Hi !

I have many files in .avi format but I'm unable to read them with 3 different divx standalone players. I read many threads about that but I'm a little mixed up with all that stuff : encoding, codec, dvix formats etc.

Can anybody help me find out a standalone player which will read any .avi's ?

I downloaded GSpot to check my files but I'm too dumb to understand anything !

Maybe someone could check GSpot results and tell me what's wrong ? Is it possible ?

Thanks a lot !

Vince.

Post a screenshot of your avi from Gspot...And use VLC to play .avi
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
Edit: just noticed you mentioned "Standalone".... does it play dvix/xvid avi's ?

Actually I have no problem reading them on my pc. I will try to post a copy of the GSpot screen.

Thanks !

lol is there a way to save the log file and avoid copy and paste all fields ???

Standalone players are DivX capable. I have the sound but no video on a Philips DVP3960 and "no codec" error with Samsung HD870.

Hi Vince,

when I just purchased my Sony standalone DVD-player, I got the same problem. Although it had a DivX/Xvid lable on it, is was unable to play any of my .avi files. I also got a "no codec" error message. I checked the Sony website and found a firmware upgrade for my DVD player to improve playback of .avi files. Since then it plays any file that I put in it.

Therefore I suggest you check the websites from Philips and Samsung and look for the latest firmware revision for your drive(s).

good luck!

Most of times playback problems are due to a bad burned disc.

Are you using a rewritable media? RW discs often are not easily read by standalones and give these problems.

What discs are you using? At what speed did you burn these discs? What is your burner/firmware?

Othe rproblems are due to wrong encoding settings...

Hi. Thanks for replies.

I'm using Memorex DVD-R media and burned at minimum speed. LG GSA-H55L. I will check for firmware updates...

I can read them with a Samsung DVD-R150 but I can't with Philips DVP3960 and Samsung HD870.

How can I get a screenshot of GSpot ? Do I have to copy and paste every line here ?

Thanks !

Uhm, even burning at "lowest speed" will make the quality of those memorex not beter........

Go to 'Options' -> 'Export...' then tick the box to allow exporting. In the section below that, select the radio button for 'Generic export to readable NFO', then hit 'OK'. Close Gspot altogether.

Restart Gspot again and drop your file on the window. A text file will be auto-created in the same directory that the AV file was in.

Here is the text file :

FILE_NAME FRIDAY THE 13TH.avi
FILE_NAME_WITH_PATH C:\Users\Vince\Downloads\FRIDAY THE 13TH\FRIDAY THE 13TH.avi
FILE_SIZE 868,748,288
CONT_AUDIO_STREAM_COUNT 1
CONT_BASETYPE AVI(.AVI)
CONT_BYTES_MISSING
CONT_INTERLEAVE_ALIGN Split
CONT_INTERLEAVE_PRELOAD
CONT_INTERLEAVE_TIME 40
CONT_SUBTYPE AVI v1.0,
CONT_TOTAL_BITRATE 0
VIDEO_ASPECT_CONVERT_AVI1
VIDEO_ASPECT_CONVERT_AVI2
VIDEO_ASPECT_CONVERT_CVD1
VIDEO_ASPECT_CONVERT_CVD2
VIDEO_ASPECT_CONVERT_DVD1
VIDEO_ASPECT_CONVERT_DVD2
VIDEO_ASPECT_CONVERT_SVCD1
VIDEO_ASPECT_CONVERT_SVCD2
VIDEO_ASPECT_CONVERT_VCD1
VIDEO_ASPECT_CONVERT_VCD2
VIDEO_ASPECT_SOURCE_MATCH
VIDEO_ASPECT_TYPE_NTSC
VIDEO_ASPECT_TYPE_PAL
VIDEO_BITRATE 1030
VIDEO_CODEC_NAME DivX 6.0.0
VIDEO_CODEC_STATUS Codec(s) are Installed
VIDEO_CODEC_TYPE DX50
VIDEO_DAR 1.319
VIDEO_DURATION 1:34:01
VIDEO_FIELDS_PER_SEC
VIDEO_FRAME_COUNT 141004
VIDEO_FRAMES_PER_SEC 25.000
VIDEO_H264
VIDEO_MPEG2
VIDEO_MPEG2_3X2
VIDEO_MPEG2_BFF
VIDEO_MPEG2_I_L
VIDEO_MPEG2_PPF
VIDEO_MPEG2_PROG
VIDEO_MPEG2_TFF
VIDEO_MPEG4 MPEG-4
VIDEO_MPEG4_BVOP B-VOP
VIDEO_MPEG4_GMC
VIDEO_MPEG4_NVOP
VIDEO_MPEG4_QPEL
VIDEO_PAR 1.000
VIDEO_PICS_PER_SEC 25.000
VIDEO_QF 0.094
VIDEO_SAR 1.319
VIDEO_SIZE_X 760
VIDEO_SIZE_Y 576
AUDIO_BITRATE 192
AUDIO_BITRATE_TYPE CBR
AUDIO_CHANNEL_COUNT 2
AUDIO_CODEC 0x0055 MPEG-1 Layer 3
AUDIO_CODEC_STATUS Codec(s) are Installed
AUDIO_MPEG_STREAM_ID
AUDIO_MPEG_SUBSTREAM_ID
AUDIO_SAMPLE_RATE 44100

Which tool(s) have you used to create that avi file?

My brother create it with mencoder under linux. Can I do something to play it ?

The file seems good. I think that the problem is a bad burned disc. Try with a proven quality disc like a Verbatim: this should be sufficient to solve.

I also suggest to burn the Verbatim disc at the proper speed. If you buy a 16x certified media, then burn it at 12x or 8x, not slower, to ensure a good quality in the burned disc

Ok but I'm able to play it in a Samsung DVD-R150. Is my other players too picky ?

There's a few parameters that are detected by Gspot but don't seem to get reported in the text file. One of these is a 'packed bitstream' (PB); which if present, can give problems on older standalone players. See the pic below to view where the PB indicator is lit up in Gspot version 2.70a (the latest).

Probably worth it to run the file through MPEG4 Modifier (here) and see if it too reports it has packed bitstream. You can remove it without re-encoding the file.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gspot window for PB location:

Gspot demo.jpg

yes packed bitstream is lit. So if I remove it it could solve the problem ?

I would think it very likely.

lol and how do I remove it with MPEG4 Modifier ?

Is there any standalone DVD players which are able to read that file without removing the PB ?

Well if you just download the program and look, there is a tickbox for 'unpack' and a nice 'Save' button.

Yes, but you can't tell until you try it out. Modern ones are more likely to be successful.

ok thanks a lot for your help. I'll try it out now.

video resolution not supported !


Still does not work.

Actually - there's the problem:

...should be 720 x 576

Well. Can I fix that ?

Also MPEG4 Modifier says : Square Pixels Does it matter ?

You can't fix the resolution without re-encoding. Probably easier to get your brother to do it again properly.

Square pixels is related to aspect ratio but the resolution has to be correct first.