Requirements for Playing Videos

in DIAdem VIEW
To be able to play a video you must install the codec with which the video file was coded. Additionally, the software
used for video playback must support the format of the video file.

Codecs
Codecs are used for coding and decoding video signals. The coding, or encoding, usually includes a compression for
reducing the data rate required for the transmission. The storage space required for storage in a file also decreases
greatly. For the video playback the encoded video signals must be decoded with the same codec. Codecs with a higher
compression rate usually require more computing power when encoding and playing videos.
Earlier codecs use a process similar to the JPEG compression to compress each frame in the video separately from the
other frames. Newer methods additionally consider the fact that the differences between successive frames are very
small. This method is called interframe compression and combines key frames and delta frames in order to increase
the compression of video files. Interframe compression is used especially for video streaming. Codecs without
interframe compression, for example, the DV codec, are still important for video cutting and as an exchange format.
In an interframe compression the key frame contains all information required to display this frame. The delta frame,
however, requires data from other frames in order to display. All videos contain at least one key frame at the beginning.
Additional key frames improve the continuity of the video but also increase the file size. The more key frames a video
contains, the easier the positioning within the video is during playback.
The encoded video signals that a codec generates are saved in a file. Codecs do not always have the same name as the
file format they create. Therefore it is important to differentiate between codecs on the one hand and file formats or
container formats on the other hand. You can save various video and audio tracks that were encoded with different
codecs in one container format such as AVI.

Container Formats
In software technology, a file format that can contain different file formats is called a container. A container format
only defines the type and structure of how to save the contents. Containers facilitate, for example, the storage of audio
and video tracks in one file. Often the container formats AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, or MPEG-4, are used for videos.
AVI (Audio Video Interleaved) is a container format for videos defined by Microsoft and derived from the RIFF
(Resource Interchange File Format) that was introduced for Windows 3.1. An AVI file can combine contents such as
bitmaps, audio and video files, or RTF texts that were encoded with different methods. The content type is saved with
a Four Character Code (FourCC). This four character long string in the header of the AVI file specifies which codec to
use for decoding the data.

Videos in DIAdem
Since version 10 DIAdem VIEW can play videos. When playing videos in DIAdem VIEW, the main focus is on the
synchronization of measurement data and video signals. To synchronize the time information of the various data
sources, DIAdem must position the video to certain time points. This is the only way to synchronize the video display
when you scroll with the cursor through the measurement data. Positioning the video is always easier when the codec

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does not use interframe compression. If you reduce the distance between the key frames in the settings of the codec
with interframe compression, you can improve video playback in DIAdem VIEW. The video wobbles less during
playback and the wobbling starts later within the video.

Codecs Tested with DIAdem

Refer to the National Instruments KnowledgeBase under the search term DIAdem Codecs for a current list of codecs1
tested with DIAdem.
Table 1. Preliminary List of Tested Codecs (from June 2006)
Codec Name

Origin

Restriction / Comment

Intel Video 3.20

Win XP SP2

Intel Video YUV (uncompressed)

Win XP SP2

Microsoft Video 1

Win XP SP2

Cinepak Codec by Radius

Win XP SP2

DV-Codec

Win XP SP2, Windows

Movie Maker 2

This DV-AVI format corresponds with standard DV camcorders.

DivX 6.2.2

www.divx.com

(1), Generates the smallest files.

WMV9

MS Encoder Pack

(2), With this codec you can save WMV9 compressed videos in AVI
containers.

MS Mpeg4 V1

MS Encoder Pack

(2)

MS Mpeg4 V2

MS Encoder Pack

(2)

Restriction 1: If the playback speed is unequal 1 at an unchanged frame rate, the video might wobble. The wobbling
increases as the video proceeds. For example, the wobbling can start after 10 seconds, can increase after 20 seconds,
and the display can stop after 40 seconds.
Restriction 2: The same as restriction 1. However, the video wobbles less if the playback speed range is between 0.5
and 2.0.

DIAdem Cannot Play a Video

Error message: "Cannot load video file"
If you cannot play a video in DIAdem, you can usually solve the issue by installing the necessary codec. Use special
software such as the free of charge GSpot (www.headbands.com/gspot) to readout which codec you need to play
your video file. A quick internet search usually provides the required codec. With the GSpot software you also can
check which codecs are installed on the computer and which codec belongs to which Four Character Code (FourCC).

Error message: "Codec does not support precise synchronization"

DIAdem cannot play the video, because the information required for the positioning is missing. Encode the video file
with a different codec.

1. To test the codecs the example video glass.avi supplied with DIAdem was encoded with the software VirtualDup
1.6.11 using the specified codecs, and then played in DIAdem VIEW.
Videos in DIAdem VIEW

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