I've been using WinDVR to produce video CD compatible (MPEG1) files. I then use Nero 5 to burn them onto a VCD. Nero accepts the files as compatible, and does not do any conversion (well dosn't notify me of incompatabilitys - I have the opton switched on). The VCD plays fine, and if a copy the .dat file from the VCD back to my Hard Drive and rename it .mpg windows media player plays it just fine. BUT if i try to play the original .mpg file that I created the VCD from, windows media player crashes (freezes - just plays sound) - worse WinDVR crashes when it trys to play the orignal .mpg file, but again can play the .dat file! When I first installed nero and WinDVR - the original files would play back - since then something has changed ? I don't have this problem with Mpeg 2 format, just MPeg1. Also old mpg files that a I created sometime ago (before installing WinDVR), won't play anymore with windows media player. All the files .mpg, .dat (MPeg1 and 2), old and new, play just fine on WinProducer (same company that make WinDVR!), and VideoWave.

What is going on ?

Dan

-- Dan S (dansinbox@hotmail.com), July 04, 2002

Answers

Here's something else - if I use VCDgear - it does not detect any errors and produces exactly the same Mpeg file out (using Mpeg- >Mpeg)..

The only way to get a working (with windows media player) file is using the Mpeg->dat option. One thing I have noticed is that all the files that have this problem use the Ligos file splitter, whereas the .dats don't - I suspect the Ligos file splitter - but how did it get on my machine , and how can I take it off?

Dan

-- dan s (dansinbox@hotmail.com), July 04, 2002.

I can only answer the part about Ligos: beginner NLEs like Ulead VideoStudio and MGI VideoWave chose to use Ligos LSX as the MPEG encoding engine with their programs, and as such the necessary *.dlls will be installed and registered in your system so that's how they got there. The decoding and splitting of Ligos will be used as a default because upon installation it was registered that all files with *.MPG extension Ligos will handle, instead of by the built-in decoder of Windows. *.DAT is not registered, however, as a playable file because that extension is used by many other files, notably system files. Of course if u deliberately play such file because you are aware it's an MPEG stream file Ligos will not decode but built-in MPEG in Windows will. I don't like it when on installing a program it doesn't ask me first if I want to associate certain file types with it and goes on and does it like what happens when Ligos gets installed with these NLEs. But this wouldn't have been a problem if Ligos produced exemplary quality MPEGs true to White Book. As it happens, it DOES NOT. When you choose to create a movie from your timeline in VideoWave to MPEG-1 there are very few options to choose from in the MPEG box, which may or may not be responsible for the wretched, blocky MPEGs that result later. Then the MPEG-1 intended to be used for VCD has a bitrate of 1236kb/s, which is not the same as 1150kb/s for video bitrate or 1374kb/s total bitrate the VCD standard calls for. VideoWave apart, Ligos would like u to buy their MPEG suite for about US$350, their main claim to fame being it encodes fast. Fast or not for quality and value TMPGenc rules ALL THE TIME.

-- Mehmet Tekdemir (turk690@yahoo.com), July 06, 2002.

Thanks for that last comment - but even if I change the file extension on the mpg files to .dat they still won't play, they have to have been converted using WinProducer / VideoWave / Nero 5 in order to view them. As for Ligos I've a feeling that windows media player got it as part of a codec when searching for one (I think it comes with the Intel Indeo stuff).

Dan

-- Dan s (dansinbox@hotmail.com), July 06, 2002.

Well After trying lots of things - I'm now trying the Nimo Codec pack - and yes I can now play every kind of movie - just one slight problem WinDVR no longer works at all (crashes as soon as you try to run it!) - Infact recording off with any App is now a real hit and miss affair - lots of fatal exceptions etc. I don't Know whats worse : Microsft (Media player etc), InterVideo (WinDVD etc), DIVX/Nimo ... the list is endless - infact nothing works with anything else ! I'm about to give up with video on the PC - the technology simply isn't up to it!

This may be my last EMail on the subject

Dan

-- dans (dansinbox@hotmail.com), July 06, 2002.

Solved the problem:

1) The Ligos file splitter was screwing everything up.. 2) I Installed the Divx Nimo pack - but this caused even more problems - But it did uninstall all the rubbish when I uninstalled it 3) I Reinstalled Divx411 and DivX 5.01 codecs only -( yes you can get it on it's own) - now I had my old movies (Mpeg and Dat ) working fine, But no WinDVR. 4) I reinstalled DirectX 8 - and now everything is working (even the InterVideo codecs that you get with winDVR).

Dan

-- Dan (dansinbox@hotmail.com), July 09, 2002.

I have a question:

Why don't work my movies (with .dat)with nimo codecs. I have a player (radlight) and I don't see enything with this codec. please help me and tell me what codecs are god for .dat

-- Serbanescu Sorin (serbanescu.sorin@sika.ro), January 05, 2003.

use avi preview or bsplayer they both work fine then

-- shayne allen (srallen80@yahoo.com), September 18, 2003.

I would rather contribute with a question. I have some video files which I believe are DAT-files, i.e. they are ex. named AVSEQ01.DAT. I would like to split the files and only use fractions of the video. F.ex one file is 705 MB which is 1.09 hrs. but I only want to use 10 minutes of the video. What do I do?

-- Lasse Moller (nomaderne@cats-net.com), November 25, 2003.