Problem with ffdshow

[Bruce Wayne]

I have a video screensaver application and for some reason certain avi files don't stretch out to fill the whole screen when the screensaver comes on. I think this has to do with ffdshow. Could someone tell me what setting I have to change to get videos to stretch out to take up the whole screen, with no pillarboxing effect?

[jagabo]

That would be a player issue, not a decoding issue.

[Bruce Wayne]

That would be a player issue, not a decoding issue.

No, it's definitely a decoding issue. When I don't have K-Lite Codecs Pack installed, the videos don't stretch. When I do, they do, except when I also have ffdshow installed inside K-Lite. So it's definitely something to do with ffdshow.

[johns0]

It's more likely a codec issue since you installed k-lite which is known for borking up computers,uninstall k-lite and install ffdshow by itself .

[Bruce Wayne]

It's more likely a codec issue since you installed k-lite which is known for borking up computers,uninstall k-lite and install ffdshow by itself .

Didn't work. Apparently the video I want to stretch needs K-Lite to do so. Without reinstalling K-Lite, is there an option in ffdshow I could mess around with?

[El Heggunte]

It's more likely a codec issue since you installed k-lite which is known for borking up computers,uninstall k-lite and install ffdshow by itself .

Didn't work. Apparently the video I want to stretch needs K-Lite to do so.

Apparently it's the screensaver you want to use that "needs" K-Lite.

Please post a MediaInfo report about one of those "certain" AVI files...

[Bruce Wayne]

It's more likely a codec issue since you installed k-lite which is known for borking up computers,uninstall k-lite and install ffdshow by itself .

Didn't work. Apparently the video I want to stretch needs K-Lite to do so.

Apparently it's the screensaver you want to use that "needs" K-Lite.

Please post a MediaInfo report about one of those "certain" AVI files...

With K-Lite installed, the video stretches. With K-Lite uninstalled, it doesn't. I really don't appreciate your attitude.

General
Complete name : C:\Users\Bruce\Desktop\a.avi
Format : AVI
Format/Info : Audio Video Interleave
File size : 99.9 KiB
Duration : 792ms
Overall bit rate : 1 033 Kbps
Writing application : Lavf52.94.0

Video
ID : 0
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : Main@L2.1
Format settings, CABAC : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames : 2 frames
Codec ID : H264
Duration : 734ms
Bit rate : 732 Kbps
Nominal bit rate : 1 349 Kbps
Width : 512 pixels
Height : 320 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:10
Frame rate mode : Variable
Frame rate : 29.970 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.149
Stream size : 65.6 KiB (66%)
Writing library : x264 core 112 r1834 a51816a
Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=1 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x1:0 / me=dia / subme=2 / psy=1 / psy_rd=0.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=0 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=0 / 8x8dct=0 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=0 / threads=1 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=0 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=3 / weightb=0 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=40 / rc=abr / mbtree=1 / bitrate=1349 / ratetol=1.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=10 / qpmax=51 / qpstep=4 / ip_ratio=1.41 / aq=1:1.00

Audio
ID : 1
Format : MPEG Audio
Format version : Version 1
Format profile : Layer 3
Mode : Joint stereo
Mode extension : MS Stereo
Codec ID : 55
Codec ID/Hint : MP3
Duration : 792ms
Bit rate mode : Constant
Bit rate : 256 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 23.3 KiB (23%)
Alignment : Aligned on interleaves
Interleave, duration : 22 ms (0.67 video frame)
Writing library : LAME3.98.4

[El Heggunte]

I really don't appreciate your attitude.

And I don't appreciate newbies who are proud of their lack of knowledge.

<MODE="Usenet">plonk</MODE>

[Bruce Wayne]

Right, can anyone else help?

[jagabo]

The file has a 16:10 display aspect ratio and frame aspect ratio. Do you have a 16:10 display? Otherwise it isn't supposed to fill the screen.

[Bruce Wayne]

The file has a 16:10 display aspect ratio and frame aspect ratio. Do you have a 16:10 display? Otherwise it isn't supposed to fill the screen.

Thanks, I just saw that in the log. No, my display is 16:9, hence the black bars down the sides. But it does stretch with K-Lite, but I don't want K-Lite because of its bad reputation. So could you tell me what setting in K-Lite is causing it to stretch, and if I could reproduce that setting with ffdshow, or just download separately whatever codec in K-Lite might be doing it?

[jagabo]

So set your player to stretch everything to full screen. If you don't have control over that you can try using the Resize & Aspect Ratio filter in ffdshow. You don't really want to do that though because it will effect all videos that ffdshow decodes.

[Bruce Wayne]

So set your player to stretch everything to full screen.

I'm not sure what player the screensaver program uses. I think it's basic Windows Media Player. I can find a stretch option in Media Player Classic, but not in Windows Media Player. Is there one?

[jagabo]

I added a bit to my last post.

[Bruce Wayne]

I added a bit to my last post.

I don't mind all videos being affected. I'd like them all to display at the same size. I know how to access the Resize & Aspect Ratio filter, but now how to use it. So could you tell me what settings I should apply?

