Static on Audio during playback

Tutorials Win: Microsoft Windows Forum

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    - Video and sound slow down When I add video to the Timeline and play, I get a resulting distortion. The sound and video play very, VERY slowly. However, if I play the video from the "Collection" boxes, it plays fine! The system I am using is: WIN XP, 120GB HD Space, 1GB RAM (Speed 200MHZ) and the graphics card is "GE FORCE FX5700 8xGP with 256MB of onboard RAM. Does anyone have any ideas of how I can play back the sound and video at normal speed. Any help greatly appreciated. TIA, Derek -- 123 Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33806
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    - Where to download MM2? Hello, Have been all over the MS downloads trying to locate the download for MovieMaker 2 and can't find it in spite of the many hot links. Can anyone straighten me out? Thank you! Kit Leithiser CIM Software support@leithiser.com Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33798
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    - If Movie Maker Crashes / Hangs Movie Maker FAQ 1 Last updated 6th January 2005 Crashing and Hanging 1) What is a Codec? ============== A Codec is software that was first created to deal with the transposition of data from one form into another. One of the first important Codecs was a procedure still used today called Soundex. I believe the first proper use of Soundex was by the Mormons. Most of us use Soundex or its equivalent every time we use a spell checker. The Mormons use it in their vast database of all persons baptised by them. It enables very fast data searches on similar sounding words that are not necessarily spelled the same way. Soundex though is a one way procedure. Its a CODER The other part of the word Codec is derived from the word DECODER. Joining the two parts together we get the word CODEC...Codec. With regard to Codecs and any Video or Audio playing software. MP3 or WMA audio files have been compressed using CODER routines. When you play those files on your computer you are using the DECODER routines to produce a sound or video signal that can be seen/heard on your machine. With regard to Audio/Video editing software. A Codec is used to compress the data so that it occupies as small a space as possible usually on a hard drive. But in the case of editing a file the Codec must first expand the compressed data before the edit can occur and afterwards compress it again when the data is saved to a new file. The problems with Codecs arise from "Calls" A call is the expression used to define the way one software module talks to another so that information can be passed between the two. The problem occurs when the Call is not properly formatted, or the reply is not understood. This becomes a problem that the calling software must handle. When the calling software fails to handle the error it can do one of a number of things....the correct way is to contain the error and respond with an alternative approach and possibly inform the user that the error occurred, the other approach we are all to familiar with, either the software or the machine crashes and probably taking all of your hard work with it. 2) Movie Maker crashes, what can I do? ============================ From item one above there is a good chance that your problem arises from a problem with a Codec. Movie Maker version 2.1 was supposed to address this issue by giving you the user the ability to disable one or more of the Codecs on your machine. The problem however is not fully addressed and results in some Codecs not being exposed to the disable option. If its that particular Codec that is causing the problem you are stuck. You need to know which Codec it is, where it is, possibly what other software installed it and what other dependencies exist. In other words you need to know a LOT of things. The proper way of dealing with the issue would be to remove the offending Codec but that's not very practical as you may really need the other software that depends on it. There is a temporary solution available in the form of a program called "Rename Codecs" It has been in use for perhaps a year now by many hundreds of people and with great success. There have been a total of 6 times that the program did not solve the users problem (At the time of writing this) You can obtain your FREE copy of the program from www.the-kellys.org It is strongly recommended that you check out the short interactive tutorial also on the website so that you can get a feel for how it performs. The basics of the program are that it will offer you the option of temporarily renaming Codecs that are known to be a problem for Movie Maker. You would do that before using Movie Maker. Once you are finished using the program you again run Movie Maker and use the RESTORE option to put those Codecs back into operation...its very easy to use. There is an additional option. You can use the options within XP to turn off the various levels of video acceleration that your graphics card has. Doing this is not a good idea but if you do you must understand that every program that relies on those abilities will either run badly or not at all. To turn the acceleration down right click your desktop and select PROPERTIES, then SETTINGS then ADVANCED and then TROUBLERSHOOT. You will then see a slider bar which should normally be positioned on the far right. You can move it one step at a time and then close the dialog down and re-try Movie Maker. You can repeat those steps until (and if) Movie Maker works properly. A lot of video programs give you the opportunity of taking a snap shot of the video displayed, Intervideo WinDVD 5 does a good job of this. Movie Maker also has this option. BUT, if you turn the acceleration down as above, you will no longer be able to take those snapshots. This is not a great problem of course as you can change the acceleration back. But it is rather tedious. 3) How do I make my system perform better and stop Movie Maker crashing ======================================================= This is by far the best way of doing things. Whilst the Rename Codec program is a MUST when you really do need to keep "other" software on your system, the following approach will ensure that your system runs at its best speed and will be less likely to crash at all from Video or Audio problems. You need to download the latest versions of DirectX and the Windows Codecs pack together with the latest version of Windows Media Player. You should NOT try to install these packages via the Internet, you should get the standalone versions. The reason is obvious once you know it. Suppose those updates you did some time back are not working properly...it may be that they were not installed properly or it may be that a file is either corrupt or simply missing. How would you know??? The more experienced may spot the problem but the average user will not. So why download the full package??? That's easy. When you unzip a package several checks are made to ensure the integrity of the files inside the zip. If there is a problem you will be told there and then...the file is corrupt or damaged in some other way....you do not need to trust an install over the Internet and the possibility of data being missed.... You can get the packages via these links... Codec Pack ----------------- http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/format/codecdownload.aspx DirectX ---------- http://go.microsoft.com/?LinkID=1081813 Windows Media Player --------------------------------- http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b446ae53-3759-40cf-80d5-cde4bbe07999&displaylang=en