How can I tell which codec is being used?

[sasuweh]

Quick question - how can I tell which codec is being used at any given time with a particular file I am playing? I use the shark 007 codec pack, and there are several options for enabling/disabling codecs. I also have Cedocida installed. I would like to make sure that enabling/disabling certain codecs is actually affecting the decompressor being used for playback. I tried using an avisynth script with info() and opening it in virtualmod, but virtualmod just says YUV 4:2:2 (YUY2) under decompressor - but I want to confirm that Cedocida is actually doing the decompressing and not some other codec.

If I drop the media file directly into gspot it says the fourcc is dvsd (it's a DV-AVI). In gspot, under all codecs and filters, it lists Cedocida under DVSD. So can I rest assured that Cedocida is doing the decompressing for this type of file regardless of whether or not ffdshow is enabled? I have FFDshow and Haali enabled in Shark 007, and also Cedocida enabled through VCSwap, and I want to make sure that it is Cedocida doing the decompression for my DV-AVI and not ffdshow or something else.

From what I understand, with video for Windows, only one codec can be registered for any one type of video. However, for directshow, multiple codecs can be registered for the same video type. So how can I confirm that Cedocida is being used?

[poisondeathray]

for a dv-avi source, and you want to know which vfw codec is being used , open it directly in vdub (make sure internal vdub dv decoder is disabled)

if you check file=>file information it will list the vfw decoder

the reason why using avs script provides different information YUY 4:2:2, is that it's frameserving uncompressed video (it has already been decoded by the decoder, so it's a step later on)

for directshow decoders you can use graphstudio or graphedit , and the filter with highest merit will render and connect first

disable dv-avi in ffdshow vfw configuration (and directshow), as it will override other dv decoders when enabled

I'm almost certain all this was covered in one of your earlier threads.

[sasuweh]

It probably was - I was looking through them and I wasn't completely sure. I just noticed that opening the file directly in virtualdub shows "Cedocida DV codec" under decompressor. So I guess that's it. DV-AVI is already disabled under ffdshow vfw config. Not sure how to check for directshow though.

Thanks for the reply.

[jagabo]

Go to Cedocida's setup applet. In the Decoder section enable only one of the Output Formats, say RGB32. Open a DV AVI file and verify that the applicaiton is getting RGB32 (Info() in an AviSynth script). Go back to Cedocida's setup applet and change the Output Format to another format, say YUY2. Open a DV AVI file and verify that the app is now getting YUY2. If both match then you know Cedocida is being used.

You could also force output to RGB32 and use the two YUV to RGB Conversion options. If the contrast is different then you know Cedocida is doing the decoding.

Remember there are two main video subsystems in Windows: VFW and DirectShow. The two systems use different codecs. And each system has its own codec priorities. So just because VFW is using a particular decoder doesn't mean that DirectShow is using that one too. VirtualDub uses VFW codecs, media players use DirectShow codecs. Cedocida includes both VFW and DirectShow decoders.

[sasuweh]

I switched back and forth in Cedocida, selecting different output formats, and those changes did reflect in info(), so it's working fine.

Thanks again!