Play AVS in Windows Media Player

[MysteryX]

Isn't AviSynth supposed to work in Windows Media Player?

When I drag-drop a file into WMP, nothing happens. If I go in File|Open and select the file, it says it doesn't recognize the file and asks me whether I want to open it anyway, and if I say yes, it crashes.

How do I get AviSynth to play in Windows Media Player?

[StainlessS]

Right Click/Open With, works fine on avs on my XP32SP3 with both Mplayer2 (the one from Win95 days) and WindowsMediaPlayer 11.0
(although as you say it asks whether should play it or not).

EDIT: Maybe you need some A/V splitter or something. Perhaps ffdshow or some codec suite is needed (if you dont already have one).

[MysteryX]

Doesn't work here. Windows 7 x64, WMP v12

[StainlessS]

Does W7 still have MPlayer2 in the "C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player" directory (substitute whatever it is for "Program Files" on W7).
Was still there in Vista I think.

EDIT: About prev edit, presumably you would need 32 bit ffdshow or codec suite for 32 bit avisynth (which I assume you are using).

[MysteryX]

Does W7 still have MPlayer2 in the "C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player" directory (substitute whatever it is for "Program Files" on W7).
Was still there in Vista I think.

EDIT: About prev edit, presumably you would need 32 bit ffdshow or codec suite for 32 bit avisynth (which I assume you are using).
No it's not there.

I have AviSynth 2.6 installed, which only comes 32-bit.

As for MPC-HC, if I remove the avisynth.dll I've put in its folder so that SVP can use AviSynth 2.5.8, then the AVS file can play fine. But I cannot use it to display the result while also having it configured for SVP. SmoothD2 requires masktools2 which requires v2.6

[StainlessS]

Arh gone, such a shame, I always preferred that to WMP (which I really dislike and almost never use).
Pretty sure mplayer2 still worked fine on Vista.

I'm on 32bit XP duel core Core Duo, and so dont really care too much about MT type stuff, seems more problematic than its worth.
For rendering I whack em onto one of several Pentium 4 machines and leave them to get on with it, takes quite some time but I've got plenty.

Interesting fact: Windows has had a DVD player built-in since Windows 98, its a special type of program (name of which I cant remember) which only
does anything under specific circumstances, circumstances for DvdPlay.exe (in system32 on XP) are that it only does anything if there is no other DVD
player on the system. On my machine, it does nothing as both WMP 11.0 and PowerDVD play DVD's (plus about a half dozen other players). But on W98
or NT or Millenium or W2K or XP, would play DVD's so long as there was also an MPEG2 decoder on the system, was rubbish very basic player, but it worked.
I showed the DvdPlay.exe working once to a bunch of SysAdmins, they were blown away with disbelief (of course needed an open source MPEG2 decoder).
No idea if it exists under W7 but suspect that it may have been removed also, I assume that W7 now has MPEG2 decoder as well as WMP 12.0.

[MysteryX]

I uninstalled AviSynth 2.6 and installed AviSynth+, 32-bits only to avoid conflicts

Out of the various script files I created, 2 of them can open in Windows Media Player but with screwed up colors. The other ones crash.

http://s28.postimg.org/aa8jlki9l/WMP_AVS.jpg (http://postimg.org/image/aa8jlki9l/)

[StainlessS]

Well your png is 765x623, is that the size of the clip ? (ie odd width,height),
How bout simple ColorBars (ie RGB).
How bout simple ColorBars.ConvertToYV12.
Maybe you need a YUV decoder eg Helix (for WMP).
Do other players play it ok (not VLC) ?

[MysteryX]

Well your png is 765x623, is that the size of the clip ? (ie odd width,height),
How bout simple ColorBars (ie RGB).
How bout simple ColorBars.ConvertToYV12.
Maybe you need a YUV decoder eg Helix (for WMP).
Do other players play it ok (not VLC) ?
That's the size of my media player window.

