Thread: Playing Video Files With .avi Format

Ok,
.avi is just a container

Inside that container will be some video & some audio
it's the audio & video that needs the codecs

Download a program called G-Spot
http://www.headbands.com/gspot/v26x/GSpot260RC1.zip

It's a program that will look into any .avi file and tell you what the audio & video inside are encoded with, and whether you can decode them properly

-------------

Open up Gspot



File & open
Open your AVI file

Gspot will show you what's going on inside



As you can see my example has
DivX 5 video & MP3 Audio
and both can be decoded ( "Codec(s) are installed" )

You can test if everythings ok, by rendering the file
Under "proposed Codec Solutions and tests" at the bottom,
click the "1" button under "MS A/V"
this will tell you how Gspot proposes to decode the file



pressing the "2" under "MS A/V" will play the video




Any problems, (ie. can't decode something)
let me know (screenshots if poss.)
and we can get the right codecs for you

Hope this helps

- Tony

Thanx. I will be needing it some time later today.
I will have to download Codecs? Well I'll post screenshots when I have Scanned the File with Gspot.
Won't be long now.

heya Tony,
I just Checked out the File.
It's got the MP3 Codec installed, which is why it DOES play sound.
What Video Codec I seem to need according to Gspot is:
Codec: div3 NameivX 3 Low-Motion

Can you help me get that codec?
Thanks

this should do you

http://www.digital-digest.com/software/dow...sid=0&did=1

Eureka! Tony! You're Bloody briljant. It workssss. I'm so Gratefull Thanx alot mate.

no probs

K-lite codec pack is able to play everything, even Quicktime etc. Once you get it you'll never need to go through the trouble of finding codecs again.

Don't like codec packs
they can bork your system quite easily
Installing multiple versions of the same codec
Dodgy priority values, etc.

I'm a great fan of ffdshow
http://ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net

It's a front end to all DirectShow filters installed on your system
and is a great way to "chain" the different filters in the way that you want

You want 5.1 audio piped directly to your surround sound system untouched via S/PDIF, but stereo sound decoded to analogue and routed to your desktop speakers?
Fine, just tell ffdshow to do that, and it's done

You want standard resolution 4:3 video stretched horizontally to fit your widescreen TV
but don't want 16:9 to be touched at all?
Fine, just tell ffdshow to do that, and it's done

Plus it now has native support for mpeg2 DVD decoding (so no need to pay for proprietary codecs from winDVD or powerDVD or whoever)

Uninstall all your horrible codec packs and proprietary filters and replace with one

Any media player that supports directshow (Windows media player included) will follow your settings, and play all your media the way you want it played

sweet bliss

Ffdshow is a must, however, by itself it isn't able to play a lot of .avi files. As for codec-packs, you just have to be careful of the ones that no one's heard of. Popular codec-packs are constantly monitored at maintained. K-lite's been working fine for me in Vista as well.

Originally Posted by Squall

Ffdshow is a must, however, by itself it isn't able to play a lot of .avi files. As for codec-packs, you just have to be careful of the ones that no one's heard of. Popular codec-packs are constantly monitored at maintained. K-lite's been working fine for me in Vista as well.
[/b]

The ffdshow internal filter, Libavcodec, is constantly being updated to incorporate new codecs natively
but, as you said, you can always tell ffdshow to use external d-show filters for any that it can't support

My codec settings are:

Just download VLC media player, it plays just about anything.

Originally Posted by Aphius

Just download VLC media player, it plays just about anything.
[/b]

I've always prefered directshow filter graphs to all-in-one players that do everything internally, tbh

It's so easy to hook things into (and out of) the graph

One of the main reasons why media-centre software (MCE, MediaPortal, etc.) use graphs

Originally Posted by Ynot

I've always prefered directshow filter graphs to all-in-one players that do everything internally, tbh

It's so easy to hook things into (and out of) the graph

One of the main reasons why media-centre software (MCE, MediaPortal, etc.) use graphs
[/b]

I dunno, I prefer the all in one. Installing codecs dependant on the situation never really appealed to me. Everything that could be 'hooked in' is there by default, which I find really convenient because searching for the right codec is just a pain in the ass.

i.e. If I'm not using something like VLC and I'm downloading video files and find that one is using a codec I don't have, I have to determine the codec and then go looking for it. Whereas if I'm using an all-in-one player then I don't have to worry about it because the newest version tends to have the more recent codecs installed.

