Convert GVI (google) to AVI?

using windoze:

http://www.tavisjohn.com/nuke/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=32

Philberttheduck said:

I just downloaded the Lakers-Phoenix game (paid) from Google Video. Unfortunately I had to go through their video player (choppy at best). The worst news of all? It wasn't Mac Compatible! Now, I've been googling up something for a converter/ripper but the VirtualDub process (windoze, keep in mind) have been unsuccessful. They must have updated their codecs (Google) from letting paying customers like me NOT be able to watch it on my goddamn mac. ***** ridiculous.

Anyways, can anyone help me? I'm frustrated I have to settle on watching that Lakers game on my crappy 17inch lcd... Google should burn in hell for not allowing Mac users to have an avi format available..

Click to expand...

Philberttheduck,

I absolutely am feeling the frustration you're experiencing, as well. Certainly not as dramatically as you are, as I have a PC rather than a Mac (for now, at least), but I've been searching everywhere for any kind of converter for GVI files to really just anything else, as I'd like to be able to burn some of these Spurs games I've downloaded for my brother (who's unable to watch them, being overseas at the moment). The link the person who first responded to your request I believe simply provided you another place to download the "VirtualDub" program - which we both know only works for a very short part of GVI's (if at all), for whatever reason. The only other thing I've found involves what was termed to be a "very simple" (to a programmer) altering of the code of the file, but that clearly is not usable/feasible to those of us who are not extremely well-versed in file programming. (It's times like these that I wish I had stuck with my initial thoughts of majoring in IT! ) Anyway, I'm sorry I don't really have anything for you here, I suppose I am just letting you know that we both are in the same boat, so to speak. I imagine that someone will be releasing some kind of converter soon, as Google video sales, I truly believe, have grown exponentially in the last couple/few weeks, what with the NBA Playoffs being offered for sale - in complete game format, as opposed to the extremely limited iTunes offerings (which are very much shortened, heavily edited - basically to what amounts to just extended hilights of the games). I'm just frustrated as hel*, like you clearly are, that, being about six months into the format (as far as I know...it's probably been even a bit longer), no one out there has been able to create a converter for this obviously very popular format (as anything Google is these days). If you find anything that works, please let me know. (I'd truly appreciate anything!) Just add @gmail.com to my username here, and drop me a line. Good luck, Phil.

- Robert, San Antonio, TX

Solution

This works for me on a mac:

1.) Rename file from nameoffile.gvi to nameoffile.avi

2.) Run DivX Doctor II - get it here: http://www.3ivx.com/divxdoctor/
Open the avi
Mark all three checkboxes (the audio decompressing is important to get rid of the audio problems)
Let DivX Doctor do its job.

3.) Delete the original avi file. And rename the new created file from filename.m1 to filename.avi again.

It's a pain in the ass, but it works. The old Download function in Google Video was much better than this video player and strange video format. But okay, Google Video is still beta, hope it was just an experiment and they will go back to the old "more Google like" easy-to-use way.

Just change the .gvi to .avi

On my .gvi movie, downloaded from Google, the only thing I did was to make the letter g into a letter a and had a working movie appear in column view.
Pretty simple change.
Movie.gvi
into
Movie.avi
Try it and see if it works for you too.

realbiz said:

On my .gvi movie, downloaded from Google, the only thing I did was to make the letter g into a letter a and had a working movie appear in column view.
Pretty simple change.
Movie.gvi
into
Movie.avi
Try it and see if it works for you too.

Click to expand...

I just tried this and it only showed the first 14 seconds of the video I wanted to watch.

Can someone tell me what I did wrong?

Peace,

Henry