If I remove .ConvertToYV12(), and also remove smoothD2c that relies on it, then it works.

[StainlessS]

Do you have Helix installed (YUV decoder), OR, DivX OR XVid. Think they all contain a YUV decoder. (or ffdshow probably does too).
How bout ConvertToYUY2(), (without smoothd2c) ?

(most other media players contain their own decoders).

EDIT: How bout previously mentioned: ColorBars.ConvertToYV12.

[MysteryX]

Do you have Helix installed (YUV decoder), OR, DivX OR XVid. Think they all contain a YUV decoder. (or ffdshow probably does too).
How bout ConvertToYUY2(), (without smoothd2c) ?

(most other media players contain their own decoders).

EDIT: How bout previously mentioned: ColorBars.ConvertToYV12.

A simple "ColorBars" fails in WMP but plays in MPC-HC.

I have K-Lite Codec Pack Mega with "lots of stuff" installed.

ffdshow, however, then needed to be replaced by the version SVP uses.

[StainlessS]

Is that ColorBars, without the ConvertToYV12 ?

[MysteryX]

Is that ColorBars, without the ConvertToYV12 ?
Oups, forgot that just sending the AVS file to WMP didn't open it.

Normally doing it thorugh File | Open works, but now it doesn't work anymore. Perhaps it's because last time when it asked me whether to play an unknown file format I said Yes and said "don't ask again" and now it assumes no and doesn't ask again.. ! Not sure how to fix that, but if I run it through the ActiveX Windows Media Player control through a software, then it plays.

ColorBars.ConvertToYV12

This works as well.

[hello_hello]

No it's not there.

I have AviSynth 2.6 installed, which only comes 32-bit.

As for MPC-HC, if I remove the avisynth.dll I've put in its folder so that SVP can use AviSynth 2.5.8, then the AVS file can play fine. But I cannot use it to display the result while also having it configured for SVP. SmoothD2 requires masktools2 which requires v2.6

Can you copy MPC-HC to a second location and configure it differently (use the save settings to ini file option in preferences)?
The current version of MPC-HC has an issue with opening MKVs while they're being written during encoding, so I also have the previous version. I've made a shortcuts to each and put them in the Windows SendTo folder.

Do you have many plugins auto-loading in the AviSynth plugins folder? If so it might pay to clear it out to see if a basic script will open with WMP or MPC-HC. I had a problem with MPC-HC not opening AVS scripts at one stage. It was a fair while ago and I can't remember the exact details but I kind of remember one of the plugins ffdshow installs in the AVISynth folder as being the culprit (ffavisynth.avsi or ffavisynth.dll), but it could be anything, or it might be none of them, but it can't hurt to check.

[feisty2]

Does W7 still have MPlayer2 in the "C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player" directory (substitute whatever it is for "Program Files" on W7).
Was still there in Vista I think.

EDIT: About prev edit, presumably you would need 32 bit ffdshow or codec suite for 32 bit avisynth (which I assume you are using).

what's "MPlayer2"? I could not find it anyway
http://i.imgur.com/RgDuGIU.png

[StainlessS]

Mobile:
Mplayer2 was released as an example sample in an early visual studio , thing.
MPC_HC is based upon it. Quite basic but, I is a quite basic kinda guy.
Me always likee.

edit: actually probably released as mplayer rather than mplayer2.

[feisty2]

I searched mplayer2 on Google, I kinda don't like it
To me, the program could either be cli ("cmd" like programs, no gui at all, usually professional or high performance programs), or with really gorgeous dazzling guis ("aero glass" kinda stuff, usually everyday regular programs without much performance concern)
I really dislike programs with last century look like humble guis
Edit: off the topic right now, I'll just reply here instead to avoid offending op or others
I'm on vacation in Iceland with my uncle now, yeah, it's far from California, where I live
@Groucho2004
No, I'm a teen, not a six years old kid, I don't like overcolored cheesy GUIs, just a few limited colors would be okay, but the design has to be modern, no 256 color icons, no all gray background and buttons
just like the win8 file explorer (with aero glass on), that's good enough to me

The color of aero glass (windows dialog titlebar) changes automatically in win8, no need to set that anymore, it always changes itself to adapt the current wallpaper, and btw, wallpaper changes automatically as well

[StainlessS]

You young whippa snappas, well you gorra laff.
You in Iceland right now ?
Long way form where u live I think?

