Playing an X264 MP4

[ENAJonas]

I was referred to this forum by dythim of #Kaizoku-Fansubs, an anime subbing group. I apologize beforehand if this ends up being in the wrong forum, but this seemed like the best choice as I believe this is more an MP4 issue than a codec issue.
Basically all I am trying to do is play one of their releases. They recently switched from XVID/AVI to X264/MP4. Their instructions are to use ffdshow to decode X264, but if possible I would like to avoid installing codec packs at all costs. So I installed the standalone VSS H.264 decoder. Playing VSS's AVC AVI samples is no problem. However in any directshow player when I open the MP4 a message similar to "no compatible codec" occurs. I do have the Haali splitter installed (which seems to correctly parse the MP4 as I do get the MP3 audio.) So it seems the problem lies with directshow not correctly associating 264 video within an MP4 with the VSS decoder.
Now that I've (hopefully!) explained the problem I'll just say that I'll take any solution that allows me to play the file without re-encoding it or downloading a codec pack. I am aware that I can convert the MP4 to an AVI, but since with my inexperience doing this will more than likely result in some loss of quality, I'd like to avoid that as well.

Disclaimer: I fully realize that this post may sound like a joke to most of you here. But I simply am looking for some quick help from what is basically the most knowledgeable source on A/V issues. Please accept my apologies for this if it's neccessary, and try to go easy on me!

[Koti]

oh and (hint #6)

[ENAJonas]

Not exactly what I was hoping for. I have read them, along with the Q&A's, and along with the FAQ's and have actually been thourougly absorbing a lot of what's on this board. But I know better than to say any more. I am simply looking for the solution I mentioned, nothing more. BTW, where have I mentioned anything about anything illegal???

@bond: My post was really directed at you; if I'm shot down by even you then I'll be satisfied. I may have zero experience, but everyone starts somewhere, and this just happens to be the issue I'm faced with.

[bond]

as a special service for a newbie i will quote the MP4 faq question #12:

12) How can i play MP4 files?
as one of the big advantages of MP4 is interoperability and being an open standard (license free!) there already exist a lot of different tools supporting it on as good as all systems including Mac, Linux, PocketPC and of course Windows:

1) if you want to play any multimedia file in a directshow based player (for example media player classic, bsplayer, zoomplayer or the crappy windows media player) first of all two things are needed for playback:
- a splitter/parser filter, which splits up the container file into the included streams (audio, video, subtitles) during playback
- a decoder filter, which decodes the encoded streams (for example ffdshow, 3ivx, CoreAAC)
btw. the only reason why you don't have to install a splitter for AVI is that it is already installed on windows by default

there are some packages available, which include such filter:
- Haali's Media Splitter supports AAC, ASP, AVC, MPEG-1/2 Audio (eg MP2/MP3) and Video, TTXT, VobSubs and Chapters in MP4, audio/video/subtitle streams switching, is unlimited, partly opensource and freely available
- 3ivx is useable, like Haali's Splitter, with alternative decoders like ffdshow or CoreAAC, make sure that the "allow unsupported decoders" option is ticked in the 3ivx splitter. 3ivx handles MP2, MP3, AAC, ASP, chapters but NOT AVC in MP4!
- Moonlight offers a MP4 splitter able to handle MP3, AAC, ASP and AVC, together with ASP/AVC decoders
- Nero Vision Express supports AAC, ASP, AVC, VobSubs and Chapters (subs/chapters/multiple audio only in Nero Showtime!)
- HDX4 supports AAC and ASP in MP4
- EnvivioTV handles advanced content/BIFS (sample), AAC, ASP and AVC in MP4
- Dicas' mpegable, supports RTP streaming, AAC, ASP and AMR (.3gp audio) decoding
- Ligos' LSX-MPEG, Simple Profile Video only, Demo limited to 30 days

2) if you can't/won't use windows-centric directshow you can also use one of the following players for playing MP4:
- Apple's Quicktime, widely used, supports MPEG-4 SP, AVC and AAC
- Realnetworks' RealPlayer 10, supports MPEG-4 SP + B-frames (only in the "plus" version) and AAC
- GPAC's Osmo4, opensource (GPL), able to decode BIFS (subtitles, user interactivity, dvd-like menus...) and TTXT
- MPlayer, opensource (GPL), handles ASP and AVC, available for various OSes, like Win, Linux, Mac OS...
- Videolan, opensource (GPL), handles ASP and AVC, various OSes supported
- MPEG4IP's WMP4Player, opensource (LGPL/MPL), handles ASP and AVC
- xine, opensource (GPL), various OSes supported
- Philips' Platform4 Player, also offering a player for PocketPC
- ENST's Osmo4 (based on the reference source), able to decode advanced content/BIFS
- IBM's M4Play included in their Toolkit for MPEG-4, Java-based, able to decode advanced content/BIFS

actually this should answer your question already (eg use mplayer or videlan or quicktime or install one of the splitters and a seperate decoder, like ffdshow), but lemme quote my h.264/avc info sticky for what avc decoders are out there too:

