TalkingSoft.com Forums: Sony Vegas 8.0: AVI's will not import. Notorious unsolved problem. - TalkingSoft.com Forums

Some of you are familiar with Sony Vegas. For those of you who aren't, it's a video editing program much like Windows Movie Maker that comes with the Vista OS, only the program is much more robust.

I have a guy (Shark007, for those familiar with his Vista Codec Package) who is generously working on the problem separately, but it's going to take him a while to get his ducks all in a row. I'd like to see if I can pool some more community resources together to help solve this problem. Absolutely everyone who owns this software has the same problem. Work-arounds and fixes have been found for previous versions of SV, but not for 8.0. If we can find a solution, I would be more than happy to make a YouTube video to disseminate the solution to the video editing community, with acknowledgements to everyone who helps, naturally. I'd just like to see the problem solved.

Now for the details. I'll simply cut and paste my original post from the other forum so you can see what's going on.




Further note: the Nic's 4CC Changer I used on the AVI's originally was from the Vista Codec Pack. I got the XviD package and used the Nic's 4CC Changer that comes bundled with it, and all it did was hose up the AVI file so badly that it will no longer even play on WMP11. Is that an outdated version of Nic's or something? :/

Anyway, let the games begin... I'm good at following directions and equally good at exploring things on my own. Think of me as the little girl that likes to pull apart toasters to see how they work. Someone give me a clue, and we can start ripping this problem open and figure it out.

P.S. Sony Vegas 8 is patched to the latest version. Vista Codec Pack is the latest version (release date a few days ago). GSpot is being used to verify that the correct codecs are installed. Gabest's Splitter was also tried.

Have you tried installing the appropriate VFW codecs? Many video editing applications don't use DirectShow, but use VFW (video for windows) and ACM instead.

ffdshow and AC3 (VFW & ACM -- unless I'm sorely mistaken) are already included in Shark's package.

Just to be thorough, and so nobody could say I didn't try, I uninstalled Vista Codec Pack and XviD and installed K-Lite Full 3.9.0.

After reboots, note that K-Lite COMPLETELY HOSED my video playback on a majority of the files I tried to play. It was extremely obvious that K-Lite was not working. I pulled it off of the machine, did a registry clean (with EasyCleaner) and rebooted. I reinstalled Shark's Vista Codec Package. All the videos that were hosed while K-Lite was on the machine are now in working order on WMP11 (but still not available for Sony Vegas 8.0).

Please file K-Lite in the circular bin. One more thing about K-Lite: I didn't like that the hyperlink in your .sig took me to an "install" of K-Lite on a file sharing system that forces you to accept miscellaneous software like toolbars and browser popups, etc. I think it would likely be more helpful to change the URL pointer to the Codecs.com link to K-Lite since it has no conditions attached to the download. No offense intended--I just don't like to be forced to put who-knows-what on my machine. I used Codecs.com's K-Lite link instead.

For future helpers and inquisitive minds, let me reiterate: K-Lite is a no-go.


Thank you very much for the suggestion, asdf. At least you have your thinking cap on. Interested to know what other suggestions have not been tried yet and if anyone can dig deeper into the problem. It's really, truly a bizarre aberration in the Wonderful World of Codecs. There must be an answer, somewhere.


-- CD

Would like to add this tidbit from the Sony Knowledgebase:




Ain't that a pregnant dog?

IF I am FORCED (golly I hope not) to convert all my files over into another format, which do you (anyone) think is the best encoding that I should use? I would like to stick wtih AVI, but if I am absolutely prevented from doing so, then this is the only work-around I can find or think of. (It had already crossed my mind.)

Does anyone have a suggestion for an excellent encoding substitute for AVI?

-- CD

It seems to me that your problem is caused by the object that is located between your desk and your chair.

You are very witty.

Is it because I insulted your favorite codec pack? Or the fact that I called you on advertising a site that might have a dubious moral compass and potential nefarious purpose? "Advanced member" my patootie.

I'm sure you're aware that I'm using Windows Vista, correct? And that not every codec pack is going to have Amazing, Miraculous Results For Every Problem In The Entire World, right? And I'm equally sure you're aware that I said previous versions of Sony Vegas had the same problem as version 8.0 but that they had work-arounds figured out by users and codec gurus. Thus far, nobody has found a work-around for this particular version.

I can take an educated correction of mistakes I might make (after all, I do believe I mentioned I'm still learning), but ad hominem attacks are besides the point and really rather indicative of your level of maturity.

If you have something actually constructive to say--for instance: "Dear Ciaran, you mixed up types of codecs. Here's where you can find more information on Subject X."--then I might take you seriously, Mr. Advanced User. Until then, please file your undoubtedly biased opinions in the circular bin.

Thanks for your time. All three seconds of it.

This post has been edited by CiaranDream: 17 May 2008 - 09:29 PM

Guys chill out and try to respect the rules of these boards

I don't know which site you visited, but it is certainly not the one in my signature. That contains none of the crap you talk about. Don't attack me because you visited some bad site by your own mistake. And the "advanced member" bit you mention is actually something put there by the forum software, based on the number of posts.

