I can't review videos I never got to see!

flipkat · Post by **flipkat** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 7:24 pm

Right now I've got 5 downloaded videos to review....I never got to watch any of them, because of software problems. At least one of them crashed two or three different players. How can I remove them from my "need to review" list? If I can't get around this problem, I might as well leave all 1s, but that seems mean. Should I leave all 3s instead?[/img]

Arigatomina · Post by **Arigatomina** » Mon Nov 17, 2003 8:07 pm

Try going to http://www.doom9.org and picking up the 'Gordian Knot Codec Pack' from the 'Downloads' page. Chances are that's your problem with viewing the vids - get that and you can watch them in windows media player. If they're supposed to be mpg vids and they aren't playing anywhere, try getting BSplayer (for mpeg2 formats) or Winamp 1.87 - there are a few odd vids floating around that can only be played in one or the other of these.

Try those tips and see if you can't watch the vids. If it doesn't work (but you *did* make every effort to watch them), toss up a 3 and call it a day. It's best to check your codecs if you're having playback issues (and it isn't hard - one little download most of the time), but if you have to give a blind star, always give the average - a 3 (if you round up from 2.5).

Flint the Dwarf · Post by **Flint the Dwarf** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 12:40 am

Umm, actually... don't rate them at all. You can have up to ten vids unrated, and I'd say no rating is better than an undeserved 3.

But that's just me.

flipkat · Post by **flipkat** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 12:04 pm

Hmmm....I had to re-download most of the videos, and I'm still having playback problems. With both the Windows Media Player and the DivX player that came with the codec pack, I either get a freeze frame held for about ten seconds, then a jump to another frame, OR the player crashes entirely! The audio works perfectly, though. This happens on all but maybe one or two of my recent downloads. Maybe I should try the "Video Help" message board?

flipkat · Post by **flipkat** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 12:39 pm

Success! I got most of them to work in RealPlayer! Two of them keep crashing though. Oh well. Time to reboot! Thanks for your help!

Arigatomina · Post by **Arigatomina** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 5:04 pm

flipkat wrote:Success! I got most of them to work in RealPlayer! Two of them keep crashing though. Oh well. Time to reboot! Thanks for your help!

Did you get the Gordian Knot Codec Pack? It doesn't sound like you did - if the vids play in realoneplayer it means you're missing the xvid codec or fddshow (sp) - both of which come in that codec pack. If you're only getting audio that *also* means you're most likely missing the divx5.0 and xvid - which also come in that codec pack.

But if you'd rather use different players instead of installing a single file, more power to you. ^_^;;

Arigatomina · Post by **Arigatomina** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 5:07 pm

flint_the_dwarf wrote:Umm, actually... don't rate them at all. You can have up to ten vids unrated, and I'd say no rating is better than an undeserved 3.

I agree - but if he/she can't view the files because of a missing codec (like xvid/divx) then those unrated vids will add up *very* quickly. I can't see someone who doesn't want to get the codecs just stop getting vids because they can't be viewed - they're more likely to toss out random numbers. At least a 3 is more reasonable than an undeserved 1 because someone didn't have the right codec.

flipkat · Post by **flipkat** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 10:20 am

In fact I did get the codec pack before my second post. It just didn't help much. The files still crash my players on a regular basis. I got each of them to play at least once, and deleted three after one watching. It's just too much work. What should I be using, if not RealPlayer? The two I actually want to be able to watch again are Xvid .avi files.

Arigatomina · Post by **Arigatomina** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 2:25 pm

If you installed the Gordian Knot pack, you should be able to play xvid avi files in Windows Media Player. If the player won't play the files, you might check the microsoft home page and try updating it. There are only 3 types of vids I can't play in wmp - mpeg2, realmedia, and quicktime - each of which i use in their own players. For wmv, mpg, or any avi files you should be able to watch them in windows media player as long as you install the codecs and filters.

flipkat · Post by **flipkat** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 10:14 pm

Ahh....I think I see the problem, or at least A problem. My WMP 7.10 won't update automatically, and the latest release, series 9, is for Windows 98 second edition or later. Apparently I have the first edition, because the installer keeps complaining. I suppose that's why it won't accept the codec, or whatever. I'm doomed, until my Christmas computer shows up!