Decoders (comparison)

- ffmpeg: opensource (LGPL), used e.g. in ffdshow (VFW and DShow decoder), mplayer and VideoLAN
supports B-Frames, B-References, CABAC, Loop, Weighted Prediction and High Profile (8x8 dct and intra prediction, lossless)
- Apple: AVC decoding inside Quicktime 7
supports .mp4/.mov and B-Frames, CABAC, Loop
- NeroDigital AVC: DShow Decoder and .mp4 Parser coming with Recode2
supports Main and High Profile
- VSS: preview VFW Decoder (limited to 5 days) and a DShow Decoder (limited to 30 days)
VSS DShow supports .avi (with VSSH and H264 fourcc), CABAC, Loop, B-Frames
- Elecard: available in Elecard's MPEG Player v4.0 and MainConcept's v2 encoder
- Envivio: not freely available AVC DShow decoder called EnvivioTV, handling AVC in .mp4 (since 2.0, current version: 2-1-181)
- Philips: DShow AVC decoder freely available in the AVC Alliance player (handles raw AVC only)
- FastVDO: time limited (5 minutes per video) High Profile DShow Decoder
- Pegasus: not really compliant DShow AVC decoder available here
- Basic AVC Decoder in C, for an university project available here
not publically available anymore:
- Moonlight: DShow decoder/Parser handling AVC in .mpg, .mp4 and .264 available in Moonlight's MPEG Player v3.0
supports Main and High Profile
- MainConcept: the v1 preview offered a free DShow AVC decoder (adds watermark) and Parser handling AVC as .mpg PS/TS
- mpegable: offered for some time a free VFW decoder (usable also in DShow), supports .avi (with DAVC fourcc)

now if vss doesnt work i would try another decoder, eg ffdshow, no?

Originally Posted by ENAJonas

Basically all I am trying to do is play one of their releases. They recently switched from XVID/AVI to X264/MP4. Their instructions are to use ffdshow to decode X264, but if possible I would like to avoid installing codec packs at all costs.

ffdshow isn't a codec pack...

[Doom9]

Basically all I am trying to do is play one of their releases.

And that would be legal because?

[ENAJonas]

Ah, now I see what you meant Koti. I had honestly forgotten that [unnamed anime] was now liscenced (I watch many different series, the vast majority of which have not been liscenced yet.) Guess I can't argue with you on that!
In any event I pretty much knew what my options were so I'll either go non-directshow (unlikely) or convert to XviD off-system (likely). I had just hoped for an idea that would let me use the VSS decoder w/ MP4. Yes I am that dedicated to not installing a pack (ffdshow is not a pack? I guess I'll have to see what you mean since on all the installers I've seen it offers an entire slew of codecs.) Anyway I won't drag this out any further, so thank you @bond (and in a way @doom9, for reminding me.)
One last question, and I'll gladly take a yes or no and then by all means you can lock this thread: @bond you mentioned QuickTime as a method. Can this include QT alternative (which I have?)

Originally Posted by ENAJonas

ffdshow is not a pack?

No, it's not a codec pack in the sense of the K-lite codec pack for example.

Originally Posted by ENAJonas

I guess I'll have to see what you mean since on all the installers I've seen it offers an entire slew of codecs.

Yes, those are all the codecs that it has a built-in decoder for. It doesn't install any codecs. ffdshow is nothing but a standalone program that has a bunch of built-in decoders, nothing more.

[Elias]

@ENAJonas: all you need is the latest MPC (which has an internal mp4 splitter, no external mp4 splitters needed), and the latest ffdshow:

http://www.aziendeassociate.it/cd.asp?dir=/ffdshow
http://sourceforge.net/project/showf...ckage_id=84358

Really, that's all you need. Don't make things more complicated by unpacking the streams back to avi, and stuff like that. VLC works just fine too. You can get the latest Nightly Build which works great, and even has MPEG-4 Timed Text (mp4 subtitles) decoding. Like other have just said, ffdshow is not a codec pack that will make things screwball. It's a decoder and encoder filter, which uses libavcodec (ffmpeg) for almost everything, and it works great, with lightning speed decoding. Should really be the only decoder you use imho.

http://nightlies.videolan.org/build/...0001-win32.zip <--- VLC uses libavcodec as well. Very fine player, compiled under Linux which makes it more safe from viruses and stuff.
http://haali.cs.msu.ru/mkv/ <--- you can use this as an external mp4 splitter with any player, by combining it with ffdshow.

Also, please read the rules and try to conform to them. Moderators here get pissed off easily when it comes to discussing "piracy" material.

[ENAJonas]

@ENAJonas

Wow you really get promoted fast here........

[Elias]

This is not IRC...

[ENAJonas]

uy, another embarrassment.......i thought it was used the same way here.....