How can I list ALL the codecs installed on my platform?

KKS wrote on 9/13/2024, 7:13 AM

So I visited the system info tab (MSINFO32 prompt) on my Windows and it lists these codecs:

https://ibb.co/GCdsT4Z
(in essence, there are a couple, but no Blackmagic codec of any kind).

However, I do have a Blackmagic Intensity Pro capture card installed on my PC motherboard and I use it for capturing AVI videos from my HD camcorder. I can also load and watch these AVI files onto my Vegas timeline. Everything works flawlessly.

The captured AVI files are described in the Win properties window / by Vegas as ""Blackmagic 8 bit MJPEG codec".

However, this codec is NOT listed by Windows in the MSINFO32. Can anyone explain to me what to make of this? I need to prepare a list of all the codecs I currently have and I am confused. Thanks!

Comments

mark-y wrote on 9/13/2024, 8:27 AM

Blackmagic MJPEG codec is an older, proprietary codec. It may be installed as a hardware capture codec on your card.

Vegas uses your system software codecs. And only some of them that meet strict licensure requirements. Nonpartnered Proprietary codecs are not included for legal reasons.

You could try Shutter Encoder to convert your files for use in Vegas; also, you could probably install Mainconcept MJPEG as an AVI codec in Vegas and see if it will open your files.

Those are the only two practical alternatives I know of.

If you want to upload a very short sample MJPEG file to Drive or Dropbox (nowhere else!) and post a link here, I'll have a look at it and "maybe" offer another suggestion.

KKS wrote on 9/13/2024, 9:15 AM

Blackmagic MJPEG codec is an older, proprietary codec. It may be installed as a hardware capture codec on your card.

Vegas uses your system software codecs. And only some of them that meet strict licensure requirements. Nonpartnered Proprietary codecs are not included for legal reasons.

You could try Shutter Encoder to convert your files for use in Vegas; also, you could probably install Mainconcept MJPEG as an AVI codec in Vegas and see if it will open your files.

Those are the only two practical alternatives I know of.

If you want to upload a very short sample MJPEG file to Drive or Dropbox (nowhere else!) and post a link here, I'll have a look at it and "maybe" offer another suggestion.

Thank you about the explanation, but I am confused as to why you're offering to help me with converting my files. I never said I have any problem with them - quite the opposite, I said that "everything works flawlessly":)

In detail:
- I capture my HD video from my camcorder via my Intensity Pro capture card;
- the captured files are saved as AVI Motion JPEG format / Blackmagic 8 bit MJPEG codec on my hard drive;
- I can load these AVI files into my Vegas project and Vegas sees them and works with them flawlessly;
- when I finish my project, I render it as Mainconcept AVC/AAC codec / MP4 file format.

Are you suggesting there's something wrong here?
Thanks!

Howard-Vigorita wrote on 9/13/2024, 10:19 AM

@KKS You should be able to go into Windows Control Panel, Device Manager, and see the board and it's driver settings. If it shows up under Device Manager, Display Adapters, Vegas should at least list it if you hold down the SHIFT key while clicking on Help, Launch Hardware Detection. And GPU-Z should also list it with more detailed information.

If you're into Vegas script authoring, another possibility is writing a script that loads Windows' System.Management and runs its ManagementObjectSearcher to find the board and query its objects and settings. I do that to list video boards in Vegas scripts. The Device Manager might give a clue on how the board identifies itself to Windows so you can narrow down what kind of device to search for.

If the board employs a secret proprietary api, only software from the manufacturer will be able to do more.

Howard-Vigorita wrote on 9/13/2024, 11:04 AM

@KKS Out of curiosity I dug a little deeper into how to list all the pci boards which I've never done before. It's covered in this post: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11966684/how-to-get-the-device-id-of-pci-devices

 

mark-y wrote on 9/13/2024, 11:49 AM


Are you suggesting there's something wrong here?

No, not quite. I replied only because I had the compelling impression that you were reporting "something wrong here."

This is a peer support area; for general comments and questions not involving an error or troubleshooting request, the appropriate venue is called the "Off Topic" forum area.

Thanks for telling us that everything is working as expected for you.

Thanks for your post, and welcome to the discussions.

mark-y wrote on 9/13/2024, 12:00 PM

@KKS

Looking again at your original post, I may have actually given you the correct answer.

