How do I get rid of a stupid codec on my system?
 

Argh. Ok guys, this is my THRID TIME to try to capture video at school. Our computers are freakin top of the line Dell Workstations, but I just can't get them to capture right. ONE out of the three does capture. BUT it ALWAYS compresses the video without me setting it up that way. I also set my capture settings in Premiere to capture with no compression. When I import the video into After Effects, it has a Adaptec DVsoft codec applied to it, which gives my bluescreening horrible results.
So what I want to know is where are the folders with codecs located on Windows XP Professional? I'm just going to find the codec on the machine, and delete it. That's the only way I know how to fix the problem.
AND as a final question, the other machines won't capture via firewire because it's not finding the drivers for a hardware device called AV/C Subunit. Where can I download these drives? Please help me out guys, I have to get a commercial edited that will be broadcast on local television. I still have yet to pull a bluescreen shot, and 5 shots to which I have to add a CG T-Rex.

Which program are you using to capture this footage? I highly
doubt "deleting" a codec will "solve" the problem. You claim you
know it will solve it, how you know?

You cannot just rip something out of a public system, other people
might depends on it.

If you use Adobe Premiere make sure you select Microsoft DV,
it should not ever re-compress. Other applications might be
different.

What you also fail to mention is through what you are capturing.
Is it a firewire card that came with the system? It looks like you
are using a special adaptec card?

Check to see if you can find OHCI 1394 adapter in the hardware
list. If it has the word OHCI in it you can use any NLE with any
DV codec (more or less). If it isn't there, what I think is the case,
you will have to do with the apropriate drivers or else it will not
work at all.

You should not need any other drivers (unless you have a special
card with special drivers, in that case it depends on where you
need to get the drivers).

I don't think you should be trusting on a school system (these will
always fail and exactly at the moments you don't want to) for
a commercial project. If you have your own system (which for DV
doesn't have to cost that much) you can trust on something to
work (if you don't do stupid things with your editing system like
installing all kinda software you don't need or are testing).

In my experience, Dell computers can be problemmatic when dealing with video capture.

Now, having said that, if you're brave, you can do a search for all files named *.ax. That will reveal most of the various codecs.

The specific DV codec is located in the registry at:
HKLM/SOFTWARE/MICROSOFT/WINDOWSNT/CURRENTVERSION/DRIVERS32/VIDC.dvsd

The M$ version of the DV codec is called qdv.dll

For an easier way to remove plugins that you don't want, check out DXMan from AnalogX. It lists all the plugins loaded in your system, and allows you to uninstall them easily, without hunting around for the original .dll or .ax (which it also lists).

http://www.analogx.com/contents/down...udio/dxman.htm

Rob: I am capturing with Adobe Premiere using a OHCI 1394 firewire card. I believe it came with the system. And the commercial is for the school, so I have to use their equipment. The stuff is brand new and doesn't work correctly. It's very annoying.

Try this:

The Problem: Cannot work DV camera in Windows XP because it keeps wanting
to load some freaking "AV/C Subunit driver."

The Cause:

Windows XP renames two (2) files in the C:\Windows\Inf directory. This is
a hidden directory, so make sure your folder options are set to view
hidden folders.

Find a file that starts with "Msdv.inf" it may have a ".1" or ".f1" at
then end and rename it simply "Msdv.inf"

Then do the same for "Msdv.pnf" Find a file that starts with "Msdv.pnf"
it too may have a ".1" or ".f1" at then end and rename it simply
"Msdv.pnf"

if you are capturing with a OHCI 1394 card you canNOT capture uncompressed video from a dv camera ( or analog that goes thru a dv camera/deck)

OHCI just allows you to transfer DATA from camera to computer. it does nothing to the data ..

your DV camera compressed the video when it recorded it to tape. therefore OHCI protocall just transfers that data to your hard drive. your computer is using Adaptec DVsoft codec to read the data ( i suspect at one time the computer had/has a adaptec 1394 card???) ..

