Problem with converting/playing video

[BobAchgill]

I have an AVI video that will play on one pc, the pc it was screen captured on, but when taken to another pc will play only audio with a black screen. The only way I can get it to play on another pc is to first convert it to MP4 using Handbrake or convert using uncompressed. Then the mp4 or AVI uncompressed will play on the other pc.

Here is the ...
I can convert the video to uncompressed or logarith lossless codec and the converted file plays fine... but either noise or blank screen with any other codec I try to convert to.


Here is the mediatab printout from the troublesome video file. Do you see anything unusual?


===================== General =====================
Complete name : F:\c\L1EngL2Fra_H1Cm1_Draft\L1EngLeFraH1cm1_captur es_original_1.avi\Gen001-001.avi
Format : AVI
Format info : Audio Video Interleave
File size : 34.3 MB
Duration (ms) : 1mn 19s
Total bitrate : 3 622 Kbps


===================== Video =====================
Id : 0
Format : AVC
Format info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High 4:4:4 Predictive@L3.1
Use of CABAC : Yes
RefFrames : 1 frame
Codec Id : H264
Duration (ms) : 1mn 19s
Bitrate : 2 218 Kbps
Width : 568 pixels
Height : 426 pixels
Aspect ratio : 4:3
Framerate : 30.000 fps
Colorimetry : YUV
Colos space : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.306
Stream size : 21.0 MB (61%)
Title : ~temp.avi Video #1
Encoded library : x264 core 1679598476May 4 2010
Encoded library settings : cabac=1 / ref=1 / deblock=0:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=hex / subme=5 / psy=1 / psy_rd=0.0:0.0 / mixed_ref=0 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=0 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / chroma_qp_offset=0 / threads=1 / nr=0 / decimate=30 / mbaff=0 / bframes=0 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=1 / scenecut=40 / rc=cqp / mbtree=0 / qp=0


===================== Audio =====================
Id : 1
Format : PCM
Format_Settings_Endianness : Little
Format_Settings_Sign : Signed
Codec Id : 1
Duration (ms) : 1mn 18s
Bitrate mode : Constant
Bitrate : 1 411.2 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Stream size : 13.2 MB (39%)
Interleave duration : 101 ms (3.03 video frames)
Interleave preload : 800 ms
Title : Microsoft Waveform: ~temp001.wav

[DB83]

What screen capture program ?

I know of one that uses an intermediate codec to create the file but you have to convert that file within the program to make it playable. Those ~temp files are a clue.

And this does appear to be a codec issue.

[BobAchgill]

I used Camstudio to capture.

I tried one more thing... Remember I said that I was able to use Handbrake to convert the errant AVI file to MP4 and that MP4 ran OK on the other pc? Well I thought, I will just change that MP4 back to AVI using ... mp4cam2avi and all should be OK.
But when I try that the conversion back to AVI fails with the error... "thread error: invalid pointer operation"


I use CamStudio to capture many more videos with the same work flow with no problems. But for some reason these 50 videos have share this problem.

[BobAchgill]

The other capture files in the same work flow that do NOT have a problem also have temp files in their MediaTab...

===================== General =====================
Complete name : F:\c\L1EngL2ArbL3Ajp_H1Jos_Draft_568x426\01_Gen001-001__L1EngL2ArbL3Ajp_H1Jos_Draft_568x426.avi
Format : AVI
Format info : Audio Video Interleave
File size : 13.3 MB
Duration (ms) : 1mn 6s
Total bitrate : 1 664 Kbps


===================== Video =====================
Id : 0
Format : AVC
Format info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L3.0
Use of CABAC : Yes
RefFrames : 3 frames
Codec Id : H264
Duration (ms) : 1mn 6s
Bitrate : 258 Kbps
Width : 568 pixels
Height : 426 pixels
Aspect ratio : 4:3
Framerate : 30.000 fps
Colorimetry : YUV
Colos space : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.036
Stream size : 2.06 MB (16%)
Title : ~temp.avi Video #1
Encoded library : x264 core 116 r2074kMod 2641b9e
Encoded library settings : cabac=1 / ref=3 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x13 / me=umh / subme=7 / psy=1 / fade_compensate=0.00 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=6 / sliced_threads=1 / slices=6 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc=crf / mbtree=0 / crf=23.0000 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00


===================== Audio =====================
Id : 1
Format : PCM
Format_Settings_Endianness : Little
Format_Settings_Sign : Signed
Codec Id : 1
Duration (ms) : 1mn 6s
Bitrate mode : Constant
Bitrate : 1 411.2 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 44.1 KHz
Bit depth : 16 bits
Stream size : 11.2 MB (84%)
Interleave duration : 101 ms (3.02 video frames)
Interleave preload : 800 ms
Title : Microsoft Waveform: ~temp001.wav

[DB83]

The major difference between these two examples is the video bitrate. In the first that is incredibly high and I think many a PC would have issues with that.

I would not have thought that camstudio records direct to X264 - much to much overhead. So that file is the converted one. Check your camstudio settings.

[poisondeathray]

The main difference is lossless vs. "normal" or high profile

The lossless version of x264 (you're using x264vfw in camstudio) is not supported by some software, and no hardware players support this profile (e.g. blu-ray players or set top media players)

Either use a codec independent player to play (eg. vlc) or install ffdshow on the other computer to play the problematic file (if it's win7 you need preferred codec tweaker (win7dsfiltertweaker) to adjust a few things)