Can't Play Video

[riw]

Y'all:

I have the latest Ulead Video Studio running on an AMD box with 2GB of memory, under Windows XP, all patches. I can capture video fine from my camera, a Panazonic PV-GS250, but I can't play the video. There appears to be one or more codecs messed up on my system, and I can't figure out how to resolve the problem.

I have gspot installed, and can't seem to make any sense out of the output. I have to export my files to mpeg2 in order to see them play. I can hear the audio, but I get no video.

When I'm in videostudio, I can see the frames, if I move through the file manually, but when you play the file, within or outside the program, it just produces a blank screen. ASP format files will also not play in Microsoft Media Player 11, nor in Jetaudio.

Any ideas?

Russ

[Joe Louvar]

Hi Russ, before installing the VideoStudio 10 Plus English Trial version did you download and install one of the latest versions of the following drivers?

Microsoft® DirectX™
Microsoft® Windows®Media Player
Apple® QuickTime®
RealNetworks® RealPlayer
Acrobat Reader

[riw]

Hi Russ, before installing the VideoStudio 10 Plus English Trial version did you download and install one of the latest versions of the following drivers?

I'm actually using a fully registered version, and have been having this problem for a long time.... I just got back around to ytrying to fix it yesterday.

Microsoft® DirectX™
Microsoft® Windows®Media Player
Apple® QuickTime®
RealNetworks® RealPlayer
Acrobat Reader

I have the latest version of Acrobat Standard (not reader, but Standard includes the reader) and MS Windows Media Player. I also have Quicktime, but I'm not certain what version it is, actually. I don't have Real, I won't install their product on their machine--I get enough spam.

Thanks....



Russ

[Joe Louvar]

Have you ever been able to view any of your Panazonic PV-GS250 videos on your computer?

[Ken Berry]

I endorse your feelings about Real products!!

Now we need you to confirm a few things. First, do you capture using DV format and the camera's Firewire connection? Or do you use USB? If the latter, then you need to be aware that this will only capture low quality streaming video. You need to use the Firewire connection, and if your computer doesn't have one, then install a Firewire card -- they are cheap. (I know, as I just had to install a new one yesterday and it cost me A$19 (about US$14).)

Next, you need to answer Joe's question: have you ever been able to play any of the captured files? If so, what have you been able to play them in? In Video Studio or some other program like Windows Media Player?

Next, have you installed the program MotionDV Studio LE which would have come on the disc with the camera? If so, that probably installed some Panasonic codecs. There have been cases in the past where some other users of this Forum have had trouble with Panasonic codecs conflicting with other codecs, including apparently with those installed by Video Studio (notably the mpeg-2 one). I suspect Panasonic may even install its own version of a DV/AVI codec. One workaround might be to capture using that program, and then transfer the video files to VS for editing and authoring.

If this doesn't appeal, does GSpot identify any of your codecs as being made by Panasonic/Matsushita? If so, you may need to uninstall MotionDV Studio LE and also go to Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager, and look down toward the bottom of the list to where the sound and video codecs are stored, and delete any that are specifically labelled Panasonic. Then you may need to reinstall VS10+ to ensure its mpeg-2 codec is properly there.

For that matter, does GPot show any of the codecs in red, indicating they are either broken or not properly registered in the XP Registry?

Not sure what to do if a Panasonic DV codec has replaced or broken the original one, which is installed as part of Windows XP, by the way, and not by Video Studio. But again, you could use MotionDV Studio LE and its DV codec to capture, and edit in VS as a work around. Or remove the Panasonic codec as described above, and then (gulp) do a repair of Windows...!

[riw]

I endorse your feelings about Real products!!

Now we need you to confirm a few things. First, do you capture using DV format and the camera's Firewire connection?

Firewire....

Next, you need to answer Joe's question: have you ever been able to play any of the captured files? If so, what have you been able to play them in? In Video Studio or some other program like Windows Media Player?

Yes--in anything but microsoft player. In fact, this is a theme across the board--I can't seem to play any video in MS Player, but only in Jet Audio or Quicktime.... Even though they are are AVI files.

Next, have you installed the program MotionDV Studio LE which would have come on the disc with the camera? If so, that probably installed some Panasonic codecs.

