Encoding a video in reverse?

[AmSci]

Recently got a music video mpg shot completely in reverse...I'd like to re-encode it to watch it in proper-form. Can someone help out with how to do this?

thanks!
Terry

[Dr Mordrid]

Most better video editors will allow you to reverse the footage. The trick is finding one that does MPEG's.

MediaStudio Pro does so if you can find a VE disk from a friend you're in business. The trialware puts an X on the image so that's likely off your list.

VegasVideo should also do it, but I'm not sure if its trialware uses the X or not.

http://www.sonicfoundry.com/download/step2.asp?DID=363

Dr. Mordrid

[AmSci]

Thanks for the reply. A mistake in my first post....this clip I downloaded is actually a Divx avi....not mpeg. I found that it is possible to script in Avisynth to do this, with the Reverse(..) command. Never using Avisynth before...I created a file test.avs...and put the following inside:

Reverse("1.avi")

I then tried to load that into Tmpgenc....and I get in big red letters where the preview should be: "invalid arguments for filter reverse".

Is this due to the fact that I am using the wrong scripting command in Avisynth? Or do I need to somehow convert the Divx avi to another format somehow?

thanks

[colinbr]

The "clip" argument is a variable which represents the file, not the actual filename itself. You need to open the file first.
Something like

DirectShowSource("1.avi")
Reverse

[Sciascia]

I wold be surprised if it was possible to do this since MPEG4 (DivX) files and MPEG (not all) files are made up of keyframes or I frames and then the differences of these in the following frames. To produce a frame in reverse would be trying take the difference imformation and use it as a keyframe, then recreate the other frames from that.

It amy be possible, but I don't think that AVISynth or any other simple script wold be able to do that.

Best bet is to try to convert that portion to another codec, like HUFF or MJPEG. Something that has individual keyframes for each frame of video.

[AmSci]

Originally posted by Sciascia
Best bet is to try to convert that portion to another codec, like HUFF or MJPEG. Something that has individual keyframes for each frame of video.

Thanks everyone. Like you said, I was unable to use AVISynth with the DivX avi. What I did was run the avi through Tmpgenc (I couldnt open the DivX avi in Virtualdub).....then took the mpg and converted it to a proper avi in VirtualDub. Then from there, I ran the avi through tmpgenc with the AVIsynth script.

FYI: This was Coldplay's new video for The Scientist. Seems like a pretty standard video at first, but the ending (beginning) is a bit unsettling.