VLC can't play AVI

[camphill]

Error message...
"VLC does not support the audio or video format "MPG2"...
The video does not play although the audio does.

Video Inspector and VLC Codec Information shows the AVI file is using MPG2 codec. Windows Media Player plays the video just fine. Any ideas how I can determine more specifically what codec is being used and why VLC can't play the video?

Thanks

[camphill]

GSpot codec viewer shows the AVI was recorded with FFmpeg MPEG 1/2.

Does this help anyone?

[VLC_help]

Could you share us short sample file?

[camphill]

Test AVI is located here:

http://emailtim.us/vlc.avi

It is only a few seconds long.

Thanks.

[Lotesdelere]

The video stream of this video has been encoded with the FFmpeg MPEG2 codec. It's a nonsense to have such video format in an AVI container.
And even worse it may be interlaced, what the AVI container can't handle properly.

Now if you want to playback this video you have two solutions: use MPlayer or use ffdshow for playing the file in a DirectShow player (e.g. WMP or MPC(-HC)) after enabling the "MPEG in AVI" feature in the codecs section.

But the best idea is not to mux such video streams in an AVI container, use MPG or MP4 instead.

[camphill]

This all started when I bought a new Sony flash camcorder. It records to individual mpg files every time you record. I wanted to merge them all together so I had one single file for that days filming. I use AVS Video Converter to merge all mpg's into a single file. I chose to create an AVI file so I could then pull it into Studio to create a movie/DVD if I choose to do so. When AVS Converter created the AVI it apparently used FFDSHOW as the mpg2 codec.

Do you have any suggestions on how best to accomplish this task....to merge numerous mpeg-2 files into a single file that will then be in an acceptable format that Studio can use to create a movie/DVD?

In the mean time I will uninstall FFDSHOW and see what codec AVS Converter tries to use for mpg2 conversion.

[Lotesdelere]

Do you have any suggestions on how best to accomplish this task....to merge numerous mpeg-2 files into a single file

AviDemux.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Test AVI is located here:

http://emailtim.us/vlc.avi

It is only a few seconds long.

Thanks.

OK, this file will be fixed in VLC 1.1.0.

Mpeg2 in avi, is not nonsense, but usually unused.
And usually, you use mpg2 not MPG2 as a fourcc

[camphill]

What's the difference between MPG2 and mpg2? I can't find a difference and AVS Converter was set ti use ffdshow, which I assume by your comments uses MPG2.?. What is the typical fourcc used in AVI's or MPG files?

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

FourCC are case-sensitive.

[VLC_help]

And AVS Converter is sh!tty anyway.

[camphill]

I agree. It's been uninstalled.

Thanks everyone.