### Re: About VideoTapes off the show !!

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Posted by Peter 'Rattacresh' Backes on August 21, 192001 at 14:06:18: In Reply to: Re: About VideoTapes off the show !! posted by G on August 20, 192001 at 12:38:19:

: I see you know more about comp than I! But things are not what they
: 'once' were !!

Yes, there are now filters to make ActiveMovie understand YUY2
captures. But the 2 GB file size limit remains, except under
NT based Windozes with NTFS or Linux with XFS/ReiserFS. But
the driver support for capturing cards in the traditional Windows is
still surpreme.

: If you wish to explain more about the codec stuff, please do !!

Yes, why not.

: It is possible, it's not that complicated anymore, but whatever !!
: (i don't have the needed stuff, although a lot of people already does)

If you want something high quality, it is always lots of work. Of
course, anyone able to turn on the computer nowadays can cut a video
digitally, but he'll then probably do bad timeline alignment,
produce videos with lots of frame drops (a good video has *absolutely
no* frame drops) and have some audio/video synch problems. Some beginner
working point-and-click like ten minutes with some easy-as-pie digital
cutting program simply is no match for years of experience with different
video codecs, knowing their positives and negatives and knowing the
technical background. Compare it to the same text being written in MS Word
by someone only using the computer as a modern typewriter and someone
with typesetter experience and knowledge using TeX to typeset it. The
first looks at most good enough for reading and throwing away, the second
looks beautiful and can be enjoyed, not just read. If you are
interested you should definitively read Knuth's 'Computer and
Typesetting'.

: Someone had already told me, a little time ago, that same stuff about
: MPEG VCD / DivX, well i don't know that to be true.

Of course it is true. Has anyone ever said it was not true? Not
even the crackers try to hide that fact.

: DivX is MPEG 4, isn't it, therefore, better than MPEG 2 !!
: (The movies going around in DivX look good, certainly as good
: as VCD, and are smaller in size)

MPEG is a standard for moving pictures. Higher numbers generally
mean more features in the standard, not better compression
algorithms.

BTW, MPEG uses some quite esoteric numbering: MPEG 1 specified a
standard for compressing digital video, MPEG 2 extended it to
support the nature of split frames MPEG 3 doesn't exist. MPEG 4 adds
multimedia capability (for adding MIDI music to the video for example).
The next standard is MPEG 7 I think and something around MPEG 13 will
follow it as far as I remember.

Where I am not sure whether the Microsoft codec complies with MPEG 4
at all or whether it was just some home brew. It's probably using
some proprietary algorithm for compression. That the files are so small
has something to do with variable bitrate encoding and key frames
being inserted 'intelligently' and not in regular intervals. This
would be theoretically possible with the MPEG compression method, too.

BTW, DivX is not DivX. Once there was DivX 3 aka 'DivX ;)' (with a smiley)
that used the cracked version of the microsoft video codec and the
Fraunhofer MPEG 1 Layer 3 audio compression codec, with some
machine code optimization added by a radium cracker.

The 'new' DivX without the smiley, aka OpenDivX aka project majo
is an open source production independend from Microsoft, but related
to the persons that once distributed the cracked version.

: About the copyright, i read that Disney Channel bought the series (or
: license), that must mean they can "air" it any time they want to, and you
: can see it; it's more or less the same as you taping it !!
: Assuming everybody would do it, there is no logical reason, not to be
: able to trade missed episodes;

That might seem to be right, however only from a naive point of view.
If you copy something and trade it and if you don't have a license to
do that, it's simply not allowed. Otherwise it would be very hard
to distinguish fans exchanging copies and professional pirates who
don't know what they copy but only how much money they can earn
with it.

However a certain amount of fair use and exchanging copies between
fans is often tolerated by authors, because they understand the issue.

Follow-up Messages:

- Re: About VideoTapes off the show !! Merijn 09:26:36 8/23/2001 (0)

Post a Follow-up Message

    Name:

    E-Mail:

    Subject:
    Comments:

    : : I see you know more about comp than I! But things are not what they
    : : 'once' were !!

