DiVX File Output Size Restriction?

[KnoWei]

DiVX File Output Restricted to 2GB Without odml

I've been using the Generic DiVX profile to convert my Original DVDs to AVI files for storage on a NAS and playback via a media player at each TV in the house. The setup is working fine but I've run into an apparent 2GB output file size restriction. Posts on this forum and elsewhere do not provide me any conclusive evidence whether this is a limitation on DiVX, Mencoder, or perhaps something local to my environment.

Has anyone succesfully converted a DVD to AVI and played the output file when it is larger than 2.0GB?

The symptoms below are for DVDs converted with CloneDVDMobile with a final output file size that is 2.0GB or greater, e.g. not estimated by CloneDVD Mobile. Region 1 titles I've tested include: Looney_Toons_Back_In_Action, The_Three_Amigos, A_Night_At_The_Museum.

SYMPTOMS:
1) Conversion completes successfully (according to CloneDVDMobile)
2) The file Video and Audio properties are blank when viewed via Windows Explorer (on Vista or XP).
3) The file size shows as 2GB or higher in Windows Explorer
4) The file will not play on Windows Media Center or Quicktime or my exploited PS2 SMS player (which is very forgiving).

The same movie converted to have a final output file size of less than 2.0GB will play just fine on all the above mentioned players. I'm adjusting file size by simply moving the slider to the left until estimated file size is at or below 2.0GB.

My CloneDVDMobile settings are:
Letterbox Zoom = none
Resolution = 720x480 (NTSC TV) or 640x480 when available (this appears to depend on the resolution of the selected movie)
Video Quality = Pushed right until file size exceeds ~2.15GB. The estimate is typically slightly higher than the final output size.
DeInterlace = Off (not checked)
Pass Dropdown = 2
Chapters = Off (not checked)

My PC is:
Windows Vista HPE
Intel Dual Core E4400 2.0GHz
RAM 2GB

Thoughts or pointer to other doc on DiVX encoded AVI file size restrictions are welcome.

 

[Dad_11]

I just finshed creating a 2.6gb DivX file using CloneDVD mobile so it can be done. However I was unable to copy it to mty 2gb flash driver doh and I can not burn it to DVD as a data file as the ISO standard has a 2gb limit.

 

[Dad_11]

Another thought would be; what file system does your windows drive use? I believe that fat32 may also have a 2gb limit. My drive is setup with NTFS.

 

[KnoWei]

@Dad-11

I'm not formatted for Fat32 (that restriction is 4GB btw).

The 2.6GB file you created... Were you able to play it on one of your PC players? Can you tell me whether you can see file properties and in particular what the Video Properties are? Thanks.

~KnoWei

 

[KnoWei]

I found this at the MEncoder Site http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/HTML-single/en/MPlayer.html#avi

"6.1.2. AVI files
Designed by Microsoft, AVI (Audio Video Interleaved) is a widespread multipurpose format currently used mostly for MPEG-4 (DivX and DivX4) video. It has many known drawbacks and shortcomings (for example in streaming). It supports one video stream and 0 to 99 audio streams and can be as big as 2GB, but there exists an extension allowing bigger files called OpenDML. Microsoft currently strongly discourages its use and encourages ASF/WMV. Not that anybody cares."

I'm researching the OpenDML extension reference.

Again all this only matters if you are setting resolution and quality so that estimated file size will exceed 2GB.

~KnoWei

 

[KnoWei]

Details On -odml Parm For AVI Files Larger Than 2GB

@Slysoft Dev Team

I have many DVDs that are coming in just over the 2GB standard avi container size limit when I convert them at the desired quality level. After some research at the MEncoder site I've tested the Generic DiVX profile in DEVICES.INI with the following line change:

ORIGINAL
Format=avi -noodml

NEW
Format=avi -odml

This allowed CloneDVD Mobile to write avi files well over 2GB and for Windows to see the properites. This is important for longer movies where I want high quality and max resolution; for example Region 1, Lord of the Rings series.

Please consider an option to allow "File sizes over 2GB" that would enable odml from the GUI. If there is a good reason for not allowing the odml avi container can you please post it? MEncoder does not mention any drawbacks as far as I've been able to read.

Another approach would be to monitor the estimated file size shown in the GUI and if it exceeds 2GB then offer a dialog box at the point conversion starts. The dialog would allow the user to check-box enable the -odml parm with a warning provided if there is some downside to usinig -odml.

Thanks for the consideration.

~KnoWei

 

[cad]

Excellent research......

Peer, is there a reason for not allowing odml ?

 

[KnoWei]

Excellent research......

Peer, is there a reason for not allowing odml ?

Thanks cad.

I've been thinking about this a bit more. I may have gotten lucky with my use of the -odml extension. My target player is not a handheld device and is essentially a software player which unbeknowst to me had support for OpenDML playback. So before -odml option can be released into the wild it would have to be tested on a number of players to see if manufacturers are generally implementing support for the OpenDML AVI format even if they don't realize it.

As it turns out my player has no problem playing the movies but it does experience a glitch wherein after the first 45 minutes or so the player can't fastforward or scroll in the movie. I suspect that this is related to the subheaders that appear in the file since with odml it is broken into parts. The player probably can't understand how to index past the first subheader since a pure AVI has a single header (as I understand it). This may get fixed in my primary player. But I've not got multiple players on which to test odml for general applicability.

So for anyone reading this thread and planning to try the -odml option; be sure to do a bit of testing with a conversion that exceeds 2GB final output size. Make sure that your player not only plays these files to the end but also that other functions work later in the movie. These file sizes will probabably only make sense if you plan to output to a TV or other larger screen at higher resolutions. For small screen portable players these file sizes are not likely to come into play.

~KnoWei