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**fds** · 20 May 2001, 17:41

SP2 didn't make any difference for me as to the functionality of the DivX codecs. They were originally MS-MPEG4v3 beta codecs made by Microsoft after all.

**xortam** · 20 May 2001, 20:30

Here's the link to the forum that was discussing this problem. The speculations were that it only involved specific encodings, codec integration, system file protection undoing updates, etc. Perhaps its just a few users reporting unassociated problems. I'll update tomorrow unless somebody screams.

**fds** · 21 May 2001, 05:36

Well I use mplayer2 (v6.4) not WMP7.

But I doubt these guys had these problems because of SP2.

The only change which could matter in playing "DivX" encoded files is that SP2 updates the original Microsoft MS-MPEG4 codec (mpg4c32.dll among others). You can change it back to the old beta which allows playing MS-MPEG4v3 in AVI files. Just change it in the dllcache folder first or Sytem File Protection will simply put the new one back in a second.

Movies which are not marked as MP43 but the hacked DIV3 or DIV4 and are using the renamed DivX*.dll files are obviously not affected by SP2 and SFP leaves those files well alone.

**Jammrock** · 21 May 2001, 08:05

I use Sasami2k with DivX on Win2k Sp@ and have had zero troubles.

Jammrock

**xortam** · 21 May 2001, 08:21

Right, I did forget to specify that it was a problem when using WMP7. As I said, there are some workarounds. I just wanted to see if MURCers were running into these problems but I know how many of you detest WMP7.
I don't appear to have a dllcache folder. I believe that is because its a new installation and I haven't run a scan with SFC yet. I better do a scan before updating in case the SP2 installation doesn't build this cache for me. I assume that WFP is installed and activated with the default installation. This is the first time I've used W2K in the last 2 1/2 years so I need to spend a bit of time to catch up on some of these details.

**fds** · 21 May 2001, 09:25

dllcache is a read only, hidden, system and compressed folder inside WINNT\system32.
Most likely you also have it. It's created automatically without running any special utility.

And who doesn't hate WMP7?

(I do have it installed, just made sure that the mplayer2.exe of WMP6.4 is still the default player.)

**xortam** · 21 May 2001, 11:29

Found it. There's hidden and then there's really hidden. I always set my folder options to not hide file extensions or files and folders right after I install the OS yet it didn't show the cache directory. I found dllcache through the command prompt using the hidden attribute flag. I then went back and checked my folder options. I forgot that I elected to leave the option to hide the protected OS files (after it gave me a stern warning). I verified that dllcache is indeed created when you install the OS. I'll go boldly forth today and update, fearing not the evils of patching, and feeling comfort in the belief that goodness will prevail.

**arbymo** · 22 May 2001, 21:58

fds
Currently, i don't have the file mpg4c32.dll installed in any of the system folders, weather under 2k or 98SE.
But i downloaded it earlier from www.desktopvideoworld.co.uk.
I just wanna know how to install this file ? it's only a .dll with no inf files.
dated april 99, size 406 KB, ver. 4.0.0.3688.
I understand this codec was realeased by microsoft ? an early beta stage maybee ? what exactly was it released for ?

**xortam** · 23 May 2001, 08:36

Originally posted by fds:
... It's a miracle how such an amateurish hack could have spread so fast to became the number one video codec in use today

Kind of like DOS.

**fds** · 23 May 2001, 16:23

It's a pre-DirectShow type video codec for Microsoft MPEG-4 (MPG4, MP42 and MP43 formats). It's used for both playing and encoding video in these formats, except for DirectShow-capable capable players (no encoding) which could use mpg4ds32.ax MPEG-4 Video Decompressor.

If it didn't come with Media Player, then it certainly is part of the Windows Media Tools for encoding media in WMP formats. This is a free download at MS and also comes as part of Windows 2000 Server, which is probably the reason there's an update in SP2.

Why people prefer to have an older, buggy release from the Media Tools 6 beta days instead of the new ones is because after a short while Microsoft disabled the option of using it in AVI files, trying to make this pretty nice codec a reward for people using their ASF streaming format.

Version 4.0.0.3688 was I believe the last non-hacked release to allow playing MP43 in AVI files. After some changes in their official release, MS allowed playing up to MP42 in AVI but disallowed MP43.
I haven't tried what Version 4.1.0.3920 which ships with W2k SP2 allows.

The filter known as "DivX;-)" (DIV3, DIV4) is an older version of Microsoft's MPEG4 codec with minor modifications to change the name, tinker with some otherwise unconfigurable settings and to make it available for use in any AVI file.

While it's as buggy and unreliable as the old betas it's based on, changing the FourCC code and the file name saves people from having to bother with their official mpg4c32.dll codec.

(Note that there are now initatives to create a brand new, legal but uncompatible with the well-known hack version of the DivX;-) codec.)
And that DIVX originally was the name of a pay-per-view DVD-like format in the US which failed very quickly. Then the one who made the hacked codec thought he would be the worlds funniest guy to rename his modification of Microsoft's codec to that...
It's a miracle how such an amateurish hack could have spread so fast to became the number one video codec in use today, now even used sometimes for legal purposes.

To install a .dll codec by hand in a minimal way, you would put it into winnt\system32, and add it to the registry:

<pre>
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32]
"vidc.mpg4"="mpg4c32.dll"
"vidc.mp42"="mpg4c32.dll"
"vidc.mp43"="mpg4c32.dll"
</pre>

(cut and paste this into a text file, save with the .REG extension and double-click on it)

I think you also have to make some changes in system.ini to Win9x/Me happy, but this should be enough for NT/W2k.