Movie Maker for XP --------------------------- http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.aspx The link for Movie Maker is actually a link to SP2 (Service Pack 2). This a large download. Its not to bad if you have a reasonably fast broadband connection, but if the download fails its a long way back to the start!!! Personally I would recommend you obtain A CD version of SP2...its available on the Windows Magazine and from Microsoft directly Drivers for your graphics card ---------------------------------- I have discovered that most people are confused on the issue of drivers for their graphics card in that when advised to acquire the latest driver they go straight to the Microsoft website and get one from them. Their is a problem with that in that the drivers supplied by Microsoft are Generic. I made the mistake of going direct to Microsoft some time back and the result was that I could only run the machine in the basic "Safe Mode" the driver was the most up to date and was definitely more recent than the existing driver. It took some time to understand what was going on I must admit...... The graphics card was an NVidia GForce 4 etc and was manufactured by Gainward. After several attempts at getting the Microsoft driver to install I decided that the download MUST BE corrupted in some way, So I went to the NVidia website and downloaded their driver (Same version number as the one from Microsoft) I had the exact same problems!!! In the end I went to the Gainward website and downloaded the most up to date driver they had.....once installed the graphics card performed better than ever and with more configuration options than I would ever need. So why did an older driver work better than the most recent from NVidia ??? Its simple when you know why .... Gainward produce high capability cards and in order to achieve some of their aims they change the way the NVidia chipset works. This requires a modified driver....and they produce their own. The card is still based on the NVidia and conforms to the basic design....but it runs very much faster because of code optimisation, and that optimisation is missing from the Microsoft or NVidia drivers. The result of all this is that you should ALWAYS go to the website of the MANUFACTURER of the card and not the manufacturer of the chipset (in my case NVidia) The Method ----------------- Reboot your computer and install SP2. After the install has completed you should reboot your computer twice...yes boring but desirable After the reboot you should now install the DirectX pack and reboot again. After that reboot install the Codec Pack and reboot yet again. After that install Windows Media Player and reboot again Finally install the latest driver for your graphics card. Rebooting the machine does perform an important task. It completes installation process's and ensures that previously existing file locks are removed. Under certain conditions XP will not overwrite a file if it has been locked. Note that this is not the same as marking a file as Read Only. Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility --------------------------------------------------------------- This utility can be obtained here... http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/portablemediacenter/decoder.mspx A very useful program but with a problem. It reports that I have the MGI MPEG-2 Video Decoder on one of my machines...I have NO MGI software on my system!! I would not let that put you off using it as it does have a useful purpose even though the same objective can be achieved via other already existing routes within XP. I am in favour of this program as it does give good advice on which Codec you should select as the preferred Codec 4) What files does Movie Maker NOT like? ============================== Any MPEG based file will cause Movie Maker problems even though they seldom cause problems for Media Player. There are a number of reasons...Media Player does not need the CODER part of the Codec and there are many methods/procedures/algothims used to Code an MPeg file and its that wide range of methods that Movie Maker can not address. Its not really a bug but the method of dealing with the issue, well there is no method...Movie Maker gives an error and crashes or it just crashes. The particular file extensions are Mpeg,MPG and MP3. JPeg still images can also be a problem and for similar reasons to MPeg files. There are a number of formats for a JPeg and it seems that the older formats are not properly dealt with. To work around the issue you can reduce the compression used in creating the JPeg and NOT use the progressive format method The best solution for these problems is to convert the file into a more acceptable format, and as it happens a format that is more easily worked on by Movie Maker...the conversion you should employ are MPeg, MPG convert to AVI, MP3 convert to WAV and JPeg, JPG convert to a standard bitmap BMP NOTES ====== There are several other approaches you can take to solving a Codec issue. I have seen several other methods of solving the problem, and basically they don't. Instead they treat the symptom and not the problem itself. Several other methods involve damaging the picture of your computers layout (that's a bad pun by the way) and simply doing that involves the risk of permanent damage to that picture. The program Rename Codecs also damages that picture of your system but it does at least provide a user friendly way of restoring your system and that method requires no prior knowledge on your part about where, which and how to make those changes. All efforts are made to ensure that the information is accurate. As no one is perfect I would be happy to hear of any errors found in this document. If you have any doubts at all over following the advice given here you should NOT attempt it. The contents of this FAQ are liable to change with out prior notification. -- --Will Grant-- www.the-kellys.org Free Video Hosting @ The Kellys Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33795
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    - Clip preview problem in MM 2.1 I've used MM2 quite a few times and produced a number of videos with it. However, it appears to have stopped working properly. I can import a video file fine and it brings up the thumbnail, but when I click on the thumbnail to preview it, it wont bring the file up in the preview window. What will happen is that it will put the file name above the preview window, then that file name will flicker. The program doesn't completely seize, but I cannot try other clips without closing the program. It only appears to be the preview window that seizes. I have tried closing the program, rebooting my computer, fiddling with the codecs. I also tried a system restore which worked for about an hour, then it stopped working again. In that time the only thing I did was import lots of clips into MM and update Windows and virus programs. I've (hopefully) got rid of all the codecs I have put on in the past month, but still it isn't playing fair. Anybody got any ideas? Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33783
  - 5
    - Publishing Movies on MSN Groups? I have an obvious question (perhaps a FAQ) with several obvious answers, but Iâ??m really looking for the reason and long term business vision. If I currently have an MSN Group setup for my family where I share photos, links, discussions, documents, etc. Why must I publish my videos to a 3rd party site, instead of Microsoftâ??s own site? Moreover one that also allows the storage of Pictures? When will MSN Groups offer this ability? -John Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33781
