Would you like to read a fib? Here is a fib: QuickTime supports AVI and MPEG4!
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Huns Valen
Don't PM me here.
Join date: 3 May 2003
Posts: 2,749
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04-01-2005 10:05
I recorded some live video using FRAPS, which saves huge uncompressed AVI files. I then opened the uncompressed AVI in VirtualDub and compressed it using the following codecs: - Cinepak
- 3ivx MPEG4 encoder
- DivX;) MPEG-4 Fast Motion
- DivX 5.2.1
- Huffyuv 2.2.0
- Microsoft MPEG4 v1
- Microsoft MPEG4 v2
- VP62 Heightened Sharpness Profile
- XviD MPEG4 Compressor
Of all of these compressors, QuickTime only worked right with Cinepak, which does not compress very much and isn't useful for streaming. For all the rest, it either complained that the required compressor could not be found, or that it needed to download a compressor that unfortunately wasn't available. It is also unable to open files created by TMPGENC, which converts AVI into MPEG2. Turns out you have to pay Apple US$20 or so for the privilege of playing those files. Keep in mind, all of these files that I encoded with all of these codecs played in Windows Media Player Classic without any complaint. They were all stored as AVIs (with the exception of the MPEG2 made by TMPGENC), which Apple claims are supported by QuickTime. This is actually a joke. AVIs can be compressed with many different codecs, and it is apparent that Apple is either disinterested in or incapable of maintaining enough codecs to make their product compatible with the widest range of media. It supports arcane old codecs like Cinepak, which dates to Windows 3.1 and probably further back, but not the hot new ones like MPEG4. Oh sure, it claims to support it, but then why is it that MPEG4 stuff encoded with compressors from not less than three separate organizations cannot be played? You get a little hint if you go to Apple's site and watch the QT7 teaser, where they admit that it is fully supported in QT7 (implying that it isn't in QT6.) It seems absurd to me that Apple does not properly support MPEG4, which was approved - what - five years ago now? And every time they talk about MPEG4, they don't fail to let you know that MPEG4 is based on their own quicktime file format. The raw huge AVI from FRAPS doesn't work in QuickTime either, surprise surprise. If anyone has had any luck getting QuickTime to read MPEG4 files, or DivX, I'd like to hear about it. |
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blaze Spinnaker
1/2 Serious
Join date: 12 Aug 2004
Posts: 5,898
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04-01-2005 10:08
Typical codec problem. Welcome to the world of streaming movies.
As for why they don't support it, probably because they have to pay a patent fee, and it might get a bit costly if they are giving it away for free.
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Taken from The last paragraph on pg. 16 of Cory Ondrejka's paper " Changing Realities: User Creation, Communication, and Innovation in Digital Worlds : " User-created content takes the idea of leveraging player opinions a step further by allowing them to effectively prototype new ideas and features. Developers can then measure which new concepts most improve the products and incorporate them into the game in future patches."
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Huns Valen
Don't PM me here.
Join date: 3 May 2003
Posts: 2,749
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04-01-2005 10:17
They should at least tell the truth about what QuickTime supports. Saying it supports AVIs is not true. It supports SOME AVIs encoded using older compressors. Half the AVIs I have, it can't play, including the FRAPS stuff, which I need more than anything else. The whole "we're going to pretend to support a file format that's supposed to be based on our own, but hehehe, not really" thing strikes me as odd. The format has been around for so long - there are many different codecs - yet Apple itself is unable to support it until their next major release. It's mind-boggling.
I really hope LL considers using a better video source than QuickTime. It just lacks support for so many formats that it shouldn't. Like DivX, for example. So many things are encoded with it these days.
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blaze Spinnaker
1/2 Serious
Join date: 12 Aug 2004
Posts: 5,898
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04-01-2005 10:19
They will all have the patent problems, I suspect.
However, anyone know of a good converter?
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Taken from The last paragraph on pg. 16 of Cory Ondrejka's paper " Changing Realities: User Creation, Communication, and Innovation in Digital Worlds : " User-created content takes the idea of leveraging player opinions a step further by allowing them to effectively prototype new ideas and features. Developers can then measure which new concepts most improve the products and incorporate them into the game in future patches."
