can't import an mpg file - "file...contians no video da

makihara · Post by **makihara** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 7:10 pm

Nature of the problem

every time i try and import a certain video file i get an error message stating "this file ...(directory)... contains no video data".

Properties of your source files

this file is an mpg. It works in my WMP. In fact i clicked on properties in WMP and it told me it was encoded with an XVID mpeg-4 video decoder.
So i thought ahh i must need the mpeg-4 codec for ulead.

However i have another file with exactly the same properties in WMP. Which i imported fine.
But actually i now have just realised that the file i imported fine was an avi file.

so im confused - is it because the file is in mpeg-4 and thus ulead studio 9 can't recognise it. Can i download a trial version of just the mpeg-4 plug-in. Or is there a converter i can get??

makihara

Post by **Ken Berry** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:36 pm

.AVI is just a carrier format for a variety of types of video: 'true', uncompressed .AVI (which can take up to about 65GB per hour); compressed but lossless DV/AVI (as used in digital mini DV video cameras), which takes about 13 GB an hour; and also high compressed any lossy formats (with very small files sizes) including DivX and XVid (which are varieties of mpeg-4 and commonly used for archiving or reducing movies to a size which can be burnt to CD, rather than DVD).

As for conversion, VS9 would require the mpeg-4 plug-in, but I am afraid there is no trial version of that. I have never been able to download it successfully anyway, and finally just gave up.

But there are wide variety of programs out there which can convert DivX and XVid to, say, mpeg-2 or even DV for editing and burning to DVD (useful if you don't have a stand-alone DVD player which can play mpeg-4 videos). They include DivXTo DVD, TMPGenc Plus, Canopus Procoder and Video Converter Pro -- but they all cost money, as far as I am aware, and the results vary. I personally have all of these, but find that one of the least expensive, DivXToDVD, probably does the best job for what I want.

rguthrie · Post by **rguthrie** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:46 pm

makihara,

I'm pretty sure that the MPEG-4 plugin that Ulead has for free on their website for registered VS9 users uses the Xvid MPEG-4 codec. Perhaps you can get that or just download the xVid codec.

hope this helps,
Ron G.

makihara · Post by **makihara** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:52 pm

that's what is confusing since i already have the xvid codec installed as i can play the file in Windows media player.

i thought any file that could play in WMP could be played in Ulead.

could there be any configuration setting you could think of that is causing the problem?

makihara · Post by **makihara** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 9:56 pm

that's what is confusing since i already have the xvid codec installed as i can play the file in Windows media player.

i thought any file that could play in WMP could be played in Ulead.

could there be any configuration setting you could think of that is causing the problem?

rguthrie · Post by **rguthrie** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 10:01 pm

Perhaps, it's just the decoder? Also, have you tried to download the MPEG-4 freebie from Ulead?

Ron G.

makihara · Post by **makihara** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 10:05 pm

sorry, i will get the freebie in one second

but you say "perhaps its just the decoder"

what would i need then?

thanks for your help,
makihara

edit: i have the encoder setup