Video help: Not for iPod or PSP!

Post by **bicostp** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:05 pm

I'm trying something rather silly: converting video into a format our digital camera can play.

Why? Simple. We don't have a portable DVD player, but when we go on day trips and stuff (an hour or two in the car to go somewhere) we bring the digital camera. I think I can pass the time by watching videos on the camera.

Ours is a Canon PowerShot A80. (4.0 MP if you were wondering.) It has a built in screen but I figure I can use its AV output to watch the videos on an Intec screen, which is rigged up with batteries. Or use a magnifying lens on the built in 1.8" LCD.

The problem is that the videos are in a rather odd format. They show up as regular AVI files on the PC, but here's what VLC and QuickTime 7 have to say about the format:

<img src="http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/1684 ... .png"><img src="http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/3601 ... 0qtxs5.png">
And through Google I found that Quicktime's "2.32 mbits/sec" is 256k/sec.

Here are some of the problems I have run into so far.

1. QuickTime won't let me change export setting specifics, such as the audio bitrate.
2. I haven't figured out how to change the resolution with VLC.
3. Neither player will let me select the 88k/sec mono needed for audio

This is recording at 320x240, if you skipped the screenshots. The camera also has a 160x120 mode, however the only benefit this would have is longer playback time. The encoding settings are identical, except for the resolution.

My questions:

1. What is the araw codec? <b>Figured out: It's raw PCM sound</b>
2. Is there any way I can replicate these settigns through either QuickTime Pro 7 or VLC? (I have only used the GUI dialog boxes with VLC, I haven't done anything with the command line.)
3. If not, does anyone know of a good, free video conversion program that ISN'T riddled with ads or crapware?
4. Has anyone, anywhere tried this before? Am I blazing a trail? Or am I just crazy?

Thanks everyone!

And don't post links to portable DVD players.

sam fisher · Post by **sam fisher** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:19 pm

Maybe try Virtual Dub

Also buy a GP2x

Well, its not a portable DVD player...

joevennix · Post by **joevennix** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:33 pm

The audio and video are interleaved, so create a 15fps Motion JPEG clip with RAW audio interleaved in it. I think Mencoder is your best bet.

NES_fanatic · Post by **NES_fanatic** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:33 pm

Get this.

I have one. It rocks.

Post by **bicostp** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:55 pm

sam fisher wrote:Maybe try Virtual Dub

Also buy a GP2x Well, its not a portable DVD player...

VirtualDub seems to work, but my install can't import MPEG 4 files as of yet... Need to convert them with VLC first I guess...

And no, I'm not buying a GP2x. Or a DS. Or a PSP. If anything I'd get a portable DVD player, especially since I have some DVD+RW discs...

joevennix wrote:The audio and video are interleaved, so create a 15fps Motion JPEG clip with RAW audio interleaved in it. I think Mencoder is your best bet.

Ok I'll see what I can do. Problem is I don't really have a fast Linux box set up (fastest is a P3 900). I'd like to stick with tools for Windows if possible, because I have 3 machines at home here I could use that are faster. (3 gig P4, 2.6 gig Celery, and an AMD Turion 64.) It would work, but I would have to copy the files to and from it over USB 1.1. (PC: *chug chug chug chug*)

NES_fanatic wrote:Get this.

I have one. It rocks.

No.

1. That would take the fun out of this project.

2. I don't want to spend money on this. (Won't use it all that much)
3. My folks don't trust many online retailers.
4. I don't have a DS, and my GBA is the original one (bad in the car)

vb_master · Post by **vb_master** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:55 pm

Use MediaCoder. I have it, it's great.

joevennix · Post by **joevennix** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:04 pm

I'm pretty sure Mencoder is cross-platform. *Checks* Yeah, download link.

EDIT: Oops, that's MPlayer.

timmeh87 · Post by **timmeh87** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 5:43 pm

incase you havent figured it out yet, the camera may accept a different bitrate of audio. no harm in just trying with something 'close enough' to see what happens

tell me how this goes, i have a similar camera

Post by **bicostp** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 6:03 pm

Well, using MediaCoder I managed to get the video settings almost the same, as far as I can tell. I'm not sure about the audio quite yet.

It's funny. Windows Media player will play the video directly from the camera. However it will not play the video from the files generated by MediaCoder, just the audio. Both QuickTime and VLC play the MediaCoder file no problem.

Here's what they say about the converted video:

<img src="http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7400 ... .png"><img src="http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/6782/almostqthb9.png">

The only things that are different to me are the 16 bit sound (as opposed to 8 bit), and the Meta-Information line in VLC's info window. Would either of these changes cause problems?

I'm off to try and copy the video to the CF card. *crosses fingers*

vb_master · Post by **vb_master** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 6:10 pm

bicostp wrote:Well, using MediaCoder I managed to get the video settings almost the same, as far as I can tell. I'm not sure about the audio quite yet.

It's funny. Windows Media player will play the video directly from the camera. However it will not play the video from the files generated by MediaCoder, just the audio. Both QuickTime and VLC play the MediaCoder file no problem.

Here's what they say about the converted video:

<img src="http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/7400 ... .png"><img src="http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/6782/almostqthb9.png">

The only things that are different to me are the 16 bit sound (as opposed to 8 bit), and the Meta-Information line in VLC's info window. Would either of these changes cause problems?

I'm off to try and copy the video to the CF card. *crosses fingers*

Yes, WiMP sucks.

Post by **gannon** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:13 pm

Use Mencoder, there are windows binaries for it.
You could even use MEwig with it http://mewig.sourceforge.net/modules.ph ... page&pid=1

joevennix · Post by **joevennix** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:59 pm

I've never used MEWig, but I heard that it's easy to work with (its a frontend)
You have to convert to 320x240 using QT, and put it in Mono sound, I dont know how to do it with mencoder. Then take that file and dump it in mencoder.
This is all I have so far:

Code: Select all

 mencoder INPUT -o OUTPUT -ovc lavc -oac pcm -lavcopts vcodec=mjpeg

That gives us a output .avi with the same specs as the one from the camera, except for:

Video is 3049.02 kBIT/s
Sound is 44khz (think you can change this in QT)
Sound is 16-bit. Dunno.

Post by **bicostp** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 8:55 pm

Well, I got the video converted to about as close as I can get, and...

No dice.

The .THM thumbnail files the camera creates for video files is bound to that particular video file. The camera just gave me a "Corrupt Data" error. So unless there's a PC utility to generate Canon .thm files, this won't work.

I guess I have to do this the tedious way. (a tripod, LCD monitor, lots of time and patience

)

There's hope for JPEGS though...

EDIT: Actually, come to think of it, WiMP still wouldn't play the video files, so maybe it's still just the format... Meh it's late.