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    - ever worked with 16mm film? I have 16mm reels that I want to put on digital movies. Got any suggestions? -- Luvairplanenoise Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33779
  - 7
    - Dazzle 80 - - Questions! I am fairly new to MovieMaker2. I would like to get a capture device for my analog Hi8 camcorder. Will this work the same using the VCR as it does with the camcorder? Are the files that have been transferred to the computer compatible for use in MM2? Also, can you save an individual frame as an image, such as a jpg, for instance? Will Dazzle 80 accomplish these things and make me happy? Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33771
  - 8
    - Copy part of a song to insert into Movie Maker What is your method to copy part of a song to insert the shortened clip into Movie Maker or a Web Site? I use MP v.10 for XP and also vs. 7 for Win ME. The songs are 3 minutes long and I only need short clips of them. Is it possible? And I have Nero Suite and MusicMatch ======================================= Regards, Gary 'Doc' Adams in Louisiana http://computerteachers.digital-mall-online.com/ ~ Read to Learn - Write to Think ~ ======================================= Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33766
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    - unspecified error for some reason,every time i now try to import a file(picture or avi video clip) into movie maker for editing etc,a message tells me it can not import file -'unspecified error'. is no help;have not changed anything,have done regularly before. any comments? Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33763
  - 10
    - Does Your Movie Maker Crash ? Movie Maker FAQ 1 Last updated 6th January 2005 Crashing and Hanging 1) What is a Codec? ============== A Codec is software that was first created to deal with the transposition of data from one form into another. One of the first important Codecs was a procedure still used today called Soundex. I believe the first proper use of Soundex was by the Mormons. Most of us use Soundex or its equivalent every time we use a spell checker. The Mormons use it in their vast database of all persons baptised by them. It enables very fast data searches on similar sounding words that are not necessarily spelled the same way. Soundex though is a one way procedure. Its a CODER The other part of the word Codec is derived from the word DECODER. Joining the two parts together we get the word CODEC...Codec. With regard to Codecs and any Video or Audio playing software. MP3 or WMA audio files have been compressed using CODER routines. When you play those files on your computer you are using the DECODER routines to produce a sound or video signal that can be seen/heard on your machine. With regard to Audio/Video editing software. A Codec is used to compress the data so that it occupies as small a space as possible usually on a hard drive. But in the case of editing a file the Codec must first expand the compressed data before the edit can occur and afterwards compress it again when the data is saved to a new file. The problems with Codecs arise from "Calls" A call is the expression used to define the way one software module talks to another so that information can be passed between the two. The problem occurs when the Call is not properly formatted, or the reply is not understood. This becomes a problem that the calling software must handle. When the calling software fails to handle the error it can do one of a number of things....the correct way is to contain the error and respond with an alternative approach and possibly inform the user that the error occurred, the other approach we are all to familiar with, either the software or the machine crashes and probably taking all of your hard work with it. 2) Movie Maker crashes, what can I do? ============================ From item one above there is a good chance that your problem arises from a problem with a Codec. Movie Maker version 2.1 was supposed to address this issue by giving you the user the ability to disable one or more of the Codecs on your machine. The problem however is not fully addressed and results in some Codecs not being exposed to the disable option. If its that particular Codec that is causing the problem you are stuck. You need to know which Codec it is, where it is, possibly what other software installed it and what other dependencies exist. In other words you need to know a LOT of things. The proper way of dealing with the issue would be to remove the offending Codec but that's not very practical as you may really need the other software that depends on it. There is a temporary solution available in the form of a program called "Rename Codecs" It has been in use for perhaps a year now by many hundreds of people and with great success. There have been a total of 6 times that the program did not solve the users problem (At the time of writing this) You can obtain your FREE copy of the program from www.the-kellys.org It is strongly recommended that you check out the short interactive tutorial also on the website so that you can get a feel for how it performs. The basics of the program are that it will offer you the option of temporarily renaming Codecs that are known to be a problem for Movie Maker. You would do that before using Movie Maker. Once you are finished using the program you again run Movie Maker and use the RESTORE option to put those Codecs back into operation...its very easy to use. There is an additional option. You can use the options within XP to turn off the various levels of video acceleration that your graphics card has. Doing this is not a good idea but if you do you must understand that every program that relies on those abilities will either run badly or not at all. To turn the acceleration down right click your desktop and select PROPERTIES, then SETTINGS then ADVANCED and then TROUBLERSHOOT. You will then see a slider bar which should normally be positioned on the far right. You can move it one step at a time and then close the dialog down and re-try Movie Maker. You can repeat those steps until (and if) Movie Maker works properly. A lot of video programs give you the opportunity of taking a snap shot of the video displayed, Intervideo WinDVD 5 does a good job of this. Movie Maker also has this option. BUT, if you turn the acceleration down as above, you will no longer be able to take those snapshots. This is not a great problem of course as you can change the acceleration back. But it is rather tedious. 