**arbymo** · 23 May 2001, 18:32

fds
Thanx for the detailed explanation, it's more than what i expected

I'm still missing couple things though.

Originally posted by fds:
It's a pre-DirectShow type video codec for Microsoft MPEG-4 (MPG4, MP42 and MP43 formats). It's used for both playing and encoding video in these formats, except for DirectShow-capable capable players (no encoding) which could use mpg4ds32.ax MPEG-4 Video Decompressor.

If i'm getting it right, then files encoded with DivX as AVI's would be similiar in file size/quality at the same bitrate/copmression ratio as files encoded with Windows Media Encoder in asf format ??
And only difference is that you have to use different players/codecs ?

Why people prefer to have an older, buggy release from the Media Tools 6 beta days instead of the new ones is because after a short while Microsoft disabled the option of using it in AVI files, trying to make this pretty nice codec a reward for people using their ASF streaming format.

This would lead to the 2nd question; why would one consider using FlaskMPG/DivX over Windows Encoder/asf ? what are the advantages/disadvantages ?
What's the big deal of MPG4 avi anyway ?

The filter known as "DivX;-)" (DIV3, DIV4) is an older version of Microsoft's MPEG4 codec with minor modifications to change the name, tinker with some otherwise unconfigurable settings and to make it available for use in any AVI file.

While it's as buggy and unreliable as the old betas it's based on, changing the FourCC code and the file name saves people from having to bother with their official mpg4c32.dll codec.

Is it because ppl have to pay M$ for using/encoding/watching/distributing asf's ?while DivX avi's are free ?
Or is it because asf's aren't supported through different platforms ?
But still, for other platforms; you still need a player.

The player and encoder are free from M$ for windows platforms, and there's a media player for the mac, i heared for some commercial asf player for SUSE linux.
and the asf format is more standard and more supported.

(Note that there are now initatives to create a brand new, legal but uncompatible with the well-known hack version of the DivX;-) codec.)

And that would be OpenDivx 4 ver. 0.50 alpha ? versus the old 3.11 ?

It's a miracle how such an amateurish hack could have spread so fast to became the number one video codec in use today, now even used sometimes for legal purposes.

One of the usages is of course DVD ripping which made FlaskMPG and DivX famous.
But couldn't the same be acheived by encoding to asf ?

Another usage is compressing captured videos, which can be done with MS asf as well as DivX.
That's what made me ineterested in the 1st place as a friend of mine got a new video capture board and i was looking for mpeg-1, mpeg-2, asf, DivX formats for compressing the huge files to be burn on cd's he'll use for presentations/demos.
I excluded mpeg-2 as it needs a 3rd SoftDVD player/codec, and he needs the demos to run on out of the box windows (WMP 6.1/6.4)

To install a .dll codec by hand in a minimal way, you would put it into winnt\system32, and add it to the registry:

<pre>
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Drivers32]
"vidc.mpg4"="mpg4c32.dll"
"vidc.mp42"="mpg4c32.dll"
"vidc.mp43"="mpg4c32.dll"
</pre>

(cut and paste this into a text file, save with the .REG extension and double-click on it)

I think you also have to make some changes in system.ini to Win9x/Me happy, but this should be enough for NT/W2k.

is this the same as using regsvr32.exe /s codec_name.ext ?
The system.ini part can be done if you read carefully through the DivX inf file.

A long post !! from a confused guy !!

[This message has been edited by arbymo (edited 24 May 2001).]

[This message has been edited by arbymo (edited 24 May 2001).]

**fds** · 23 May 2001, 19:21

Originally posted by arbymo:
If i'm getting it right, then files encoded with DivX as AVI's would be similiar in file size/quality at the same bitrate/copmression ratio as files encoded with Windows Media Encoder in asf format ??
And only difference is that you have to use different players/codecs ?

Yes and no. And also to your other questions about why not to use ASF:

ASF is fundamentally different from AVI. AVI is a standard format, ASF is Microsoft only. AVI was made for playing from a local storage. In fact because indices are located at the very end of an AVI file, you can't even play them normally until you download the whole file.

ASF is for streaming media. It consists of specifically sized chunks of data to be streamed over a connection of any given speed.

ASF is just a waste of space if you intend to download the whole video then play it locally as opposed to seeking to and playing specific parts of it online over the Internet.

But you could use the beta version of the MS-MPEG4 codec for encoding to AVI files, and in that case you would be getting exactly the same quality and the same size as with the "DivX" codec. (They are the same after all. )
(Except that there are also a few hard-coded values modified in the DivX-hacked files.)

It's only that in later releases Microsoft checks whether you are trying to use it for encoding in anywhere but their ASF creator and refuses to do the work. They even went as far as to disallow even just playing MS-MPG43 AVI files encoded with the previous versions.

This is where the whole DivX thing becomes useful. Instead of forcing you to keep the old version of Microsoft's mpg4 codecs, you can simply keep the new ones, PLUS the old ones under another name (DivX).

Originally posted by arbymo:
is this the same as using regsvr32.exe /s codec_name.ext ?

No, regsvr has nothing to do with this mpg4c32.dll. That's for DirectShow filters. (They are usually called *.ax)

Originally posted by arbymo:

The system.ini part can be done if you read carefully through the DivX inf file.

I know how it's done (it's inherited from the Windows 3.x days even), I just didn't feel like explaining that as well.

[This message has been edited by fds (edited 24 May 2001).]

**arbymo** · 23 May 2001, 20:38

fds
thanx again

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