Strongbad Email On My Xbox, Converted Flash to AVI for my box Options

[tineras]

I just posted some StrongBad Emails on my website in AVI format. I have copied them over to my Xbox and they play in Xbox Media Player. I know there are some homestarrunner fans our there. I thought you might enjoy this. There are only three there now. I actually have all of them, but I haven't converted them all over yet. If you want any in particular... just email me.

Anyway, here's the link:

StrongBad Emails

Later,
tineras

This post has been edited by tineras: Sep 25 2003, 02:08 AM

[tineras]

crap, the web server is down or something, I guess check back tomorrow.

tineras

This post has been edited by tineras: Sep 25 2003, 02:55 AM

[lookformeb]

nah, its good man

[Large Dopant white]

Here's an idea... tell us how you converted Flash files into AVIs and we can convert some ourselves. I'd like to do it with Happy Tree Friends, myself...
Or, you could act exclusive and wait until someone else posts the instructions instead. Your choice.

[Keito-Kun]

Yeah, please tell us how you did it.

[XeroKitsune]

I know that if you have the source, flash it's self makes avi files. Also full version of quicktime will convert flash to a self contained mov. I'm not shur on avi though.

[Keito-Kun]

Maybe he converted the flash to mov, and then converted
it to avi. Or maybe he's found some new application...

[Large Dopant white]

Already just about got the method down... all with one shareware program and one freeware proggie!
I'll share it in a sec when I got the best combination of programs figured out... give me about a half-hour.

[Large Dopant white]

Alright, I think I got this beast figured out. Unfortunately, it's not entirely easy, but hopefully I can write a half-ass guide that some of you can follow.
Lets start with what you need...
VirtualDub (here)
Ez Mp3 Wav Converter (here)
Magic SWF2AVI (here)
A touch of experience with VirutalDub
A dab of patience

Alright, load up IE and go to the site that has the links to the Flash movies. Click on a link to watch one, and a window should pop up. Right-click on the window showing the Flash movie, go down to "Settings", and set your cache to "Unlimited". This'll help later.
Now, actually watch about a quarter of the movie you intend to convert. Close the window and fire up Magic SWF2AVI. Select the button "IE Cache", and the Flash movies you want to convert should show up. Click the "Options" button and select your video codec, its settings, and where it'll put the AVI afterwards. Now, select the file you intend to convert, and click the button "Convert to AVI". After a little bit (it's slow, bear with it), you'll have an AVI file in the output directory you intended it to be in.
Now, you're going to load it up and notice there's no sound. What the fuck, you may ask? Well, unfortunately, this is where shit gets sticky. It doesn't rip the sound with it. But there's ways around this.
Go back to Magic SWF2AVI and click "Extract MP3". The sound will go to the output directory of the movie as an MP3 file, or a series of 'em. I'll assume it's one MP3 file. (On a sidenote, Magic SWF2AVI crashes on my machine when you click "Extract MP3" of a file you selected with "IE Cache", so you may have to browse to the file manually with the "Add Files" button).
Now, fire up Ez MP3 Wav Converter, and convert the MP3 to a WAV file. Easy enough.
Next, load up VirtualDub. Open the AVI file, click on the "Audio" selection in the menu tilebar, and go down to "WAV Audio...". Click it and go to the directory with the WAV file. Select it. Make sure "Direct Stream Copy" is selected under the "Audio" menu. Alternatively, you can choose to compress the sound, but I'm not gonna cover that here.
Go to the "Video" selection in the menu tilebar and select "Direct Stream Copy"... no need to re-encode the video right now.
Now, go to the "File" selection in the menu tilebar, and click "Save as AVI". Select a filename, and wait. Soon enough, you'll have that nifty Flash movie as an AVI!
To cover some problems you may have: if you get multiple MP3 files when you click "Extract MP3", you'll have to convert them all to WAVs and then combine 'em (Sound Recorder, a program that's installed by default in WinXP, can append WAV files to an opened one). Afterwhich, you follow the instructions above. I'd like to elaborate a little more on how to do it, but each Flash movie with multiple MP3s seems to be a little different concerning the layout of the sound files, so you'll have to tinker with it yourselves.
Well, hope this "guide" helps someone out, or I wasted a whole hell of alot of time doing this.

This post has been edited by Large Dopant white: Sep 25 2003, 06:27 AM

[tineras]

Nah, there is a much easier way. I just use a program called SWF2Video. They want to charge $80 for it. So beware.

If you use Quicktime (which I tried) it doesn't record the audio.

This program only takes 1 step. Open - Convert - Done.

If you "lost" your registration key, you may be able to find it again at a few special online sources.

That's only if you have alread purchased the program though.

I use the first compression (Cinepak Codec by Radius) and default audio.


Hope this was helpful,
tineras

This post has been edited by tineras: Sep 25 2003, 12:56 PM

[c-2]

whoohoo !! crapfully awsome!! i'm buying u a pizza! :]

[leftyfb]

I tried using this SWF2Video converter and it's not creating the audio. I'm using the same Cinapak codec and also tried MS Video 1, same results. The audio format only lets me choose PCM as a format, not sure if this is the problem. I installed dbpoweramp which installs a bunch of audio codecs including mp3pro, but that still doesn't show in the list of foemats to choose from.

[tineras]

It takes whatever settings are in your volume control properties. So you have to tweek it a little. Change it to Stereo Mix (under the recording properties), then adjust the audio controls to whatever turns out the best. Mid-way up on playback and recording works best on my machine.

tineras

[Large Dopant white]

QUOTE (tineras @ Sep 25 2003, 02:03 PM)

Nah, there is a much easier way.  I just use a program called SWF2Video.  They want to charge $80 for it.  So beware. If you use Quicktime (which I tried) it doesn't record the audio. This program only takes 1 step.  Open - Convert - Done. If you "lost" your registration key, you may be able to find it again at a few special online sources. That's only if you have alread purchased the program though. I use the first compression (Cinepak Codec by Radius) and default audio. Hope this was helpful, tineras

Yeah, one difference between yours and mine: yours may be easier, but SWF2Video doesn't rip audio (read the FAQ on the company's page), as you claim, and you need to basically commit piracy (hunt down a serial) or buy it in order for it to be used functionally (unless you like huge green Xs in your videos). My way is free, and has as much functionality (more, actually, because SWF2Video can't even export the audio).
By the way, Cinepak has bleed issues with the video. I have no idea why you'd want to use it.
EDIT: Alright, I got SWF2Video confused with something else, it does rip audio. I retract that statement. The rest still apply, of course.

This post has been edited by Large Dopant white: Sep 25 2003, 08:05 PM

[tineras]

I admit, the quality is not perfect. It does output a resolution that meets or exceeds what you would get from watching a television. If it's on your Xbox Media Player, then TV quality is the best you're gonna get (Unless you have some fancy HDTV).

Anyway, I think it looks really nice playing from my Xbox. If I wanted it to be perfect, I would just watch the flash movie on my computer. It's portable StrongBad on your Xbox...what better way to entertain your friends?

tineras