Req: VLC could not decode the format "q264" (No description for this codec)

[andrushas]

Hello,

When I am trying to open *.avi files created by QNAP Surveillance Station 5.1.0.5 - I am getting following error:
---------------------------------------------------------------
Codec not supported:
VLC could not decode the format "q264" (No description for this codec)
---------------------------------------------------------------

If I edit *.avi file header and rename "q264" to "h264" - then VLC can play these files.
Is it possible to allow VLC to play files that have q264 in their header ?

QNAP provides utility called QMon.exe that is adding codecs to Windows Media Player I believe, but I would like to play these files in VLC.

I tried : VLC Version 2.2.4 and vlc-3.0.0-20160806-0439-git-win64.exe
OS: Win 7 64 bit

Thank you in advance.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Please share those files.

[andrushas]

Please share those files.

Hello Jean-Baptiste,

I just sent you a file sample with audio via private message.

Thank you in advance for your help

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Fixed for VLC 3.0

[andrushas]

Thank you a lot Jean-Baptiste!
I just tested it on vlc-3.0.0-20160816-0235-git-win32.exe and video works fine. Unfortunately VLC do not play audio (while there is audio in the file that I sent to you - I can hear it if I open file via IrfanView).
Is it possible to fix audio as well ? Just in case it helps - QNAP is providing following codec for Windows Media Player: http://us1.qnap.com/Surveillance/Utilit ... .55030.zip
Could you please share what was an issue with video ?

Thank you in advance.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

This is harder than video. Please file a bug.

[EodiV]

ticket 18557

[EodiV]

Please share those files.

Hello Jean-Baptiste,

I just sent you a file sample with audio via private message.

Thank you in advance for your help

Hi, can you please again send a sample with audio to me or Jean-Baptiste?
We want to try and debug the audio aswell, but we have no sample at this time.
Or anyone else reading this with a sample please share.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

So far, I got the sample again, but the sample is very broken.

[EodiV]

Damnit I was right there and I forgot to get the file!

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

The last nightly build should improve this issue quite a bit!

[EodiV]

The last nightly build should improve this issue quite a bit!

Thank you! Your efforts are much appreciated.

[Pee Wee]

I'm using VLC stable release in linux and I cannot play this file format. This file format comes from my surveillance station on QNAP

The only way I can view these files not is via DAUM Potplayer and it does a fantastic job at it

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

Potplayer is not on Linux. Also, you need recent ffmpeg package and vlc.git, as explained above.

[davewellow]

I have VLC 3.0.5 for Mac OS (downloaded from the VLC website earlier today) and it doesn't (appear) to play QNAP SS files which show as having a codec of: QNAP H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (q264).

All I see is the playlist window and the progress bar moving at the bottom. No other window opens.

However Elmedia Player 7.1 plays the same file perfectly.

[davewellow]

So, after a bit of archaeology on my MACs I found the solution.

Findings:
After setting the Demux option discussed widely on various forums to "H264 video demuxer" VLC 2.2.6 on my old MAC Pro (10.10.5 Yosemite) will play the avi files from the current release of QNAP SS (5.1.3.3.3) but VLC 3.0.6 on my MacBook Pro (10.12.6 Sierra) does not.

Fix:
I went to the VLC website and download VLC 2.2.8 (for Snow Leopard - 2.2.6 is no longer available) and installed it on the MacBook Pro. I then set the Demux module to "H264 video demuxer". The current QNAP files now play on the MacBook Pro. Great.

Why do I think this has happened?
Looking at the components of VLC 2.2.8 on the MacBook Pro there is a file called: ~/Library/Preferences/org.videolan.vlc Opening the file shows that it is labelled as vlc 2.2.8
Before I installed vlc 3.0.5 & 3.0.6 I used AppZapper to clear out the old version of vlc on the MacBook Pro so that whatever got installed by vlc 3.0.6 was clear of old stuff.
When I installed vlc 2.2.8 on the MacBook Pro I didn't clean out vlc 3.0.6 so now the vlc 3.0.6 executable looks to be using the settings in the config file from 2.2.8.

For Jean-Baptiste
Is that what caused 3.0.5 and 3.0.6 to not play the latest QNAP SS avi files?

On another point:
There is a big performance difference between vlc 2.2.8 and 3.0.6 on the MacBook Pro now that I can play the same file using each version. 2.2.8 is smooth and quick, 3.0.6 is slow and jumpy.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

2.2.8 is out-of-support