Welcome to Doom9's Forum, THE in-place to be for everyone interested in DVD conversion. Before you start posting please read the forum rules. By posting to this forum you agree to abide by the rules. |
8th June 2021, 09:43 | #1 | Link |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 14
|
Understanding video file with "infomercial"
Hello all.
I have, for testing purposes, one video file which supposedly plays fine with one software, but the software is only for phone. (yes, it's pr*0n) The guy who gave it to me claims that file plays fine and that file plays in MXPlayer, which I've tested, and indeed it does. File is in mp4 format, length in whatever player I tried on PC shows 1:37 duration, but the actual playtime is some 15 seconds, and then shows still image and message to install PLAYit to watch full video. Video stops at 22 seconds. File is some 65 MB in size, so I got curious, but I don't know how to approach the subject. Video plays in MXPlayer even with network disabled, so it is not streaming it from somewhere. My guess is that something is edited inside the mp4 file to do that, but I don't know how and what. Can you suggest me or help me dissect the video file so I can learn what is it? My curiosity is purely academic, I do know where to find videos like that . |
9th June 2021, 21:49 | #4 | Link | |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 14
|
Quote:
Media Info: Code:
General Complete name : E:\WORK\MP4_analyzer\SL_Cutie.mp4 Format : MPEG-4 Format profile : Base Media Codec ID : isom (isom/iso2/avc1/mp41/56d3/fbd2/a209) File size : 67.3 MiB Duration : 1 min 37 s Overall bit rate mode : Variable Overall bit rate : 5 821 kb/s Writing application : Lavf58.29.100 IsTruncated : Yes Video ID : 1 Format : AVC Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec Format profile : High@L4 Format settings : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames Format settings, CABAC : Yes Format settings, Reference frames : 4 frames Codec ID : avc1 Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding Duration : 1 min 37 s Source duration : 22 s 987 ms Bit rate : 2 153 kb/s Width : 1 920 pixels Height : 1 080 pixels Display aspect ratio : 16:9 Frame rate mode : Variable Frame rate : 28.277 FPS Minimum frame rate : 25.000 FPS Maximum frame rate : 50.000 FPS Color space : YUV Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0 Bit depth : 8 bits Scan type : Progressive Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.037 Stream size : 5.90 MiB (9%) Source stream size : 5.90 MiB (9%) Writing library : x264 core 157 Encoding settings : cabac=1 / ref=3 / deblock=1:0:0 / analyse=0x3:0x113 / me=hex / subme=7 / psy=1 / psy_rd=1.00:0.00 / mixed_ref=1 / me_range=16 / chroma_me=1 / trellis=1 / 8x8dct=1 / cqm=0 / deadzone=21,11 / fast_pskip=1 / chroma_qp_offset=-2 / threads=3 / lookahead_threads=1 / sliced_threads=0 / nr=0 / decimate=1 / interlaced=0 / bluray_compat=0 / constrained_intra=0 / bframes=3 / b_pyramid=2 / b_adapt=1 / b_bias=0 / direct=1 / weightb=1 / open_gop=0 / weightp=2 / keyint=250 / keyint_min=25 / scenecut=40 / intra_refresh=0 / rc_lookahead=40 / rc=crf / mbtree=1 / crf=23.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpmin=0 / qpmax=69 / qpstep=4 / ip_ratio=1.40 / aq=1:1.00 mdhd_Duration : 97000 Codec configuration box : avcC Audio ID : 2 Format : AAC LC Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity Codec ID : mp4a-40-2 Duration : 15 s 40 ms Bit rate mode : Variable Bit rate : 132 kb/s Maximum bit rate : 158 kb/s Channel(s) : 2 channels Channel layout : L R Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz Frame rate : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF) Compression mode : Lossy Stream size : 247 KiB (0%) Default : Yes Alternate group : 1 Last edited by hlloyge; 9th June 2021 at 21:52. |
|
22nd June 2021, 09:20 | #7 | Link |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 14
|
OK, I am really disappointed now in your lack of interest .
