AVI CODECs (& Canon Zoombrowser EX)

[Tom Rankin]

For years I've been successfully using Irfanview to view AVI files shot on a variety of Canon digital cameras. I did need to go out and get the proper CODEC before I could get AVIs to work in Irfanview.

In a moment of weakness (primarily to get a redeye reduction tool), I installed the Canon Zoombrowser EX tool. Now Irfanview no longer plays my AVIs; it will image the first frame, and even play a "cough" of audio, but will go no further. I can, however, successfully see my AVIs play in the Zoombrowser EX tool.

I have reinstalled my CODEC to see if I could recover Irfanview for AVI viewing, but no luck. Reinstalling the CODEC did not adversely effect Zoombrowser.

Anybody seen this issue, or know how to resolve?

TR

[Sam_Zen]

Nice topic. I experienced some trouble playing AVIs with IV too, but I didn't pay attention,
because I had another default media-player for AVI.

I just tested it in various options of the Properties / Video/Sound setting:
~ Use external player : Nothing
~ Use internal player : As you describe, a short piece of sound, then no visual at all while running.
~ Use internal player + Use DirectShow : Error message. 'Can't create video player or Unknown codec.'
With a text to find additional codecs at www.fourcc.org/indexcod.htm
(In this setting IV shows a peculiar window, transparent for the content of the current desktop)

Using Lister of TC gave the same result as the internal player : short sound, than nothing.
So this has to do with a CODEC indeed. But another aspect: there seem to be more types of AVI's.
I tested another one and IV 4.10 did fine.

I checked the header of some AVI-types and they were different :
RIFF¢×AVI LIST - RIFFÆ+ AVI LIST - RIFF 0AVI LIST

In the case of Zoombrowser I guess this program has set a certain codec as a system-default one to play AV.
I haven't found a solution for this yet, but I found a kind of Codec-manager from the K-lite package:

http://codecpack.nl/klcodectt225.exe

It can enable/disable any single codec. But I still have to explore this tool more.

The application Mediainfo reports about those files :
~ AVI not played by IV : video streams - DivX, audio streams MPEG-1 audio layer 3
~ AVI played by IV : video streams - Cinepack, audio streams LPCM
~ Another AVI correctly played by IV : video streams - S-Mpeg 4v2, audio streams MPEG-2 audio layer 3
So far, I can't find any logic in this.