3) How do I make my system perform better and stop Movie Maker crashing ======================================================= This is by far the best way of doing things. Whilst the Rename Codec program is a MUST when you really do need to keep "other" software on your system, the following approach will ensure that your system runs at its best speed and will be less likely to crash at all from Video or Audio problems. You need to download the latest versions of DirectX and the Windows Codecs pack together with the latest version of Windows Media Player. You should NOT try to install these packages via the Internet, you should get the standalone versions. The reason is obvious once you know it. Suppose those updates you did some time back are not working properly...it may be that they were not installed properly or it may be that a file is either corrupt or simply missing. How would you know??? The more experienced may spot the problem but the average user will not. So why download the full package??? That's easy. When you unzip a package several checks are made to ensure the integrity of the files inside the zip. If there is a problem you will be told there and then...the file is corrupt or damaged in some other way....you do not need to trust an install over the Internet and the possibility of data being missed.... You can get the packages via these links... Codec Pack ----------------- http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/format/codecdownload.aspx DirectX ---------- http://go.microsoft.com/?LinkID=1081813 Windows Media Player --------------------------------- http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b446ae53-3759-40cf-80d5-cde4bbe07999&displaylang=en Movie Maker for XP --------------------------- http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.aspx The link for Movie Maker is actually a link to SP2 (Service Pack 2). This a large download. Its not to bad if you have a reasonably fast broadband connection, but if the download fails its a long way back to the start!!! Personally I would recommend you obtain A CD version of SP2...its available on the Windows Magazine and from Microsoft directly Drivers for your graphics card ---------------------------------- I have discovered that most people are confused on the issue of drivers for their graphics card in that when advised to acquire the latest driver they go straight to the Microsoft website and get one from them. Their is a problem with that in that the drivers supplied by Microsoft are Generic. I made the mistake of going direct to Microsoft some time back and the result was that I could only run the machine in the basic "Safe Mode" the driver was the most up to date and was definitely more recent than the existing driver. It took some time to understand what was going on I must admit...... The graphics card was an NVidia GForce 4 etc and was manufactured by Gainward. After several attempts at getting the Microsoft driver to install I decided that the download MUST BE corrupted in some way, So I went to the NVidia website and downloaded their driver (Same version number as the one from Microsoft) I had the exact same problems!!! In the end I went to the Gainward website and downloaded the most up to date driver they had.....once installed the graphics card performed better than ever and with more configuration options than I would ever need. So why did an older driver work better than the most recent from NVidia ??? Its simple when you know why .... Gainward produce high capability cards and in order to achieve some of their aims they change the way the NVidia chipset works. This requires a modified driver....and they produce their own. The card is still based on the NVidia and conforms to the basic design....but it runs very much faster because of code optimisation, and that optimisation is missing from the Microsoft or NVidia drivers. The result of all this is that you should ALWAYS go to the website of the MANUFACTURER of the card and not the manufacturer of the chipset (in my case NVidia) The Method ----------------- Reboot your computer and install SP2. After the install has completed you should reboot your computer twice...yes boring but desirable After the reboot you should now install the DirectX pack and reboot again. After that reboot install the Codec Pack and reboot yet again. After that install Windows Media Player and reboot again Finally install the latest driver for your graphics card. Rebooting the machine does perform an important task. It completes installation process's and ensures that previously existing file locks are removed. Under certain conditions XP will not overwrite a file if it has been locked. Note that this is not the same as marking a file as Read Only. Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility --------------------------------------------------------------- This utility can be obtained here... http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/portablemediacenter/decoder.mspx A very useful program but with a problem. It reports that I have the MGI MPEG-2 Video Decoder on one of my machines...I have NO MGI software on my system!! I would not let that put you off using it as it does have a useful purpose even though the same objective can be achieved via other already existing routes within XP. I am in favour of this program as it does give good advice on which Codec you should select as the preferred Codec 4) What files does Movie Maker NOT like? ============================== Any MPEG based file will cause Movie Maker problems even though they seldom cause problems for Media Player. There are a number of reasons...Media Player does not need the CODER part of the Codec and there are many methods/procedures/algothims used to Code an MPeg file and its that wide range of methods that Movie Maker can not address. Its not really a bug but the method of dealing with the issue, well there is no method...Movie Maker gives an error and crashes or it just crashes. The particular file extensions are Mpeg,MPG and MP3. JPeg still images can also be a problem and for similar reasons to MPeg files. There are a number of formats for a JPeg and it seems that the older formats are not properly dealt with. To work around the issue you can reduce the compression used in creating the JPeg and NOT use the progressive format method The best solution for these problems is to convert the file into a more acceptable format, and as it happens a format that is more easily worked on by Movie Maker...the conversion you should employ are MPeg, MPG convert to AVI, MP3 convert to WAV and JPeg, JPG convert to a standard bitmap BMP NOTES ====== There are several other approaches you can take to solving a Codec issue. I have seen several other methods of solving the problem, and basically they don't. Instead they treat the symptom and not the problem itself. Several other methods involve damaging the picture of your computers layout (that's a bad pun by the way) and simply doing that involves the risk of permanent damage to that picture. The program Rename Codecs also damages that picture of your system but it does at least provide a user friendly way of restoring your system and that method requires no prior knowledge on your part about where, which and how to make those changes. All efforts are made to ensure that the information is accurate. As no one is perfect I would be happy to hear of any errors found in this document. If you have any doubts at all over following the advice given here you should NOT attempt it. The contents of this FAQ are liable to change with out prior notification. --Will Grant-- www.the-kellys.org Free Video Hosting @ The Kellys Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33761
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    - aiuto windows movie maker Ciao Ragazzi ho una domanda da farvi, Dove posso scaricare il programma windows movie maker per Windows Me o per windows 98? grazie Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33754
  - 12
    - How to know if lost frames during capture? Is there any way to know if capture wizard has lost frames? And if any, how much and where? (mm:ss) I usually disable preview, etc, but I always wonder if all frames got = in.... <grin> regards Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33753
  - 13
    - video setting What kind of setting I have to use when I decide to export my video if I want to see it in my home DVD player? Thanks Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33749
  - 14
