cannot render file??

[naruto=pwnage]

I just recently started downloading bleach and hunter x hunter. after I had downloaded 2 eps of each the ones following them cannot play. classic windows media player says it cannot render the file. any ideas as to why?

[Deadfire]

More or less everytime this error comes up your missing some codecs or your player is corrupted.

Read This Thread for some more information about codecs

[naruto=pwnage]

the fact the matter is, why is it suddenly not working? the file is still avi so what is different? I drove myself crazy last night trying to get it to work but now I've managed to screw everything up. I was originally using the K-Lite codec pack and everything worked up till now. I uninstalled it and tried instaling the CCCP but either I did something wrong or it doesn't work. so basically heres what I'm thinking. WTF?! anyways all help is appreciated.

[Deadfire]

Well, this does seem to be a interesting problem you have here. Let's try to work it out

This is what i want you to do

1. First, make sure you have installed the CCCP correctly
   
   1. Download the pack. (CCCP, you said you already did this)
   2. Download CCCP Insurgent (CCCPi) (Link is here) and run it. The Codec/Filter Packs list should be filled with all previous codec packs that you currently have or might have had installed at one time on your computer. Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs and find all the packs that were listed by CCCPi. (Those that were marked by CCCPi with Uninstalled are no longer on your computer, so don't look for them) Remove (uninstall) those packs. Confirm with "Yes to all" if you are asked whether to delete certain files or not. If you are asked wheteher you want to reboot, then reboot but after that come back to the Add/Remove programs list and keep on removing all other packs that CCCPi has listed in Codec/Filter Packs. Do not touch the Register Filter and Unregister Filter buttons!
      
   3. Uninstall all other individual codecs, filters (like DirectVobSub, ffdshow, CoreVorbis, CoreAAC, etc.) You can keep DivX or XviD if you want to, or if you plan on encoding with DivX or XviD. They won't interfere with CCCP, so don't worry. You can also uninstall them now and install them after CCCP, it doesn't matter. However, they won't be used for decoding unless you tweak some settings - read about it here. (CCCP is only a playback solution, so that's why you need to have DivX or XviD if you plan on encoding in those formats.)
      
   4. Reboot. IMPORTANT! Don't skip it because you're lazy.
      
   5. Install the CCCP. Answer "yes" when it asks you if you want to reset all settings.
   
   
2. Try reinstalling the CCCP, often this will fix the problem.
   
3. If it's a file you are still downloading, make sure the download finishes before trying again. This is especially important for BitTorrent downloads - those are NEVER finished until the WHOLE torrent download is finished, no matter what it looks like!
   
4. If it's just one or a few files that are having problems, try verifying that they are not corrupted by CRC-checking them (I'll explain this if we get to this point)
   
5. Make sure you're using one of the supported players - one of the two that comes with the pack. If you had one of them installed before, DO NOT USE IT. Use the one that the pack installs for you. Other players may work as well, but we can't guarantee it.
   
6. If it doesn't work in the players that come with the pack, check if you have DirectX 9 or later installed. If this doesn't make any sense to you, or if you aren't sure if you have it or not, just get the latest version from Microsoft.
   
7. If it still doesn't work, try updating your drivers, especially the graphics and audio drivers

.

[naruto=pwnage]

for one, when the CCCPi tells me to get rid of certain codecs it seems simple except for the fact that I have no idea where to go to uninstall those certain codecs. I think I may have done it already but I can't be sure. so for now my computer is back to the way it was before I got the K-Lite Codec Pack. The avi files show up as a windows media player file [not classic] also when I got rid of K-Lite I also lost Media Player Classic. So when I installed CCCP I had hoped that it would install media player classic. it would seem I was wrong. although I had the media player classic box checked I don't seem to have the player anyways.@_@ so would it be wise to get rid of the CCCP pack and restart this whole process? and also I asked before and did not get an answer. why is it that the first two avi files work and the others do not? I thought that maybe it would be corrupted somehow but I doubt it. I believe I got the pack of Bleach episodes off of anime yume. it was in a pack of eps 1-25 I believe. anyways for the moment I can't do a thing since I'm at school

[Deadfire]

for one, when the CCCPi tells me to get rid of certain codecs it seems simple except for the fact that I have no idea where to go to uninstall those certain codecs. I think I may have done it already but I can't be sure.

Go to Start -> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs. They should appear there. If not you have uninstalled them for the most part.

so for now my computer is back to the way it was before I got the K-Lite Codec Pack. The avi files show up as a windows media player file [not classic] also when I got rid of K-Lite I also lost Media Player Classic.So when I installed CCCP I had hoped that it would install media player classic. it would seem I was wrong. although I had the media player classic box checked I don't seem to have the player anyways.