Nope....

If this doesn't appeal, does GSpot identify any of your codecs as being made by Panasonic/Matsushita?

Yes--I've deleted that one, and it didn't have any impact.

Then you may need to reinstall VS10+ to ensure its mpeg-2 codec is properly there.

For that matter, does GPot show any of the codecs in red, indicating they are either broken or not properly registered in the XP Registry?

No... There are a ton of them, though... ?? I'm tempted to remove all of them, and then try repairing windows, to see what it does, then reinstall videostudio, to see if that fixes it, but I think jetaudio and windows media player have installed some stuff, and that would all be messed up, too?

I think I'm to the point of killing windows and starting over, to fix it.... But, that's not very attractive, to be honest, because of the hours and hours it will take...

Thanks for the help....

Another wierd thing is that I have to encode in mpeg format to get videos I produce to play--otherwise, I get the same problem, audio with no video. And other people who play videos created on this machine have the same problem, as well, in some cases (but not all).

I obviously have some messed up codecs someplace, but I don't know how to clean them out, and start over, so I get a "fresh, minimal set" to try and see if that solves the problem. There doesn't seem to be anything that actually manages codec sets, or anything like that (other than gspot, which just tells you which ones you have installed?)....



Russ

[riw]

Okay, so some more information that might be useful on this.... Let me start off by saying I removed VS10, went through the registry manulaly, and pulled anything that had to do with Panasonic stuff, killed the directory and files, etc. There's nothing Panasonic at this point.

When I'm in VS10, in the edit mode, and I have a clip up in the viewer, I can see the video by scrolling through the clip, using the scoll bar along the bottom. I can see any frame, and I can scroll through the entire clip. When I hit play, though, the video goes black, and I just get audio. The same is true if I open capture a file from the camcorder, and then just open the resulting avi file using MS Player, or export a clip or make a project to an AVI file, and then open it with MS Player.

I can open these clips in JetAudio, and some of them in Quicktime (though not all). My wife can't see the video in MS Player on her PC, either, so it seems like the encoding codec is messed up, as well.

From gspot, I get the following list of codecs installed. I should note that not all of these show up in the control panel--I'm not certain how to cross check the list, and figure out which ones are which, etc.

