Problems With Video

[Gaetor]

I can play .WMV files, but if I try .MPG or .AVI BSplayer simply says 'Can't Open File'

I have used GSpot to check codecs for .AVI & it reports 4 Compatible Codecs. However, it fails to render when asked, the error given is 0x8007007e: UNKNOWN - The Specified module could not be found. Given this I don't really have a way forward - on the one hand it seems to be saying 'Yes there's a Codec (four in fact) but when it tries to use them it can't but the error message is (to my mind anyway) far from informative.

I have used AVIcodec to try to locate codecs for both file types (MPG and AVI, each time it suggested downloads which I installed, but this makes no difference. I have uninstalled all Codecs for which there was an uninstall option (DivX and FFDShow) - After reading the 'Read this before posting' I thought I'd try removing all codecs and adding them back one by one, but can't see how to do this, they don't appear in 'Add Remove programs' or anywhere else that I can see.

The list of installed codecs as reported by Gspot are attached as installedCodecs.txt

The version of BSPlayer is (Free Version) 1.32 Build 820
Processor is Intel P4 3.2 Ghz
Video Card is ATI Radeon 9600 - VRAM - 128 MB Driver = latest available From ATI (6.14.10.0289)
O/S = Windows XP Prof SP 2

I have installed the DivX version suggested for new users in the 'Before you post' section of this site, but this didn't seem to help either.

Can anyone offer some advice on what to do next? I would be grateful.

[BSPeter]

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be an "installedCodecs.txt".
If you installed DivX (and selected "Support Generic Mpeg-4") you should be able to play most common avi's.
To play .MPG files you would need to install an Mpeg-codec. (Check out adicoto's list of codecs as linked to at the bottom of item (4) of my Help2Help-post).

[Gaetor]

Thanks for the reply, I was on my way here (virtually, that is) when the email arrived saying there had been a response, which as it turns out is a relevant one. I have just spent a couple hours poring over free-codecs.com and have come up with an assortment that allows the playing of AVIs and WMVs, but MPGs are still a no-no despite AVIcodec reporting 'Supported' when I load an Mpg into it, so I'll check out the link you suggest.

While I'm here, perhaps you can suggest a site or source (which might be a book) where one can find out the guts of this business? It all seems very 'dark art' and on my travels around the various sites there's a lot said but liitle info to find. I'm new to this (media playing) but not new to computing, I would like to read some tech-level stuff ie what exactly is a codec (the best definition I've found so far is a 'Codec is a compressor/decompressor' - so I know I'm in a plane (if you know the old joke) but not much more. What is a 'filter', a 'splitter' & so on & how do they all fit together- Any pointers to some erudite info would be apprecited - Googling doesn't seem to yield much of a serious nature, not so far anyway. I have the Freebie version of WinAmp installed also (no douby you're spitting at this point!) but despite my success in getting BSPlayer to play AVIs and WMVs WinAmp won't open AVIs and plays WMVs with sopund but no vision... (now you're laughing I guess) - I prefer BSPlayer (well I would say that here wouldn't I !?!) but it adds to the dark art-ness... when is a codec not a codec, when it's a different player - ?? as far as I know the codecs I have installed are in no way 'BSPlayer specific' but nonetheless it works with them for AVIs and WinAmp doesn't - I'd like (eventually) to know why this is .

[adicoto]

COmpresor/DECompresor, that's what codec stand for. Basycally, it's a program (called filter) that "archives and extract" the content of a file. Video files consist of 2 streams (or more) audio, video and others (like subtitles). So, to decode the file you need the decoder and the splitter. BSPlayer uses the installed filters, winamp uses it's own filters, dvd players comes with own MPEG2 decoders to play vob files, and so on. To play DivX avis you need an DivX decoder or to activate the "support all mpeg4 (or something like this)" in XviD decoder or vice-versa. To play vobs, you need an MPEG2 decoder, such as elecard or bitctrl, or intervideo.

[Gaetor]

I installed the Elecard decompressor (learnin' the lingo!) as suggested on the Help2Help link and Mpgs now Ok! Hooray .... thank you both for your help.
Incidentally if anyone else needs the elecard download the link to download it on their site is currently misdirected and leads to the download of another of their products - it's currently available directly at http://www.elecard.com/ftp/pub/mpeg/...c_2.1.4316.zip