Finding the right codecs?

[Doug Kanter]

A friend sent me an .mpg file which Windows Media Player won't display. It
sends up the usual codecs error message. The MS help page suggests a couple
of sites for finding the right codecs, but how do you really do this if you
have no further information about the video file? Trial and error? I checked
Properties for the file, but there are really no useful insights shown.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

SHERLOCK - The Codec Detective!
Created By Marc Liron - Microsoft MVP - Digital Media
http://sherlock.corecodec.org/

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Don Taylor]

A friend sent me an .mpg file which Windows Media Player won't display. It
sends up the usual codecs error message. The MS help page suggests a couple
of sites for finding the right codecs, but how do you really do this if you
have no further information about the video file? Trial and error? I checked
Properties for the file, but there are really no useful insights shown.

A dandy little project for some programmer: A little utility that will
scan the first few dozen bytes of a file and determine a list of the
codecs that will play that, check to see if you already have that codec
on your system and if not display a list of places where you can get them.

The list of byte strings and codecs could be kept updated on a web page
somewhere.

EVERY ONE of the players is checking these headers and looking at all
the available codecs to see if one will work. And NONE of them are
telling you what is needed or where to get it if they can't handle it.

 

[Doug Kanter]

A dandy little project for some programmer: A little utility that will
scan the first few dozen bytes of a file and determine a list of the
codecs that will play that, check to see if you already have that codec
on your system and if not display a list of places where you can get them.

The list of byte strings and codecs could be kept updated on a web page
somewhere.

EVERY ONE of the players is checking these headers and looking at all
the available codecs to see if one will work. And NONE of them are
telling you what is needed or where to get it if they can't handle it.

It makes me wonder if some of the open sauce team from Mozilla is behind
some of these players. And, I do mean "sauce", not "source".

 

[Doug Kanter]

SHERLOCK - The Codec Detective!
Created By Marc Liron - Microsoft MVP - Digital Media
http://sherlock.corecodec.org/

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

Thanks, Wesley. That utility provided a list, but I still have no way of
knowing which codec I'm missing!

 

[Rctfreak]

Look for the program GSpot.

Open any video file in GSpot and it will tell you exactly what Codecs
that particular file needs.

You can get the most recent version of the program here.

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/GSpot.htm

 

[Doug Kanter]

If this works, I'm somehow sending you 10 cases of virtual beer.

 

[Doug Kanter]

Failed. All the specs it could've gotten from the file were shown as "n.a.".
Must be something wrong with this file.

 

[Rctfreak]

What kind of file is it? .mpg? .avi? .wmv?

The n/a is normal for a normal .mpg file.

 

[Doug Kanter]

It's an .mpg file. If all of the info boxes show as n.a., how is the program
supposed to help determine the correct codec to install?