    - Editing a clip Once the video is imported, WMM splits that into several clips. Let's say, a particular clip is like this: Duration: 0:00:55.20 Start Time: 0:01:32.33 Stop Time: 0:02:27.53 I understand that if the clip needs to be trimmed, I need to go to Timeline mode and trim the edge with the mouse. 1. Is there a way to do the trimming with the key board? Because, doing it with the keyboard would be more precise. 2. Can I change the properties of the clip like start time/stop time etc., so that I can trim the clip? 3. If I want the clip's duration to be 0:00:36:14 (for example), what's the easier way to do that? 4. Is there a way we can create clips manually through WMM, by spcifying the start time and end time? Regards, Ramana Murthy Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33747
  - 15
    - Importing Audio I have many songs I have downloaded from Music Match but when I attempt to import them they say they are digitally protected. How do I get around this? They aren't illegal songs--I have paid for them. Thanks! Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33743
  - 16
    - Video Records Too Fast...Why?? When I capture video from my Sony Digital cam, 1394 connection, the video records too fast. Playback is choppy and has to be slowed down to real speed. Why??? Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33729
  - 17
    - How do I export to Quicktime? I am having trouble exporting my video into quicktime format. can anyone direct me to a "how to " document for this? Thanks! Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33710
  - 18
    - Does it hang or crash Movie Maker FAQ 1 Last updated 6th January 2005 Crashing and Hanging 1) What is a Codec? ============== A Codec is software that was first created to deal with the transposition of data from one form into another. One of the first important Codecs was a procedure still used today called Soundex. I believe the first proper use of Soundex was by the Mormons. Most of us use Soundex or its equivalent every time we use a spell checker. The Mormons use it in their vast database of all persons baptised by them. It enables very fast data searches on similar sounding words that are not necessarily spelled the same way. Soundex though is a one way procedure. Its a CODER The other part of the word Codec is derived from the word DECODER. Joining the two parts together we get the word CODEC...Codec. With regard to Codecs and any Video or Audio playing software. MP3 or WMA audio files have been compressed using CODER routines. When you play those files on your computer you are using the DECODER routines to produce a sound or video signal that can be seen/heard on your machine. With regard to Audio/Video editing software. A Codec is used to compress the data so that it occupies as small a space as possible usually on a hard drive. But in the case of editing a file the Codec must first expand the compressed data before the edit can occur and afterwards compress it again when the data is saved to a new file. The problems with Codecs arise from "Calls" A call is the expression used to define the way one software module talks to another so that information can be passed between the two. The problem occurs when the Call is not properly formatted, or the reply is not understood. This becomes a problem that the calling software must handle. When the calling software fails to handle the error it can do one of a number of things....the correct way is to contain the error and respond with an alternative approach and possibly inform the user that the error occurred, the other approach we are all to familiar with, either the software or the machine crashes and probably taking all of your hard work with it. 2) Movie Maker crashes, what can I do? ============================ From item one above there is a good chance that your problem arises from a problem with a Codec. Movie Maker version 2.1 was supposed to address this issue by giving you the user the ability to disable one or more of the Codecs on your machine. The problem however is not fully addressed and results in some Codecs not being exposed to the disable option. If its that particular Codec that is causing the problem you are stuck. You need to know which Codec it is, where it is, possibly what other software installed it and what other dependencies exist. In other words you need to know a LOT of things. The proper way of dealing with the issue would be to remove the offending Codec but that's not very practical as you may really need the other software that depends on it. There is a temporary solution available in the form of a program called "Rename Codecs" It has been in use for perhaps a year now by many hundreds of people and with great success. There have been a total of 6 times that the program did not solve the users problem (At the time of writing this) You can obtain your FREE copy of the program from www.the-kellys.org It is strongly recommended that you check out the short interactive tutorial also on the website so that you can get a feel for how it performs. The basics of the program are that it will offer you the option of temporarily renaming Codecs that are known to be a problem for Movie Maker. You would do that before using Movie Maker. Once you are finished using the program you again run Movie Maker and use the RESTORE option to put those Codecs back into operation...its very easy to use. There is an additional option. You can use the options within XP to turn off the various levels of video acceleration that your graphics card has. Doing this is not a good idea but if you do you must understand that every program that relies on those abilities will either run badly or not at all. To turn the acceleration down right click your desktop and select PROPERTIES, then SETTINGS then ADVANCED and then TROUBLERSHOOT. You will then see a slider bar which should normally be positioned on the far right. You can move it one step at a time and then close the dialog down and re-try Movie Maker. You can repeat those steps until (and if) Movie Maker works properly. A lot of video programs give you the opportunity of taking a snap shot of the video displayed, Intervideo WinDVD 5 does a good job of this. Movie Maker also has this option. BUT, if you turn the acceleration down as above, you will no longer be able to take those snapshots. This is not a great problem of course as you can change the acceleration back. But it is rather tedious. 3) How do I make my system perform better and stop Movie Maker crashing ======================================================= This is by far the best way of doing things. Whilst the Rename Codec program is a MUST when you really do need to keep "other" software on your system, the following approach will ensure that your system runs at its best speed and will be less likely to crash at all from Video or Audio problems. You need to download the latest versions of DirectX and the Windows Codecs pack together with the latest version of Windows Media Player. You should NOT try to install these packages via the Internet, you should get the standalone versions. The reason is obvious once you know it. Suppose those updates you did some time back are not working properly...it may be that they were not installed properly or it may be that a file is either corrupt or simply missing. How would you know??? The more experienced may spot the problem but the average user will not. So why download the full package??? That's easy. When you unzip a package several checks are made to ensure the integrity of the files inside the zip. If there is a problem you will be told there and then...the file is corrupt or damaged in some other way....you do not need to trust an install over the Internet and the possibility of data being missed.... You can get the packages via these links... Codec Pack ----------------- http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/format/codecdownload.aspx DirectX ---------- http://go.microsoft.com/?LinkID=1081813 