Win 1.3.1 p11 - Video Recording Bug - 1-2 min limit

[don]

When recording a video at 640x480, full frames, uncompressed, Celestia is limited to 1 to 2 minutes of recording (2 GB file size). When it goes over this limit, the AVI file becomes corrupt.

[Harry]

Hi Don

When recording a video at 640x480, full frames, uncompressed, Celestia is limited to 1 to 2 minutes of recording (2 GB file size). When it goes over this limit, the AVI file becomes corrupt.

I would not consider this a bug in celestia, as it is probably due to the limitations of "normal" windows (or linux) file operations. 32 Bit gives you 4 GB, and sometimes one needs the first bit for negative numbers (file seeking). The filesystem-limitations could be worked around on modern systems (with NTFS), but this could be a compatibility issue, or even a problem within the video-codecs.

AMD is probably right, we need those 64 Bits CPUs

Harald

[don]

Howdy Harald,

I've used a lot of different video capturing, recording, editing and output software during the past few years, and the only limitation is the code and the OS. Windows 98 and older file systems (FAT) supports only 2 GB file sizes. All since (2000, XP, etc. -- via NTFS) support very large file sizes.

If the code does not check the file system, it will obviously default to the "oldest" version (FAT for Windows). So, part of the problem is the code, which I would consider a bug / problem to be fixed, since NTFS has been out for about 10 years or so now -- starting with OS/2.

I have not encountered any file-size limitations with any of the recent video CODECs I've been using, which are numerous.

Just my 2 cents worth .

[Harry]

So, part of the problem is the code, which I would consider a bug / problem to be fixed, since NTFS has been out for about 10 years or so now -- starting with OS/2.

I agree it is a problem that should be fixed if (easily?) possible, though i wouldn't call it a bug (at least not a bug in celestia). I don't know enough about the Windows internals to comment about why this limit exists in celestia, but I didn't find an obvious place in the celestia-code.

Harald

[Don. Edwards]

Ah, OS/2 didn't use "NTFS"[new technology file system] it used "NFS"[new file system]. NTFS is proprietary to NT based operating systems witch OS/2 is not related. OS/2 is based on DOS-and some very early Windows APIs. It then was forked in a different direction than Windows went. Windows and OS/2 only share some things in common from lets say the Windows v.2.0 era. Other than that they are very different animals. Just thought I would point that out.

Don Edwards

[don]

Ummm, hate to disagree with you Don, but I was in the middle of developing under Windows, along with testing OS/2, when MS and IBM were CO-authoring OS/2. Then MS decided to split from their agreement with IBM, just like they did with IBM-DOS, taking a LOT of code with it, and created the early versions of NT from it. NTFS and OS/2 file system were compatible in the beginning, and not based on DOS. I knew people involved with the early versions of NT and this is how it was explained to me. If history wrote it differently, then it was to avoid prosecution from MS <laughing>!

[chris]

When recording a video at 640x480, full frames, uncompressed, Celestia is limited to 1 to 2 minutes of recording (2 GB file size). When it goes over this limit, the AVI file becomes corrupt.

I have absolutely no idea how to go about fixing this. Any suggestions?

--Chris

[Harry]

have absolutely no idea how to go about fixing this. Any suggestions?

celestia seems to be using Video for Windows, and

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article - 193656

suggest that this is a limitation in VfW. But they also write:

Programs using Microsoft DirectShow can create AVI files that exceed 2 GB in size on computers using the FAT32 or NTFS file system.

[don]

Thanks for the info Harald!