Author Topic: Final Fantasy VII Original FMV question... (Read 32724 times)

xeriouxi · « **on:** 2003-09-16 20:22:53 »

Hi!

After being annoyed constantly by the poor codec used for compression of the Final Fantasy VII PC movies, I have decided to rip the originals off the PSX discs.

I mean, come on! Why couldn't they copy over the original .str files and use them!?

Well, anyway, I know that one problem is the music over the intro and ending movie. I remember someone saying that a program called 'Virtual Dub' would do it. Well, I tried it and it was difficult to use the interface, and I just couldn't get it working right. I did record the original, and overwrite it along with the OST track, but I don't preferably want to do this, as it loses it's 'originality'.

Does anyone know of any software that can just add a .wav or .mp3 file over an .avi at a certain point?

Also, I have tried a program called 'PSX Multi Converter' to rip the movies from the original. However, some have 'grey frames' when I rip them? Does anyone know of any other good movie rippers for the PSX Final Fantasy VII?

Phew!

Oh, yeah! I haven't showed my gratitude for previous post assistance! Thanks for all of your help! This is a great community, and i'm proud to be a member of it!

Oh, and finally, has everyone checked any of the Final Fantasy IX for PC petition posts in the 'General' section? Enough nagging and Squaresoft may decide to release it. I have seen screenshots of the PC development, and they look great!

Oops... I drifted off there!

xeriouxi.

Synergy Blades · « **Reply #1 on:** 2003-09-16 20:45:57 »

Quote

I have seen screenshots of the PC development, and they look great!

Any links to that?

Jedimark · « **Reply #2 on:** 2003-09-16 21:06:27 »

Wasn't it an April Fools joke or something?

atzn · « **Reply #3 on:** 2003-09-16 22:19:38 »

Quote from: Jedimark

Wasn't it an April Fools joke or something?

Heh heh.....the old joke..

http://www.ffonline.com/news/news.php?article=2002-04-01

I pretty much doubt that Squaresoft will even bother work on a PC version for an old title like FF9......

And speaking about PC versions.... I've read the FF12 interview.... and the developer did mention about making it for the PS2 platform.... but he didn't mention anything about the PC version.........

Contra · « **Reply #4 on:** 2003-09-17 01:30:49 »

By the way... The .str files from the PSX version and the movies from the PC version are different in more than just file type... the PSX movies aren't... erm.. well-organised? Most of them start with the second half of one movie, and end with the begining of the next.. it would take some SERIOUS video editing to have anything usable by FF7. Not to mention that some video files in FF7 PC didn't use video files like the rest.. (Background stuff... the cloudscape int he hugwind, for example) Of course, if you already have the movies, you can just use the old ones for those... I strongly advise against it... there would be an insane amount of work for not much gain in quality... Trust me... I've tried. Not to mention, if the Video files aren't exactly the right length.. 3D models renderend on top of them lag and don't fit the camera motions.

Contra

Jedimark · « **Reply #5 on:** 2003-09-17 08:57:07 »

Try a program called SnagIt 6. But using it your gunna have to run the game to get each individual movie. It basically just records your screen, it's really nice if you want to download streaming .RM files / protected content.

Post 1000: I am a "No-Life"! Looking at the member list it seems I am the 11th member to reach =1000 posts!

Rubicant_II · « **Reply #6 on:** 2003-09-17 17:31:00 »

After being annoyed constantly by the poor codec used for compression of the Final Fantasy VII PC movies, I have decided to rip the originals off the PSX discs.

Oh no you didn't! First of all, the PSX Multi-Converter works just fine when ripping the movies from FF7. However, that's not entirely the point. I ripped a few of the movies several months ago in hopes of doing the same thing you are. However, I was greatly disappointed. It ends up that the PSX cinematics are pretty much no different than the pc version's. I converted one of the PSX movies using the same codec the pc version cinematics use and there was pretty much no difference between the result and the pc version ones. Believe it or not, despite the dithering, but the movies included with ff7 are the highest-quality they are going to get. Unless you raid Square-Enix's computer and get the originals. Good luck with that.

I mean, come on! Why couldn't they copy over the original .str files and use them!?

Compatability issues.

Well, anyway, I know that one problem is the music over the intro and ending movie. I remember someone saying that a program called 'Virtual Dub' would do it. Well, I tried it and it was difficult to use the interface, and I just couldn't get it working right. I did record the original, and overwrite it along with the OST track, but I don't preferably want to do this, as it loses it's 'originality'.