[Groucho2004]

I really dislike programs with last century look
I guess you prefer GUIs to look like they were dipped in coloured wax several times? ;)

[johnmeyer]

I knew the world was going to heck the first time I saw a "skin." I was amazed at the number of people who thought they were actually accomplishing something by changing the Windows dialog title bars from blue to green or -- and this really thrilled some people -- a texture! It is the same mentality I see with people who think they've done a good day's work just by reading all their email.

"Hey, aren't we supposed to drive the engine down the block and put out the fire??" Nope, I gotta find a new skin for my media player, and answer a few emails ...

[MysteryX]

Can you copy MPC-HC to a second location and configure it differently (use the save settings to ini file option in preferences)?
The current version of MPC-HC has an issue with opening MKVs while they're being written during encoding, so I also have the previous version. I've made a shortcuts to each and put them in the Windows SendTo folder.

MPC-HC plays AVS files properly. I only have issues with WMP.

Do you have many plugins auto-loading in the AviSynth plugins folder? If so it might pay to clear it out to see if a basic script will open with WMP or MPC-HC. I had a problem with MPC-HC not opening AVS scripts at one stage. It was a fair while ago and I can't remember the exact details but I kind of remember one of the plugins ffdshow installs in the AVISynth folder as being the culprit (ffavisynth.avsi or ffavisynth.dll), but it could be anything, or it might be none of them, but it can't hurt to check.

I have AviSynth 2.5.8 MT installed and there are only 3 plugins in its folder:
colors_rgb.avsi
DirectShowSource.dll
TCPDeliver.dll

Removing them doesn't help. Colors are still screwed up in WMP.

[creaothceann]

MPC-HC plays AVS files properly. I only have issues with WMP.

Don't use WMP.

[StainlessS]

Don't use WMP.

+1 on that.

EDIT: Cannot stand all of that fancy aero type garbage, very first thing I do on fresh install is to switch off the blue translucent
menu stuff and crud fancy XP GUI, straight back to classic everything.
You usually dont need to do that on eg Server 2003, even MS knows crud when they see it.
There is a util called ClassicShell for restoring normality for Vista and also W7 I think, just like a breath of fresh air.

[feisty2]

just tried
I can't play avs scripts with wmp either
http://i.imgur.com/9jfnadB.png

just did another test, REAL weird

blankclip ()

wmp plays the script (an all black blank video) successfully


LWLibAVVideoSource ("any video")

wmp couldn't get to work and throws error

anyone knows why?

[StainlessS]

Actually, neither can I. Is a fresh install about a week ago (XP32) with WMP 11.0. Pretty sure that it worked before re-install.

MPlayer2 works fine.

EDIT: YV12 clip converted to RGB32 works OK in my WMP 11.0

[feisty2]

http://i.imgur.com/JNffOgm.png
yeah, it works now on wmp12
you have to add "converttorgb32 ()" at the end of the script to make it playable to wmp
so wmp only accepts rgb input?

I think it makes sense now, not like other players, with various splitters, decoders, renders, etc, embedded, wmp is just a single playback program, the only thing it does (or can do) is take fully decoded and rendered raw rgb streams and display them
if the avs script output is not in rgb, wmp would be confused, an already decoded video but not in rgb colorspace? therefore, throws an error

[StainlessS]

If memory serves, there was some kind of registry hack that needed to be done some years ago, (involved maybe the quartz.dll or maybe msquartz.dll),
as the ms YUV decoder did not work proper. Think it was maybe to change default YUV codec to eg HuffYUV.dll or something like that.

