.avi

Chef · Post by **Chef** » Tue Aug 27, 2002 6:57 pm

why cant i ever read avis? i get the same error downloading codec message on like half of the avis i try to watch. i tried converting it to an mpeg with the tmpge thing, but i couldnt open it. please help me...

trythil · Post by **trythil** » Tue Aug 27, 2002 7:31 pm

What codec are these videos trying to use?

Try loading up the video in VirtualDub's hex editor and seek to the last four bytes on line B0. You'll find a four-character code here, which states what encoding algorithm was used in the AVI.

Some common FourCC codes that you'll find on downloaded videos:

CVID - Cinepak.
DIV3 - DivX 3.11, DivX 4.xx.
DIVX - DivX 5.
I263 - Intel H.263.
IV50 - Intel Indeo 5.0.
MPG4 - Microsoft MPEG-4, version 1.
MP42 - Microsoft MPEG-4, version 2.
MP43 - Microsoft MPEG-4, version 3.

These are just ones I remember offhand -- see http://www.jmcgowan.com/avicodecs.html#FourCC for a more comprehensive list.

klinky · Post by **klinky** » Tue Aug 27, 2002 7:33 pm

AVIs are not a type of file. AVIs are a wrapper, that define how data should be stored inside the file, but they don't actually define what goes into the file. That is the job of the codec. So if you're getting a error when you're trying to play a AVI file, most likely your missing the codec that was used to encode that type of AVI file, that or the file is corrupted or is incompelete.

Most of the time people are missing the the divx3.11a codec. You can get a host of codecs @ doom9.org. I would just grab a 'codec pack' such as the nimo codec pack off of divx-digest.com

~klinky

kiddingchris · Post by **kiddingchris** » Tue Aug 27, 2002 7:33 pm

yeah, most of the time, its a divX codec ur looking for, if u haven't downloaded it, goto here www.divx.com and that should do it.

klinky · Post by **klinky** » Tue Aug 27, 2002 7:33 pm

AVIs ARE a type of file...

goddamnit

the rest is correct, just for get that first sentance...

trythil · Post by **trythil** » Tue Aug 27, 2002 7:35 pm

[quote="trythil"]What codec are these videos trying to use?

Try loading up the video in VirtualDub's hex editor and seek to the last four bytes on line B0. You'll find a four-character code here, which states what encoding algorithm was used in the AVI.
[quote]

My bad -- the FourCC code is actually at position 70, first four bytes.

Chef · Post by **Chef** » Tue Aug 27, 2002 8:40 pm

Try loading up the video in VirtualDub's hex editor and seek to the last four bytes on line B0. You'll find a four-character code here, which states what encoding algorithm was used in the AVI.

...WHAT? could ya dumb that down a bit? i know nothing about what your talking about.

trythil · Post by **trythil** » Tue Aug 27, 2002 9:53 pm

Chef wrote:
Try loading up the video in VirtualDub's hex editor and seek to the last four bytes on line B0. You'll find a four-character code here, which states what encoding algorithm was used in the AVI.
...WHAT? could ya dumb that down a bit? i know nothing about what your talking about.

VirtualDub.

Open VirtualDub's hex editor.

Open AVI file.

Find the line that says "70:"

Look at the first four bytes. They'll most likely be something like DIV3 or DIVX.

The reason why I recommend this method is twofold:

(1) I'm not sure if VirtualDub can recognize the codec used in an AVI even if that codec is not installed (that would require an internal FourCC lookup table, and I've never looked at the vdub source code to see if one exists).

(2) VirtualDub's hex editor is built for peeking into AVIs, so it doesn't take years to open a large video file.

Eek-1 · Post by **Eek-1** » Tue Aug 27, 2002 10:19 pm

Chef wrote:
Try loading up the video in VirtualDub's hex editor and seek to the last four bytes on line B0. You'll find a four-character code here, which states what encoding algorithm was used in the AVI.
...WHAT? could ya dumb that down a bit? i know nothing about what your talking about.

You can either follow tryhil's way of looking for the FourCC code via hex editor, OR...

my method:

1. Run virtualDub.
(if you don't have it already, download at http://www.virtualdub.org)

2. From the menu, select File --> Open video file...
Point to the AVI that you have problem with and open it.

3. VirtualDub should give you an error similar to this:

"Couldn't locate decompressor for format '????' (description)
VirtualDub requires a Video for Windows (VFW) compatible codec to decompress video.
DirectShow codecs, such as those used by Windows Media Player, are not suitable."

Take note of the code ???? This is the FourCC code.
Also, take note of the code description.

4. Post that FourCC code and description in this topic, and then perhaps we'll guide you to the codec that you need ^_^