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[Released] AVPro Windows Media

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by AndrewRH, Jul 4, 2012.

  1. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Now available at the Asset Store! - Last updated 24 February 2016 (version 2.90).

    NOTE: THIS PLUGIN IS NOW DEPRECATED AND
    IS NO LONGER SUPPORTED!
    PLEASE LOOK AT OUR NEWER PLUGIN:
    AVPRO VIDEO INSTEAD.

    Hi, I'm starting this thread for anyone who wants to discuss our asset for Unity: AVPro Windows Media

    Basically it's a plugin for playback of video and audio and is aimed at the high-end user group that require video playback features beyond Unity’s built-in video support.


    Features include:
    • *NEW* Unity 5.4 support!
    • Supports Unity 4.6 - 5.x
    • Both 32 and 64-bit friendly.
    • Free watermarked trial version available.
    • Years of professional use in the field.
    • Fast native Direct3D9, Direct3D11 and OpenGL texture updates.
    • Frame accurate seeking and scrubbing.
    • Supports video transparency.
    • Native Hap codec support (no plugin needed).
    • Play videos from disk or from memory.
    • Supports internal clips.
    • Apply videos to materials and meshes
    • 7.1 audio channel mixer.
    • AV sync offset control.
    • Unity 4.6 uGUI support.
    • NGUI support.
    • Easy to use drag 'n drop components
    • 10 demo scenes included




    Download the free trial version here


    We see this plugin being useful in the following areas:
    • Interactive Installations
    • Serious Games
    • Scientific Research
    • Training and Simulation
    • Kiosks
    • Video Apps
    Feel free to drop a comment below. Enjoy!
     
    Last edited: Apr 7, 2017
  2. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi all, I wanted to let everyone know about an exciting new feature we have planned for an upcoming release of AVPro Windows Media: Overlays.

    Overlays allow us to display videos in Unity really FAST and using very little CPU. It works by leveraging the graphics API (DirectX and OpenGL) directly and completely bypassing Unitys texture system. Currently our plugin plays videos to Unity textures and it works really well, however there is some extra overhead when using DirectX as we can't update the textures directly like we can in OpenGL.

    The current method of playing videos to Unity textures will remain however we will offer the new Overlay mode as an extra option for those that need faster video playback using DirectX.

    The overlays are 2D rectangles that are drawn on top of the final scene. They can be positioned, alpha blended and have their depth set.

    If you have any comments or questions about this upcoming feature let us know!
     
  3. tylo

    tylo

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    Could you tell me if this software could support the playing of AVI files that are 2GB in size? Ideally, I want to load these files after I have already built the runtime executable. In other words, I would like to load the 2GB movies from the filesystem from a script after the build is complete. Is this possible?

    Thanks!

    EDIT: I see from your demo that loading movies after the build is possible, but how about videos of large file size 2GB or greater?
     
    Last edited: Aug 14, 2012
  4. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi tylo - that's right the demo lets you specify your own video files so you are free to test it with a video file > 2GB :) We haven't tested this one yet but I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.
     
  5. CohenMashuah

    CohenMashuah

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    Hi, does this product work for WebPlayer? Thanks
     
  6. fffMalzbier

    fffMalzbier

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    Because dll files are required i guess not , no plugins at WebPlayer.
     
  7. fanling3

    fanling3

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    What codec do I need to install to run the demo? I cant see any video playing when I run the demo but I can watch the default avi by using Windows Media Player. Thanks.
     
  8. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    The demo video is encoded with DivX which is a common format that should be available on most systems. I'm not sure why it's not working for you but feel free to download the codec or try your own video file :)
     
  9. Deleted User

    Deleted User

    Guest

    Can I apply Youtube stream to plan(renderer.material.maintexture) via your service,
    it YES, that would be great favor for us.

    Ray
     
  10. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi Ray...If you can find a DirectShow codec/plugin/transform that can load YouTube then it may be possible yes. Our system doesn't support this natively though. I would be very surprised if you could find anything that does this though. I know there is an AS3 API that allows you to play YouTube content, but I don't think the other APIs (C#) let you do that.
     
  11. nazeer

    nazeer

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    Nov 10, 2012
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    Hi,

    I badly want to buy AVPro windows media.But felt it would be better if i try the demo in unity and then buy.
    I downloaded the UnityPlugin-AVProWindowsMedia-1.5-Demo. After extracting these are the files and folder present

    1.Assets folder
    2.AVProWindowsmedia_Data folder
    3.AVProWindowsmedia.exe
    4.AVProWindowsmedia.pdf file
    5.AVProWindowsMedia-Faster-OpenGL

    The pdf file does not contain instruction how to install this demo version in unity so that i can test the plugin in unity.
    Help me please!

