Why do we have to use ffdshow?

[matt2971]

Don't get me wrong, I've managed to get all my xvid movies to play - but only after installing the ffdshow alpha to handle that particular codec....

Now call me old-fashioned, but I expect a codec to actually work. Yet xvid seems to be unstable for so many people in a wide variety of players and with a wide variety of problems (including freezing the OS which is what happened to me so much).

So that in mind, why are there so many xvid movies out there, what the hell is the root problem, and why isn't it fixed?!?

Inform an ignoramus please

[matt2971]

lol, The silence speaks volumes

I propose people stop encoding with XviD until they sort the damn thing out into a stable build and stick to the tried and tested DivX and others...

Not that anyone listens to me

[shiny#3]

the silence is because most might disagree.....
you do not have to use ffdshow when you have all codecs
installed and the show filters a properly chosen when a
video is called to be displayed. ffdshow is a codec for those who might have problems in displaying a video when the proper mpeg4 codec is not installed.

the Xvid codec is excdellent ..

check its abilities....

[matt2971]

you do not have to use ffdshow when you have all codecs
installed

What do you mean by "all codecs"? As far as I am aware XviD requires ONE codec, and I do have the most recent version of Koepi's installed, and have tried the alernative build by Nic.

I can play some movies with just that codec, but a high percentage will not play, crash the player (Media Player Classic, Zoomplayer, WMP or any other I try) the OS, or display incorrectly. And this is not just on my PC but other PCs I have tried, and it's not just bad files as I've converted good files to test and they do the same.

The only solution for most people is to use a different filter like ffdshow - you only have to do a search for xvid problems on google to realise that these problems are prolific.

The codec is simply unstable. Yes, it's not even at 1.0 stage yet - but that's what I'm saying - why are so many people encoding with an unstable beta codec that has big problems?

[Qyd]

Probably because it's open source.
That makes for a promising future.

[matt2971]

Promising future undeniably! I just wish people would stop jumping the gun, as it's got a very unstable present!

[crazyman]

i have movies in xvid format it is awesome and have had no problems with it,they play fine with the last stable version of koepi's xvid build.The unstable version however has been hell for me though.

[matt2971]

I use the "stable" version. I'm aware that for some people there will be no problems at all. In software it's all about percentages... whether your using the official version of say, Office 2000 SP3 or a dodgy cracked copy of some two-bit software of a website, there's always gonna be a percentage of people who the software doesn't work for. With O2KSP3 it might be 1%, with the dodgy software it might be 20%... now someone could come along and say "both work for me, they are both great software"... but they'd be wrong - because you have to look at OBJECTIVE percentages to judge that - not your own subjective experience.

I used XviD and had problems. The last thing I would do is then say "XviD is unstable" on a forum - as I know it might just be me...

Only after looking at all the problems OTHER people have had in COMPARISON to other codecs can I now say that "XviD is unstable" - because a TOO high percentage of people have problems.

Encoders need to wait. Period.

[hacker_on_fire]

I use XviD because if it is not stable using the codec, it can be made stable using ffdshow. Also, the main reason being, it is a very good codec and gives great quality, and happens to be open source, so things can only get better.

[Qyd]

this thread should be moved to rants and petitions...

@matt
now realy, if you don't want to use ffdshow, just don't use xvid for encoding; or re-encode your xvid avi's to divx or any other codec of your choice.
just curious: what is Universal filter-proxomitron...

[matt2971]

lol@Qyd... I never rant

I don't actually encode myself, I just encoded once to test if I it was my 3rd party files rather than the xvid codec that was causing the trouble.

I don't mind using ffdshow myself, i'm just (selflessly - tehe) thinking of all the thousands of non-savvy users out there who have trouble playing the damn things... they'll never find ffdshow and will always think xvid is a waste of time. Maybe the xvid websited should advertise ffdshow as a way of fixing their own software's (temporary i hope) shortcomings?

Proxomitron is a local proxy that sits on your PC intercepting incoming HTTP before it gets to your browser. It will strip out all popups, flash popups and ads, all ads on webpages, webbugs, dodgy javascript and anything else you want it to get rid of or change - as it's totally configurable. IMO it's the best free tool I've ever seen availbale on the web - and i've been on the net before there WAS a web.... lol.

http://www.spamblocked.com/proxomitron/

http://www.jd5000.net/

[Qyd]

look at it this way: noobies will come across problem avi's, will try to sort them out, look for answers and solutions, aquire specific knowledge, and expand a nice video encoding comunity.
...So xvid is also a comunity development tool at the moment

[matt2971]

i'll accept that... rant over