Windows Media Player --------------------------------- http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=b446ae53-3759-40cf-80d5-cde4bbe07999&displaylang=en Movie Maker for XP --------------------------- http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.aspx The link for Movie Maker is actually a link to SP2 (Service Pack 2). This a large download. Its not to bad if you have a reasonably fast broadband connection, but if the download fails its a long way back to the start!!! Personally I would recommend you obtain A CD version of SP2...its available on the Windows Magazine and from Microsoft directly Drivers for your graphics card ---------------------------------- I have discovered that most people are confused on the issue of drivers for their graphics card in that when advised to acquire the latest driver they go straight to the Microsoft website and get one from them. Their is a problem with that in that the drivers supplied by Microsoft are Generic. I made the mistake of going direct to Microsoft some time back and the result was that I could only run the machine in the basic "Safe Mode" the driver was the most up to date and was definitely more recent than the existing driver. It took some time to understand what was going on I must admit...... The graphics card was an NVidia GForce 4 etc and was manufactured by Gainward. After several attempts at getting the Microsoft driver to install I decided that the download MUST BE corrupted in some way, So I went to the NVidia website and downloaded their driver (Same version number as the one from Microsoft) I had the exact same problems!!! In the end I went to the Gainward website and downloaded the most up to date driver they had.....once installed the graphics card performed better than ever and with more configuration options than I would ever need. So why did an older driver work better than the most recent from NVidia ??? Its simple when you know why .... Gainward produce high capability cards and in order to achieve some of their aims they change the way the NVidia chipset works. This requires a modified driver....and they produce their own. The card is still based on the NVidia and conforms to the basic design....but it runs very much faster because of code optimisation, and that optimisation is missing from the Microsoft or NVidia drivers. The result of all this is that you should ALWAYS go to the website of the MANUFACTURER of the card and not the manufacturer of the chipset (in my case NVidia) The Method ----------------- Reboot your computer and install SP2. After the install has completed you should reboot your computer twice...yes boring but desirable After the reboot you should now install the DirectX pack and reboot again. After that reboot install the Codec Pack and reboot yet again. After that install Windows Media Player and reboot again Finally install the latest driver for your graphics card. Rebooting the machine does perform an important task. It completes installation process's and ensures that previously existing file locks are removed. Under certain conditions XP will not overwrite a file if it has been locked. Note that this is not the same as marking a file as Read Only. Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility --------------------------------------------------------------- This utility can be obtained here... http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/portablemediacenter/decoder.mspx A very useful program but with a problem. It reports that I have the MGI MPEG-2 Video Decoder on one of my machines...I have NO MGI software on my system!! I would not let that put you off using it as it does have a useful purpose even though the same objective can be achieved via other already existing routes within XP. I am in favour of this program as it does give good advice on which Codec you should select as the preferred Codec 4) What files does Movie Maker NOT like? ============================== Any MPEG based file will cause Movie Maker problems even though they seldom cause problems for Media Player. There are a number of reasons...Media Player does not need the CODER part of the Codec and there are many methods/procedures/algothims used to Code an MPeg file and its that wide range of methods that Movie Maker can not address. Its not really a bug but the method of dealing with the issue, well there is no method...Movie Maker gives an error and crashes or it just crashes. The particular file extensions are Mpeg,MPG and MP3. JPeg still images can also be a problem and for similar reasons to MPeg files. There are a number of formats for a JPeg and it seems that the older formats are not properly dealt with. To work around the issue you can reduce the compression used in creating the JPeg and NOT use the progressive format method The best solution for these problems is to convert the file into a more acceptable format, and as it happens a format that is more easily worked on by Movie Maker...the conversion you should employ are MPeg, MPG convert to AVI, MP3 convert to WAV and JPeg, JPG convert to a standard bitmap BMP NOTES ====== There are several other approaches you can take to solving a Codec issue. I have seen several other methods of solving the problem, and basically they don't. Instead they treat the symptom and not the problem itself. Several other methods involve damaging the picture of your computers layout (that's a bad pun by the way) and simply doing that involves the risk of permanent damage to that picture. The program Rename Codecs also damages that picture of your system but it does at least provide a user friendly way of restoring your system and that method requires no prior knowledge on your part about where, which and how to make those changes. All efforts are made to ensure that the information is accurate. As no one is perfect I would be happy to hear of any errors found in this document. If you have any doubts at all over following the advice given here you should NOT attempt it. The contents of this FAQ are liable to change with out prior notification. -- Best Wishes.....John Kelly Check out the free hosting for your pictures and video at... www.the-kellys.org www.the-kellys.co.uk Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33702
  - 19
    - Problem when importing videos When I try importing video files into MM2, the import box comes up with the top bar full (I think it's something like 'Importing Files') but the second bar ('Creating Clips' or such) just sits there and doesn't do anything. If I let it, MM2 will just sit there forever in that same state. To close it, I have to press 'Cancel' on the import box and then open up Task Manager and close the program that way. I'm not very technically minded, but I've tried playing around with filters, changed the acceleration of the computer, tried converting the file to another type (like .avi or .wmv), but NOTHING works! I also know it's not a problem with my Collection, because I started over with a new one in case the old one was corrupted (it didn't have anything I needed anyway). Can ANYONE help me?! Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33692
  - 20
    - Pictures don't appear - I get a red X instead Hi, I'm new to Movie Maker. I created a movie with pictures and when I went back into it later the pictures were not there, only the square with a red x in the middle. Thru reading it sounded like I had to copy the files from the CD onto my computer, so I did. Reimported the pictures and seemed to be fine. Then I figured when I saved the file as a movie it would take the pictures too. Not! Can you tell me what I might be doing wrong? Thanks, Kathy Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33690
  - 21
    - just a remark Just a Thank You for all the great and serious answers to all the questions. Please continue !!! A former Videowave 5-user. Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33687
  - 22
    - Creating Clips This is hit or miss for me. I capture video from my Sony DV camera and the create clips works for some tapes and not others. any thoughts? Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33682
  - 23
    - saving to DVD Hi, I have a 270 picture/title movie that I am trying to save to DVD using Sonic My DVD. The only format it lets me save the whole thing in is broadband and then the quality is really poor. How do I save this in DV AVI? I have the whole thing perfectly timed to the music so I don't want to mess that up. I saw a post that said you can save multiple copies of the project file and edit each one so that it represents one section of the final video but I don't understand what you are supposed to do after that. If you could explain this in really basic terms I would appreciate it. I am no computer expert. Thank you! Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33681
  - 24
    - help! drivers for prolink play tv@p7000 (or M2TV307PL) hi, i've lost my cd for the tv card p7000 and now i can't install it with win2000. can anyone help me? i've searched on the website of prolink but i didn't find them. thanks in advance Davide Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33680
  - 25
    - Funny error message I hv a JVC video cam and I used to be able to capture video from my cam into my notebook using Moviemaker. Since I upgraded to Windows XP sp2, I get an error message when I tried to capture a video from my JVC. The error message is "An interface has too many methods to fire events from" Has anyone encountered the same error messages and can recommend how to fix this? Many thanks. Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33679
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  - 1
    - Can't capture into moviemaker I have a Sony DCR-trv320 Digital video camera and want to capture video into my PC. When I connect to windows Movie Maker2 or Ulead VideoStudio 8(trial) to capture it will not recognize my Sony. It says,â??Either no video capture driver is install in the system or no device is connected.â?? I am running XP pro on 2.4Ghz pentium 4 with 512mb RAM with Service Pack 2 and lots of hard drive space with NTFS formatting. I have just installed new firewire with iLink connection. My computer recognizes the IEEE 1394 Card and says its working. I have also tried it at my friends, who has a Mac and he also has a Sony with no problem but mine did not work there either. I have check with Sony and there is no new software updates or drivers currently available. I have tried: 1. Turned off firewall - didn't work. 2. Checked to see if 1394 card was working - Control panel shows no problems with drivers and the device. 3 Rebooted with camera attached â?? didnâ??t work. 4. Tried a different cable â?? didnâ??t work. Any suggestions for further troubleshooting? Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33675
  - 2
    - audio problem My movie maker won't even open. It says that the required audio hardware cannot be found on my computer. I recently reinstalled Windows XP and had no problems with the movie maker previously. What happened? Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33671
  - 3
    - Need app that can display TV audio/video via USB Hi. I need an app that will allow me to display a VCR output picture (connected from my VCR to my Sony TRV428 camcorder) onto my laptop via USB. So far all the capture apps I've tried have come up short. The problem is that none of them except the USB Streaming Tool (that came with the camcorder) will play any audio when the USB Audio Device is selected. For now I'm using the audio from my stereo system, but I'd like to control it from the computer. I'd also like the app to have a brightness control. The following are the ones I've tried, and their shortcomings: USB Streaming Tool: Sound from USB Audio Device - Yes (the only device with sound output) Brightness/Contrast Control - Yes/No Resizable Screen - No Compact Display - No DV 4500: Sound from USB Audio Device - No Brightness/Contrast Control - No/No Resizable Screen - No Compact Display - No Netmeeting: Sound from USB Audio Device - No Brightness/Contrast Control - No/No Resizable Screen - Yes (but the picture looks horrible when enlarged) Compact Display - Yes Amcap.exe: Sound from USB Audio Device - No Brightness/Contrast Control - No/No Resizable Screen - Yes Compact Display - Yes Is there any freeware USB or firewire A/V display app that can do better than these? Thanks. Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33667
  - 4
    - combining movemaker clips I am making a movie and did clips in pieces thinking I could add them together but Moviemaker won't let me do that.....anybody no why it won't let me, or is there a way to do it? Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33663
  - 5
    - dragging collection locks me out Heres a new question from the completely clueless. I managed to get Nero to convert and import my DVD home movie (using DVD-r this time around) but when I try to drag it into my storyboard, the whole thing just locks up. I can still use my little start bar on the very bottom left corner(the one that opens up control panel and shuts down and the like) but everything in WMM is frozen and I am unable to click anything. THe duration of the collection I'm importing in is 1:53:39. Is this the problem? Is it too big or do i need to wait for WMM to get it all in? HAWLP!! Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33660
  - 6
    - Ping G S Ellis Hello, I have only just connected you with your presence on my site.....its been one of those days.... Anyway, there is now a Contract out on your Life !!! Sorry :) See Site for some clues -- Best Wishes.....John Kelly Check out the free hosting for your pictures and video at... www.the-kellys.org www.the-kellys.co.uk Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33657
  - 7
    - d094_appcompat.txt Error Everytime I open Windows Movie Maker 2, It says "Windows Movie Maker has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience." The Error Signature Is: AppName: moviemk.exe AppVer: 2.1.4026.0 ModName: moviemk.exe ModVer: 2.1.4026.0 Offset: 001695a0 The technical information says that "The folling files will be included in this error report: C:\DOCUME~1\<User Name>\LOCALS~1\Temp\a8bd_appcompat.txt Can anyone help me out? Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33655
  - 8
    - Can i coppy a sild show on to a dvd. help!!! Made a slidshow of farther-in- law and i can save it to disk but it want play on my dvd. can i even do this???? don't have a scopby doo Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33653
  - 9
    - Codec? Everytime I try to capture from a camera or save movies using the 'High quality video (pal)' codec with variable bit rate, movie is really choppy and keeps pausing when i capture movie. When I try to save movie it gets a few minutes in and just resets the pc. Other codecs are fine. I have restored pc to bare windows xp and sp2, still same issues. I want to use this as it seems to compress really well and works on 30second clips but more than 5 min and it resets randomly. TIA Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33652
  - 10
    - sonic mydvd crashes ... Good day. I have been having a lot of problems using My Dvd 5.2 deluxe. Once I have installed it works fine and I am able to create a dvd. However the next time I open the prog., again I get a error message saying "sonic myDVD has encountered a problem and needs to close,, We are sorry .,..... etc etc" I use sonic to write to dvd after editing in movie maker I am using windows xp with service pack 2 Then I un-install and re-install together with the motion style's package .. and the same happens over and over again . Is there a general news group for digital video editing and dvd authoring ? Looking forward to receiving some expert help !! Harold Johannesburg, South Africa Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33651
  - 11
    - Message for the Instant Expert Nice Try, Sorry you did not get to see it all.....LOLOLOLOL -- Best Wishes.....John Kelly Check out the free hosting for your pictures and video at... www.the-kellys.org www.the-kellys.co.uk Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33650
  - 12
    - --> DVD with good quality (Photo Story 3)? Hello all Thanks to PapaJohn I get very good quality on my Photo Story shows when played on the computer. But when I burn them onto DVD (Nero), the result is not very good, not sharp, oscillating etc. When I play the DVDs I've burnt on the computer, I get the same bad result. Is there a way to get the same good result on a DVD that I get when playing the file through Microsoft Media Player? Regards Jan Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33642
  - 13
    - Movie Maker unspecified error movie maker will not open or start. small window opens sayin unspecified error. I recently installed real player but I don believe it to be problem. Not sure how long problem has been around I haven't used mm in a while Please help Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33640
  - 14
    - Jumpy and Jittery video pictures - why? I have a Sony DCR HC-32 video camcorder. When I play the recorded video on the camcorder, the video runs smooth. When I record the video to my computer, the video looks jittery (it does mini jumps during the whole recording). I'm using a USB connection. Is that the problem or is it a setting I neet to adjust? Please provide me solutions to eliminate this jumpy effect during recording to PC. I apreciate your help. Thanks. Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33639
  - 15
    - Movie Maker 2.1 What I don't understand is how one gets WMM2.1 if I already have sp2 so how can I get WMM2.1. Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33637
  - 16
    - Changing time on picture clips I am trying to lengthen the amount of time one of my pictures stays on the screen. I am going to Options, then advanced, and changing the time from 5 seconds to 10. I click okay, but it stays at 5 seconds. What step am I missing? Thanks again, Amanda Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33631
  - 17
    - can't capture video hi, i have a toshiba satellite laptop and i have an analog sony handycam...i connected the 2 devices by S-video cable ,,and i clicked on capture video in windows movie maker and i had the message "a video capture device is not detected verify that a device is properly connected..." what should i do?? Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33624
  - 18
    - iTunes can't be used? So, I can't use music that I have download through iTunes in my movie? It doesn't seem to see any of this music when I am trying to import... thx, Amanda Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33618
  - 19
    - Teaching Movie Maker I'm a school teacher and am trying to show the students how to edit with Windows Movie Maker. For some strange reason every time I try to move the playhead on the timeline the video expands to full screen and the Interface dissappears. How do I fix it so that am able to show how to cut clips add transitions and audio without the video expanding everytime I touch the playhead. This only happens when I am using an LCD projector. HELP! Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33608
  - 20
    - E-Mail from Carmen I would love to ask this question via thread, but I just don't know how. I hooked up cable to the back of my AVI All in wonder 9600 video card. When I choose TV tuner in MovieMaker I get see the TV channel I chose but no audio. I tried running the audio from my VCR (hooked up to cable as well) to the back of my new computer, but I have to idea where 'Line In' is or what the heck my sound card looks like. So I just plugged it into every hole and tried it each time. Thanks for your help, Carmen ps You may go ahead and copy-paste this into a thread for others to see if they have the same question Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33599
  - 21
    - Tip: Custom Text - Titles and Credits Rehan and others have explored custom titles and credits... similar to making custom effects and transitions. I added a link on my website to the page of Rehan's site that gives a great overview and detailed info... see my Editing > Text > Intro page. The direct link to Rehan's page is: http://www.rehanfx.org/customtc.htm -- PapaJohn Movie Maker 2 and Photo Story 3 - www.papajohn.org Photo Story 2 - www.photostory.papajohn.org . Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33594
  - 22
    - Audio on Video Clips Help On my video clips it doesnt have any audio and its supposed to.My old video clips which are from the same camera have sound with it and now the new video clips dont have sound when I put it in the timeline.However the clips have sound when I just play the clip in the preview screen, but when I drag it to the timeline the audio doesnt go.On my old clips I check out the properties and it has an audio section but the new clips dont have an audio section.I dont know whats wrong and I cant explain it clearer. Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33581
  - 23
    - Legal Music Clips for home movies This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0012_01C52D23.D0CC91A0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Guys, what's a good site for free legal music clips to be added to home movies = .. thanks Vern ------=_NextPart_000_0012_01C52D23.D0CC91A0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1491" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Guys,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>what's a good site for free legal music = clips to be=20 added to home movies .. thanks</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Vern</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0012_01C52D23.D0CC91A0-- Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33579
  - 24
    - Having Problem Saving to CD & Computer I have been working on this slideshow for a wedding and it I put a lo of work into, but when I go to save it to My Computer or to a CD, i comes up with an error message. It says i need to check the source o files, make sure there is enough disk space and something else. I hav tried to make sure that I converted everything, but it still won' save, can anyone please help me???? : Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33569
  - 25
    - corrupted clips - Typo Sorry about the typo ' all images are jagged and broken ' Hi All, I have an .avi movie which plays perfectly in Media Player and can be edited in Moviemaker. Trouble is, when I use the 'create clips' routine all the clips are corrupted - colours all wrong and jagged broken images. Can anyone advise what I am doing wrong please? IanF Tag: Static on Audio during playback Tag: 33566

I never had this problem before but during part of the song on my video I can
hearing faint crackling here and there. Would that be something I can correct
in moviemaker or does it have to do with the song itself?
thanks

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