problems with RLE-files from Autodesk Screencast

[Peter2]

The "Screencast" Software by Autodesk
https://screencast.autodesk.com/
creates temporarily RLE-files. I think that the file is not one image, it is a "movie" (many images ..). I can not open it with XnView (and not with Windows media player ..). Is it another format with extension RLE?

Peter

[XnTriq]

My guess is that Screencast uses the old Autodesk Animator codec (Autodesk 24-bit RLE compressor) for these temporary files.
Could you please open an RLE in Notepad to see if there's a string that says vidsAASC (or vidsaas4) at the beginning of the file?

• Wikipedia
  • FourCC
  • Run-length encoding
• FourCC.org
  • AASC
• MultimediaWiki
  • Autodesk Animator Codec
• FFmpeg
  • Documentation: Supported Video Codecs » Autodesk RLE
• newsgroup.xnview.com
  • FFmpeg & xnview

[Peter2]

Hi XnTriq

here is an example - see attachment.

Peter

[XnTriq]

Thank you for the sample, Peter. That's definitely not an Animator video or FLIC animation.
It looks like another proprietary format. Just what the world needs…

Perhaps Pierre can tell us more?

[xnview]

yes i don't know this format...

[cday]

The following link gives some information:

http://wiki.multimedia.cx/index.php?tit ... ator_Codec

And this [incorrect url deleted] link is to a utility that mentions the format:

http://download.cnet.com/Zillaftp-Video ... 65730.html

[Peter2]

The following link gives some information:

http://wiki.multimedia.cx/index.php?tit ... ator_Codec

And this download.com link is to a utility that mentions the format:

http://download.cnet.com/Zillaftp-Video ... 65730.html

Hi cday

the Wiki-link is fine, thanks, But the downloaded file tries to install something with "marketing research community", and the other download install some "tweaking-software" and so on..

Peter

[cday]

... the downloaded file tries to install something with "marketing research community", and the other download install some "tweaking-software" and so on...

Hi Peter, is there no way to opt out of installing those extras? Reputable download sites do sometimes allow developers to include extra software to enable them to obtain some financial return, but should require that the extras are optional...

[Peter2]

Hi Peter, is there no way to opt out of installing those extras? Reputable download sites do sometimes allow developers to include extra software to enable them to obtain some financial return, but should require that the extras are optional...

No. If I don't accept, the "continue-button" is gray.

Here is the licence-text:

Code: Select all

Um diesen Gratis-Download anbieten zu können, ist RelevantKnowledge-Software, angeboten von TMRG, Inc., einem Unternehmen von comScore, Inc., Bestandteil dieses Downloads. Mit Hilfe dieser Software können Millionen von Teilnehmern in einer Online-Marktforschungsgemeinschaft ihre Meinung kundtun, indem sie sich damit einverstanden erklären, dass ihre Internetrecherche und ihr Kaufverhalten beobachtet, erfasst und gesammelt und nach der Anonymisierung zur Erstellung von Marktberichten, mit deren Hilfe unsere Kunden Internet-Trends und -Muster verstehen, sowie für andere Marktforschungszwecke verwendet werden. Die beobachteten und erfassten Daten umfassen Informationen zur Internetnutzung, grundlegende demographische Daten sowie bestimmte Daten zur Hardware-, Software-, Computerkonfiguration und Anwendungsnutzung des Computers, auf dem Sie RelevantKnowledge installieren. Wir verwenden die beobachteten Daten, zum Beispiel Name und Adresse, möglicherweise dazu, die Demographie Ihres Haushalts besser zu verstehen; beispielsweise kombinieren wir die von Ihnen gelieferten Daten eventuell mit zusätzlichen Daten von Konsumentendatenhändlern und anderen Datenquellen, die mit unseren Datenschutzrichtlinien vereinbar sind. Durch das Klicken auf Akzeptieren bestätigen Sie, dass Sie mindestens 18 Jahre alt sind, ein autorisierter Benutzer dieses Computers sind, und dass Sie die Allgemeinen Bedingungen der Datenschutzrichtlinie und Benutzerlizenzvereinbarung gelesen und ihnen zugestimmt haben und dass Sie diese Zustimmung von jedem erhalten haben, der den Computer benutzt, auf dem Sie diese Anwendung installieren. Wir unternehmen alle wirtschaftlich machbaren Schritte, um persönlich identifizierbare Daten automatisch zu filtern und um aus unseren Datenbänken alle Informationen über Teilnehmer zu löschen, die unbeabsichtigt erfasst wurden.