[jagabo]

Like this:



New Size should be set to your monitor frame size.

Once again, this won't effect only the screen saver. It will screw up every video you play using ffdshow as the decoder.

[Bruce Wayne]

Like this:


[Attachment 27623 - Click to enlarge]

New Size should be set to your monitor frame size.

Once again, this won't effect only the screen saver. It will screw up every video you play using ffdshow as the decoder.

That's brilliant, thank you! I'll let you know how I get on. I'm gonna uninstall K-Lite and ffdshow and do a fresh install of just ffdshow. Could you have a look at the other problem I've been having?

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/367301-Cannot-get-Potplayer-s-DVD-Autoplay-function-to-work

Oops, PS, I see I have Lagarith lossless video codec (Remove Only) in my Add/Remove Programs. Should I keep that, or did that come with K-Lite?

[Bruce Wayne]

Damn it, there's still a problem. I did a fresh install of ffdshow, and set the Resize & Aspect Ratio filter correctly, but when my screensaver came on, it didn't give me the prompt I was expecting, asking whether I wanted to use ffdshow, and it was still pillarboxed. I've gotten a prompt before at the launch of my screensaver after previous installations of ffdshow. Why mightn't I have got one now?

[jagabo]

KLite doesn't install only codecs. It also installs file readers, file splitters (for example, Windows doesn't know what an MKV file is, it needs a file reader to tell it the file is an A/V file, and a splitter to split the audio and video streams before sending them to the decoders), and maybe video renderers (logical device between the codecs and the graphics driver). It also often doesn't uninstall completely or properly. Especially if you have installed other codecs manually before or after installing KLite. So uninstalling KLite doesn't necessarily mean everything it did to your system has been undone.

I don't know why your screen saver ever asked if you want to use ffdshow or why it isn't asking now. That must have something to do with the media player your screen saver is using. I suggest you turn on ffdshow's Tray icon and play some videos with WMP. You will then see when ffdshow is being used by the icon in the Tray. You can double click on the Tray icon to see/change it's settings. If you don't see the icon in tray ffdshow isn't being used to decode the video.

[Bruce Wayne]

KLite doesn't install only codecs. It also installs file readers, file splitters (for example, Windows doesn't know what an MKV file is, it needs a file reader to tell it the file is an A/V file, and a splitter to split the audio and video streams before sending them to the decoders), and maybe video renderers (logical device between the codecs and the graphics driver). It also often doesn't uninstall completely or properly. Especially if you have installed other codecs manually before or after installing KLite. So uninstalling KLite doesn't necessarily mean everything it did to your system has been undone.

I don't know why your screen saver ever asked if you want to use ffdshow or why it isn't asking now. That must have something to do with the media player your screen saver is using. I suggest you turn on ffdshow's Tray icon and play some videos with WMP. You will then see when ffdshow is being used by the icon in the Tray. You can double click on the Tray icon to see/change it's settings. If you don't see the icon in tray ffdshow isn't being used to decode the video.

Problem almost solved. Nearly there. The previous times I'd installed ffdshow, it was the x86 version. This time I thought I'd try the x64 version. I uninstalled again, and reinstalled the x86 version, applied the Resize & Aspect Ratio filter, got the prompt I was expecting, and when the video started playing, it was stretched out perfectly. So thank you! BUT, another problem's cropped up. As well as a video screensaver program, I also have a video wallpaper program, called Desktop Movie from Falcosoft. This had been working fine, but now I'm not getting any sound from it. I know if I uninstall ffdshow, that'll fix it, because it happened once before a couple of hours ago and deleting ffdshow did the trick. It's nothing to do with K-Lite, because whereas K-Lite was screwing up the video wallpaper, it was affecting (freezing) the video, but not the audio. So is there an audio setting I could change that would help me fix this? I don't want to uninstall ffdshow again as it works so well now on the video screensaver.

[jagabo]

The 32 bit and 64 bit audio/video systems under Windows are completely separate. 32 bit players/editors require 32 bit codecs and 32 bit reader/splitters. 64 bit players/editors require 64 bit codecs and 64 bit reader/splitters. The two system cannot see each others components.

[Bruce Wayne]

The 32 bit and 64 bit audio/video systems under Windows are completely separate. 32 bit players/editors require 32 bit codecs and 32 bit reader/splitters. 64 bit players/editors require 64 bit codecs and 64 bit reader/splitters. The two system cannot see each others components.

Something else weird just happened. I had the video wallpaper playing, without sound, when the video screensaver came on, with sound. I moved the mouse to get out of the screensaver and the computer started making this very scary grinding noise. The video wallpaper was still playing so I turned it off to see if that was the culprit, and the noise immediately stopped. So can you tell me if I can fix this in the ffdshow audio decoder, and get the screensaver and the wallpaper both playing sound normally?

EDIT: I've figured it out. The video file I was using for the wallpaper was just very old. When I used newer videos, with better encoding, they, and the screensaver, played fine with each other. Thanks a lot for all your help and patience!

PS To El Heggunte, you've put a g where you should have put a c.