Both versions (PSX and PC) of the intro and ending cinematics have the same exact music. I don't see the use of doing that whatsoever.

Does anyone know of any software that can just add a .wav or .mp3 file over an .avi at a certain point?

There are many. One I use is adobe premiere. You can buy it, or *cough* *download* *wheeze* *it*!!

Also, I have tried a program called 'PSX Multi Converter' to rip the movies from the original. However, some have 'grey frames' when I rip them? Does anyone know of any other good movie rippers for the PSX Final Fantasy VII?

Sorry, I know of none others than PSX Multi converter. IMO, It is very impressive. I think the grey frames may have something to do with the codec you are rendering with.

Contra · « **Reply #7 on:** 2003-09-17 19:18:11 »

Quote from: Rubicant_II

Well, anyway, I know that one problem is the music over the intro and ending movie. I remember someone saying that a program called 'Virtual Dub' would do it. Well, I tried it and it was difficult to use the interface, and I just couldn't get it working right. I did record the original, and overwrite it along with the OST track, but I don't preferably want to do this, as it loses it's 'originality'.

Both versions (PSX and PC) of the intro and ending cinematics have the same exact music. I don't see the use of doing that whatsoever.

That's not what he's talking about.. in the PC version, the music in the intro and ending (And any other FMV with music, IE: Steal the Tiny Bronco!, for that matter) is a part of the video file. In the PSX version.. the songs are all played as MIDI.

Contra! The Cont Man, The Contster, Contmeister... Makin' copies!!

Rubicant_II · « **Reply #8 on:** 2003-09-17 19:37:57 »

Yeah, I realize that....hence the way that they were able to rip it into a PSF.

But I still don't see the usefulness of it. Does he want to take out the music from the fmv and replace it with the midi (oa.mid) version of the song with the original soundfont? That's all I could think of.

Contra · « **Reply #9 on:** 2003-09-17 20:01:21 »

No... If he were to use the movies from the PSX version, he wouldn't have any music at all. The movie files from the PSX have no music, the game plays it... the PC version has music right in the movies, and the game plays none.

It's all moot anyways, because he won't get any higher video quality that way.

Rubicant_II · « **Reply #10 on:** 2003-09-17 20:21:43 »

ahh...sorry about seeming so thick...yeah

to be completely honest, I'd only ripped movies from the 2nd and 3rd discs of the psx version. the person I borrowed the discs from somehow lost the 1st disc...oh well, not really my problem. I'm guessing that the sound effects are still in the psx movies, such as the train noises. it'd be very interesting to replace the music in that movie with the sound from the soundfont...hmmm....

even though the song using the original soundfont sounds like crap!!

Contra · « **Reply #11 on:** 2003-09-18 01:29:36 »

Yes, they do still have all sound effects and stuff.... and I agree entrely about the PC-MIDI. I won't argue peoples oppinions on the supposed crappy sound of the PSX music.... But I don't see how anyone can think the PC midi sounds better....

Aaron · « **Reply #12 on:** 2003-09-18 03:00:12 »

I think lots of the PC MIDIs sound better if you use the Yamaha XG program, set it to "XG-Soft" if you're using the one that comes with FF7 (which only works in Windows 95/98/ME), and select "Yamaha XG MIDI" in FF7Config.

...Wow...

Rubicant_II · « **Reply #13 on:** 2003-09-18 03:41:07 »

No, no. The pc version sounds absolutely wonderful with the default soundfont. I was just talking about OA.mid. The intruments must've been unproperly aligned because they are just terrible. No doubt about it. It sounds better than the OST on most songs, even. Some of the songs on the OST just sound too high-pitched and just fruity. For example, the bells on the mako reactor song on the OST. Ridiculous.

xeriouxi · « **Reply #14 on:** 2003-09-19 22:06:58 »

Hi!

Who said i was going to use a compression codec? I use uncompressed frames in FMV files. My hard drive can handle the size, and the quality of the uncompressed FMV files are way better than the PC.

When I said the 'original' movie files, I was figuring that the PC ones where rips from the PSX version, so that it would be less hassle for the developers to make. There are MIDI files for the opening etc., but they won't work because the FMV files already have the audio. Is there any way of getting the MIDI files for the intro and ending FMV files to work?

xeriouxi

Rubicant_II · « **Reply #15 on:** 2003-09-19 22:47:53 »

Just go ahead and try to use uncompressed avi's for the fmv's that you ripped which look like shite anyways. You'll just love the playing lag and the inability for them to even play right.