Peter


EDIT:
http://deletemalware.blogspot.ch/2011/0 ... stall.html

[XnTriq]

Sites like…

• Softpedia (“Users are advised to pay attention while installing this ad-supported application”) and
  SnapFiles (“During our review, we found that this program offers to install promotional, third party components”)

… will tell/warn you if a setup comes with foistware.
If you prefer c|net's Download.com for some reason, you should use the “Direct Download Link” instead of the green “Download Now! (Installer Enabled)” button.

• “Download Now” takes you to cbsidlm-cbsi213-Zillaftp_Video_Cutter_Max-ORG-75439893.exe which is adware!
  “Direct Download Link” takes you to zfvx.exe which includes RelevantKnowledge + Autocomplete Pro!

• Electronic Frontier Foundation
  • The Download.com Debacle: What CNET Needs to Do to Make it Right
• SecureMac
  • CNET's Download.com Adware Installer Bundled with Popular Apps - Advisory
  • CNet Adware Identification and Removal Guide for Mac OS X
• The Safe Mac
  • Boycott CNET's Download.com
• Softpedia
  • Get Rid of Genieo with Adware Removal Tool from BitDefender
• Wikipedia
  • Download.com » Adware
  • Comparison of file verification software

The ZillaFTP software may or may not be able to play back Autodesk Animator RLE videos, but it will definitely not let you view chronicle_capture.rle, because that's a different format (as confirmed by Pierre).

[Peter2]

Hi XnTriq

I will stop the RLE - investigations now. I hoped that there is a simple solution, but as usual -it is not

Thanks also for the info about Cnet. I tried both of the download - one brings foistware in setup-process, the second begins to offer other software before the main-setup

Peter

[XnTriq]

I will stop the RLE - investigations now. I hoped that there is a simple solution, but as usual -it is not

It's still fairly new software. Maybe they'll eventually release the specs of the format to the public.

• Autodesk Labs Blog: Autodesk Research's Project Chronicle graduates from Autodesk Labs to Autodesk Screencast
• Autodesk Community: Which file format is RLE, made by Screencast?

[…], did I mention Autodesk Screencast was free and uses open formats? http://youtu.be/LccKOT_zjz4

[XnTriq]

The main Paint.NET application window size is fixed at 1024x768, and this entire screen region is captured at full resolution at 10fps. We use Techsmith’s TSCC lossless codec to capture the video. Videos are captured in one minute segments so they can be processed by adding an overlay of a mouse icon indicating cursor position and button-presses, and any keyboard key-presses that occurred. The video processing happens on a separate thread, with each 1 minute segment taking approximately 15 seconds to process. Thus, regardless of the total capture time, the Chronicle window can be launched 15 seconds after the last video capture has ended.

… but chronicle_capture.rle isn't TSCC encoded either.

• TechSmith
  • Camtasia Studio Legacy Accessories » Camtasia Player
  • Downloads » TSCC Codec
  • ftp://ftp.techsmith.com/Pub/products/tscc/
• MultimediaWiki
  • TechSmith Screen Capture Codec
• Movavi
  • TSCC codec

[Peter2]

...

Very interessting page. Thanks for the hours that you invested

Peter

[XnTriq]

Thanks for the hours that you invested

Well, thank you for posting interesting questions and giving me an excuse to learn (which is why I joined the forum in the first place)

… and thank goodness it didn't take hours (-;

RLE is an intermediate file format we use during the video conversion process, it isn't meant to be used/opened given its purpose in our translation of the video into WEBM.

• Wikipedia: WebM
• HTML5.org: Get WebM!
• XnView Forum: Sample of diff. images for user-training