confusing Codec problem / MPEG playback

[shb]

Hello all.
I have a bunch of MPEG files (home movies that were created some time ago with Videostudio-7). I want to be able to work with them again...

Unfortunately, I am having lots of problems even playing them. I think it is because the codecs/dvd-decoders are confusing the software.

I get this message when I try to play these files in Windows Media Player9 (and I also get the same message when I try to play in RealPlayer 10.5, Ulead DVD Player, and Ulead VideoStudio-7)



The only thing that seems to work is PowerDVD (ver 4). It also identifies the type of file:


Here are the codecs installed (screenshot from Gspot):


Can anyone tell me what I need to do so that MediaPlayer (and the other applications) can find the right codec ???

Any suggestions / comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, SHB

p.s. I am on DirectX 9.0c and Win-Me.

[Cole2k]

Looks like you have AceMega codec pack installed or something similar, theres a few useless codecs/filters there.

Try uninstalling which ever codec package you have on your pc and install one of mine (Cole2k Media) or one by k-lite.

[shb]

Thanks for your reply and suggestion. ok.. I've now deleted every codec I can find that appears to be superfluous...

Here's a revised screenshot of the codecs.



Unfortunately.. it doesn't seem to have helped. My original problem is still there. PowerDVD (v4) still plays the clips. WMP and Real-Player have the same error as before. As does VideoStudio... and therefore I can't make any progress on these clips

If I install your codecs how can you be sure that WMP (and the others) will use them ? Right now there is at least one codec on the PC that works fine (ie the one that PowerDVD uses). But it doesn't help me because the software I need (ie WMP and Videostudio) won't use that codec.

[Cole2k]

Your list of codecs doesn't seem to have changed much since attempting to uninstall them, but you may be able to make some progress with a little more work.

One of the key problems with PowerDVD is that the codecs/filters are only set to load in PowerDVD and nothing else, the problem occurs with WinDVD also, my packages and a few others register them into Windows instead of just PowerDVD, so they can be loaded by just about any application.

The next problem is that many editing applications see the different codec/filter being used as incompatible so Windows will then attempt to download a different codec/filter, this causes a crash because editing applications don't understand whats going on, they simply give an error saying that no codec/filter is there or give an error number.
The attempt by windows to find another codec or filter is disabled in my packages, so that it will force the application to use a codec the system currently has.

One thing that I noticed with your media player error is that it looks like you may be using a hardware decoder, if you are you may wish to disable hardware decoding in PowerDVD (Setting it in PowerDVD will also effect any other application that uses it).

I've had a lot of problems similar to yours and my way round it has always been to unregister any codec/filter in any video editing software and use the InterVideo ones instead.

Hope that helps a little more and gives some more clarity.

[shb]

Thank you very much for your reply...

I guess the main difference between the codec lists was the removal of all-but-one of the MPEG ones.

I ran the uninstall/remove whenever there was one.. (not all codec oackages are as nicely packaged up as yours!, many don't even come with an uninstall). And also, I manually uninstalled at least 5 others. Then I reinstalled DirectX to fix up the basic microsoft ones. It still didn't work at that point.

But, with your comments pointing me in the right direction, I have it sorted out now. You were 100% correct. Somehow the system had reinstated the settings for an old hardware MPEG card I had a few years ago. Not sure exactly how that happened but I have a hunch. I found a thing called "STB Digital Theatre", and uninstalled it and now all is working fine.

Actually, I have also uninstalled PowerDVD as it was problematic in other areas (probably because my version is so old). I'm now using the Ulead DVD player for DVD's (current version) , and pretty much any player (WMP, Real, DivX...) works for the MPEG1 files I described earlier.

I think I'll put your codec package back in (I assume it has the Intervideo codecs that you refer to)... The reason is that I have noticed a few minor probs (ocassional hangs) with Real Player since the original prob was solved. Though WMP and Ulead do seem ok.

Thanks again for your help

[Cole2k]

Glad I could be of some help.
My packages do include InterVideo's codecs/filters, the packages suited best to you are the advanced or standard ones.

Real Player... Something tells me that it may be using a hardware feature like PowerDVD does, so it may be hanging right now because it's trying to find a hardware decoder and instead of failing to initialise its just hanging around before switching to software decoding.

PowerDVD... It's never really been all that great on some systems, it's success has mainly been down to licensing rather than stability or ease of use, I've had to install it a few times for testing but it ends up in the great recycle bin in the sky after a short time, the CD it comes on does double as a mug mat/coffee coaster though
People with Intel, generic and low end nVidia graphics often find PowerDVD better, but people with ATI, mid-high end nVidia and Matrox graphics often find WinDVD better.

It's worth backing your system up while you have everything in a reasonable working state, then experiment a little.
Windows has this aweful habit of going dead just as you have your system set up to play and encode anything on the planet.