DMO WMVA WMVideo Advanced Decoder DMO Microsoft Corporation qasf.dll --> wmvadvd.dll
DMO WMVideo 8 Decoder DMO Microsoft Corporation qasf.dll --> wmv8dmod.dll
DMO MP4S Mpeg4s Decoder DMO Microsoft Corporation qasf.dll --> MP4SDECD.dll
DMO WMV Screen decoder DMO Microsoft Corporation qasf.dll --> WMVSDECD.dll
DMO WVP2 WMVideo Decoder DMO Microsoft Corporation qasf.dll --> WMVDECOD.dll
DMO WVC1 WMV9 Advanced Profile Decoder Microsoft Corporation qasf.dll --> wvc1dmod.dll
DMO MP43 Mpeg43 Decoder DMO Microsoft Corporation qasf.dll --> MP43DECD.dll
DMO MPG4 Mpeg4 Decoder DMO Microsoft Corporation qasf.dll --> MPG4DECD.dll
DSH DV Video Encoder qdv.dll
DSH LEAD MCMP/MJPEG Codec LEAD Technologies, Inc. LCodcCMP.dll
DSH MJPEG Compressor quartz.dll
DSH Nero Digital AVC Video Enc Nero AG NeNDVid.ax
DSH MPEG1 MPEG Video Decoder quartz.dll
DSH DVSD DV Video Decoder qdv.dll
DSH MSS1 Microsoft Screen Video Decompressor Microsoft Corporation msscds32.ax
DSH WMV1 Windows Media Video Decoder Microsoft Corporation wmvds32.ax
DSH WMV2 Windows Media Video Decoder Microsoft Corporation wmv8ds32.ax
DSH MP4S Microsoft MPEG-4 Video Decompressor Microsoft Corporation mp4sds32.ax
DSH LEAD MCMP/MJPEG Decoder LEAD Technologies, Inc. LCodcCMP.dll
DSH MP43 Microsoft MPEG-4 Video Decompressor Microsoft Corporation mpg4ds32.ax
DSH H261 Decoder Cisco Systems, Inc.
DSH Pass Through Cisco Systems, Inc. PassThru.ax
DSH MJPG AVI Draw quartz.dll
DSH Nero PresentationGraphics Decoder Nero AG NeBDGraphic.ax
DSH Video Port Manager quartz.dll
DSH Nero Thumbnail Decoder Nero AG NeBDThumbnail.ax
DSH AVI Decompressor quartz.dll
DSH QTRpza QT Decompressor quartz.dll
DSH MJPG MJPEG Decompressor quartz.dll
DSH Nero InteractiveGraphics Decoder Nero AG NeBDGraphic.ax
DSH Nero Video Decoder Nero AG NeVideo.ax
DSH Nero DVD Decoder Nero AG NeVideo.ax
VFW CVID Cinepak Codec by Radius Radius Inc. qcap.dll --> iccvid.dll
VFW H261 Precept H.261 Compressor Cisco Systems, Inc. qcap.dll --> h261_32.dll
VFW I420 Intel 4:2:0 Video V2.50 Microsoft Corporation qcap.dll --> msh263.drv
VFW IV32 Intel Indeo(R) Video R3.2 qcap.dll --> ir32_32.dll
VFW IYUV Intel IYUV codec Microsoft Corporation qcap.dll --> iyuv_32.dll
VFW M261 Microsoft H.261 Video Codec Microsoft Corporation qcap.dll --> msh261.drv
VFW M263 Microsoft H.263 Video Codec Microsoft Corporation qcap.dll --> msh263.drv
VFW MP42 Microsoft MPEG-4 Video Codec V2 Microsoft Corporation qcap.dll --> mpg4c32.dll
VFW MPG4 Microsoft MPEG-4 Video Codec V1 Microsoft Corporation qcap.dll --> mpg4c32.dll
VFW MRLE Microsoft RLE Microsoft Corporation qcap.dll --> msrle32.dll
VFW MSVC Microsoft Video 1 Microsoft Corporation qcap.dll --> msvidc32.dll
VFW TSCC TechSmith Screen Capture Codec TechSmith Corporation qcap.dll --> tsccvid.dll
VFW VXTR Precept VXTR Compressor Cisco Systems, Inc. qcap.dll --> vxtr.dll

Hopefully, this will trigger someone to know what this problem is.



Russ

[heinz-oz]

What puzzles me a bit is that you claim to be able to view these clips in Quicktime?? Maybe they are mpeg4 or mov format?

When you are in VS and can look at the clip on the time line, what are the clip properties? To get the properties, right click on the clip in the time line. It would be best if you can post a screenshot of the popup window with the properties listed.

[riw]

What puzzles me a bit is that you claim to be able to view these clips in Quicktime?? Maybe they are mpeg4 or mov format?

When you are in VS and can look at the clip on the time line, what are the clip properties? To get the properties, right click on the clip in the time line. It would be best if you can post a screenshot of the popup window with the properties listed.

I'll do even better:

http://www.riw.us/temp/videoproblem.zip

That's one of the clips I'm seeing this problem with (I'm actually seeing it with all of my captured clips, so I just chose a short one to post up as an example). There's also a screen shot of the clip properties within VS10, two screen shots of scrolling through the clip (the video is visible), and then one playing (the video screen is black).

BTW--I just edited this to add one small thing.... When I try to run this in MS Media Player now, since the reinstall of VS10, it says it can't play it, and asks me if I want to search the web to find a program to use. When I play it in JetAudio, however, the video pops right up, no problems. I think the key here might be that there's some codec that JetAudio knows how to use, and VS10 doesn't--perhaps VS10 uses an embedded version of MS Player for the preview, hence this problem? I've really no clue, just brainstorming....

Thanks!



Russ

[Ken Berry]

The strange thing about your GSpot read-out is that I can't see any Intervideo codecs. VS10+ should install two: the mpeg-2 one and the mpeg-4 one. But you don't seem to have either, which of course would be problematic if your files are supposed to be using either of those two.