EDIT: Think this is what I was on about: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=381748#post381748

[feisty2]

@StainlessS
unfortunately, mplayer2.exe is dead on win8.1
I tried to run it directly on win8 instead of run it under a virtual xp computer
it pops an error
http://i.imgur.com/heFaP1Y.png

[StainlessS]

See edit above.
Changed HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32\vidc.yv12 from yv12vfw.dll to huffyuv.dll
and WMP 11.0 now plays YV12. (regedit)

Of course you need HuffYUV installed.

EDIT: Fiesty, such is the lot of a Windows 8.1 user :)

EDIT: Also plays YUY2

EDIT: Also checked YV24, no go.

[feisty2]

Changed HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32\vidc.yv12 from yv12vfw.dll to huffyuv.dll

http://i.imgur.com/q556a5V.png
there're no vidc.yv12 and yv12vfw.dll on win8
I guess vidc.i420 should work the same
there're a lot of vidc.xxx there, should we change them all?

[StainlessS]

Here's mine
https://s20.postimg.org/9w083gdbx/untitled_zps13eacfb3.jpg (https://postimg.org/image/v5nueatmh/)

Maybe try changing a few and restore if not work.

EDIT: You could also try adding that key if missing. (Probably best bet)

[feisty2]

I changed them all (except mrle, msvc) to huffyuv.dll
now the world is clean

[StainlessS]

Seems that yv12vfw.dll is the Helix YUV codec, it should have worked ok I think, well I'm OK now and I guess that all that matters.

[StainlessS]

Here a registry editing script to change current YV12 codec to HuffYUV dll (or add YV12 setting if absent).

Set_YV12_To_HuffYUV-DLL.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32]
"vidc.yv12"="huffyuv.dll"


Feisty2, can you run the script and check your registry, if works OK on W8.1 then should also be OK on W7

Thanx in advance.

EDIT: Might be wise to restore the keys that were not originally set to msyuv.dll (the faulty dll, otherwise eg i420 might play up
and have eg U and V swapped over, change that one only if giving trouble in future).

[feisty2]

I changed all values to default and ran the reg script above, still error

[StainlessS]

Try change .reg to change only the vidc.i420 to huffyuv.dll, see if that alone works.
(delete the vidc.yv12 entry).

[feisty2]

i420 works here

[StainlessS]

I deleted my yv12 entry and tried to play, stopped working.
Reinstated HuffYUV.dll via reg editor script and still not work.
Re-boot, still not work.
ConvertToRGB32 in avs WORKED OK.
Removed ConvertToRGB32 (now YV12) worked.
So, for some reason needed verification that the avs was video it could read, and when YV12 given instead of RGB32 then tried a little harder and works OK. :)
Weird.
Perhaps would do same for you with YV12 if play as RGB32 first.

EDIT: Removal affected MPlayer2 too.

EDIT: Restored original non-working Helix YUV "yv12vfw.dll" and that works too now, only required conversion to RGB32 once and
WMP 11.0 will work OK with YV12, real weird.

[feisty2]

I really wouldn't mind this, I almost never played avs script on wmp (usually it's just way too slow to be played at realtime)
if the script can be played at realtime, you don't really need avs, ffdshow should be enough, there're tons of special effects, denoise, sharpen, resize, etc can be applied to video playback
when the script result is really something, you seriously just can't "play" the script unless you got a supercomputer or something similar

[StainlessS]

Some people use a player just to see if all is ok (rather than as movie player), I use PSPad with F9 Function key to view in MPlayer2
and ALT-F9 in MPC-HC, but quite often use VDMod. VDMod has problems if error in script (crash) and so need PSPad in those cases, also
easier in PSPad if lots of editing to do. Some people apparently do use a media player to edit and view in realtime, but not me.

[MysteryX]

I use WMP ActiveX control to display preview within a software.

For preview mode, adding ConvertToRGB32 is a good enough fix!