That is the video file from one of those sites where you can watch porn but only if you buy specific player for some cash. And indeed, when you download the file (this particular one is 65 MB) all standard players you can find on usual Windows or Linux computers plays only first 15 seconds of "action" followed by 7 seconds of static commercial (I am guessing it's embedded inside as video) for PLAYit software, which you should buy to see the whole video. The guy who gave me the video claimed that the video played in full only in MXPlayer (of all other free players), which is true (and the software is free), it plays until the end, for minute and half, and it's not looping the same sequence over and over again. HOW IS IT POSSIBLE that members of this forum don't have any curiosity for how it's done? Are you freaked out because it's pornographic video? I am not affiliated with those sites, I am not trying to sell anything to anyone, I just need help in analyzing how it's done. I've tried: https://www.onlinemp4parser.com/ http://mp4parser.com/ AtomicParsley MP4Inspector, which complains of box 0 exceeds than the rest of the file MP4 Explorer, which fails opening the file I am no expert at this, but I am curious of how it's made, and what makes players ignore the remainder of file. |
29th June 2021, 17:40 | #9 | Link |
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Germany
Posts: 7,277
|
afaik MXPlayer uses either libav or internal hardware decoder of the device, so usually if MXPlayer can playback the file ffplay should be able to play it too and ffmpeg should be able to reencode the file,..
-> I would recomment to try whether ffplay is able to play the file and what warnings/errors it reports during playback. |
29th June 2021, 18:15 | #10 | Link |
Life's clearer in 4K UHD
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Notts, UK
Posts: 12,227
|
@hlloyge,
Try muxing into the .mkv container, using MKVToolNix...
__________________
| I've been testing hardware media playback devices and software A/V encoders and decoders since 2001 | My Network Layout & A/V Gear |
|
7th July 2021, 20:36 | #11 | Link | |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 191
|
Quote:
I found (what I'll assume is) a version of the file, 18 MB, so certainly not the same. The version I looked at did play for 1:37 (in mplayer). Why not post a link to your file & maybe some curious person can see what they can make of it? |
|
20th July 2021, 07:55 | #12 | Link | |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 14
|
Quote:
It's in a zip file, password is "aaaa" (without quotes). For now, it works only in MXPlayer on Android. I'd really want an information how did they manage to do that, what had to be changed and where, and why MXPlayer plays it, and VLC won't. Tried ffplay, mplayer, same thing. |
|
20th July 2021, 19:04 | #13 | Link | |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 191
|
Quote:
Do you think the full video has been cached on your end, so that when you go to "play" it, it plays the cached copy rather then the copy you've posted? File shows: Truncated. Duration : 1 min 37 s vs Source duration : 22 s 987 ms File should be 1:37. Video plays for 23.sec (of which ~15.sec is actual video & ~8.sec of infomercial). Audio is 15.sec (not 23.sec nor 1:37). Based on the bitrate & the expected duration (1:37), the (video) stream size doesn't calculate. Copying into different containers made no difference. (ffmpeg -i xxx.mp4 -c copy out.mp4) Transcoding made no difference. (ffmpeg -i xxx.mp4 out.mp4) Dropping the audio made no difference. (ffmpeg -i xxx.mp4 -c copy -an out.mp4) (All copy/transcodes output to ~6 MB file which coincides to the video stream size.) Different media players made no difference. (mplayer, ffplay, mpv, mpc-be) Avidemux gives you 15.sec of actual video, then 23.sec of total length. (no key frame after the 15.sec) To me, it is a 23.sec video clip with 15.sec of actual video. (Granted, I don't really understand this stuff, but that's what it looks like to me.) MediaInfo shows the clip to be Truncated. Perhaps that too is playing into what is being seen? Or maybe the file is purposely "incorrect", so reports as Truncated to MediaInfo? Yours on left, mine on right: Last edited by therube; 20th July 2021 at 19:08. |
|
21st July 2021, 18:18 | #15 | Link |
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 191
|
Yes that was mentioned.
And I did try an (ancient) version of mp4boxgui, but got nothing better then anything else I had tried. Not really familiar with mp4box. Hints as to what to try? (current gpac) Code:
C:\mp4box\Z>mp4box -add xxx.mp4 -new out.mp4 [iso file] Unknown top-level box type 9B7F1157 [iso file] Incomplete box 9B7F1157 - start 6457021 size 1588206295 [iso file] Incomplete file while reading for dump - aborting parsing IsoMedia import xxx.mp4 - track ID 1 - Video (size 1920 x 1080) IsoMedia import xxx.mp4 - track ID 2 - Audio (SR 48000 - 2 channels) Saving out.mp4: 0.500 secs Interleaving Code:
gpac -i xxx.mp4 enc:c=avc -o out.mp4 Last edited by therube; 21st July 2021 at 18:31. |
22nd July 2021, 08:51 | #16 | Link | |
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 14
|
Quote:
If you have android mobile phone, you can try it too, software is free and on Google Store, doesn't need some shady installation method or anything. |
|
22nd July 2021, 18:18 | #17 | Link |
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 4,771
|
Here's the official mp4box link. Try a current version. Some verbose modes could probably give you some info.
There's a good chance this is an intentionally malformed elementary stream to complicate piracy. |
|
|