    : Yes, there are now filters to make ActiveMovie understand YUY2
    : captures. But the 2 GB file size limit remains, except under
    : NT based Windozes with NTFS or Linux with XFS/ReiserFS. But
    : the driver support for capturing cards in the traditional Windows is
    : still surpreme.

    : : If you wish to explain more about the codec stuff, please do !!

    : Yes, why not.

    : : It is possible, it's not that complicated anymore, but whatever !!
    : : (i don't have the needed stuff, although a lot of people already does)

    : If you want something high quality, it is always lots of work. Of
    : course, anyone able to turn on the computer nowadays can cut a video
    : digitally, but he'll then probably do bad timeline alignment,
    : produce videos with lots of frame drops (a good video has *absolutely
    : no* frame drops) and have some audio/video synch problems. Some beginner
    : working point-and-click like ten minutes with some easy-as-pie digital
    : cutting program simply is no match for years of experience with different
    : video codecs, knowing their positives and negatives and knowing the
    : technical background. Compare it to the same text being written in MS Word
    : by someone only using the computer as a modern typewriter and someone
    : with typesetter experience and knowledge using TeX to typeset it. The
    : first looks at most good enough for reading and throwing away, the second
    : looks beautiful and can be enjoyed, not just read. If you are
    : interested you should definitively read Knuth's 'Computer and
    : Typesetting'.

    : : Someone had already told me, a little time ago, that same stuff about
    : : MPEG VCD / DivX, well i don't know that to be true.

    : Of course it is true. Has anyone ever said it was not true? Not
    : even the crackers try to hide that fact.

    : : DivX is MPEG 4, isn't it, therefore, better than MPEG 2 !!
    : : (The movies going around in DivX look good, certainly as good
    : : as VCD, and are smaller in size)

    : MPEG is a standard for moving pictures. Higher numbers generally
    : mean more features in the standard, not better compression
    : algorithms.

    : BTW, MPEG uses some quite esoteric numbering: MPEG 1 specified a
    : standard for compressing digital video, MPEG 2 extended it to
    : support the nature of split frames MPEG 3 doesn't exist. MPEG 4 adds
    : multimedia capability (for adding MIDI music to the video for example).
    : The next standard is MPEG 7 I think and something around MPEG 13 will
    : follow it as far as I remember.

    : Where I am not sure whether the Microsoft codec complies with MPEG 4
    : at all or whether it was just some home brew. It's probably using
    : some proprietary algorithm for compression. That the files are so small
    : has something to do with variable bitrate encoding and key frames
    : being inserted 'intelligently' and not in regular intervals. This
    : would be theoretically possible with the MPEG compression method, too.

    : BTW, DivX is not DivX. Once there was DivX 3 aka 'DivX ;)' (with a smiley)
    : that used the cracked version of the microsoft video codec and the
    : Fraunhofer MPEG 1 Layer 3 audio compression codec, with some
    : machine code optimization added by a radium cracker.

    : The 'new' DivX without the smiley, aka OpenDivX aka project majo
    : is an open source production independend from Microsoft, but related
    : to the persons that once distributed the cracked version.

    : : About the copyright, i read that Disney Channel bought the series (or
    : : license), that must mean they can "air" it any time they want to, and you
    : : can see it; it's more or less the same as you taping it !!
    : : Assuming everybody would do it, there is no logical reason, not to be
    : : able to trade missed episodes;

    : That might seem to be right, however only from a naive point of view.
    : If you copy something and trade it and if you don't have a license to
    : do that, it's simply not allowed. Otherwise it would be very hard
    : to distinguish fans exchanging copies and professional pirates who
    : don't know what they copy but only how much money they can earn
    : with it.

    : However a certain amount of fair use and exchanging copies between
    : fans is often tolerated by authors, because they understand the issue.

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