    Regards,
    Nazeer.J
     
  12. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    The demo doesn't work in Unity - it's a standalone application built in Unity that uses the plugin. Perhaps if you have some questions about how it integrates into Unity I could answer them here for you?
     
  13. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi All! I'm please to announce the release of version 2.0 of AVPro Windows Media!

    The main new feature is Unity 4.0 support, which includes support for it's new DirectX native texture access. This means our plugin finally runs the same speed as it did in OpenGL! Faster smoother videos using less CPU power!

    We've also made a number of other improvements and bugfixes.

    Download the new demo and give it a try!
     
  14. nixter

    nixter

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    Sounds great! Fantastic work, Andrew!
     
  15. Tjomas

    Tjomas

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    Jan 1, 2012
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    hi,
    i'm trying to play a bunch of wmv files (not at the same time / with one AVPro Movie MB). everything works fine until i play one special video the second time.
    the error report says "(0x0000000006BE11FA) (AVProWindowsMedia): (filename not available): (function-name not available) + 0x0"
    but the first time, when i play the video everything is ok and i see the video playing.
    this happens only in a standalone builds (x86 and x64).
    when i'm trying to reproduce the behavior in the editor, the application freezes for ~0.5s and then the video starts normally.
    some ideas ?
     
  16. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    No ideas spring to mind, that is indeed very odd :)

    Could you please email us a copy of that video file so we can debug the problem?
     
  17. ramble0108

    ramble0108

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    here,I have some serious promblems after I import the packge, they're that,

    'Assets/AVProWindowsMedia/Scripts/Internal/AVProWindowsMediaFormatConverter.cs(67,82): error CS1061: Type `UnityEngine.Texture2D' does not contain a definition for `GetNativeTexturePtr' and no extension method `GetNativeTexturePtr' of type `UnityEngine.Texture2D' could be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)

    Assets/AVProWindowsMedia/Scripts/Internal/AVProWindowsMediaFormatConverter.cs(67,41): error CS1502: The best overloaded method match for `AVProWindowsMediaPlugin.SetTexturePointer(int, System.IntPtr)' has some invalid arguments

    Assets/AVProWindowsMedia/Scripts/Internal/AVProWindowsMediaFormatConverter.cs(67,41): error CS1503: Argument `#2' cannot convert `object' expression to type `System.IntPtr''
    :?:?:?
    can anyone help me solve these??...I would really appreciated..:p
     
  18. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    We have continued this thread over email...
     
  19. jonathank

    jonathank

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    Hi Andrew, Will AVPro work with oversize video such as 4K x 2K? (only 2k x 2k will be in view)
     
  20. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    I don't know! You can download the demo on the website and feed your own video in as a test. I think it will greatly depend on what the codec supports. Do share your results :)
     
  21. jonathank

    jonathank

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    Hi Andrew, Is there a reason why I cant load my own video into the demo other than me being stupid?!
     
  22. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    It should work :) Two things to check spring to mind:

    1) Path/Folder: Make sure the files you're trying to load are in the correct place relative to the demo EXE. If you copy the files into the same folder as the EXE then you can remove the contents of the "Folder" field in the demo and just use the filenames directly.

    2) Codec: It's possible you don't have the correct codecs installed to decode the videos you're trying to play. They may play in other players like VLC/Windows Media Player, but those players often use their own internal codecs which aren't exposed to other software. You need to download DirectShow compatible codecs for the type of files you're trying to play, or you could just download a codec pack such as K-lite Codec Pack. If you can tell me which type of file you're trying to play then I can direct you to the appropriate website to download the codec.

    Hope that helps!
     
  23. BrockG

    BrockG

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    I have a few questions about this plugin.

    Is there any way to have subtitles play with the video? I have mkv files that have subtitles included in them, but they don't show when playing the video in the demo.

    Also, how do I control what audio is playing? I have lots of videos with mutiple audio tracks, but this plugin seems to just play the first track, without any options to change it.
     
  24. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    These are both excellent suggestions. The plugin doesn't currently support different audio tracks or subtitles, but this is something we'll definitely look at including in the future!
     
  25. mruce

    mruce

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    Hi Andrew,
    yesterday I tested plugin and it worked as expected, however today (for no apparent reason) it stopped working. I'm getting warning message:

    Tried different scenes (including demos) and different files. As I mentioned - it worked ok yesterday, I didn't change hardware/software/codesc since.