if you want to take the clip into AE uncompressed then you would have to render the clip ( using premiere) as a uncompressed avi or Qt ... when i do blue/green screen in commotion i render them in Vegas as uncompressed QT .. work on them in commotion
then render them again as uncompressed QT .. then put them into TL of vegas .. i don't know if premiere allows you to mix QT or uncompressed avi's with DV avi clips at same time in its time line ? if not then you would have to render out of AE as DV .avi clip ...

do not just delete the DV or other codec's as others will be unable to use any DV files with the dell and it will not be able to play clips that need the other codec's ... .. right now the registry is telling it to use the adaptec soft dv codec with dv clips. again if you delete it without changing the registry then when the computer sees a dv clip it will not play it ... you would have to un-install the program that put the adaptec soft codec in the computer ?? then the computer would default to using the microsoft dv codec ...

i have been using DELLS since 96 for editing and have no problems .. i do see problems with adaptec 1394 and SGII 1394 but thats not a dell problem .. i have seen some problems with dells Precision laptops with video editing ... DELL workstations are recommended by most NLE 's and are sold as package.

No, you guys don't understand. I know that the video is compressed onto the Mini DV tape. And I also know that the firewire merely transfers the footage. However, it should leave the transfered data uncompressed unless otherwise specified by me. That's all I'm saying. And how would I change the registry so that it doesn't do that?

EDIT: Wahoo! After alot of Google searching, I think I found the solution. Apperently, anyone who installs MGI VideoWave will automatically have the Adaptec DVSoft plug-in installed as the default DV codec. And our computer at school does indeed have VideoWave installed. Thanks for the help guys. I'll have to try it on Monday.

The compression happens the FIRST time IN THE CAMERA when the output of the CCD is converted to digital and stored on the tape. By its very nature, DV compresses ALL image data 5:1. There's NO WAY around it if you're shooting DV. Try working with an uncompressed file, sometime. It's HUGE. In fact, the data rate thru the computer for uncompressed avi files is so big many hard drives choke on it. That's just the way it is.

The compressed data is COPIED from the camera to your HD on a capture. There is NO further compression being done to it. It will get uncompressed and recompressed in the NLE IF you've generated transitions or other effects. Otherwise, the MLE merely re-uses the existing compressed data stream.

Sigh, I know how firewire works people. I know video is compressed to 5:1 on the tape. I've been doing this stuff for 3 years. I know it shouldn't recompress it, but it IS happening, I don't know what else to say. I'm not stupid, I know how firewire is supposed to work.

I can appreciate your frustration with "hijackware" codecs, and I'm glad you got it fixed! Can you post the solution here so that anyone else experiencing the same problem in the future can benefit from your toil and industry?

to get "rid " of the adaptec soft dv codec " ... un-install the MGI VideoWave ..

i see tha ROXIO aqiured MGI .. IMO it will NEVER work correctly seeing how anything that i've ever had that has ROXIO name attached doen't work correctly ... they work some times --always a hit/miss ...

i looked MGI up and it does NOT list any OHCI 1394 card it works with ?? ...supported cards ..ATI All In Wonder 128, Matrox Marvel G200 ,Hauppauge WinTV Basic, Conextant Reference Boards,
ATI All In Wonder, Pro Matrox, Marvel G400 ,Hauppauge WinCast TV/DBX

what OHCI 1394 card do you have ??
seems if you do have a OHCI 1394 .. un-install the MGI software ( if it is not being used ..however if others are using the software then you are stuck with it) .. ... after you un install the MGI software ... un-install the OHCI 1394 .. now restart computer .. then turn off computer ... then re-install the 1394 ..XP will install the OHCI 1394 correctly ( if MGI hasn't hi-jacked it) ..

NOTE: sometimes when a computer gets hi-jacked by a codec even un-installing the software leaves the codec .. in those cases i found the only way to get back control was to re-load the operating system !!!

MGI is EVIL
 

I agree, I use a dell system. I went in and ripped out EVERYTHING that has to do with videowave and it's codecs. DXMAN works well. If you get rid of that program and it's little freinds you should be good. I have no glitches and everything works 100%