Files converted with VLC fail in MEP

terrypin wrote on 7/2/2015, 3:38 AM

I've raised this in one of the general video forums, but does anyone here use the handy conversion tool in VLC?

If so ( a big if!) I'd appreciate discussing the following please.

I capture tour videos from Google Earth using FRAPS. The resultant AVIs are of course very large. Sometimes, although playing fine in my main video players, they're a bit jerky in MEP 2014 Premium (or earlier versions). Even using the proxy feature.

So I've been experimenting with converting them to MP4 in VLC. (That's particularly convenient, directly after playing the AVI in VLC.) But although the much smaller MP4s play fine elsewhere, MEP just delivers a solid green.

Here's an example:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/q4mm63k9nl7dnai/Botanic-Retio-1-VLCconvert.mp4?dl=0

Comments

johnebaker wrote on 7/2/2015, 6:01 AM

Hi Terry

No problem here converting to mp4 and accepting VLC's default settings - except for having to put in scaling value for video - imports OK into MEP 2014

Your video clip definitely has something wrong - as far as MediaInfo is concerned it is identical to my test conversion except for resolution and frame rate.

However GSpot gives a blank screen when playing your video but plays my conversion OK.

Can you upload the original file you converted from, if possible, so I can try converting with my VLC.

HTH

John EB

terrypin wrote on 7/2/2015, 11:43 AM

Hi John,

Thanks for testing it. Was that with a FRAPS capture? Could you explain what you mean by "...having to put in scaling value for video" please?

The original AVI was 736 MB! I'll make a 1 second 'tour' shortly and upload it.

Edit: Uploaded 47 MB AVI here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/alf7yf9bxgid8ch/FRAPS-Capture-1.avi?dl=0

Re the scaling, I'd originally left that unaltered, with Auto in all 3 boxes. But I've now tried it with three different settings

1. '1' in Scale, Auto in other two

2. 1920 in width, Auto in other two

3. 1704 in width, Auto in other two (same width as original)

I don't really understand the Resolution settings. Why doesn't VLC simply default to the original dimensions? And having entered a number in Height or Width, how do you get it back to Auto again? But I've tried various different settings and the result remains the same as I described. It won't play in MEP, giving a solid green preview.

Here's a typical result (270 KB):

https://www.dropbox.com/s/v6u73g3xuv8i9qt/FRAPS-Capture-1-Result1.mp4?dl=0

But anyway, result remains the same, solid green.

johnebaker wrote on 7/2/2015, 1:36 PM

Hi Terry

Thanks for the file.

I converted it in VLC 2.0.8 and it imported into MEP 2014 OK then when I noticed I did not have the Auto settings you mentioned -
. . . . Re the scaling, I'd originally left that unaltered, with Auto in all 3 boxes. But I've now tried it with three different settings

1. '1' in Scale, Auto in other two

2. 1920 in width, Auto in other two

3. 1704 in width, Auto in other two (same width as original) . . . .

I updated VLC to the latest, which does have the Auto settings, and converted the AVI again - this conversion was also able to be imported into MEP 2014 OK.

I do not have FRAPS on my computer, so I wonder if VLC is trying to use the FRAPS codec to convert and it is failing to transcode properly

I also tried converting with

Nero Recode - failed file cannot be read

AVS Video Converter - converts OK and imports into MEP OK

You can download a trial version of AVS Video Converter to see if this works - the software is not free however I have usd it many times to convert 'unconvertable' video. I was so impressed I bought the Unlimited access option which includes a whole suite of AVS utilities and I see they have the offer on again.

HTH

John EB

terrypin wrote on 7/2/2015, 3:03 PM

Thanks John, much appreciate your taking the trouble to test so thoroughly.

When you used the latest VLC, what Resolution settings did you use? Or did you ignore the instruction to "change one" and just leave all three at Auto?

Very odd that MEP likes your MP4 but not mine, given that I have the FRAPS codec and you don't!

"I wonder if VLC is trying to use the FRAPS codec"

I thought VLC used all its own internal codecs? But this codec stuff largely remains a black art to me!

I converted with SUPER and MEP was happy with that MP4.

I did have an old version of AVS (non-activated) but downloaded the current trial (non-activated) and tried that. That MP4 (with its watermark) worked in MEP too. But the output options seem limited to about 30 presets? Couldn't see any 25 fps for example at a quick look.

I'm wondering if ffdshow is involved here? A recent program I installed - can't remember which one! - may have changed my ffdshow settings. (Which had remained unaltered for years, at least not changed by me.)

In parallel with trying VLC I've made progress getting my AVI files running more smoothly in MEP now. For one thing, it seems that somehow my ffdshow setting for FRAPS had been changed to Disabled. I switched it back to libavcodec. I also found that videodeluxe.exe, was on the exclusion list. So while I had this mightily complex ffdshow configurator open I removed that exclusion too. Not sure if one of those or both did the trick; maybe I'll test methodically sometime. Therefore my pursuit of VLC conversion is now a matter of intellectual curiosity. And because I hate unsolved puzzles like this.