Hardware codecs will not show up in MSINFO, only software System Codecs. The reason? -- Hardware codecs are not necessarily listed in the System Registry, unless they are "hooked" by a software DLL. The codec is on your card, a removable hardware device.

Have you also looked in "Device Manager / System Devices" and fired up your system's "DXDiag" Utitlity? I'll bet you a brew you find something in one or both of those places 😮

Again the best place for "questions of curiousity" is the Off Topic area.

Feel free to mark one of these responses as "The Solution," if you wish.

;?)

KKS wrote on 9/14/2024, 1:49 AM

@KKS

Looking again at your original post, I may have actually given you the correct answer.

Hardware codecs will not show up in MSINFO, only software System Codecs. The reason? -- Hardware codecs are not necessarily listed in the System Registry, unless they are "hooked" by a software DLL. The codec is on your card, a removable hardware device.

Have you also looked in "Device Manager / System Devices" and fired up your system's "DXDiag" Utitlity? I'll bet you a brew you find something in one or both of those places 😮

Again the best place for "questions of curiousity" is the Off Topic area.

Feel free to mark one of these responses as "The Solution," if you wish.

;?)

Sorry if I sent off a weird vibe!;) English is not my native language.

If this is so, then it's ok. I am planning a transition from my current Vegas 15 + Win-7 computer (flawless;) to a new Vegas 19/22 + Win-10 platform and I want to avoid any glitches and surprises. That's why I thought I would list all my current codecs and replicate them on my new platform. However, what you're saying makes sense. I do hardware capturing so this codec must be sitting inside the Intensity Pro. I was taking it into consideration. However, I was just asking myself the question "if this is a hardware codec of the capture card, how come Windows knows it and displays its full name? But I guess that doesn't matter. It just knows it;)
 

mark-y wrote on 9/14/2024, 10:51 AM

@KKS

Really, you don't need to worry or apologize for your English language skills. They are better than most, and you are a smart thinker!

I am planning a transition from my current Vegas 15 + Win-7 computer (flawless;) to a new Vegas 19/22 + Win-10 platform and I want to avoid any glitches and surprises. 

There will always be glitches and surprises, perhaps the best we can do is to prepare for them by backing up our steps.

There is no assurance that all of the codecs on your Windows 7 machine will be on your Windows 10/11 machine, nor do they need to be.

  • Vegas knows what's in your Windows 10/11 System Files. It doesn't use all of them, and there are some ancient ones it really doesn't need to have available.
  • You may have some third party codecs on your old machine that need to be reinstalled on your new machine, including some that Vegas may use. There is no "automatic" way to make this happen, we need to do this one codec at a time, from its licensed manufacturer, in the latest version that is compatible with your new operating system.
  • This is true for your Hardware Capture Card as well. When you install it on a computer, it creates what is known as a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) in your System Registry, which lets your applications "see" the codec being hooked on your hardware. It sounds like you may not understand this completely yet.
  • Install only the one codec needed, when a specific file won't open.
  • There is no safe way to transfer the codecs other than to reinstall them one at a time.
  • Please, don't install a "codec pack" such as K-Lite or Ffdshow when you only really need to open one file. The Uninstallers for these codec packs never remove the garbage that they have dumped in your System Registry, so please don't go there, because the solution usually involves reinstalling Windows.

Like any other social media forum, you will get lots of different opinions here. Take all of the responses into account, and cautiously tackle the one that makes the most sense to you; usually the answers that sound easy or magical are the ones that will bite you the worst.

Here is some additional reading on this forum.

https://www.vegascreativesoftware.info/us/forum/faq-why-won-t-vegas-open-my-file-correctly-codecs-converters-etc--104572/

From a post in the Vegas Movie Studio forum from 2008:

When troubleshooting codec issues, beware of the blunderbuss approach of installing codec "packages," especially from unknown download services. Doing so may have unintended consequences for your applications from Sony or other vendors, or possible the security of your system. Uninstalling these "packages" does not restore your system to its original state. Only a system restore and / or reinstallation of the affected applications can do this. Think of codec "packages" as if a shotgun was fired into a darkened room -- it's going to hit something, but is it what was intended? Better to follow the suggestions below to find out specifically what is needed in your case. It's too bad that all the bad codec "packages" had to ruin it for the one or two good ones

Welcome to the discussions; I hope you find a little of this useful. Take all of the advice you hear into account, follow your instincts, and treat your mistakes as opportunities.