I tried to import a movie clip from an older Ulead VideoStudio 9 file (Both ..VSP & .UPD files) .. I get the message that ... This file cannot be imported because the codec required to play the file is not installed on your computer. If you have already tried to download and install the codec, close and restart Windows Movie Maker, and then try to import the file again.
Where do I get this updated codec file?
Any Idea's

What file format is the file in question? What codecs does the file use? Does it play in Windows Media Player?
Speaking for myself only. See zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"Yankee 7" <Yankee 7 discussions.microsoft.com>

The file is a .mpg file that was edited and saved by Ulead Video Studio 9 (under Windows XP). Yes the .mpg file does play fine in windows media player (under Vista Business). I can import it into Windows Movie Maker, but it will only add as an audio Muisc file on the edit line, when I drag it there. It will play in Windows Movie Maker - but only as audio. Any way to make it work in Windows Movie Maker, to edit and burn to DVD?
"zachd [MSFT]" wrote:

On Sun, 29 Apr 2007 15:28:00 -0700, Yankee 7 wrote:

Next to Media Player, Movie Maker is the biggest pile of crap Microsoft ever dumped on the public. It is garbage. It has trouble playing nearly everything that my PROFESSIONAL grade software can easily edit, transcode, render and play. Take MPEG-2 files. Movie Player is a laughingstock. I know the files are up to specs, rendered with one of the best software based MPEG-2 encoders you can get from Main Concept. Good enough that Sony uses it in their professional video editing packages. Now render such a movie in Sony Vegas and then try to import it into Movie Maker. It refuses to see the video stream and only plays the audio stream. Every other player I have and I have dozens plays the file flawlessly. Microsoft should be ashamed of itself for dumping such worthless garbage on a unsuspecting public.

A MUCH BETTER question is why in the hell can't Movie Maker play perfectly legitmate 100% compliant MPEG-2 files when you have a MPEG-2 encoder on your system?

What happens if you use the Microsoft MPEG2 codec? In the XP environment, MPEG2 was rather a nightmare given that there was not really any codecs that worked great. The story of MPEG/MPEG2 and third party decoders is fairly painful. (I work heavily in this field as a hobby, so was very excited for the MS MPEG2 codec.)
If there's some specific problem in the Microsoft codec, that would be good to diagnose and get to product support. Examples?
Speaking for myself only. See zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Good, that's very helpful - that fairly obviously indicates that the audio codec is working, and the video codec - not so much.
If you go Windows Movie Maker's Tools:Options:Compatibility dialog and disable the non-Microsoft codecs, do things then work properly....... ? What codecs does it list there?
Speaking for myself only. See zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"Yankee 7"

On Sun, 29 Apr 2007 23:06:56 -0700, "zachd [MSFT]" wrote:

Really? Tell that to Sony and Main Concept.

WHAT Microsoft MPEG-2 encoder? The cheap bastards don't include one in all versions of Vista. You do know that, don't you? Example: Vista Business alone can not and does not play MPEG-2.

"Adam Albright"

If those work perfectly on XP, I'm happy. If those work perfectly on Vista, I'm happy. If XP/Vista works perfectly, I'm happy.
On the other hand, look up 'mcspmpeg.ax' or read up on the MainConcept forums. [Those links tend to disappear over time, but remember that I've made this area an area of study... I need to remember those strange "one-off" events in order to determine patterns, and there was a definite pattern there. I won't touch whether or not they're Perfect now - I don't pay attention on a day to day basis - just that there's historical evidence that there were problems in this arena.]

Yep, that's why there's microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/plugins.aspx#DVDDecoder
I'm not interested in discussing SKU delineation practices. That's boring and doesn't help you or me at all.
If there's a specific problem in the MS decoder, that's interesting.

Cheers, -Zach Speaking for myself only. See zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

hello, i am having a similar problem with movie maker....i'm trying to import video from the dvd-rw that my sony camera uses. when i try to import the video it tells me i need a codec but it doesn't tell me which one and i'm not exactly computer savvy. any suggestions of which codec i would need? thank you
"zachd [MSFT]" wrote:

On Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:44:13 -0700, "zachd [MSFT]" wrote:

The MEPG-2 encoder/decoder works perfectly under Vista as well when used under Sony's Vegas which it is licensed for. My point is the problem is MEDIA PLAYER and MOVIE MAKER both of which seem to have lots of unexplained issues with all kinds of video formats and as yet I haven't seen anybody give a plausable reason WHY that seems to be the case for so many users including me. It isn't new to Vista, I've seen the same thing in XP and right after doing a clean install. So the problem is with WINDOWS, nothing else.
I'm not looking to argue, just to argue, I'm trying to understand WHY it is only Media Player and other Microsoft video applications like Movie Maker that constantly have issues with perfectly compliant file types that other editors, encoders and players simply don't have trouble with. Heck, I've even seen Microsoft's Media Encoder which is more or less aimed at Microsoft' WMV format stumble time after time trying to render a file.
I'm not new to this. I've using video tools of all types for years and have burned in excess of a thousand DVDs. I guess I have a pretty good idea how to do it. I shouldn't have to reassociate file types or pick a third party player just to get to see a video, yet that is what I have to do time after time. Media Player 11, 10 and prior versions has been TERRIBLE at playing compliant MPEG-2 files. It often stops before the video it finished or it shows some incorrect length of the video or the audio gets out of sync or the playback sputter, stalls, sometimes the video has played upside down or reveresed right to left.

News to me. I'm a active member in several professional video forums (under other posting names) and I never seen any such issue come up.