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Prokofy Neva
Virtualtor
Join date: 28 Sep 2004
Posts: 3,698
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04-01-2005 10:36
From: someone I recorded some live video using FRAPS, which saves huge uncompressed AVI files. I then opened the uncompressed AVI in VirtualDub and compressed it using the following codecs: Cinepak 3ivx MPEG4 encoder DivX  MPEG-4 Fast Motion DivX 5.2.1 Huffyuv 2.2.0 Microsoft MPEG4 v1 Microsoft MPEG4 v2 VP62 Heightened Sharpness Profile XviD MPEG4 Compressor Of all of these compressors, QuickTime only worked right with Cinepak, which does not compress very much and isn't useful for streaming. For all the rest, it either complained that the required compressor could not be found, or that it needed to download a compressor that unfortunately wasn't available. It is also unable to open files created by TMPGENC, which converts AVI into MPEG2. Turns out you have to pay Apple US$20 or so for the privilege of playing those files. Keep in mind, all of these files that I encoded with all of these codecs played in Windows Media Player Classic without any complaint. They were all stored as AVIs (with the exception of the MPEG2 made by TMPGENC), which Apple claims are supported by QuickTime. This is actually a joke. AVIs can be compressed with many different codecs, and it is apparent that Apple is either disinterested in or incapable of maintaining enough codecs to make their product compatible with the widest range of media. It supports arcane old codecs like Cinepak, which dates to Windows 3.1 and probably further back, but not the hot new ones like MPEG4. Oh sure, it claims to support it, but then why is it that MPEG4 stuff encoded with compressors from not less than three separate organizations cannot be played? You get a little hint if you go to Apple's site and watch the QT7 teaser, where they admit that it is fully supported in QT7 (implying that it isn't in QT6.) It seems absurd to me that Apple does not properly support MPEG4, which was approved - what - five years ago now? And every time they talk about MPEG4, they don't fail to let you know that MPEG4 is based on their own quicktime file format. The raw huge AVI from FRAPS doesn't work in QuickTime either, surprise surprise. If anyone has had any luck getting QuickTime to read MPEG4 files, or DivX, I'd like to hear about it.  *Turns on an old re-run of "The Fugitive" on RL-regular TV and doesn't log into SL*
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Adohan Zephyr
Bang bang
Join date: 20 Sep 2004
Posts: 216
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04-01-2005 13:02
1)What
2) Good job quoting the whole post to say two lines
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Torrid Midnight
Work in progress
Join date: 13 May 2003
Posts: 814
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04-01-2005 13:35
I use FRAPS as well and I found a way to convert the footage taken in SL. I actually use VirtualDub to open the SL avi file and THEN I go to File and Save as an avi. At that point it can be converted, which I use Quicktime Pro for that. Sounds odd perhaps but it works  . |
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Foolish Frost
Grand Technomancer
Join date: 7 Mar 2005
Posts: 1,433
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04-01-2005 13:37
Tell me about it...
I just spent the last 6 hours testing it, and the only think I can think of is that QT cripped the codecs it used for 3rd party divx...
I just bought QT to be compatable. I HATE that...
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Foolish Frost
Grand Technomancer
Join date: 7 Mar 2005
Posts: 1,433
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04-01-2005 13:39
Annnnnd...
Quicktime hates MPG audio compression. Have to conver to AVI first...
Yay me!
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Huns Valen
Don't PM me here.
Join date: 3 May 2003
Posts: 2,749
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04-01-2005 17:23
From: Torrid Midnight I use FRAPS as well and I found a way to convert the footage taken in SL. I actually use VirtualDub to open the SL avi file and THEN I go to File and Save as an avi. At that point it can be converted, which I use Quicktime Pro for that. Sounds odd perhaps but it works . You're right! Wow. It makes the files almost 5x larger (200MB turns into over a gig) but QT does seem able to open them. Here's another gotcha, it will not encode MPEG4 in high resolution. It will encode .mov in high resolution though. Limiting the video data rate to 100KB/sec is probably OK for mostly low-motion scenes, but for high-motion scenes (i.e. everything I do) it looks like 150-200KB/sec is the way to go. |
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Kasandra Morgan
Self-Declared Goddess
Join date: 17 Mar 2004
Posts: 639
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04-01-2005 18:07
I wouldn't call it a fib. I'd call it a flat out lie.
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Ulrika Zugzwang
Magnanimous in Victory
Join date: 10 Jun 2004
Posts: 6,382
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04-01-2005 19:13
It's been awhile since I've worked with FRAP, made a movie, and used Quick Time (since the Thriller video) but let me think out loud, maybe it will help. - I used FRAPS and recorded the video in its default format (avi with mpg compression).
- I then used VirtualDub to export the video to avi with DivX compression. This is done by selecting "Video -> Compression..." and selecting "DivX 5.2.0 Codec". You'll have to download DivX separately. I then saved the files using "Save as AVI...".
- In QuickTime I then exported the avi to a mov file, by selecting "File -> Export...". Under "Export:" select "Movie to QuickTime Movie". Then click the "Options..." button to the right of it.
- Under options choose "Video -> Settings" and change your codec. I've since reinstalled my OS, so I no longer have the codec I used but I believe it was the standard DivX for Mac (5.2.0 at the time).
That was it. The key thing to remember is that you need to convert from an "avi" container to a "mov" container and then make sure your codec is compatible with the default installation for QuickTime. ~Ulrika~
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Baba Yamamoto
baba@slinked.net
Join date: 26 May 2003
Posts: 1,024
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04-01-2005 19:24
Hun's i'll reencode your files for L$500 per 100 mb output They WILL work in quicktime when i'm done with them
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