Macrovision and MPEG?

[plugues]

I have this file which is 1.2Gb large, but I can't find out what's the proper codec for it. It opens just fine on Xbox Media Center, but VLC, Quicktime with Perian and MPEG Streamclip all fail to open it. VLC will sometimes show a 10sec Macrovision logo animation, but will never open the file. How can I find out what's going on with this video?

[MOVIEGEEK]

Use MediaInfo.

[plugues]

thanks. I still can't open the file, and I believe that's due to Macrovision copy protection, since all I get when using VLC or Mpeg Streamclipe is the Macrovision intro. Still I know there's more video in there, for I can get XBMC (and only xbmc) to run it.

I used mediainfo on it, this is what I got:

Format : MPEG-TS
File size : 1 014 MiB
Duration : 8s 955ms
Overall bit rate : 950 Mbps

Video
ID : 68 (0x44)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : MPEG Video
Format version : Version 2
Format settings, Matrix : Default
Duration : 8s 960ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 884 Mbps
Width : 720 pixels
Height : 576 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 5:4
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Standard : PAL
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 85.255
Stream size : 944 MiB (93%)

Audio
ID : 69 (0x45)
Menu ID : 1 (0x1)
Format : MPEG Audio
Format version : Version 1
Format profile : Layer 2
Duration : 8s 955ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 128 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Resolution : 16 bits
Video delay : 467ms
Stream size : 140 KiB (0%)

[Noahtuck]

I still can't open the file, and I believe that's due to Macrovision copy protection,

Think again!!!!

Although you never really said what kind of file you have.

Besides your "post title" which say's "Macrovision and MPEG?" which one would/could assume is an MPG file, but what type of mpeg file ?

If it is actually an mpeg file!!

[plugues]

extension is .avi

[Seeker47]

I have this file which is 1.2Gb large, but I can't find out what's the proper codec for it. It opens just fine on Xbox Media Center, but VLC, Quicktime with Perian and MPEG Streamclip all fail to open it. VLC will sometimes show a 10sec Macrovision logo animation, but will never open the file. How can I find out what's going on with this video?

I think a couple of those you mentioned are Mac apps ? If this is for the Mac, I can't suggest anything, not being a Mac-user.

Anyway, it's good to have 5 or 6 players on tap, for situations like this. For .AVI, I can't recall one that I couldn't play using Media Player Classic Home Cinema, which is free and available here.

If this is happening on a PC, something like ConvertX could probably make it playable. Or maybe you could open it with some program like VirtualDub ? (MV should be beside the point.) There are bound to be some ways . . . .

[tomlee59]

I used mediainfo on it, this is what I got:

Format : MPEG-TS
File size : 1 014 MiB
Duration : 8s 955ms

This is your problem. The duration metadata info is telling the player that the vid is only 9s long. That can happen if the file is damaged or deliberately wrapped improperly. You'll need to fix this or many players will quit after 9s, thinking that they're done.

[MOVIEGEEK]

Try changing the extension to .mpg , since it has MPEG video and audio it most likely is MPEG.

[tomlee59]

Yes, it's clearly encoded with MPEG, but inside an avi wrapper. Changing the extension is certainly worth a try, given how easy it is to do.

If that doesn't work, post back. You may have to edit the avi metadata to make it play properly (in this case, "edit" can include "delete").

[plugues]

changing extension to .mpeg, .mpg or .mov did nothing. vlc shows no video, and mpeg streamclip shows me the Macrovision intro.

how can I remove the .AVI metadata?

[Cornucopia]

Yes, it's clearly encoded with MPEG, but inside an avi wrapper. Changing the extension is certainly worth a try, given how easy it is to do.

If that doesn't work, post back. You may have to edit the avi metadata to make it play properly (in this case, "edit" can include "delete").

Inside an AVI wrapper? Where do you get that?

The Media Info output shown above shows: MPEG-TS!

Well, it's likely that the OP's file TRULY is 944 MB, but the other 2 figures look funky: 8 seconds? That might match up with the Macrovision logo (which might NOT be a still, but rather a non-moving 8 sec piece of video). But NO WAY is the bitrate 884Mbps! So either there's junk afterward or there's good stuff afterward, but it's inaccessible (most likely). My guess is the bitrate shown is just calculated from the "presented" duration and the given size. If the presented duration was correct, the bitrate would be more in line with standard videos.

Now, HOW to get the material out of that file?
It sounds like the TS file (or the video stream within, or both) has got to be repaired first, or you'll always be told it's something different than it is, and apps will just follow what their told about a file.

*Open in a HEX editor and make sure it matches signatures for MPEG Transport Streams, and MPEG2 video streams and MPEG 1-Layer2 audio streams.
*Try to see if any other MPEG analysis apps can see anything else in there...Like Manzanita's ?MPEG Info? (or something like that--very handy), Telco Bitrate Viewer, a few others.
*Use an MPEG-TS repair tool. TS-Doctor to start, whatever else you can find

...Hmm, since you said "XBMC could run it", I'm guessing that the "good part" is ENCRYPTED and possibly resided in the USER-DATA section of the Macrovision video, which certainly WOULDN'T show up on the bitrate radar. Could this by any chance be a program recorded on some Tivo-like settop box? That would explain the Macrovision & Encryption...

Scott