FourCC's: why so unbelievably unobtainable ?
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This day, like on many occasions in the past, I couldn't read a video from the web because it requires a codec that I don't have. In the first place, I find it rather inconvenient that you need to find and download a codec file just to watch a video. But, well, we are used to that, they call it progress. But what irks me most is the mentally challenged error message given by Windows Media Player in such situations: "the required codec is not installed". Why do I say mentally challenged ? Just because to fix this you need to know WHICH codec is required. Exactly the information that is never given by WMP. Just four letters. Why on earth do they keep these secret ??? You will tell me that there are utilities around to tell you the FourCC of a file. Agreed, but I wish you good luck when the file is known as a http URL... Grrrrr, user-unfriendliness !!!
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This day, like on many occasions in the past, I couldn't read a video from the web because it requires a codec that I don't have. In the first place, I find it rather inconvenient that you need to find and download a codec file just to watch a video. But, well, we are used to that, they call it progress. But what irks me most is the mentally challenged error message given by Windows Media Player in such situations: "the required codec is not installed". Why do I say mentally challenged ? Just because to fix this you need to know WHICH codec is required. Exactly the information that is never given by WMP. Just four letters. Why on earth do they keep these secret ??? You will tell me that there are utilities around to tell you the FourCC of a file. Agreed, but I wish you good luck when the file is known as a http URL... Grrrrr, user-unfriendliness !!!
Can't you find a porn site that doesn't require you to download Codecs?
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Can't you find a porn site that doesn't require you to download Codecs?
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This day, like on many occasions in the past, I couldn't read a video from the web because it requires a codec that I don't have. In the first place, I find it rather inconvenient that you need to find and download a codec file just to watch a video. But, well, we are used to that, they call it progress. But what irks me most is the mentally challenged error message given by Windows Media Player in such situations: "the required codec is not installed". Why do I say mentally challenged ? Just because to fix this you need to know WHICH codec is required. Exactly the information that is never given by WMP. Just four letters. Why on earth do they keep these secret ??? You will tell me that there are utilities around to tell you the FourCC of a file. Agreed, but I wish you good luck when the file is known as a http URL... Grrrrr, user-unfriendliness !!!
It's not just Windows Media Player. I've had all players report essentially the same error. The weirdest case was where VLC reported this and then proceeded to play the file anyway. I suspect there was a third stream (after the video and audio) that VLC couldn't "figure out."
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It's not just Windows Media Player. I've had all players report essentially the same error. The weirdest case was where VLC reported this and then proceeded to play the file anyway. I suspect there was a third stream (after the video and audio) that VLC couldn't "figure out."
Is it me or is there a deep reason why it is so ?
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Is it me or is there a deep reason why it is so ?
Because FourCCs doesn't always determine what CODEC is needed. The player parses a file and tries to make sense of a header and fails. Truth is, sometimes no CODEC is actually available since the file is corrupt, but the player punts on the issue.
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Because FourCCs doesn't always determine what CODEC is needed. The player parses a file and tries to make sense of a header and fails. Truth is, sometimes no CODEC is actually available since the file is corrupt, but the player punts on the issue.
That's agreed. But even the FourCC is not reported. You're just stuck. Extra sadism is provided by the "Web Help" button that drives you into a dead-endish FAQ. (Instead of kindly telling you what the FourCC is, together with a list of OpenSource, freeware and commercial codecs that support it. Dreaming is free.)
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This day, like on many occasions in the past, I couldn't read a video from the web because it requires a codec that I don't have. In the first place, I find it rather inconvenient that you need to find and download a codec file just to watch a video. But, well, we are used to that, they call it progress. But what irks me most is the mentally challenged error message given by Windows Media Player in such situations: "the required codec is not installed". Why do I say mentally challenged ? Just because to fix this you need to know WHICH codec is required. Exactly the information that is never given by WMP. Just four letters. Why on earth do they keep these secret ??? You will tell me that there are utilities around to tell you the FourCC of a file. Agreed, but I wish you good luck when the file is known as a http URL... Grrrrr, user-unfriendliness !!!
On fourcc.org[^] there are a few programs that probably can find out what you need to know. They also have an extensive list of almost all codecs on that site.
People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.
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On fourcc.org[^] there are a few programs that probably can find out what you need to know. They also have an extensive list of almost all codecs on that site.
People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.-John Q. Adams
You must accept one of two basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not alone in the universe. And either way, the implications are staggering.-Wernher von Braun
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.-Albert Einstein -
On fourcc.org[^] there are a few programs that probably can find out what you need to know. They also have an extensive list of almost all codecs on that site.
People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.
As I said on purpose, when you cannot download the media as files, this is of no use.
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As I said on purpose, when you cannot download the media as files, this is of no use.
Happy New Year, Yves, You may wish to clarify your first post to make sure people understand you are talking about viewing a video-stream on the web, not downloading a file. I suspect many of the readers/responders here, like me, did not quite "get" that. yrs, Bill
"So long as … social condemnation, which, in the face of civilization, artificially creates hells on earth, and complicates divine destiny, with human fatality … so long as three problems of the age: degradation of man by poverty; ruin of women by starvation; dwarfing of childhood by physical and spiritual night: are not solved: so long as social asphyxia shall be possible … so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless." Victor Hugo, "Les Misérables," 1862
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Happy New Year, Yves, You may wish to clarify your first post to make sure people understand you are talking about viewing a video-stream on the web, not downloading a file. I suspect many of the readers/responders here, like me, did not quite "get" that. yrs, Bill
"So long as … social condemnation, which, in the face of civilization, artificially creates hells on earth, and complicates divine destiny, with human fatality … so long as three problems of the age: degradation of man by poverty; ruin of women by starvation; dwarfing of childhood by physical and spiritual night: are not solved: so long as social asphyxia shall be possible … so long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, books like this cannot be useless." Victor Hugo, "Les Misérables," 1862
Happy New Year, Bill. I mean that the file is accessible from an hyperlink that launches a viewer, that gives you the uniformative error message and that's it. Getting the downloaded file instead is not that straightforward. I am not so much after a solution, I am just nagging: why on earth when you click on the link you don't get a simple message with these bl**dy four letters that would allow you to go forward?