Change container from avi to wmv?

[trodas]

I do wonder, if it is possible to change the container from avi to wmv. I got the video reencoded to wm9, but VirtualDub allow me to save only AVI file, and for one odd reason I need the WMV format.

I wonder, if one can export wmv format from VirtualDub. I know, that the input limitations was overcomed by the input plugins (hooray to fccHandler! http://forums.virtualdub.org/index.php?act=ST&f=7&t=19488 ), but is there a way to produce the WMV file out ouf VirtualDub?

I tried install the WM9 encoder ( http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/de...ls.aspx?id=6191 ) and I can choose and use it, however the output file format is still only avi.

Nothing against avi, but so some stupid reason, one server allow live playback only when the uploaded file is wmv. Not avi, encoded with wm9, just the container had to be wmv.

Any luck with VirtualDub or some conversion utility do exist? FFmpeg, perhaps?

[poisondeathray]

you can use ffmpeg to rewrap it

ffmpeg -i input.wmv -vcodec copy -acodec copy output.wmv

Alternatively you could use vdub as a frameserver to as input into a wmv encoder , or maybe use the vdub external encoder feature in experimental builds

[trodas]

Sadly, that does not work:


Input #0, avi, from 'input.avi':
Duration: 00:25:56.58, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 287 kb/s
Stream #0:0: Video: wmv3 (Main) (WMV3 / 0x33564D57), yuv420p, 480x272, 29.92
fps, 29.92 tbr, 29.90 tbn, 29.90 tbc
Stream #0:1: Audio: mp3 (U[0][0][0] / 0x0055), 44100 Hz, stereo, s16p, 128 k
b/s
Output #0, asf, to 'output.wmv':
Metadata:
WM/EncodingSettings: Lavf55.0.100
Stream #0:0: Video: wmv3 (WMV3 / 0x33564D57), yuv420p, 480x272, q=2-31, 29.9
2 fps, 1k tbn, 29.90 tbc
Stream #0:1: Audio: mp3 (U[0][0][0] / 0x0055), 44100 Hz, stereo, 128 kb/s
Stream mapping:
Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (copy)
Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (copy)
Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
frame= 6403 fps=0.0 q=-1.0 size= 7960kB time=00:03:35.27 bitrate= 302.9kbits/
frame=12255 fps=0.0 q=-1.0 size= 15369kB time=00:06:50.98 bitrate= 306.4kbits/
frame=19215 fps=12810 q=-1.0 size= 23760kB time=00:10:43.76 bitrate= 302.4kbit
frame=25303 fps=12652 q=-1.0 size= 31451kB time=00:14:07.36 bitrate= 304.1kbit
frame=31535 fps=12614 q=-1.0 size= 39416kB time=00:17:35.79 bitrate= 305.8kbit
frame=38246 fps=12749 q=-1.0 size= 47582kB time=00:21:20.20 bitrate= 304.5kbit
frame=45643 fps=13041 q=-1.0 size= 55279kB time=00:25:27.58 bitrate= 296.4kbit
frame=46524 fps=13117 q=-1.0 Lsize= 56319kB time=00:25:56.58 bitrate= 296.4kbi
ts/s
video:28122kB audio:24235kB subtitle:0 global headers:0kB muxing overhead 7.5661
99%


...yet the file is unplayable Sadly. Any better ideas?

[El Heggunte]

You can try SolveigMM ASF Multiplexer. Also, there is an old CLI application named vidtoasf.exe.

Anyway, if you want to encode to ASF and do need or want a GUI program, you really should be using Windows Media Encoder. The WMV9 encoder for VirtualDub is terribly outdated and inefficient, and unless you know very well what you're doing, you'll get a lot of dropped/duplicated frames

[Cornucopia]

I would frameserve to WME (or output losslessly-compressed/uncompressed from Vdub and use that as input to WME). Then, you know you've got a legit WMV-spec'ed file.

Scott

[poisondeathray]

The reason it's not working is the audio.

Use WMA2 (or no audio) and it will work fine in all players

But a better idea is probably to use WME as Scott says

[DB83]

Am I missing something ?

If you import and then save a video in Windows Movie Maker you can simply select the output quality. All bar one ie DV-avi will give you a wmv file.

Just tested this - I do have wmv9 codec installed and the outputed video is reported as wmv and wmv9

[trodas]

El Heggunte - SolveigMM ASF Multiplexer seems to be only the *.ax file, with it completely useless. The "muxer test application" is NOT part of the package, so it is useless.

Where to download the vidtoasf.exe ...? M$ did not give any help at all?

Anyway, if you want to encode to ASF

If you read it correctly, I already encoded the video. Now I just need to be in the wmv container, not avi container.



Cornucopia - I did not have the WME. As I stated numerous times, the video is already encoded using M$ codec, so, it shoudl be fine... except I used a 128kBy CBR Lame audio as audiocodec. That might be the problem...



poisondeathray -

The reason it's not working is the audio.