Oh please, stop trying to be smug. Giving a URL to a Microsoft site that links to other MPEG-2 decoders you CAN BUY doesn't address the issue I raised. I'll ask again, what's your "personal opinion" why Microsoft is too damn cheap to pay the license fee to include a MPEG-2 decoder in ALL versions of Vista?

You're still doing it. The issue is both Media Player and Movie Maker have all kinds of issues with MPEG-2 and other file types as well. Surely you are aware that's true. The question is WHY do these two Microsoft applications have so many issues playing/opening so many different types of video files? Please don't insult my intelligence trying to tell me they don't.

Still dodging the issue! I can't be plainer. You know very well once ANY codec is installed on a system any application that needs it should be able to access and use it. So again I'll ask you, WHY can't Media Player and Movie Maker access third party codecs already on somebody's system when other players can without issue?
Try to dodge if you want, or just say you don't know, but that is the issue!

What file format are you trying to import? That should be MPEG2/VOB files it I understand your scenario. Under Movie Maker's Tools:Options:Compatibility menu , what codecs does it say you have installed?
What version of Vista is this?
Speaking for myself only. See zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"kaitnoodle"

"Adam Albright"

Yeah, most apps should work great in what they were most explicitly designed and tested for and with.
You get to set your own filter merit. If you're not going to test extensively with other parties, it's probably best to set that low. But I have nothing at all to do with their code and don't have Vegas - that's just abstract commentary.

What are the specifics? I'm probably an interesting resource given specifics. (Bearing in mind that we're both here as friends and peers.)
WME usually only chokes on two-pass encoding when the codec is giving out different output between passes, in my experience.

Specific examples with pointers to content are always awesome. Anything is certainly possible, but you of course realize I'm completely in the dark as regards specifics of your problems.

That's a boring leading non-technical question that doesn't help you or me at all.

Specifics are great, right? If there's some magical problem, there has GOT to be content that shows that problem, right? I mean, I can't understand how this would even be a question in either of our minds. We're both reasonable rational people (well you are - I just had a large chocolate chip cookie and so am probably a little buzzed) if there are problems, get content that shows that problem. Right? If you're actually trying to help improve things here examples! =)
Bear in mind I have about two minutes of spare time per day, so preferably it's a good example of a good bug in WMP as opposed to some randomly corrupt piece of content or that kind of thing. =)

That's not face value true due to codec keying, but I know what you mean.

We're spinning in circles. Specifics are awesome.
Speaking for myself only. See zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

On Mon, 30 Apr 2007 21:48:14 -0700, "zachd [MSFT]" wrote:

Ok, what was Windows designed and "tested" to work with?
I'll wait. <snicker>

You know your pretty good at avoiding any real tough questions. Microsoft train you in that?

And you realize perfectly well nobody makes copious notes every time some Microsoft software crashes. If anybody did, that's all we would be doing. Promise, next time something happens, I let you know. ;-)

Asking for specifics when the other person is obviously talking in general terms from past experiences isn't helpful either.

I have vista home premium and perhaps i am trying to import the wrong file format...the video clips are listed as different kinds like BUP and IFO. Do these need to be formatted diffferently? if so, how do i do that? i think i'm in over my head here....i just wanted to edit some video clips. The codecs listed are...Cyberlink mpeg decoder, cyberlink LPCM, AVI decompressor, WST pager, Cyberlink MPEG-1, Cyberlink MPeg 2, VBI codec, and cyberlink MP3/Wav.....any idea what that means? thanks for caring
"zachd [MSFT]" wrote:

"Adam Albright"

As far as I'm aware, the beta process was really really really wide open. If you want to get involved in the beta process and help extend what Windows was designed and tested to work with, that's the kind of thing where you can potentially add great value.
At this point, you're using it - if there are issues, be specific about those and potentially either the vendor or MS can look into them at some point.

Respectfully, there hasn't been any tough specific technical questions here, so there's been really no way for me to add value or insight. For the broad generic questions you've posed, you're getting pretty great answers. If you disagree, I would most heartily encourage you to take your questions to a "neutral-at-best" forum such as doom9, where they'll also provide about the same answers to the questions you've posed. I respect that I live in a contentious world where a lot of people disagree with everything, so realize I need to cut to the core on any given question.

I suspect you're generically using the term "crash", because when you *do* crash, Microsoft software itself takes notes that are visible in the Event Viewer that can be referred back to at about any point.
But my question is entirely the point. If you restructure your thoughts to bear in mind that specifics are great and that those deterministic details of the errors/issues are key, that potentially paves the path for resolution. As I usually say, it's pretty much all deterministic. There's some reason why it's happening, and given a data set, someone should be able to make some sense of it. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I'm persistent and given a long time and a lot of data can usually piece things together.

Sure - but if the above posed questions influence you or others to start thinking about issues in specific terms, that potentially leads someone somewhere to get me that one piece of information I was looking for on some issue on my hit list, and that's really really helpful.
So, yeah, at some point, perhaps my "Specifics specifics specifics" dance routine will make it up on YouTube or SoapBox. =)
-Zach Speaking for myself only. See zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Remember this is just me personally speaking as always, but I really would return the camera and get something miniDV-based... that's just really easy to deal with in my opinion.
How does Sony suggest you edit these?
You said you were on Home Premium - do you see the Microsoft MPEG2 decoders in that Compatibility menu?
If this is a headache, you should be able to do a brief search online and find several hundred utilities that are made to rip content from a DVD and convert it to other formats for use in editing. =\
Speaking for myself only. See zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
"kaitnoodle"