mp4 with avisynth using directshow

[StarCentral]

Okay this sucks for me. I use to be able to create an AVI script to open MP4 compressed files and play them in Virtual dub or Windows Media Player. I recently formatted my PC to start from scratch and now my script doesn't work anymore... I have no idea what is misssing and am angry about it. :angry:

My script looked like this:

directshowsource("filename.mp4")

This is the MP4 file if it helps: http://209.82.46.115/c4/VCLP0016.mp4 - 4MB file

If anyone can help me with this crazy issue that would be great. I don't remember installing any other software or codecs to make this work.

:thanks:

[dimzon]

keep in mind - you must have all decoders/splitters installed

[StarCentral]

Thanks for your reply Dizmon.

I have no idea what that means to have decoders/splitters installed. Where can I get them so to install?

Cheers.

[foxyshadis]

http://haali.cs.msu.ru/mkv/
http://ffdshow.faireal.net/mirror/ffdshow/ffdshow-20051103.exe

Make sure you enable mp4 splitting in haali's, and decoding for whatever format you're using in ffdshow.

[StarCentral]

I installed ffdshow just now, but receive the same message in Windows Media Player which says:

DirectShowSource: Could not open as video or audio.
Video returned: "DirectShowSource: couldn't open file VLCP0016.mp4"
Cannot play back the file. The format is not supported.

Before I erased my machine I don't recall installing fddshow and definitely didn't need to use Haali.

The only line in my AVS script was directshowsource("file.mp4")

Still no answers.. :(

[dimzon]

http://haali.cs.msu.ru/mkv/

[StarCentral]

Yes I know the link to Haali but don't want to have to use it to open MP4 files, I use to be able to do it without Haali and want to know how that was possible.

Anyone else help out? Thanks.

[ARDA]

@StarCentral

Try to play your mp4 with MPC if it plays look for the filter is decoding.
Open play dialog and look in filters.

If it doesn't play it seems to me that you had in the old instalation some mp4 decoder and you don't remember which.

In that case install ffdshow and enable to decode, there are two configuration pages test with both I dont remember exactly which one

I hope this can be useful
ARDA

[foxyshadis]

Haali is the better of the mp4 splitters available. However, there is also Nero and a few others. Maybe you had Nero 6/7 installed before you formatted?

I thought all you wanted to be able to do was open mp4s, so why are you rejecting a solution? Does it matter whether it's via haali's or nero's or something else?

[StarCentral]

I appreciate everyone's reply. I'm not against any particular solution, I just wish I knew how I had it working before : )

So far I've tried installing ffdshow but still can't get it working. It should work with just installing ffdshow right?

[dimzon]

So far I've tried installing ffdshow but still can't get it working. It should work with just installing ffdshow right?
You MUST have decoders & spliters installed. FFDSHOW is decoders, Haali is splitter!

[bond]

also you need to define the framerate with directshowsource

[StarCentral]

Okay I've got Haali and ffdshow installed. I run my AVS script:

directshowsource("d:\SANY0039.MP4",fps=29.97)

...and get "Directshowsource: the filter graph manager won't talk to me".

Foxyshadis - I've never installed Nero on this particular PC and now am trying to think of what I might have installed... I usually keep it the same each time I clean it out. I might have installed some cheesy Ulead DVD burning software that came with the camera that creates MP4 files.. could this have been how I had it working in the past without ffdshow and haali? I definitely know I never installed those programs in the past.

Anyone know what the graph manager error means? Thx again... and again... and so on... and so on... :)

[Wilbert]

What kind of streams are in your MP4?

[StarCentral]

Wilbert, I don't know what streams you mean. All I know is it is MPEG-4. If you want you can download a sample clip from a post above and see if that tells you.

Cheers.. .

[bond]

can you play the file in directshow players (like bsplayer or zoomplayer or wmp, NOT mpc)

[StarCentral]

Wilbert - The stream is mp4v, 640x480, 29.97fps, 2 channel 16-biit 48kHz for audio and a 1.536 kb/s bitrate.

Bond - I can play the Mp4 files with Quicktime 6.5 or 7.x, VLC Player no problem. I just installed BSplayer and it does not play them if that helps.

[Wilbert]

Your link doesn't work.

[StarCentral]

Wilber - I had the slashes the wrong way and have fixed the link now if you want to try.

Okay so here it is working now:

- ffdshow & haali completely uninstalled
- Ulead DVD Movie Factory 3.0 installed, upon installation there is an option to install Windows Media components/drivers. I select "yes".
- I can play MP4 encoded files using media player directly or by using an AVIsynth script exactly like this:

Directshowsource=("xxxxx.mp4")

It opens in Virtualdub no problem!

I want to know how to do this without having to install Ulead. How can I figure out what was done in my registry or PC and where?

I looked on the installation CD and only found a DirectX folder and this file in a directory http://209.82.46.115/c4/WMEncoder.exe which appears to be Windows Media 9 encoder files.

Any idea?

[foxyshadis]

Oh, is your system 2000 or original XP? Those come with an older version of directx that might not be compatible with Avisynth. DirectX 9.0c is the latest, which ulead probably installed for you.

[StarCentral]

It is XP. I don't know what did it but will remember from now on ;)

[bond]

Bond - I can play the Mp4 files with Quicktime 6.5 or 7.x, VLC Player no problem. I just installed BSplayer and it does not play them if that helps.this means you dont have the necessary filters installed. so install them!

[StarCentral]

If I knew what filters I needed and how to install them I most certainly wouldn't be posting here would I?

Lots of advise here... not many answers. :rolleyes:

I have it working now but that was only after installing Ulead DVD Movie Factory. It installed some codecs and drivers for my VFW that enabled Mp4 playback.

[ARDA]

@StarCentral

I will try to explain what I've done step by step.

1.Download you clip VLCP0016.MP4.

I couldn't play it except with VCL media player.
I couldn't open in virtualdubmod with DirectShowSource.

2.I started testing enabling all codecs in ffdshow
in both pages VFW configuaration code and Video configuration code
Everything starts working ok including BSplayer and VirtualdubMod.

3.I disabled all codecs in both pages and started enabling just one.
Finally I've got players working ok with Divx4 ?? in Video configuration
code. Virtualdubmod didn't work yet.

4.Finally I enabled raw video all suported in VFW configuration code
and everything is working ok, players and DirectShowSource

I don't remember (know) if I have splitters installed at my machine,
maybe with some software.

The machine I've tested:
VAIO Computer Mobile Intel[R]Pentium[R] 4
CPU 3.06 GHz
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Version 2002 Service Pack 2

Avisynth 256
Bsplayer version 1.38 build 828, 14 Feb 2006
ffdshow version Jan 23 2006 12:46:04 (icl9)

script
DirectShowSource("C:\Documents and Settings\Enrique\Desktop\VCLP0016.mp4")

I hope this can be usefull.
ARDA

[bagheera1]

A couple of days ago I succesfully used QTInput (http://www.tateu.net/software/dl.php?f=QTSource) to open a MP4 file, it's worked very nice.

Script:
QTInput("stalked.mp4",audio = true).converttoyv12()
assumefps(23.976,true)
resampleaudio(44100)
BilinearResize(320,336,4,0,472,272)
AddBorders(16,64,16,80)

PS.
I don't use Quicktime, I use Quicktime Alternative.
(could be meaningfull?)