Sounds great. Witch codec to download to get the WMA2 capability of encoding audio? Because this make sense...

[Cornucopia]

That would be doable, but I think the OP is wanting to use Vdub for the processing capabilities (which wouldn't be available in WMM). And outputting from Vdub as Uncompr/Lossless into WMM would do the same as WME (I doubt you could coax WMM into working with frameserved files, but maybe), however WME gives you full control over encoding, whereas WMM only gives you a few template presets, which may very well not be optimal.

Scott

[Cornucopia]

El Heggunte mentioned the ASF Multiplexer because *.ASF is the actual name for the WMV container file format. WMV is only named *.WMV (or *.WMA) when there is SPECIFICALLY only WM7/8/9/10/VC1 video and WM audio encoded formats within. The ASF is a more general-purpose mm container format, capable of all kinds of encoded streams, and when all those other types use the container, they are supposed to call it *.ASF.

Note: an *.ASX file (your *.AX file is probably a misspelling) is the METAFILE text format for creating playlists, similar to SMIL, M3U & PLS. It is only a POINTER to the actual files. When you multiplex (correctly), you might be additionally making a *.ASX, but you won't be ONLY making one. Solveign's muxer should output legit ASF/WMV files, unless you're doing something wrong.

And a multiplexer is actually what you need if your pre-encoded V + A streams are truly already WM-compliant. However, as pdr mentioned, a stream problem/mixup with something like audio could easily cause WMP, your Server software, etc to stumble. Face it, MP3 is NOT WM-compliant! Only WMA-encoded files are WMV/WMA-compliant (even though it could be allowed within a *.ASF, as I mentioned earlier). Whatever is parsing this is very picky, so you have to follow the letter of the law.

Scott

[DB83]

This was the result. The original was DV

eneral
Complete name : J:\Movie_0001.wmv
Format : Windows Media
File size : 1.36 MiB
Duration : 15s 603ms
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 733 Kbps
Maximum Overall bit rate : 710 Kbps
Encoded date : UTC 2013-05-31 23:16:52.765
Application : Windows Movie Maker 2.1.4028.0
Video
ID : 2
Format : VC-1
Format profile : MP@HL
Codec ID : WMV3
Codec ID/Info : Windows Media Video 9
Codec ID/Hint : WMV3
Description of the codec : Windows Media Video 9
Duration : 15s 600ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 550 Kbps
Width : 856 pixels
Height : 480 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Compression mode : Lossy
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.054
Stream size : 1.02 MiB (75%)
Language : English (GB)
Audio
ID : 1
Format : WMA
Format version : Version 2
Codec ID : 161
Codec ID/Info : Windows Media Audio
Description of the codec : Windows Media Audio 9.2 - VBR Quality 75, 44 kHz, stereo 1-pass VBR
Duration : 15s 602ms
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 169 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Stream size : 322 KiB (23%)
Language : English (GB)

[Cornucopia]

WME is a free download from M$, so it's lame to claim not having a copy if you needed one.

Scott

[El Heggunte]

El Heggunte - SolveigMM ASF Multiplexer seems to be only the *.ax file, with it completely useless. The "muxer test application" is NOT part of the package, so it is useless.

Register the .ax file with regsvr32.exe and then use it in Graphstudio.

[poisondeathray]

Witch codec to download to get the WMA2 capability of encoding audio?

https://www.videohelp.com/tools/DivX-WMA-Audio

[trodas]

poisondeathray -

Witch codec to download to get the WMA2 capability of encoding audio?

https://www.videohelp.com/tools/DivX-WMA-Audio

Uhm, this is quite bit confusing, since the result should be WM2 Audio, so using something called DivX is not exactly what one would expect. I also already have this codec installed, lol. However it failed to work:


WM2 encoding failed

While the Lame MP3 encoding worked well. But recently I realized, that the audio is out of sync, even when used direct stream copy from the original FLV file to the AVI container That suxx, so the only one usable source is the original FLV...



Cornucopia -

OP is wanting to use Vdub for the processing capabilities

Mainly because it can take input as the original FLV file. If the WME cannot take FLV input, then it is useless for this case and cannot help me at all.

*.WMV when there is SPECIFICALLY only WM7/8/9/10/VC1 video and WM audio encoded formats within

That is what I want/need to achieve.

Note: an *.ASX file (your *.AX file is probably a misspelling) is the METAFILE text format for creating playlist

No, I did not misspell, this is the file - SMM_ASFMuxer.ax

Face it, MP3 is NOT WM-compliant!

Already learned it the hard way, no need to repeat over and over again. I already trying to get the audio into the WM2 format. Yet the codec failed


DB83 - WTF?


El Heggunte - first I need the audio in WM2 format (and in sync) and THEN if ffmpeg fail, THEN I will try any other software.

[DB83]

WTF do you mean by 'WTF'. Or do you not deserve help?