I'm sure that each way has it's own advantages and disadvantages, but it really comes down to me being too lazy to go looking for codecs, and the lack of need for detailed/in depth control over my output.

Originally Posted by Aphius

Just download VLC media player, it plays just about anything.
[/b]

Thats my solution too XD

Its really easy and works. Thats good enough for me.

Originally Posted by Squall

K-lite codec pack is able to play everything, even Quicktime etc. Once you get it you'll never need to go through the trouble of finding codecs again.[/b]

Exactly what I was gonna suggest. Get the K-lite codec pack. It's pretty comprehensive. I carry a copy of the install on my iPod so wherever I go and whatever computer I plug it into, I can install it and play any videos I may have on my ipod in .avi format. ( I have a fourth-gen no video iPod)

Originally Posted by The

Exactly what I was gonna suggest. Get the K-lite codec pack. It's pretty comprehensive. I carry a copy of the install on my iPod so wherever I go and whatever computer I plug it into, I can install it and play any videos I may have on my ipod in .avi format. ( I have a fourth-gen no video iPod)
[/b]

I keep a copy of VLC on mine.

I keep the binaries on there so I don't even need to install it. Same advantages.

Use MPlayer or VLC.

using the directshow graphs just makes life so much easier, imo

how would you convert an AVI to a MKV (matroska video) ?

how would you convert an AVI to a MKV (matroska video) ?[/b]

Answer: You wouldn't (with anything but Directshow graphs).

Was I right? I'M GOING OUT ON A LIMB HERE

well, you can do it in two ways

1. download some conversion app off the net that uses some (unknown to the user) method

or 2. using the d-show graphs

it's the same arguments with open source vs. closed source apps
(well, kind of)

if you use the d-show graphs, you have full control of what happens

render the graph for the AVI file
http://www.snoopy.force9.co.uk/graphs/g1.jpg
So the AVI is split into two (or more) streams
in this case video & audio

Delete the stream codecs
http://www.snoopy.force9.co.uk/graphs/g2.jpg
Because we don't want to decode the streams, merely put them into a different container file

Insert the "muxer" filter of the container you want to use
and write the resulting file stream to a new file
http://www.snoopy.force9.co.uk/graphs/g3.jpg

you have full control of what is happening

got some fan-subs you want to bung into the mix?...fine
want to run the audio through some kind of DSP filter first?....fine

but, anyway.....

But why the hell would you want anything in the Matroska format?
Just saying...
Anyway, I'm a VLC user too. But mostly because I'm too lazy to learn how to use something more advanced.
I probably should get around to learning, though--
By the way, I'm assuming you can do this using the method you just mentioned Ynot, but how would I go about converting a .flv (Flash video) to a .3gp (Cell phone video). I don't know what video codec .3gp uses, but I know it uses AAC audio.
Anyway.

Originally Posted by Tsen

a .flv (Flash video)
[/b]

Uh, do you mean a .fla or .swf or are we talking about a differnt flash?

Originally Posted by arby

Uh, do you mean a .fla or .swf or are we talking about a differnt flash?
[/b]

AFAIK
flv (flash video) & fla (flash audio) are the editable flash files
swf is the fully complied, un-editable container file

Well if you rip videos from YouTube they're saved as .flv files so I'm assuming that it's something like that.

Originally Posted by Tsen

how would I go about converting a .flv (Flash video) to a .3gp (Cell phone video). I don't know what video codec .3gp uses, but I know it uses AAC audio.
Anyway.
[/b]

This will do that conversion for you

Trial has a 5 minute conversion limit but chances are you won't have a video longer than 5 minutes on your phone.

I tested it, it works pretty well, my only complaint is it didn't understand a couple of .flv files I had.