IrfanView - playing an AVI file?>

[Terry Pinnell]

Apart from making a few DVDS of family slideshows with MemoriesOnTV
(not free), the world of video, codecs, etc remains largely a black
art to me. But a few days ago I started playing with Windows Movie
Maker 2.0 and this query arises from that.

Movie Maker creates WMV files. One of the first I made was
http://www.terrypin.dial.pipex.com/Images/LED-Sequencer4MB.wmv

(Content is irrelevant; it's for one of the specialist electronics
newsgroups.)

The WMV plays fine in WMP, IrfanView, Nero ShowTime, Real Player, and
PowerDVD.

I then used a conversion program I found, a trial, called 'WMV to AVI
MPEG DVD WMV Converter' V1.2.2 from Allok Soft,
www.alloksoft.com

I can play that AVI fine in WMP9, video and sound.

But when I try to play it in IrfanView (3.97), I get asked:
"Do you want to install and run "Windows Media Audio Codec" signed on
19/11/1999 04:17 and ..." I declined, and the movie then played video
only. I'm unsure of the impact of installing that, and puzzled as to
why it should be necessary, given that I can play the file in WMP9
itself?

FWIW, trying to play it in QuickTime Player gave me an error too:
"You may experience problems playing a sound track in
'LED-Sequencer4MB-1.avi' because an unsupported sound format was
encountered."

However, apart from WMP9, it also plays fine in Nero ShowTime and
RealPlayer.

Can anyone give me some insight into all this please? Or suggest an
online introduction written for end-users, not technicians? What are
the rules? What codecs should I have? Can installing one screw up an
existing one? So much to learn... <g>

 

[John Capleton]

Terry,
There are various audio and video codecs which allow disimilar players
to play media made with newer technology. I won't hurt you to install the
codec, and will allow irfanview to play the audio/video.

 

[Terry Pinnell]

Terry,
There are various audio and video codecs which allow disimilar players
to play media made with newer technology. I won't hurt you to install the
codec, and will allow irfanview to play the audio/video.

Thank, John. I went ahead, but seem to be in a sort of endless loop! I
opened an AVI with IrfanView, which then seemed to download something
(messages flashing on status line). It then asked "Do you want to
install and run "WMV-9 VCM RTW" signed on 01/07/2003 21:55 and
distributed by: Microsoft Corporation/". This time, I said Yes. Then
it downloaded some more, and displayed "Do you want to install and run
"Windows Media Audio Codec" signed on 19/11/1999 04:17..." Seemed
rather odd that it's 6 years old, but I went ahead and said Yes to
that too. It downloaded some more, and then ... returned me to the
first question about WMV-9 VCM RTW! And so on, indefinitely.

Any idea what's going on here please?

 

[Onno Voors]

Any idea what's going on here please?

I don't know, but when making the avi you can simply choose another audio
codec, like MP3.