Using VirtualDub 1.6.19, I created avi movie clips from a few commercial dvds. They play beautifully on the desktop computer (Windows XP) that I made the clips on. I've successfully run the clips using multiple players (WMP 11, Windows Media Classic, and VLC) on my desktop. However, when I play these same clips on my laptop (which has the same OS & media players installed), the clips don't play well. The video & audio both stutter and they are out of sync. I've got the movie clips stored on an external hard drive that I plug into whatever machine I want to play them on. I've launched the clips directly from the external hard drive and also copied the clips onto the local drives. Same result. They ran perfectly on my desktop and horribly on the laptop. Prior to posting this issue, I also downloaded to my laptop the codecs listed in your troubleshooting guide (FFDSHOW & AC3 Filter) and have done everything other than install the codec packs listed. I even had someone else try to run the clips from their machine. They could not get them to play properly either (same symptoms--choppy video/audio and sync problems). I was wondering if, as part of the program install for Virtual Dub, I installed a codec that isn't found on any of these other machines and maybe that's why it runs fine from my desktop but not on any others? Also another difference between my machines is that my laptop is almost out of space, and they have different vm and page swap settings. Could that be part of the issue? Any advice on next steps would be most appreciated! Thanks much!
The laptop has not been defragged. When I try, it throws a message saying there's not enough space to run the [defrag] process. I planned on wiping the hard drive and reinstalling the OS but that's a big job which may not resolve this problem. I had the files tested on another laptop & desktop (besides mine) and they also had problems playing these files. I'm thinking therefore that the memory allocation may be one part but not the root of the problem. All the computers on which we tried to play these particular .avi files can play other .avi files with no problem. I hope this extra information helps!
VirtualDub doesn't install any codecs - it uses codecs that have been installed in the system. VLC amd MPC don't use system codecs - they use their own self contained codecs. I would download the DivX codec, select DivX compression in VirtualDub and redo a short clip to see if it repeats the problem. The DivX site offers the codec free included with a 15 day trial of other stuff and a toolbar that you don't need.It also has an uninstaller, which not all of these things do. http://www.divx.com/divx/windows/
Thank you so much! I made another clip based on your instructions and the video quality is greatly improved. The audio/video sync issue is still occuring. I'll play with the settings in VDub to see if I can clear it up. Meanwhile, would you mind validating that I selected the correct video compression? When I downloaded the DivX codec from the web, it added two choices into VDub: 1) DivX 6.8 Codec [2 Logical CPUs] 2) DivX 6.8 YV12 Decoder I highlighted the first selection and saved the .avi. It dramatically decreased the output file size, too, which is great. If I can resolve the sync issue in VDub, I'll post a final status. Otherwise, I may need further advice. Thanks again for your support. I so appreciate it!
If the async is constant, then selecting 'Audio' 'Interleaving' and inserting a value in 'Audio skew correction may be useful. Play a clip of the async video in MPC. Click on Play -> Audio -> Option. Tick the box next to Audio time shift(ms), and enter a number. Click OK, and play the video. Keep changing this number until the audio lines up. Once you are happy that you have found the delay in milliseconds,write it down. If the audio is behind, insert a negative number. Remember to reset the factor - else the next time you open a video, the factor will be applied. Insert the number (plus or minus in VDub)audio skew.
I'll give this a try and get back with you. I'm in the process of wiping the laptop and reinstalling a fresh copy of Windows XP so it may be a few hours until I can test again. I'll update this post when I take next steps. Gracias!
Sorry it took me so long to post a reply. I wiped my laptop and installed a fresh OS, reinstalled fresh codecs and media players, and it did not improve playback of the .avi files. Since I had a deadline, I decided to go a completely different route. I used Windows Media Encoder to convert the .avi files to .wmv. They compressed okay and played on the target computer fine. "Good enough for who it's for," as they say. I wanted the perfect solution; the people I was doing this for just needed to play a few movie clips and were thrilled with what they got. So the project is done but I'm bummed that I couldn't get the .avi files to play properly. I suppose that's how it goes with technology--sometimes you just gotta take a different approach to get the job done. Thanks again for your support and expertise. I'm so happy to have found afterdawn.com. It gives me courage to keep learning and growing!
