.avi files no longer importing (86 :: 1)

[themanofvideo]

Recently, After Effects CS5.5 has simply stopped importing .avi files. It's very frustrating sense I was in the middle of a project and it's just stopped reading my main video file.

I've tried everything from completly uninstalling and reinstalling CS5, to updating my codecs, but I always get:

After Effects Error: File "X.avi" cannot be opened, it may be in an unsupported format. (86 :: 1)

I've searched everywhere, but I can't seem to find a solution. I'm running it on a PC and it's not having any trouble with .mp4 files. I also use Divx if that's any help.

Any assistance would greatly be apreciated.

[Dave_LaRonde]

Sorry, but that's not a lot of information to go on.  Here's a list of helpful information you can provide to aid in the diagnostic process.

Having directed you there, I'll still ask this:  did you install the K-Lite codec pack?  If yes, you're hosed.  No one should ever use that piece of garbage.  You are doomed to reinstalling EVERY piece of software on your machine, and that includes the the operating system.

And to quote from Mylenium -- a mainstay contributor to this forum -- "Divx is evil."  From that, I think you can guess what you should NOT be using.

[themanofvideo]

did you install the K-Lite codec pack?  If yes, you're hosed.  No one should ever use that piece of garbage.  You are doomed to reinstalling EVERY piece of software on your machine, and that includes the the operating system.

And to quote from Mylenium -- a mainstay contributor to this forum -- "Divx is evil."  From that, I think you can guess what you should NOT be using.

That's horrible news.

I installed it because After Effects was not rendering avi videos in the prieview and thought I needed to update my codec.

I wish I had known about this earlier.

I may as well post whatever information I can just in case anyway.

-Using After Effects CS5.5 10.5.0.253

-Checked for updates, found none

-Vista Home Premium service pack 2, 64 bit

-Error happens with any .avi fotage

-Intel core 2 quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz 2.39GHz

-4GB RAM

Are you sure total reintalation is the only alternative?

[Dave_LaRonde · Accepted solution]

themanofvideo wrote:

Are you sure total reinstallation is the only alternative?

Pretty much. 

You can confirm by doing TWO searches in this forum: one using the term Klite or K-Lite and one for AVI.  The first search will reveal others' experiences with K-Lite, and the second should reveal Todd Kopriva's recent post on AVI woes like yours.  You'll find the search window in the upper right the page.

Looking over your specs, I'd also double check AE 10's (or 10.5's) System Requirements.  I'm not certain if Vista 64-bit is up to snuff.  You might need Win 7 for best results.

Now here's something I AM certain about: you're way low on memory for AE work.  4 gigs is almost nothing.  There's no way you can use multiprocessing.  I would say that 8 gigs is the minimum to run AE effectively.  16 gigs lets you use a couple of cores for multiprocessing.  24 gigs is good for multiprocessing.  More memory than that lets you leave other applications open with no worries.

[themanofvideo]

Thank you for the help. I may as well just wait for the new system I'm building.

In the meantime, you wouldn't happen to know of any .avi converters with minimal quality loss would you?

[Dave_LaRonde]

I don't, I'm a Quicktime guy.  I use it for everything, even on my Windows box at home.  AVI is Terra Incognita in my world.

But don't overlook that second search I recommended: somebody recently had AVI problems like yours, and Todd had the answer. 

[ellice909]

I am having the exact same problem. Did you ever find a solution?

The file is being generated by my video camera and i can't change it in the camera. I am trying to import an AVI with this h264  codec into After Effects  but it says it is an unsupported format. I can convert it using the software from my Camileo X100 but it loses a lot of quality. I am getting the error ( 86 :: 1 ). I can't use media encoder because the file is marked as corrupt by that program. I am able to watch the video in full size in my video players and i have tried using fresh footage but I can't get either adobe program to work with my file.