720p Playback problems.

[Electrolight]

VLC seems to have problems playing most of the 1280x720p videos downloaded from the Xbox Live Marketplace. The videos are Windows Media and I think they use the YV12, WMV3, and WVC1 codecs. Some of the videos I’ve tried that don’t work well are the Grand Theft Auto IV Trailer, 2007 Winters Gamers Day Trailer, XNA Creators Club Tutorial, Halo 3 Multiplayer Vidoc, Battlefield Bad Company Teaser, Army of Two Trailer 2, Shadowrun ''Love'' Trailer, and The Darkness ''Thrill'' Trailer. I don’t think it the codecs because I have tried to play other videos from the XBLM with a lower resolution like Unreal Tournament 3 Gamers Day Trailer, Dark Sector Gameplay Video, and the BlackSite Area 51 Announcement Trailer, and they play better then the others. The worst one is the Halo 3 Multiplayer Vidoc, which I have included links to so you can see for yourself what I’m talking about. Some other problems that I would like to point out in VLC is that the progress bar on the player skips around and that after jumping to around to different parts of a video the video is… well all weird and pixilated and the colors are all mixed up, its quite annoying. http://www.gigasize.com/get.php/1170855 ... .part1.rar http://www.gigasize.com/get.php/1170853 ... .part2.rar

[Electrolight]

So no one knows why VLC is unable to play these 720p videos?

[CloudStalker]

Maybe your computer can't handle such a high resolution video. Try lowering your desktop resolution.

[DJ]

Maybe your computer can't handle such a high resolution video. Try lowering your desktop resolution.

Huh!

I'm not sure how this will help in this case

The web site you stored the files on will not allow you to DL 2 files in the same day and the DLs are very slow.

Your computer very well may be to slow to do these files.

[CloudStalker]

I don't know, guess I'm a little too tired. [drinks coffee, oh I'm sorry, tea] Wide awake now.

OK the usual: CloudStalker says...DJ corrects...all is good.

[DJ]

Your video doesn't play for me either in any player I have tried and all of them should be capable (2 are stand alone and one is a Direct Show player). Open your Task Manager and look at CPU usage. While this is a problem it is not the only problem.

[Electrolight]

The videos play fine for me in Winamp, iTunes, WMP, and QuickTime so it must be a problem with VLC.

[DJ]

The videos play fine for me in Winamp, iTunes, WMP, and QuickTime so it must be a problem with VLC.

Last time I looked QT and iTunes (latest version) didn't play WMv files either SD or HD files. In WMP the audio would not sync and considering that all digital video is sync to audio this is a real feat. I don't know about Winamp as I don't have that %r%p on my machine. However Mplayer was the opposite of WMP or MPC in that the video would not sync to the audio so instead of the audio skipping it skipped video frames.

What was the CPU usage on your machine using VLC versus Winamp?

Considering WMP works so well for you, you could always use the --codec dmo switch as this will force VLC to use the Direct Show codecs instead of FFmpeg. (VLC 0.8.6)

[Electrolight]

When I made that comment I was speaking about HD videos in general. While the Halo 3 Vidoc is in play Winamp on average uses 23-27 % of the CPU occasionally using more or less. While playing the Halo 3 Vidoc in VLC, CPU usage erratically jumps around from 0 to 30% on average and periodically uses more. I'm not sure what "dmo switch" and "FFmpeg" is but the reason why I want to use VLC to play this video even though it plays well in other media players is because VLC is the only player that I know of that will let me take snapshots which I could use as wallpapers or put on my MySpace.

[DJ]

The demo you posted is more than a little sporadic in CPU usage for me. But if you are using a dual processing system your numbers could be correct, but media players (decoders) in general will only use one processor.

[Electrolight]

So do you have any idea how I can get VLC to play this video?

[DJ]

Not without knowing more about your machine and the switch is something you need to try and decide for yourself if it works or not.

[Electrolight]

HP Pavilion zd8000
Windows XP SP 2
Intel Pentium 4 3.00 GHz Dual Core
1 GB RAM
80 GB Hard Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon X600
Conexant AC-97 Audio


And you still haven't explained what the codec dmo switch is and where I can find it, so until you do I can't try it.

[DJ]

The switch allows the usage on Windows Direct Show codecs for WVC-1 and WMv3 rather than FFmpeg in VLC 0.8.6 or later.

The switch is not to be found (Preferences), it can be used from the command line or in a Shortcut.

From what I have seen thus far, I don't believe a 3 GHz single core machine will play your sample file and VLC (decoders and encoders) does not support dual core processing. This is also the case for most players (encoders and decoders) in existence for most all formats.

[Electrolight]

Thanks Anyways, although you still failed to explain in detailed steps what it was exactly that I needed to do. While I was searching my PC for anything relating to "DMO Switch" I conveniently found a shortcut called "Set Video mode to OpenGL" in the start menu. I'm not sure if this was the shortcut you were referring to but after clicking it VLC can now play this video albeit still without audio. My 3 GHz DC machine can play my "sample file" (Halo 3 Vidoc) just fine because as I stated before the "sample file" (Halo 3 Vidoc) plays perfectly well in Winamp and WMP with audio and without glitches which shows me that (A) My computer is just fine, (B) that there is nothing wrong with the "sample file" (Halo 3 Vidoc), (C) that it's not a Codec problem, and (D) that is was indeed an issue with VLC and VLC alone. Since my 3.00 GHz Dual Core machine can play this video I guess it must be a miracle or a force of god because according to your words """I don't believe a 3 GHz single core machine will play your sample file and VLC (decoders and encoders) does not support dual core processing. This is also the case for most players (encoders and decoders) in existence for most all formats.""" It should not even be possible for my computer to play this file and yet my system contradicts that statement, but hey it's nice to know you were paying attention. I don't mean to be rude but aren't moderators supposed to know everything? I guess your one of the few that doesn't.

[CloudStalker]

I believe this is how to use the "codec dmo" switch: Go to the directory where you installed VLC, right-click on vlc and create a shortcut, after you've made the shortcut right-click on it and go to Properties, (click on the "Shortcut tab if not already selected) under "Target:" you should see the following: "C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe", at the end of that command line type "--codec dmo", all together it should look like this: ["C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe" --codec dmo]. I hope that explains it.

Oh, and please don't insult our Moderators and/or Site Administrators, that's my job.

[DJ]

Hmm! Well at least you left out Quick Time!

[Electrolight]

Sorry for what I said, I should not have been such an ass. Well it worked, the video is no longer choppy or sluggish, it plays just as it dose in Winamp except there is still no audio.

[CloudStalker]

Now, there's no audio in VLC media player or is it all of your media players?

[Electrolight]

There is no audio while playing these specific videos in VLC, The Halo 3 Vidoc, GTA IV Trailer, ect… although the Codec DMO switch allowed me to view these WMV3 and WVC1 videos better they still wont play with sound in VLC.

[CloudStalker]

See if changing the Audio output does the job: Preferences > Audio > Output modules, check the "Advanced options" box, choose "Win32 waveOut extension output".

[Electrolight]

It did not work.