Video help, please.

[Arnabas]

I have spent a fair amount of time downloading something (no nothing illegal, lol) and went to watch it today, but had a problem...

When I clicked on the film, Windows media player opened automatically as the default. I got the audio to the film in question, but only a swirly image as the video. I tried playing it on other players (Quicktime, etc), but they wouldn't play it at all...

I am wondering if anyone has any ideas on what I might do. So far as I know, everything is up to date, so I don't know what would be the problem.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Bungleau]

That sounds like WiMP isn't recognizing the video signal. You may need to update it, or download some codecs or something.

When that's happened to me in the past, I just gave up. Wasn't worth trying to fix Windows [img]graemlins/nono.gif[/img]

[Jorath Calar]

You sir have a codec problem... like Bungie already said.

May I prescribe this

http://www.videolan.org

A player that plays almost anything... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Larry_OHF]

You could also try going to DivX website and downloading their codecs. They work with WMP. Just uncheck the box saying that you don't care for the player and just grab the codecs and you're set.

[Sir Krustin]

Listen to Jorath, VideoLAN is pretty much the only media player that can play anything.

You still need the appropriate codecs, though, which depends on the media being played.

[mad=dog]

Download a diagnostic program called GSpot (use Google for link). Run it and load the clip/movie in question into GSpot. Read the field called Codec. Type the codec into Google. Download the codec. Install the codec. Watch the movie.
(Suggestion: Get a better movieplayer such as mplayer)

[Arnabas]

Thanks everyone.

I managed to get the videos working, but one doesn't have sound... It mentioned the specific codec, but I'll have to hunt for that now.

As a futher thing:

I wanted to burn them to DVD. Having never done this before, I wasn't sure what to expect. I selected the stuff that I wanted to copy, but the program (Intervideo (came pre-loaded on the comp)) then proceeds to play what I want to copy, saying it is "making a movie" in preparation for the copying stage. I had put it on the longest play length, so this means it will play for 6 hours before it even starts to copy it to the DVD...

Is that normal? I expected to choose choose what I wanted and have it copy right away. I figured it might take 20 minutes, half an hour, or something like that, but to have to wait over 6 hours to start seems silly...

I would also like to point out that I want to be able to watch this on a normal DVD player. Is there anyhing else I need to do first?

[ 08-14-2005, 07:15 PM: Message edited by: Arnabas ]

[Sir Krustin]

It's converting the clip into the specific format required by the DVD standard. This takkes time.

[Larry_OHF]

I would also like to point out that I want to be able to watch this on a normal DVD player. Is there anyhing else I need to do first?

Make sure that whatever your normal DVD player is...that it plays the format that your burner burns. In other words, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW. By the way...not all DVD+ formats are the same. Not all DVD+Rs play on all players that say that they play that media type. You have to have burned the media with a friend company of the "normal" player you will watch it on. Example: Sony DVD+R media will not play on a Panasonic player, but it will on a Toshiba. Stuff like that.

[ 08-14-2005, 07:26 PM: Message edited by: Larry_OHF ]

[Arnabas]

Ack.

Nothing is ever easy, eh?

Thanks again, everyone.