MPEG Problem

[Potato]

I just downloaded a large MPEG, and when I try to play it using Windows Media Player, it says that the file is not supported. The only way it works is if I open it with Quicktime, which sucks. It won't open in Real Player or TMPEnc, so there is no way I can burn a VCD. Does anyone know if I need a codec or something? Has anyone run into this type of problem before? Thanks.

[setarip]

It's probably an SVCD-format MPEG2 file. Windows Media player cannot play such files (although it can play unmodified MPEG2 files if you've installed MPEG2 filters and registered them in Windows).

If you have a software DVD player, such as WinDVD, it should be able to play the file.

Another alternative would be to load the file into TMPGEnc as follows:

File>>MPEG Tools>>Cut&Merge

Change the mode to MPEG2 (NOT MPEG2-SuperVideoCD)

Enter a new filename in the "Output" box

Click on the "Run" radio button.

This should create a "clean" (unmodified) MPEG2 file.

Let us know of your success ;>}

[Potato]

Ok. When I do this though, it creates a 7.27MB file that only plays audio. (The process goes on for only a few seconds.) If I set it to MPEG1 Video CD, then it play video, and it looses audio half way through the 43 second of video that the file contains. I can't even open the file normally in TMPEnc. (The main window, where is says browse at the bottom.) Any ideas? Thanks.

[setarip]

1) Did you first try playing the original downloaded file in WinDVD or another software DVD player that plays SVCD files? If so, what were the results?

2) I probably should have paid closer attention to your original posting (wherein you referred to playing the file somewhat successfully under Quicktime. Did you download this from a site that typically offers Mac-compatible files? If so, there's a good chance that the file does not meet PC-MPEG conventions - although, if you have Quicktime Pro, you should be able to convert it to a format (not necessarily MPEG) that can be played under conventional Windows.

[Potato]

It played perfectly in WinDVD. Perhaps I may have misunderstood your directions? In the end, I want to burn it as a VCD. From what I can tell, it kind of worked from what you told me. It creates a working, 43 second part of the whole video that will burn onto VCD, but it looses some audio. When trying to do a normal conversion in TMPGEnc, it won't even open it. Any more ideas? Thanks.

[setarip]

"It played perfectly in WinDVD."

In the upper left quadrant of the little WinDVD player, what format did it indicate (VCD, SVCD, MPEG, File ["File is what WinDVD shows when you load an AVI], etc.)?

[Potato]

I did not see anything in the upper left, but in the buttom right of the viewing window (status bar), it said MPEG.

[setarip]

Based on all that you've described, I can see absolutely no reason why you were not able to do a proper and complete conversion using TMPGEnc. Since you've indicated that you want to create a VCD (NOT an SVCD), I'll repeat the directions modified to reflect that:

1) Open TMPGEnc
2) From the "File" dropdown menu, select "MPEG Tools"
3) Click on the "Cut&Merge" tab
4) Change the mode to "MPEG1-Video CD" (NOT simply "MPEG1")
5) Load your file so that it then shows in the "Cut&Merge" window
6) Enter a new filename in the "Output" box
7) Press the "Run" radio button on the "Cut&Merge" window

By the way, just how large is this MPEG file?

Did TMPGEnc generate an error message when it created a 7.27Mb file? if so, what did it say?

[Thrawn]

did u install the Tmpeg Plugin too which u can get where u downloaded tmpeg?

[Potato]

It did the same thing. It takes 43 seconds of video and modifies it (and it does a sloppy job, i.e. no audio for most, and it freezes in certain parts), then the process stop. The file is 648MB. Every time that I repeat this process, it has the EXACT same problems. The audio and video disturbances are in the same parts of the video. And there was no error message. It just stopped.

As for the plugin, I believe that you are referring to the VFAPI plugin, so yes, I have it.

Thanks a lot.

[Potato]

Ok, I just tried to do the same thing with TMPGEnc with the other part of this movie, and it did the same thing, except it took 70 seconds of video instead of 43 seconds. Just to let you all know.

[setarip]

Since I've exhausted all of the possibilities that I can think of (You still haven't answered whether you downloaded the file from a Mac-specific site), I can only ask you if you have ever successfully used TMPGEnc, or if you've had any other problems using TMPGEnc.

If you have had problems, perhaps you might consider uninstalling and then reinstalling TMPGEnc. In light of the fact that you responded by saying that the file played perfectly under WinDVD, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn't be able to convert it under TMPGEnc, using the directions I've proposed.

Hope you resolve this in a meaningful fashion...

[Potato]

These two files actually came from a PC site. I tired to do the same thing with TMPGEnc on another computer and the exact same thing happened. I have also tried reinstalling (and downloading a new copy, for that matter), of TMPGEnc. Maybe if I play around with it I can come to some resolution. Thanks a lot for your help.

[setarip]

Be good enough to post your discoveries, so we may all learn from them...

[Potato]

Ok. I managed to get a hold of someone who helped create this file and they said that from their experience, it would only play in Quicktime, even though it was from a PC server. This seems a little odd to me since I would have made it a normal MPEG, but anyway. Setarip mentioned that I might be able to convert the file to something that would play under traditional Windows using Quicktime Pro. If anyone knows how to do this, please help me out. I think that I will post another topic about this as well, since this thread was just about solving this problem with TMPGEnc, and this may not get anymore attention. Thanks a lot.