Ok. Use Vdub for whatever. Export from there as AVI and import into WMM. Yeah. It's one extra step but life is maybe too short for you.

My method WORKS. In fact that seems to be the only method that is guaranteed to work (other than WME) since vdub can only export as avi.

[poisondeathray]

poisondeathray -

Witch codec to download to get the WMA2 capability of encoding audio?

https://www.videohelp.com/tools/DivX-WMA-Audio

Uhm, this is quite bit confusing, since the result should be WM2 Audio, so using something called DivX is not exactly what one would expect. I also already have this codec installed, lol. However it failed to work:


WM2 encoding failed

While the Lame MP3 encoding worked well. But recently I realized, that the audio is out of sync, even when used direct stream copy from the original FLV file to the AVI container That suxx, so the only one usable source is the original FLV...\

It only works for the profiles that say "video". Unfortunately there are only lower bitrate ones available

But it doesn't matter - It will probably be out of sync if you use Vdub directly.

Likely the FLV is VFR (variable frame rate). AVI doesn't support VFR. Likely you will need to convert it to CFR (e.g. using avisynth) , then you can use vdub.

Or you can use avisynth virtual file system (AVFS) for input into WME (or one of WME GUI's) , or use a lossless interemediate as input

Another option is to use ffmpeg to do the conversion directly and keep it VFR (but ffmpeg doesn't support higher quality WMV encoding)

[trodas]

DB83 -

WTF do you mean by 'WTF'. Or do you not deserve help?

Well, I was asking about changing containers and your reply was absolutely OT to that.

It turned out, that not even latest VirtualDub beta support audio streams, that start after the video does ( http://forums.virtualdub.org/index.php?act=ST&f=15&t=21661 ) so VDub is ruled out. Right now I testing the WME, because even I was very very skeptical about it, it after a while catched up on the FLV file and it encoding in background, as I type this. 25% pass 1. We see where this lead to...


poisondeathray - you are right about that the output from VDub is useless. The another file I open says it right:

[!] AVI: Stream 1 (audio) has a non-zero start position of 667 samples (+42 ms). VirtualDub does not currently support a non-zero start time and the stream will be interpreted as starting from zero.

So VDub is rules out and I downloaded and installed (with great disgust) the WME and sure enough, when I fetch it the FLV, it choke for at least minute or two... (Celeron D 2.8GHz Netburst crap) Then it started encoding and even showing the input video preview, witch is nice, but to reserve CPU time I quickly start searching about how to disable it



Anyway, seems that it works and we see what it lead to. Eg. if the resulting file will be usable, playable and so on. So far it is only 2 825 bytes long, despite the WME now claim to be at 71% of pass 1. Hmmm.

[DB83]

Well my input may have been OT but I was not the first in the topic to suggest this approach.

Sometimes what you want is not achievable even though it should - noone other than you have seen the source - so we simply do not know if there is something in that which prevents repackage rather than a re-encode which, AFAIK, is what you are doing all the same.

[trodas]

True, sometimes the most straight-forward way is just not working. Two reasons - wmv need a wm2 audio and the encoder fail to work (perhaps the limitation of the VDub could play it's role too...) ... and second reason - VirtualDub does not support starting audio stream with some pause after the video stream, witch in end make it useless for this vid.

I did not posted the video, because you won't like it. It get banned on YewTube, so, you can imagine... It is awailable on RuTube.ru, tough:
http://rutube.ru/tracks/1586381.html
...and downloaded using YTD v1.28 there: http://ulozto.cz/x6QFzRKs/holokaust-sk-flv

Converting it w/o reencode to avi will be still interesting for me, but not any urgently need thing.

As far, as coversion from FLV to WMV goes - WME suceed! W/O any glitch it reencoded (conversion mode used) the video. It grow from 122 to 190MB, tough it also get enlarged from 480x272 pixels to 640x480 pixels - there is no choice between 320 and 640 pixels, so I choosen the 640 pixels choise and this is the result.
Funny thing - it dost not play "live" on the server, witch was the main goal and the only one reason for using WMV: http://ulozto.cz/xxpTTH2G/holokaust-sk-wmv

So, I failed But I tried.

[DB83]

Well I could not download it. I do not understand Russian or your own tongue.

You can post the mediainfo report of the original flv and your conversion and that may help to understand the issues.

Now if you take a look at the report of the sample I posted earlier, the original was DV but, when WMM had finished with it, the AR was still 16:9 and the frame size was no longer 720*576.

It may be worth trying that if you can. It is an intermediate re-encode and if I could get the vid (maybe the Russian site is OOB from here) I would try it myself.

[Cornucopia]

Many valid answers have been given. If something is going wrong, it could be something faulty/corrupt in the source streams, but more likely is a PEBCAK error.

Patient: Doctor, it always hurts when I do "this".
Doctor: Well, then stop doing that.

Scott