[drissa]

Hi Folks

Here's the story:

My VLC Player recently stopped playing audio after about 2 minutes into each file. I have the DivX app which converts to .mov files, but Quicktime seems like wading through treacle by comparison.

I downloaded VLC again and discovered it was a newer version - one I'd downloaded before and found loads of problems with. No audio and nasty artifacts at the edge of the screen.

Apart from just converting everything for QT, it seems I'm stuck without a player. Can anyone recommend another utility for playing .avi files? Everyone seems to love VLC but, as I mentioned, the newer version simply won't work on my machine.

Many thanks

[Jacke]

The latest DivX codec combined with the 3ivx codec. The DivX codec includes an avi parser which makes DivX Doctor and the like redundant for playback.

You could also try MPlayer.

[drissa]

Thanks for the support. I have to admit, however, that I'm utterly confused.

I've downloaded the DivX 5.1.1 Decoder. I'm not sure exactly what it's supposed to be doing - is it some kind of component for QuickTime? If so, does QT automatically know it's there?

I've noticed that I now get audio when viewing .avi files in QT. I guess this shows that something is going right. However, the nasty artifacts are still there at the bottom of the machine and QT really is slogging away - very slow response.

I'll do some more research to try and understand what all these apps/components are suppoed to do and how they work together. Shame QT can't simply play a common digital format.

[Jacke]

Originally posted by drissa:
I've downloaded the DivX 5.1.1 Decoder. I'm not sure exactly what it's supposed to be doing - is it some kind of component for QuickTime? If so, does QT automatically know it's there?

The DivX component functions as a sort of interpreter between DivX files (meaning avi files with DivX video and MP3 audio) and Quicktime's playback engine. You'll know that it's working if when you get info on an open DivX file in Quicktime, it says in the info window "DivX AVI importer".

I've noticed that I now get audio when viewing .avi files in QT. I guess this shows that something is going right. However, the nasty artifacts are still there at the bottom of the machine and QT really is slogging away - very slow response.

Did you also install the 3ivx codec? It's the about the best decoder for MPEG-4/DivX/XVID video there is for Quicktime. That being said, the artifacts could be that the file wasn't encoded properly.

I'll do some more research to try and understand what all these apps/components are suppoed to do and how they work together.

You can also ask at the 3ivx forums, good place to watch and learn.

Shame QT can't simply play a common digital format.

It's not really as simple as that... QT can play back proper avi files just fine, but someone got the bright idea of modifying the avi file format to accept media it couldn't handle originally (like MP3 audio).
This is a bad analogy, but think of it as someone getting the idea of storing mustard in an empty tube of toothpaste. Those who know it's mustard will use it properly (the DivX codec/players) while those who don't know it's mustard will be repelled by it (Quicktime)...

[bmhome1]

MPlayer plays .AVI's much smoother than VLC for me. Give it a try.

[drissa]

Thanks for all the info Jacke. Much appreciated. You're right - I guess it's not the technology but people's implementation of it that causes difficulty. I do have 3ivx installed too, although the 'read me' files point me back in the direction of the DivX doctor, due to the mp3 problems.

The MPlayer seems rather intimidating - the process of download and use doesn't seem to have been made very user friendly. I downloaded something which simply launced Terminal. There was some info on command line-style preferences!

I'll investigate further.

[Jacke]

Originally posted by drissa:
The MPlayer seems rather intimidating - the process of download and use doesn't seem to have been made very user friendly. I downloaded something which simply launced Terminal. There was some info on command line-style preferences!

There shouldn't be any need for the terminal to use MPlayer. At least the version I have (2b6, the last version for X.2) didn't require the terminal. Try downloading one of the versions from this page, 2b7 if you're on 10.3 or 2b6 if you're on 10.2.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally posted by drissa:
Shame QT can't simply play a common digital format.

Jacke already went into this, but there's another issue here IIRC:

The .avi container that somebody hacked into DivX is owned by Microsoft, i.e. DivX is based upon stolen (well, reverse-engineered) code.

So Apple *cannot* legally include DivX playback with QuickTime, which is why you need to mess with these solutions.

-s*

[bmedina]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
i.e. DivX is based upon stolen (well, reverse-engineered) code.

That hasn't been true for some time now.

The current DivX is just another MPEG4 codec. A default install of Quicktime can play it back if a) it's an MPEG4 simple profile encode, and b) it's in a proper container.

[Spheric Harlot]

So QuickTime actually includes the latest DivX versions, but isn't backwards-compatible?

Ah, well, then it's only true for 95% of the material out there, since that *won't* play back in standard Quicktime and must have been prepared using older versions of the codec.

-s*

[bmedina]

Originally posted by Spheric Harlot:
So QuickTime actually includes the latest DivX versions, but isn't backwards-compatible?

No, QuickTime includes an MPEG4 simple profile video decoder. DivX is an MPEG4 encoder that can do either simple profile or advanced simple profile.

Very few DivX encodes are simple profile. Furthermore, they are (almost without exception) found in hacked avi containers. For both of these reasons, a default QuickTime install will not decode most DivX-encoded MPEG4 content (I've never seen one that it could).

If both the 3ivx and DivX Quicktime components are installed, Quicktime can play back MPEG4 ASP content in a hacked avi container.

Very, very old versions of DivX weren't MPEG4 compliant, but that's a different issue.

[Jacke]

Originally posted by bmedina:
Very few DivX encodes are simple profile. Furthermore, they are (almost without exception) found in hacked avi containers. For both of these reasons, a default QuickTime install will not decode most DivX-encoded MPEG4 content (I've never seen one that it could).

Not to mention that Quicktime isn't set to decode video with the DivX fourcc...