This player is included in the CCCP you just need to look for it harder, However I use Zoomplayer (which also comes with CCCP) anyways. Also make sure the version of CCCP is current.

So would it be wise to get rid of the CCCP pack and restart this whole process?

Yes

also I asked before and did not get an answer. why is it that the first two avi files work and the others do not? I thought that maybe it would be corrupted somehow but I doubt it. I believe I got the pack of Bleach episodes off of anime yume. it was in a pack of eps 1-25 I believe. anyways for the moment I can't do a thing since I'm at school

There are many reasons why as just because they came in the same pack they are all encoded the same. Also I would suggest a better source, such as the Fan Sub group's trackers.

[Munsu]

The "cannot render file" is usually an error that is given when the file is being used by another program, the torrent program might be still using the file so you can't watch it. Pausing and closing the program usually does the trick.

[woofcat]

I vote for VLC media player.

www.videolan.org

It has all the codecs with it. Thus no need for a hassle.

Edit:For the people out there who call it a "shit player" I recomend it since it works on all platforms. Such as Linux, Mac, and of course windows. Since all 3 of those systems i like to have one program that works on all of them. Such as Firefox, Also VLC.

[Kraco]

The "cannot render file" is usually an error that is given when the file is being used by another program, the torrent program might be still using the file so you can't watch it. Pausing and closing the program usually does the trick.

I think all torrent programs allow watching the video even if you are seeding it at the same time. Over at many tracker pages they also recommend you to do that (so that you seed more efficiently).

[Munsu]

That's not necessarily true... it doesn't work always because Windows sometimes thinks that file is still being written, so media players can't use the file, hence why sometimes you need to pause the torrent even after finishing downloading the file, this happens frequently with BitComet. Also, files downloaded in batches oftenly exhibit this problem.

[complich8]

err, is it possible that your download of the files you're trying to play hasn't completed?

Presumably you're downloading from batches, what does the file list for your client say? What client are you using?

[naruto=pwnage]

just recently, yesterday actually. I started using BitComet. I originally was using azureus. but it was using to much RAM for my liking so I decided to start using BitComet and try it out. I know for a fact the files I'm trying to play have both downloaded completely since it says beside them 100%. also VlC seems to be unable to play these files. I have not yetredownloaded CCCP but I will in a minute and I'll edit to tell you all how it went and if all my stupid problems have ended.


EDIT: dammitalltohell. the files STILL won't work. and yet, the first two do. grr..

[complich8]

I recommend another client switch, this time to utorrent.

As for the current problem, maybe just wait until the batch completes?

"Can't render file" (as opposed to something like "can't locate decompressor") usually indicates that the file looks like nonsense to the player. Which could mean that the client just hasn't gotten around to rearranging the pieces it downloaded into a coherent file yet.

Generally, a media player's approach to rendering a file is something like this:
step 1: determine the container type (ie: use the file extension, or mime/magic data). Errors here would be something like "unsupported file type" or "unknown file format". If you try to open an mkv without an mkv-handler installed, for example, you'd probably hit this. Codec packs usually fix these things, by bundling those container handlers.
step 2: open the file. Errors here would be "access denied" "unable to open file" or the like, indicating that the file is locked or you don't have permissions to open it. Things that will hold locks on files include other media players, torrent clients, and sometimes explorer itself. Sysinternals process explorer can be helpful in finding what is holding file locks.
step 3: parse the container for streams and formats. At this point, if the file is unparseable, it'll give you render failures, "failed to render file" for example.
step 4: find decoders. This is where you'd get "can't locate appropriate decompressor" sort of errors. That's the sort of thing goes away when you've got an appropriate codec or playback filter registered.
step 5: set up render filters and start playback. This is where you'd get runtime errors -- corrupted frames, invalid data in streams, etc...

This sounds to me like in your case, it's failing at step 3. Meaning the client isn't holding the locks anymore, but the data doesn't make sense to it.

[Kraco]

step 4: find decoders. This is where you'd get "can't locate appropriate decompressor" sort of errors. That's the sort of thing goes away when you've got an appropriate codec or playback filter registered.

There aren't always any visible error messages here. The file might play, but with no video or with no audio. This happens sometimes when a subber group by accident uses some strange encoding or setting.

[complich8]

quite true. Depends on the player and its settings too, though.

[naruto=pwnage]

HALLE FREAKIN' LUJA!!! IT WORKS!!
somethiing must have happened while downloading on BitComet but it works now. thanks for reccomending uTorrent good advice many thanks!
peace

[Munsu]

I guess it's what I said, BitComet was probably still using the file...

When you click on the batch torrent and see the files in BitComet you'll notice that some finished files are still on "Write and Read" status.