PROBLEM

Some video codecs may not work when exporting to AVI

Last Published: August 17, 2021

Description

Note:
This article pertains to ArcGIS versions 9.x only. Later versions of ArcGIS may contain different functionality, as well as different names and locations for menus, commands and geoprocessing tools.

Codecs (compression-decompression) are used to encode images, video, and audio to a specific format such AVI or MOV. Windows has a standard set of codec settings, but machines generally have several third party codecs installed from various software applications.

Codecs vary widely in implementation and version, even between different machines. A codec of the same name might work on a certain machine and fail on another.

Some codec settings appear to be more robust than others, for example Cinepak Codec by Radius or Intel Indeo Video R 3.2.

Cause

Some of the codec settings may not work properly because of several factors such as the inability to support 16-bit images or it may not support exporting to AVI format. Even if a codec is listed when exporting an animation in ArcScene, that codec may not be valid for exporting to video. Refer to the the codec manufacturers website for relevant information relating to a particular codec setting.

For example, the Microsoft RLE codec is made for MS Windows 95, a legacy system. A particular codec setting may not function properly if it does not support AVI or MOV formats.

Solution or Workaround

If certain codec settings do not allow for the export of an AVI, use one of the codecs that can complete the AVI export. Alternatively, use the QuickTime MOV export.

Article ID:000007053

Software:
  • ArcMap 9 x

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