There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to bash any codec pack. I know for a fact that it works fine on Vista. Sure you may run into problems in certain situations. But that is simply because not all of the included codecs are 100% perfect (and no better alternatives exists). The same problem can and will occur when you use another pack or even when you install every single codec separately. You claim that it broke your computer, which is just bullshit. I agree that it isn't perfect, nothing is, but nevertheless it works pretty well. If you don't like the pack, which you have ever right to do so, then just uninstall it and everything will be back the way it was before.

Vista does have some weird quirks. The whole DirectShow system can suddenly stop working. That can be solved by disabling UAC.

If a file doesn't play properly or if you run into other problems, then report it. Then the developers of the involved codecs may be able to fix those bugs or people can suggest an alternate solution.

Vegas doesn't seem to support DirectShow at all (although your quote from the Vegas FAQ hints otherwise). If VFW also doesn't work, then there is not much hope, since there aren't any alternative types of codecs. You need special plugins for Vegas.

If you need something to convert your files, I recommend avidemux

Dude, I wasn't lying. I clicked the link at the bottom of your .sig, and it took me to somewhere that would let me DL the file if I agreed to toolbars and spyware. Checked it twice. Too tired to ferret out the links right now & don't care if you don't believe me or not. Maybe there was spyware on my computer. I've AdAwared it since then and scrubbed the registry and removed a bunch of artifact folders. If it was my mistake, then I apologize. If not, then it was merely stating the simple truth.

I did NOT at ANY time claim that K-Lite broke my computer. That is a gross exaggeration of what I reported. What I said, exactly, was "K-Lite COMPLETELY HOSED my video playback." That is the truth. (Please refer to my earlier post.)

I still stand by my statement that K-Lite radically altered the playback of most of my files, making them unwatchable. I can't help that; it is a cold, hard fact. If there are faulty codecs (as you suggest), then yes I recommend finding replacements or warning the user that "Codec X in this pack may produce the following errors" or something of that nature. If K-Lite is working on some machines but not others, or some software but not others, then you may wish to investigate what is going on rather than just implying that it's not your problem. If it's your codec pack or you are advertising it for those who made it, then you should be concerned with error reports--especially since you're participating in the forums. (I used nothing more advanced or strange for playback than Windows Media Player v.11.)

I appreciate the work and time that goes into making the codec packs, but once they're created, they're your baby. Responsibility lies with the creator(s), EULA's notwithstanding.

I can't help that the Nic's 4CC that came with your pack destroyed one of my AVI files. I am not able yet to fix it, if it's fixable. Attempting to change the 4CC back to its original configuration was not successful.


As for avidemux, I will give it a look and try, and I thank you for your suggestion. That's the kind of help which is productive and useful.


Shark said that Sony Vegas is using plug-ins for everything, and that codecs for Directshow aren't going to assist in the problem. He examined the software in question and came up with at least that much. I plan to explore that aspect of the problem.

For the ADMIN: If my tone is terse in this post, it's because I'm attempting to be clear and non-insulting and yet still provide accurate, truthful information about the issue and circumstances surrounding it. Clarity and precision may sound angry, but it's not hate speech. If I don't state things simply and clearly, they may be taken out of context.

FourCC is case-sensitive if that matters in your case. The tool is the same as the one from the Xvid package afaik. You can re-mux the files with Avidemux or VirtualDub. That can probably 'fix' the files. Have you tried analyzing your files with the GSpot tool? That can detect anomalies in AVI files.

You have not read what I have written previously.



Is there anyone out there who knows where I can obtain a plug-in for SV8(non-pro) that will allow me to import AVI's?

I DID read what you wrote, twice. The fact that you mentioned GSpot before doesn't mean that you also used it to analyze those 'broken' files that you have. If those files are really broken, which I doubt, then it would have shown up in GSpot.

Anyway, I don't think an AVI plugin exist, besides the standard included one, all I could find is plugins for other formats.

AVI files with Xvid video often use "packed bitstream". Unpacking the bitstream, and also changing the FourCC to "divx" like you did before, might work. But even then Vegas will probably choke on the variable bitrate (VBR) MP3 audio that most files contain. All assuming that Vegas 8 is able to import AVI files like version 7 did.

A tool corrupted a file in an attempt to re-encode it to make it suitable for SV8. The directory it came from and the one below it had to be deleted because any time any program whatsoever (including Windows Explorer) got near the directory, everything would crash. The files in question--all 72 Gigs worth--no longer exist.


The box for SV8 says that AVI's are importable. It says they are exportable. In essense, Sony is lying. They require payment for phone support. Their email form breaks when you try to send in an error report.


I am going to make a video (probably using WMM) to warn other would-be users about the software.


I'm not really in a good mood anymore.


Speaking of errors: These forums more often than not give me a Authorization mismatch - please go back and try again. If you have been trying to access a function incorrectly, please use the proper method. notificiation when trying to post, reply, trying to log out, trying to log in, trying to make a new topic. Mail I send to the admins asking for help bounces back. PLEASE FIX THE FORUMS. This is getting completely out of hand. I had to register two email addresses because the first one wasn't being recognized by the system. NO, I do not have these problems in other message board forums ANYWHERE on the net.

One more thing: It took me probably a dozen tries to make that last post, fwiw. Same error message. Inexplicably, on the last attempt it went through.




A message to asdf: Please just don't try helping me anymore. Thanks.

You could have saved all that data if you would have disabled the explorer plugin that is responsible for those crashes (shmedia.dll).