Contra · « **Reply #16 on:** 2003-09-20 13:42:19 »

Besides that, I think the STR files in the PSX version are already compressed... I never could see any difference between playing them with a PSX movie viewer and watching the PC version ones.... Even if you ripped them directly into uncompressed files, any quality loss from the str file would still be there.... and as I said, it would be a LOT of editing just to get everything to work right.... and if your moves are one second short or long here or there, and something is rendered on top of them, it will be completely screwed up.... The camera movements and stuff for the 3d layer are timed with the percent the movie is through, it seems, because if it's length is off at all, it's completely screwed up....

Qhimm · « **Reply #17 on:** 2003-09-21 08:35:49 »

Quote from: Rubicant_II

Just go ahead and try to use uncompressed avi's for the fmv's that you ripped which look like shite anyways. You'll just love the playing lag and the inability for them to even play right.

Well, to any newbies reading: This is Rubicant. He likes being a bit of an ass, and he's good at what he likes.

Rubicant: Chill down a bit, will you? You're starting to give these forums a hostile feel to them. If it's an attempt at sarcasm, I suggest putting a

or something next to it, since your posts have a tendency not to convey the sarcasm bit.

Rubicant_II · « **Reply #18 on:** 2003-09-21 22:20:49 »

Sorry. I'll clean up my act a bit.

Nori · « **Reply #19 on:** 2003-09-21 22:36:28 »

For Fun

http://www.pvponline.com/archive/2003/pvp20030918.gif

Srethron Askvelhtnod · « **Reply #20 on:** 2003-09-22 03:14:02 »

Since I own both the PSX and PC versions of FF7, I tried doing the same thing about two years ago. I got the same results as Rubicant, though, I could convert the movies to .avi just fine, but the quality (without any compression) really wasn't any better.
For the sake of honesty I'll concede I might have accidentally used compression without realizing it, but I don't really remember now.
Anyway, the reason I was doing it was just to replace 2 unplayable movies from disc 1 (it got scratched.)

Sir Canealot · « **Reply #21 on:** 2003-09-22 18:12:27 »

Quote from: xeriouxi

Hi!

Who said i was going to use a compression codec? I use uncompressed frames in FMV files. My hard drive can handle the size, and the quality of the uncompressed FMV files are way better than the PC.

Actually, they arent. You're probebly playing those movies you've ripped in a form of Media Player from Windows. What this means if the movies'll get filtered 1000x better than FFVII PC will filter them. Actually, I dont think FFVII PC does ANY filtering on the movies. Just a straght friken stretch. If you play the original movies from FFVIIPC though a windows based media player they'll look pimp to. Trust me, I'm qualified. And unfortunately I've bought this up before and I'm aware of NO way to get FFVII PC to use post processing on thoses movies like a media player will. Oh well.......
Movies look fine on a TV-Out anyway....

Skillster/RedSarg99 · « **Reply #22 on:** 2003-09-22 20:22:53 »

canelot cant u rerender the fmv, like use duck codec and rencode it in something else? or use some post processing on the re encode?

Sir Canealot · « **Reply #23 on:** 2003-09-22 20:56:47 »

Umm... I remember people talking about that, but no one ever went though and did it I dont think...
I'm not sure how much of a diffrence it'd make anyway... you could filter the rencode yeah, but whether you'd get FFVII to play them is another story. Perhaps if you use rencoded USEING the Duck Motion Codec...
However I have little wish to do this as I play on TV-Out anyway heh.

Rubicant_II · « **Reply #24 on:** 2003-09-22 23:16:49 »

Quote from: The Skillster

canelot cant u rerender the fmv, like use duck codec and rencode it in something else? or use some post processing on the re encode?

I just testing doing that with indeo 5.0...and it worked out pretty nicely...I'll experiment more on this. But still, it's in vain, because the ripped psx movies look like shite anyways.

[edit]

I tried replacing earithdd.avi with a movie I made awhile ago (phonebusters original cut) using indeo 5.0 and the sound ended up getting off cue towards the end of the movie.

in vain

Author Topic: Final Fantasy VII Original FMV question... (Read 32724 times)

Synergy Blades

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