mp4 files

vernerdrost · Post by **vernerdrost** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 5:30 am

I have been trying to figure out why my VS10 Plus will not load a mp4 file. I get a message saying it cannot load it because of a file format mismatch. I thought VS10 did accept mp4 files. I have asked support via email for assistance and have received no help there (just an acknowledgement that they had seen my request and would reply¡K they have never done so), I called the phone support (very unfriendly bunch! Should fire them in my humble opinion) and all they seemed to tell me to do is delete the whole program and re-install. I did that (stupid me for listening to that lame suggestion) and that made no difference. Sure would like to find out if someone can suggest a solution or just plain tell me it cannot be done in VS10.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:07 am

I am not sure anyone would be able to help much if you provided them with as little as you have here.

Exactly what are the properties of the mpeg-4 file? As you may know, mpeg-4 covers a variety of video produced by a variety of codecs. VS10+ installs one, but it can only deal with a limited range of mpeg-4 files, and is mainly for encoding video which uses another format into mpeg-4.

But there are other varieties which use their own codecs, and you have to obtain those codecs yourself and install them separately on your computer. Two I can think of are DivX and XVid. Both are very popular and VS10+ can see them and convert them or output to them if the codecs are on your computer. DivX is more of a commercial package, though there is a free version of the codec available from www.divx.com The commercial package is of course better, and the entire bundle costs around US$29. A number of our users are now successfully using DivX with their HD cameras via VS10.

XVid is a freeware spin-off from DivX, as its name suggests. Do a Google search, and you will find an avalanche of sources.

There are other sorts of mpeg-4 out there as well and the same applies to them.

You might have more difficulty if you are talking about a file which uses the H264 codec. There has been some recent discussion on the Board about that. While quickly growing in popularity, I seem to recall that VS10+ either cannot handle it at all, or does not do a good job of it.

vernerdrost · Post by **vernerdrost** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:21 pm

Ken:

Thanks for replying to my question. You are the first ray of hope and at least a sensible answer to my dilemma.

I trust I am not imposing a lot by asking some brief follow-up questions re codex:

1) Where do you go in Microsoft to view what Codex you have in your computer running what?
2) When I receive an Mpeg4 file, how do I know what Codex is required to run it?

Obviously mpeg-4 files are a lot more complicated that other files. I thought that when something said it could open mpeg-4 files that is what it meant (Like MPEG-1). Thanks for clearing that up. Now I understand that what it means is that it can save or open some of the mpeg-4 files out there.

Appreciate the help!

vernerdrost · Post by **vernerdrost** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 5:50 pm

Ken:

Thought this might help understand the file type, the mpeg-4 I am trying to import into VS10 only plays in itunes on my computer. This sounds to me like this might be some type of Mac created file.

verner

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 7:46 pm

vernerdrost wrote:Ken:

Thought this might help understand the file type, the mpeg-4 I am trying to import into VS10 only plays in itunes on my computer. This sounds to me like this might be some type of Mac created file.

verner

You are correct. See http://www.apple.com/quicktime/technologies/mpeg4/

Is this a problem you are having with a video or an audio file? If it is an audio file just burn it to a CD-RW as a wav file, then rip it back into VS.

maddrummer3301 · Post by **maddrummer3301** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 7:57 pm

Post by **Ken Berry** » Thu Jan 11, 2007 9:01 pm

Yes, I suspect you are right and it is the dread H.264 codec. Verner -- as I said, the few people who have tried using VS10+ with videos made with the H264 codec, or to actually try to use that codec with VS10, have had a lot of trouble. So I am not sure what I can suggest. Apple/Quicktime do produce another version of mpeg-4 which uses another codec, so you might look at that but I am not sure how you go about converting from one to the other. It is mentioned in the article that Blacklab gave a link to above and its called the MPEG-4 part 2 (a.k.a. MPEG-4 simple profile) codec.

As for your other question about checking what codecs you have, there are two useful freeware tools for this: Sherlock and GSpot. They can be downloaded here:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/She ... ective.htm
http://www.headbands.com/gspot/v26x/index.html

vernerdrost · Post by **vernerdrost** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 2:22 am

Thanks for the valuable input, I will follow it up and if I get any success post it here.

verner

vernerdrost · Post by **vernerdrost** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:28 am

I took the mpeg4 file that was done in the Quicktime 7 codex and discovered that the copy of my Quicktime Pro can export it as a mov using a variety of filters (BMP, Cinepak, Component Video, DV/DVCPRO NTSC, H261, H263, H264, Intel Indeo 4.4, etc, etc). I tried exporting it as a Cinepak (not sure that is the best quality choice or not). VS10 can now import it fine and I can do whatever I want with it. I will have to play with it and tweek the settings since the original Mpeg4 file looses a bit of the quality in the conversion.

vernerdrost · Post by **vernerdrost** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:17 pm

Found that the best way in Quicktime Pro to export an mpeg4 H264 codex file to a mov is to use the option ¡§none¡¨ for compression. The mov will then import very well into Ulead¡¦s VS10 loosing very little quality. (By the way, mpeg4 H264 codex does do a very nice job at quality versus compression. Videos look very good while maintaining a smaller files size.). The only sang that I have come up on is the audio side. If the mov has audio it does not play properly in VS10 (kind of does a stutter like thing). These are the audio formats that Quicktime Pro will export a H264 type codex mpeg4 as:
Linear PCM (tried this one and Ulead can¡¦t read it properly)
A-law 2:1
AAC
AMP Narrowband
Apple Lossless
IMA 4:1
MACE 3:1
MACE 6:1
QDesign Music 2
Qualcomm Purevoice ™
u-Law 2:1

All of these are ¡§Greek¡¨ to me. Does anyone know which one might work when importing into Ulead VS10?

verner

Post by **Ken Berry** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 9:26 pm

It's curious that VS could not read LPCM audio correctly as it is the rock standard for audio in DVDs, whether NTSC or PAL.

Like you, though, I have to confess that all the rest in the list mean nothing to me...

vernerdrost · Post by **vernerdrost** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 9:54 pm

For now I found a work-around: In Quicktime Pro there is an option to save ¡§only¡¨ the audio. In which case they give you the option to save it as a wav file. I did that and imported it into the audio track on VS10 and muted the corresponding Video track. That worked perfectly. I have lost very little video and audio quality. Just a little extra work having to do the video and audio separately but the end result is excellent.

Thanks for the input on this forum, it gave me clues as to where to start. I was not aware that H264 codex is what Quicktime 7 is using. By the way, if you go to window/movie info in Quicktime Pro it tells you the codex being used. Window Media Player does not seem to do that as well.

verner

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mp4 files

mp4 files

Codex

One more thing

Re: One more thing

Thanks

Update

H264 conversion using Quicktime Pro update

Work-around