    Could you think of any reason for that?
     
  26. llde_chris

    llde_chris

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    Hi Andrew,

    We also need the ability to swap sound tracks and subtitles, though we can do this manually by stopping/starting AudioSources manually and displaying subtitles by hand.

    Is it possible to play back the movie with sound suppressed and just use our own AudioSource? If yes, is this feasible for moderately sized video clips (15 mins?).
     
  27. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Yes, you can set the volume to 0 to suppress sound. 15 Minute videos shouldn't be any problem.
     
  28. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    I can't think of any reason for that :) Check you have the appropriate codecs installed on your system and check the folder path is correct.
     
  29. ranilian

    ranilian

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    $Screen Shot 2013-02-25 at 3.39.55 PM.png I am also having the same issue.

    The movie loads fine on the demo, but when I create a build it fails to load it.

    It says "[AVProWindowsMedia] Movie failed to load" and then "[AVProWindowsMedia] Couldn't load movie IndustryIntro.mpeg"

    I tried several folder options and even tried passing it an absolute path, it didn't work.

    I'm using Unity 3.5.

    Edit: Changing the Update Texture setting to "Unity Texture" seems to have fixed it. Is there a reason why?
     
    Last edited: Feb 25, 2013
  30. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    I'm glad it's working now :) Yes, you should always use "Unity Texture". Previously we had another mode called "Overlay" which we've since removed however it seems the option is still in there so selecting it breaks things. It'll be removed in the next version. Thanks for pointing that out! :)
     
  31. xexex

    xexex

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    Can this plugin play network stream video?
     
  32. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Version 2.2 has just been released :) Changes include:

    + Added a new demo that plays a queue of videos
    + Improved AVProWindowsMediaManager
    + Optimised and improved pixel format conversion
    + Removed last traces of the old Overlay mode
    + Added path resolve for relative paths when working path isn’t that of the EXE
    + Fixed conflict with other AVPro plugins by adding a unique plugin ID for GL.IssuePluginEvent()
    + Fixed a rare null pointer bug in the plugin
     
  33. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    It can play videos from shared network drives by using UNC paths.

    If you're talking about actually streaming videos over the network using a standard video streaming protocol then I'm not sure. It might work.. It depends which DirectShow codecs are installed on the machine. If you can get it working in GraphEdit then it should work in the demo on our website. Please do let us know what you find out.
     
  34. Play_Edu

    Play_Edu

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    Hi,
    it's great product.i saw this demo.but it only work with windows. can you try to make windows media player for ios ,web player and android because we make for all platform. and if you have any idea for it so plzzzzzz. help me.


    regards
    play_edu
     
  35. hitking100

    hitking100

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    Few questions : i'm currently designing an "interactive action movie" like the old 90's lasergames (example : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk_3UCpsZXE) but the movie swapping in unity is giving me a headache. Can your asset swap between different video files without a "hiccup" or, if the first one is not possible, can it move to a certain frame in 1 large video file and resume play without interruption ?
     
  36. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hey hitking100, I used to love those laserdisc games!!!! Can't wait :)

    If you download the demo from our website you can see we have a playlist demo which swaps between videos pretty quickly. The real key to doing this is selecting a suitable codec. Ideally you need a codec that doesn't have inter-frame dependencies.

    Good codecs for fast seeking include:

    1) DV (though not great modern format),
    2) Lagarith (uncompressed so files can be large and playback can be CPU intensive).
    3) Motion JPEG (can also be CPU intensive)
    4) H.264 is not normally great for seeking as encoders typically encode it sequential playback which can result in random seeks taking a second. However it is a very flexible codec and you can encode videos so they decode quickly with the right setting. We have put suitable settings the FAQ part of our documentation. This is what I would try.

    Having a single large video is probably your best bet as there is usually some overhead (I'd guess around 500ms) in loading a video in the background. This isn't something we've tested in anger yet (perhaps a good idea for a future demo), so right now I'd recommend a single large video.

    Let me know how you get on, we're always happy to see how we can improve things!

    -Andrew
     
  37. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Unity 4.1 was released today and the current release of our plugin doesn't work with it yet. We are working on the issue and should have a new version out in a few hours. Thanks for your patience :)
     
  38. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Pleased to say that the plugin has now been updated on the Asset Store to support Unity 4.1 and we also fixed a few other issues with other versions of Unity!
     
