Archos 43 - Problem with DivX/XviD (AVI) files?

[unidentified]

Hi all,

I am aware of the need for the Plug-ins in order to play AC3 encoded material, but this is not so much the issue here.


I have a number of different files, but the main items are:

MP4 with AAC audio - seems play and search fine with no problems using either Mobo Player or Vital Player

XviD (avi) with AC3 audio - plays, but with problems. With both Mobo Player and Vital Player, Video/Audio often falls out of sync, then resyncs. With Mobo Player, searching is a nightmare, when file begins can't search at all or it gets completely stuck. After a while, one search or so every now and again works but otherwise it crashes the program or hangs.

Haven't tried MKV just yet



Any other software that is good for playing XviD/DivX (AVI)?


Usually it is MP4 that requires more processing power, XviD/DivX I have always found to be relatively low power/CPU consumption.

[aaronmy]

Rockplayer is pretty good, plays everything i threw at it.

[unidentified]

Gave Rockplayer a shot, but it's still facing the same problems as mentioned above for Mobo and Vital Player.

Looks like a nice player, though it still couldnt play a couple of the MP4's I threw at it.

When playing the XviD's it asked Hardware or Software Acceleration?

It wouldn't allow Hardware when I tried to select it, so had no choice but to choose software - then faced the same problems.

[julian67]

Usually it is MP4 that requires more processing power, XviD/DivX I have always found to be relatively low power/CPU consumption.

MP4 is just a container while xvid/divx are codecs. If you put xvid/divx in an MP4 container it won't require any more cpu or power than the same video in avi. Many (most?) mp4 files contain not xvid+ac3/mp3 but h.264+aac. Both h.264 and aac require more processing power to decode (play) than xvid and mp3/ac3 (relatively). That's why you may have arrived at thinking mp4 requires more power. However, the gen8 devices offload the video and audio decoding onto dedicated hardware (DSP) so it's extremely efficient. If you have the choice between a blocky, soft divx/xvid in avi and a crisp,clear h.264 in mkv/mp4 then there is no good reason to choose the lower quality file. The 20th century is over a long time now and divx/xvid can safely be consigned to the dustbin of history (to coin a trotskyist phrase)

Probably what you have are badly encoded/muxed files in avi. Avi has some limitations that mp4 and mkv don't have and you may well find that the same audio+video in mp4 or mkv plays fine. If you get yourself mkvtoolnix from https://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvto ... loads.html you can quickly mux the content of those avi files into mkv and try again. There's every chance the audio will stay synced and seeking will be better, and you can be sure that you will not be using any extra processing or battery power.

[unidentified]

Usually it is MP4 that requires more processing power, XviD/DivX I have always found to be relatively low power/CPU consumption.

MP4 is just a container while xvid/divx are codecs. If you put xvid/divx in an MP4 container it won't require any more cpu or power than the same video in avi. Many (most?) mp4 files contain not xvid+ac3/mp3 but h.264+aac. Both h.264 and aac require more processing power to decode (play) than xvid and mp3/ac3 (relatively). That's why you may have arrived at thinking mp4 requires more power. However, the gen8 devices offload the video and audio decoding onto dedicated hardware (DSP) so it's extremely efficient. If you have the choice between a blocky, soft divx/xvid in avi and a crisp,clear h.264 in mkv/mp4 then there is no good reason to choose the lower quality file. The 20th century is over a long time now and divx/xvid can safely be consigned to the dustbin of history (to coin a trotskyist phrase)

Probably what you have are badly encoded/muxed files in avi. Avi has some limitations that mp4 and mkv don't have and you may well find that the same audio+video in mp4 or mkv plays fine. If you get yourself mkvtoolnix from https://www.bunkus.org/videotools/mkvto ... loads.html you can quickly mux the content of those avi files into mkv and try again. There's every chance the audio will stay synced and seeking will be better, and you can be sure that you will not be using any extra processing or battery power.

While I understand and am aware of everything said here, it doesn't change my OP, that I still require an efficient XviD/DivX playing method.

The reason? With hundreds or more files in said DivX/XviD format that I wanted to use I am not prepared to nor do I see the sense in transcoding or remuxing them. And most other devices I have used them on can play them no problems, so I am sure they are badly encoded or anything. I have come across my fair share of bad encodes and I know these are not.

I have heard the debate about MP4/MKV/H264 vs DivX/XviD many times and although it is many peoples opinion that it should be "confined to the dustbin of history" it is still very much alive as a format. Whether it is as good or not, well, that's not really the issue here for me anyway.

The disappointing thing is that I thought the Archos would have been able to handle and decode XviD/DivX extremely easily, since it is now such an old format and after years of it we know all there is to know about it.

Anyone any other suggestions?