mp4 playback

DRWeside · 01-17-2005, 07:34 PM

I've compressed several DVDs to mp4 and playback in WMP is fine. After adding mp4 to the list of supported video extensions in the config.xml file, I can play these types of files, but I can't hear any audio. If I play an .avi or .mpg, sound and video is fine. It's just with mp4's that I get video, but no audio. Is this a problem with managed DirectX?

ncamara · 01-19-2005, 12:44 AM

Is this a codec issue? Are you using XVid and it's passed the 30 days? If so, look for K-Lite codecs.

DRWeside · 01-19-2005, 09:31 AM

It's not a codec issue. I used Nero Recode to compress these DVDs to Nero Digital. I've looked all over the net and have boiled it down to an audio compression profile problem. Nero Digital uses AAC encoding for the audio stream and not mp3. ATM, I just don't know what video/audio formats are supported by MDX.

I had originally transferred an mp4 video to my carPC system. I was getting an unsupported format error in windows media player and centrafuse couldn't play the video at all. Then I installed NeroVision, which includes Nero Recode and Showtime. After this, I was able to play the video in Windows Media Player with video and audio. Centrafuse is able to play the video stream, but am not getting any audio. I even added the mp4 and aac extension to the list of supported audio formats in CF's config.xml file, but no dice.

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't MDX use the same codecs as any other multimedia applications for proper playback of multimedia files? Why would WMP play this file correctly and an app written in C# using MDX code play the file w/o audio?

Quicktime 6.5 supports mp4 playback, but the profile used by their codec causes mp4s made with Nero Recode to look like crap. I would love to get this working, because at the moment, Nero Digital's video quality looks better than Divx for the same file size and compresses faster.

Well, I'm at work now and left my home PC compressing the same movies to Divx. When I get home I'll check to see if they will play properly in CF and if they do, I guess I'll have to bite the bullet.

slffl · 01-20-2005, 12:14 AM

I'm compressing my DVDs into mp4 also using quicktime. However, WMP10 will not play them. Do mp4s require a certain codec installed?

DRWeside · 01-20-2005, 09:26 AM

Unfortunately, an mp4 file is not an mp4 file is not an mp4 file, if you know what I mean.

The problem with mp4 at the moment is that there are way too many profiles and not enough compatibility. Like I posted earlier, Nero Digital uses mp4 AAC encoding for the audio stream. I don't know what profile Quicktime uses to compress, but if you have the latest Quicktime installed then you should have the proper codecs and WMP should be able to play these files properly.

I just gave up on the idea of compressing my movies to mp4 and started using Divx. Takes too frigging long for me though, but I have no other choice except for putting together a faster PC. I had encoded Chronicles of Riddick, LOTR: Two Towers and Van Helsing to Nero Digital and when I tried using Dr. Divx, it gave me an error saying that it couldn't read the audio stream for lack of a codec. But Nero Showtime and WMP can play these videos just fine. So WTF????! So I end up using Nero Burning ROM to encode the audio stream from mp4 AAC to WAV and then use Dr. Divx to convert to .avi along with the .wav audio stream to mp3@192kpbs. From now on, it's Divx for me although Nero is soooooooooooooooooo much easier to use. Just click, click, click boom. A two-hour movie is done in under an hour and a half.

slffl · 01-20-2005, 10:43 AM

What I meant to say was I'm encoding it into MP4s using HandBrake for Mac and I can play it back in quicktime. It looks to be in FFmpeg video and AAC audio. I just tried playing it back in WMP with quicktime installed on my system, and no luck. Only plays in quicktime.

DRWeside · 01-20-2005, 03:31 PM

From what I've read, HandBrake seems to be the equivalent of ImToo DVD ripper. HandBrake uses external codecs to compress video and from what you've said, you've got Handbrake using ffmpeg for encoding.

My reasons for wanting to convert to mp4(Nero Digital) where file size and encoding speed. ffmpeg is supposedly faster at encoding, but you may want to try divx for compatibility testing. Unless you're a true film buff, you shouldn't notice a difference in video quality.

DRWeside · 01-23-2005, 03:19 PM

Ok, after a brief foray into Divx, I have returned to Nero Digital after finding the proper codec I needed.

The CoreAAC codec will play LC- and HE-AAC properly when playing an .mp4 on CF.

Why am I bothering with all of this? I would like to be able to have a digital movie library in my car's PC and at 1GB per hour of video, I can have 50 2-hour movies and have half of my HD left over for the OS, music and other applications.