so we have a sanyo xacti camera that records in mpeg - any ideas what will even play it? edit would be good but possibly pushing my luck
helpful stuff below - PULL YOUR TEETH OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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How do I tell which codec was used to compress a file and what format a file is in?
There isn't a way to determine the codec used to compress a file with absolute certainty, but the following are your best options:
• To determine what codec was used with a specific file, play the file in the Player, if possible. While the file is playing, right-click the file in the library, and then click Properties. On the File tab, look at the Audio codec and Video codec sections.
• Use a non-Microsoft codec identification tool. Several are available on the Internet.
You might be able to tell the format of a file by looking at the file name extension (such as .wma, .wmv, .mp3, or .avi). However, there are limits to this approach. Many programs create files with custom file extensions. And it's possible for anyone to rename a file without changing the file's format. A file with the extension .mpg or .dvr-ms, for instance, is usually just an AVI file that has been compressed by using some version of an MPEG video codec.
Are codecs and file formats the same?
No, although it can be confusing because they sometimes have the same name. You can think of a file format as a type of container. Inside the container is data that has been compressed by using a particular codec. For example, a file format such as Windows Media Audio contains data that is compressed by using the Windows Media Audio codec. However, a file format such as Audio Video Interleaved (AVI) can contain data that is compressed by any of a number of different codecs, including the MPEG-2, DivX, or XviD codecs. AVI files can also contain data that is not compressed by any codec. Consequently, you might be able to play some AVI files and not others, depending on which codecs were used to compress the file and which codecs you have installed on your computer. For the same reason, you also might be able to play the audio portion of an AVI file, but not the video portion.
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