What makes an AVI incompatible with PS3?

[richieb1971]

My Samsung S1030 camera records in AVI format. Great you might think?

Well, without tversity they won't play at all. So my question is, why?


Thanks for your responses.

[aygie]

AVI is a container not a codec, so you need to find out what codec it actually is.

For example you can have a .mp4 movie in a AVI container and that would work.

[Icemage]

The PS3 only recognizes MPEG2, DivX, VC-1 and AVC codecs for video. Everything else has to be transcoded through a media server.

Whatever your camera is pushing into that AVI file (likely to be MPEG4), the PS3 will not play it.

Do not mistake AVC for MPEG4. While AVC is technically MPEG4 High Profile, it is basically a variant on the main branch, and the two are not interchangeable.

[quexos]

This is a bit confusing and complex. The PS3 should recognize more containers and more codecs. That would be the easiest solution for all users.

[aygie]

Originally Posted by Icemage

The PS3 only recognizes MPEG2, DivX, VC-1 and AVC codecs for video. Everything else has to be transcoded through a media server.

Whatever your camera is pushing into that AVI file (likely to be MPEG4), the PS3 will not play it.

Do not mistake AVC for MPEG4. While AVC is technically MPEG4 High Profile, it is basically a variant on the main branch, and the two are not interchangeable.

My PS3 recognises mp4s (H.264 mind you)

[richieb1971]

I agree its certainly confusing. When DIVX supported the PS3 you would think any AVI file is compatible. But its not!

The files even have DIVX logo's on them, well they do when I play them on my PC. Well since I converted them on tversity they are mpeg1 now so it won't.. duh!

[dk3dknight]

Originally Posted by richieb1971

My Samsung S1030 camera records in AVI format. Great you might think?

Well, without tversity they won't play at all. So my question is, why?


Thanks for your responses.

Ive had a friend who sent me a avi his camera made and my computer had no idea what codec it used I finally used divx and found his camera was using the moving picture codec, this was not actual video but a set of pictures played quickly to look like video.

[stenk]

Best util I use to find out what codec was used is called GSpot

GSpot is a free utility which identifies the codec required to play an AVI file and supplies other information as well.

http://www.headbands.com/gspot/

We need more support for DiVX or its open source alternative XviD on the PS3

To many unsupported files issues with xcertain Xvid encoded files in my opinion.

[richieb1971]

I think the internet has over saturated the market with codec to be honest. I see the point of having different resolutions of sound and video. But I don't see the point in having exclusively owned codecs that offers nothing that a pre-existing one offers.

If it were up to me (which it isn't) I would stop any further formats from being developed unless it offers a significant advance over what is available already.

I mean MOV. Why is that necessary? Its only used by Apple. So let it be used only on Apple. Why bring it to PC's?

Anyway rant over. Thanks for the answer.

[Icemage]

Originally Posted by Aygie

My PS3 recognises mp4s (H.264 mind you)

It's probably DivX H.264.

There are non-AVC non-DivX MPEG4 codecs out there (like Xvid, which is quite common). And of course there's also vanilla MPEG4, but no one much uses that any more.

[dk3dknight]

Originally Posted by richieb1971

I think the internet has over saturated the market with codec to be honest. I see the point of having different resolutions of sound and video. But I don't see the point in having exclusively owned codecs that offers nothing that a pre-existing one offers.

If it were up to me (which it isn't) I would stop any further formats from being developed unless it offers a significant advance over what is available already.

I mean MOV. Why is that necessary? Its only used by Apple. So let it be used only on Apple. Why bring it to PC's?

Anyway rant over. Thanks for the answer.

The only good thing about .mov is the vr ability which bryce pushed... that is the only reason I can bare to have quicktime on my computer is for the vr capabilities of bryce.

[aygie]

Originally Posted by richieb1971

I think the internet has over saturated the market with codec to be honest. I see the point of having different resolutions of sound and video. But I don't see the point in having exclusively owned codecs that offers nothing that a pre-existing one offers.

If it were up to me (which it isn't) I would stop any further formats from being developed unless it offers a significant advance over what is available already.

I mean MOV. Why is that necessary? Its only used by Apple. So let it be used only on Apple. Why bring it to PC's?

Anyway rant over. Thanks for the answer.

Its a versatile container which lets you hold 5.1 audio with mp4 video. An mp4 extension can only hold 2 channel audio.

[aygie]

Originally Posted by Icemage

It's probably DivX H.264.

There are non-AVC non-DivX MPEG4 codecs out there (like Xvid, which is quite common). And of course there's also vanilla MPEG4, but no one much uses that any more.

Nope, straight forward H.264 video using quicktime. The PS3 plays it perfectly. Why do you think the PS3 can't play mp4 video?

[Icemage]

Originally Posted by Aygie

Nope, straight forward H.264 video using quicktime. The PS3 plays it perfectly. Why do you think the PS3 can't play mp4 video?

Hmm. I haven't tested a vanilla MP4 on my PS3 in quite some time, but I do remember quite a lot of my TVersity linked clips (in a variety of formats) were forcibly transcoded, including several H.264 movie clips. That might be TVersity's fault, though.

[toef]

Originally Posted by dk3dknight

Ive had a friend who sent me a avi his camera made and my computer had no idea what codec it used I finally used divx and found his camera was using the moving picture codec, this was not actual video but a set of pictures played quickly to look like video.

I get what you're saying, but isn't that technically what all video is?

[Icemage]

Originally Posted by toefer

I get what you're saying, but isn't that technically what all video is?

No. Modern video codecs like H.264 are what you might call "differential" images. It starts with a "clean" image, and then with each successive frame it "tweaks" the image to fit what needs to be displayed. When the differences become too extreme, a new "clean" image is retrieved and the process begins again. (NOTE to purists: I know this is an oversimplification, but it's the best layman's explanation of I/B/P frames I think I can provide without making people's heads spin).

The end result is that the amount of information that needs to be conveyed is drastically reduced without too much degradation in image quality.

[aygie]

Originally Posted by Icemage

Hmm. I haven't tested a vanilla MP4 on my PS3 in quite some time, but I do remember quite a lot of my TVersity linked clips (in a variety of formats) were forcibly transcoded, including several H.264 movie clips. That might be TVersity's fault, though.

Yeah i was using mp4 all the time but now m2ts, solely for being able to retain the 5.1 audio.

[becomingwater]

Originally Posted by richieb1971

My Samsung S1030 camera records in AVI format. Great you might think?

Well, without tversity they won't play at all. So my question is, why?


Thanks for your responses.

bit rate most of the time