  39. hitking100

    hitking100

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    Thanks for your response. I already did a quick test with the demo, using 2 compressed avi files, and on the fastest setting it showed no hiccups at all (at least none that i could see). Still have to test it with a big file and some more small ones, but initial tests look very promising.

    But, since i have no programming skills i'll have to ask this noobish questions in advance. Since you know about laserdisc games you probably know what i'm trying to accomplish here...for example :

    Play movie1
    If mouse is clicked inside box1 AND framecount of movie1 is between frame 60-90, play movie2
    else stop movie 2 at frame 90, start movie3.

    Yeesh...how i despise my old basic IF THEN ELSE statements :rolleyes:

    I assume the video is always in the background so graphics on top of it should provide no problem as well, i can use additional audio clips even with the video clip with sound playing, so that's good as well...that's about it really. Only wondering about that crucial framecount.


     
  40. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi hitking100,

    Nothing wrong with IF THEN ELSE, programming couldn't get far without it! :)

    You'll probably have to learn some basic scripting to get your game working... Luckily it's all pretty easy so with a bit of persistence you should be fine!

    Here's a .cs script component to do roughly what you asked:
    Code (csharp):
    1.  
    2. using UnityEngine;
    3.  
    4. public class VideoController : MonoBehaviour
    5. {
    6.    public AVProQuickTimeMovie _currentMovie;
    7.    public AVProQuickTimeMovie _nextMovie;
    8.    public uint _minFrame;
    9.    public uint _maxFrame;
    10.    public Rect _box;
    11.  
    12.    void Update()
    13.    {
    14.        if (Input.anyKeyDown   _box.Contains(Input.MousePosition))
    15.        {
    16.            uint currentFrame = _currentMovie.MovieInstance.PositionFrames;
    17.            if (currentFrame > _minFrame  currentFrame < _maxFrame)
    18.            {
    19.                _currentMovie.Pause();
    20.                _nextMovie.Play();
    21.            }
    22.        }
    23.    }
    24. }
    I haven't tested the code but it's something like that..

    Hope that helps!
     
  41. Snowblack

    Snowblack

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    Man, you just doubled the price!?
    Your stuff, your work, your right to do so, but reasons are beyond my humble brain. Good luck with sale.
     
  42. fastcall

    fastcall

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    Hi. I have problem. Last AVPro Windows Media and Unity3D 4.1

    If pause video and then dragging application window video texture disappear.
    All texture information correct - width and height but it empty

    This bug present at demo application and your sample-1920x1024-divx.avi.bin video file. Just click pause and then drag application window.

    When i hit pause:
    $normal.jpg
    and after drag window:
    $bug.jpg

    At Unity 3.5 all fine, at Unity 4.0 and higher this bug
     
  43. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi fastcall,

    Thanks for reporting this bug. I haven't managed to replicate it - seems like it could be Windows 8 specific? I suspect it's related to lost-device. Does it also happen if you hit ALT-ENTER to switch between fullscreen?
     
  44. Rabid-Baboon-RDS

    Rabid-Baboon-RDS

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    Are you planning on adding support for playback from memory? Similar to your quick time version.
     
  45. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Hi Rabid Baboon,

    We could add this feature but I'm not sure it's something that's very useful? Playing from memory means the entire video needs to be loaded into memory which takes up a considerable amount of space. It could be useful if you wanted to hide your video files by not having them be directly in the file system...Please let us know your thoughts.
     
  46. Rabid-Baboon-RDS

    Rabid-Baboon-RDS

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    Hi AndrewRH,

    Thanks for the reply.

    "It could be useful if you wanted to hide your video files by not having them be directly in the file system"
    This is why I asked about this feature. It would be nice as a option, but I can work without it.
     
  47. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    Ok, we'll consider adding it in a future release then!

    Thanks
     
  48. fastcall

    fastcall

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    Yes, at PAUSE and Alt+Enter this also happend.
    And, yes, this at Windows 8
    At Unity Editor all fine. Bug only at standalone player
     
  49. Rabid-Baboon-RDS

    Rabid-Baboon-RDS

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    BUG
    Pause video and then drag application window, video texture disappears.

    I also just encounter this bug using Unity3D 4.1.1. Only seems to happen in standalone builds. I am running Windows 7 64bit with an Intel Integrated graphics.

    Let me know if you need more info.

    Rabid
     
  50. AndrewRH

    AndrewRH

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    A new tutorial video is up that shows basic drag and drop usage of the plugin: