modes). You can fiddle with different choices. You can also force full RGB output, depending on your settings with some players, and even force full chroma 1-255.

The other possibility is that your graphics card settings/drivers have not been calibrated.

[gadgetguy]

The VGA (PC out) is probably the best choice, and is better quality than s-video if you even had it.

If the colors are dull, it is probably your choice of video renderer in your playback software (.e.g. VMR9 has "washed out" colors compared to most video overlay modes). You can fiddle with different choices. You can also force full RGB output, depending on your settings with some players, and even force full chroma 1-255.

The other possibility is that your graphics card settings/drivers have not been calibrated.

This is not necessarily true, the projector at my church has a completely different look and settings for each of the different inputs, and the VGA input is not very good for video/movies, regardless of what you do on the PC end. Having said that, there are settings on the projector that can partially compensate and make it presentable if not ideal.

@hoodleehoo - I still think it should work through the camcorder using WinDV if it's a DV-AVI file, but after re-reading the original post, I don't think the file you have is because I don't think DV supports 24p (although I could be wrong).

[edDV]

Let me explain in more detail exactly what we're trying to do. I've got a movie on my laptop's harddrive that I need to play throug a projector. I have a camcorder that can take a firewire and go from that to the projector and speakers. I also have a DVD player that has a firewire input so I can go through that to the projector and speakers as well.

If the projector accepted firewire, all would be easy but I'll assume it doesn't.

Let's start with the DV-AVI file and the DV camcorder as the first option. Using a program like WinDV, you can convert an incoming DV stream to a DV-AVI file, or you can play a DV-AVI file (audio and video) out the Firewire port to a device like the camcorder. When in VCR mode and with the tape stopped, the camcorder will accept an input DV stream and decode it to audio and S-Video video out. The good thing about this is interlace is preserved and Y and C remain separate. The display and audio chips in the laptop are bypassed. One disadvantage is most consumer DV camcorders output analog Y as 0-100 IRE so optimal display settings will be different for brightness and contrast compared to normal 7.5-100 IRE NTSC video.

A DV transcoder device like a Canopus ADVC-100/110 can substitute for the camcorder in this scenario and solve that last issue. The ADVC unit includes a switch to select 7.5-100 or 0-100 IRE levels out.

If you can find a DVD recorder that supports DV in with E-E pass through to analog S-Video or analog component out and has proper 7.5-100 IRE output levels, then it can substitute for the DV transcoder. As said above, most DVD recorders only support DV input in camcorder device control mode.

- I don't want to burn a DVD as it cheapens the quality. I want to play it uncompressed because it's so large.

- If we use the PC input to the projector and play it that way will it recognize it as video? I'm assuming it will play it like a computer screen which is very different than its video mode (colors aren't as good).

- I'd rather not use the headphone jack of the laptop to go to the speakers as it's not as good a quality as using a line out audio (like the camcorder and dvd player have).

- The laptop doesn't have any SVideo outputs, the only video output it has is the PS2 output which makes it play in computer mode instead of video mode (on the projector).

The computer VGA output scenario works this way. Most display chipsets lack a hardware DV decoder so software players like VLC must use the CPU to decode DV and convert it to a format the display chipset can handle. For VGA out this will require DV YCbCr conversion to RGB *and* deinterlace. VLC has various deinterlace modes but a typical CPU is nowhere near as efficient as hardware deinterlacers typically found in projectors and progressive TV sets. Next the native 720x480 resolution DV will most likely be scaled to square pixel 640x480 or 800x600 when read into the display frame buffer. Further, the display chipset has cheap components for D/A conversion to S-Video. This why you see picture quality loss from VGA.

[hoodleehoo]

So the reason winDV won't play it through my camcorder is that it's 24pA? Is there a program that will?

[JohnnyMalaria]

Does your camcorder support 24p? It needs to.

[edDV]

So the reason winDV won't play it through my camcorder is that it's 24pA? Is there a program that will?

WinDV should be able to play 24pa but it will be a jerky mess due to field repeat patterns used for 24pa.

What camcorder model are you using?

Are your files all 24pa?

24pa is a pain to view directly and wasn't intended for watching. It needs a compatible editor to convert it to progressive. No TV or projector will accept 24pa. At least none that I've heard of. You should be feeding telecined 480i to the projector.

Ref for 24pa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24p skip down to "advanced pulldown"

[hoodleehoo]

I was not aware that 24pA was not intended for watching, thanks! Makes sense, though. I've removed the pulldown and am adding a 3:2 pulldown. Hopefully it will work, then. I tried using WinDV with a 3:2 pulldown file and it worked beautifully!