DVD Player and file types - Help wtd

[qstor]

I burned on CD-Rom, a MST3K movie form the server IsoHunt and tried to play it in my DVD player (which is also a CD player) but it wouldn't play. I had made a audio CD from mp3 files and that played. Was it because the movie was an .avi file?

I burned two other MSt3K movies and Windows XP just called them video files in Windows Explorer. Not sure of the file format's of those

thanks all!

Mike

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

.avi, .wmv, .mpg, etc) are types of video files, but each individual file is created using a specific 'codec'. Think of this as a different dialect of the main language. In order to play the file, your PC or DVD player or whatever not only has to know the main language (eg, how to play .AVI files), but also the dialect (eg AVI files encoded using the Avid AVI 2.0d codec).

With a PC this isn't a big deal. Most media players will offer to try and download and install a new codec if its one they don't recognize. Your stand-alone players are usually stock with the default codecs, however. For purchased material, which stick to a small number of well-defined formats, this isn't a big deal.

For stuff downloaded from the internet, however, it's a big issue. There are constant improvements and refinements in the codecs to increase quality and decrease file size, so it's not uncommon to see less-mainstream codecs used. Files using these (eg DivX) would (or could be made to) play on the PC, but may never play on a commercial player.

 

[Mycanid]

Yeah ... Roderigo is right.

The standardization of the video formats is still in flux. It took years to sort out the audio cd format (some would say it's still not sorted out). It causes big headaches for folks with standalone media layers and computer pc software media players.

This is one of the reasons people are slowly drifting towards the pc controlling the home entertainment sector of things all over....

 

[qstor]

Thanks guys. I knew about the codec issue but *didnt* realize it applies to home PC players

Mike