avi codec problem

[Philip Evans]

The new Media Player will play some avi files but not others. I have
downloaded several codec packs, but none of them have solved the problem.
Anyone know of a pack that will fix this?

 

[Kerry Brown]

Use a program called Sherlock to see what codec a file needs.

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Sherlock_The_Codec_Detective.htm

 

[Jane C]

KC Software Video Inspector can analyze your avi files and tell you which
codecs are required:

http://www.kcsoftwares.com/?vtb

 

[watercress_soup]

tried installing ffdshow? works a treat. and im not sure installing lots of
different codec packs is a good idea tbh. i had troubles on xp after doing
this. so now i just use ffdshow. and theres no need to install divx or xvid,
unless, i think, you want to do encoding. but someone recommended a neat
application called Super, which includes codecs built in. works very nicely.
it converts almost anything to almost anything

steve

 

[Philip Evans]

I tried fdd and Sherlock and no information that was helpful was
forthcoming. Found out the bad side of codec packs and stopped using them.
Why can't MS simply write a media player that will decompress and play no
matter what codec was used to create and what codec was used to compress?
Therein is the fundamental problem. Don't they have guys just thinking this
stuff up all day long? Seems like they could have hit on a solution by now.
I'm a computer educated person. Give me a few months off and even an idiot
like me could probably fix this problem.

 

[Adam Albright]

I tried fdd and Sherlock and no information that was helpful was
forthcoming. Found out the bad side of codec packs and stopped using them.
Why can't MS simply write a media player that will decompress and play no
matter what codec was used to create and what codec was used to compress?
Therein is the fundamental problem

Actually no. It would be impossible because all Media Player or any
player for that matter can do is hook into the CODEC which does the
actual decompressing. In other words it is the CODEC that does the
majority of actual work, not the player which is why some players
correctly use a particular CODEC and can play some file while
sometimes Media Player or others sometimes can not. Go figure.

Don't they have guys just thinking this
stuff up all day long? Seems like they could have hit on a solution by now.
I'm a computer educated person.

If you say so. ;-)

Give me a few months off and even an idiot
like me could probably fix this problem.

Ok, please do. There would be a lot of grateful people including me.

All kidding aside if you use G-Spot which is similar to Sherlock and
open a avi file with it, then press render it will list the codecs on
your system that "should" be able to play it. Cookies to donuts the
needed codec is ALREADY on your system (use search to check) and it
simply is Media Player being dumb which explains why some players,
heck, lets be honest, MOST players can correctly play most avi files
while Media Player ALWAYS HAS stumbled and often badly in Vista and
also in prior versions of Windows with this file type. Aain, go figure
since the AVI file format was originally authored by Microsoft, so if
any player should be able open that file type you would think a
Microsoft product would, but in all fairness the real issue is AVI is
just a wrapper which means another file type like divX can be inside
and that's probably why Media Player sometimes has trouble while other
"smarter" players look inside the wrapper and then locate the correct
codec to decode the file. Only a guess, but could explain why Media
Player says its going to go get a codec and it doesn't help, it still
isn't looking inside the wrapper.

 

[watercress_soup]

use media player classic
http://www.filehippo.com/download_media_player_classic/ it should be able to
play it. or maybe the avi is "damaged" or something. who knows.

Why can't MS simply write a media player that will decompress and play no
matter what codec was used to create and what codec was used to compress?

maybe oneday if there was a universal codec that worked 100% of the time and
gave amazing results with filesize/compression and decompressing...

tis but a dream.

steve

[get that super program and try converting it to a different avi format.]

 

[DigitalBlade]

I am having problems with Vista and codecs. I have used K-Lite Codec
pack with Media Player Classic for the longest time (on XP). With
Vista, they did not work properly, so I used that Vista Codec Pack,
but then I had a vertical bar on the left side of any movie (XviD). I
uninstalled that one and installed the new K-Lite Codec pack which
claims to be Vista compatible. Now it works on certain movies, but on
others I would get a vertical line, this time more solid and on the
right. In both cases, the line is about 5mm and light gray. Any ideas?

 

[watercress_soup]

tried ffdshow? i havent installed xvid or divx as ffdshow supports them both
plus a big list of other codecs.

uninstall the codec pack, or system restore, and check the merits or unreg
all the codec pack codecs, and then install ffdshow and give it a go.

steve

 

[DigitalBlade]

Actually, the K-Lite codec pack includes pretty much ffdshow and media
player classic with a few other tools... Yours is working fine on
vista? I guess I will try a separate install of ffdshow.