From: "cosmicrock2001" <rpearson@ecentral.com>

Date: June 7, 2006 1:53:33 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: getting AVIs into a file format that will work with IIDC and Keith's stacker?


Couldnt you just use QuickTime Pro to convert the avi to .mov file? 

Or is that not loss-less?   Ron


--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, Milton Aupperle <milton@...> 

wrote:


Hi Jon;


1) First off, can you open and play the AVI file with the 

QuickTime  

Player on a Mac or on a PC?


If you can't play it, the there is no codec for it decompress the  

video. So you need to get that codec installed on the Mac before 

the  

vide data can be used by any application.


Under Windows, I believe you can determine what codec it was 

created  

with by examining the "Properties" of the .avi file.


2) If youy can't find that codec on the Mac (lots of them do not  

exist on the Mac such as Huffy YUV, Microsoft MP4 flavors 2 and 

3,  

various Bayer codecs etc ), then Virtual Dub


http://www.virtualdub.org/


will be able to convert any playable AVI into an RGB24 AVI 

format,  

which should be a loss less conversion (Youcma's only deliver 8 

bit).  

You can then copy the enormous files over afterwards.


3) Astro IIDC does import nor manipulate FITS files. It can save  

frames as uncompressed FITS files, but it won't do anything with 

them.


HTH..



Milton J. Aupperle

President

ASC - Aupperle Services and Contracting

Mac Software (Drivers, Components and Application) Specialist

#1005 - 815 14th Avenue. S.W.

Calgary Alberta Canada T2R0N5

1-(403)-229-9456

milton@...

www.outcastsoft.com



On 6-Jun-06, at 2:57 PM, Jon Iverson wrote:


After being a Win user for so long and only recently acquiring 

the Mac

specifically for astro work, I am running into a few problems,  

mainly due to

my lack of experience with the Mac. My biggest problem is file

compatibility. I have scores of AVIs that were recorded with a  

Toucam and

Win laptop that I would like to reprocess with Keith's stacker 

and  

IIDC. I

see that Keith's program appears to recognize the AVI, but then 

keeps

distorting the files after I try and save them. I have tried  

converting

AVIs to FIT and so far, I can't get either program to work with 

the  

FIT

files. Can someone provide some pointers for the best 

conversion  

method--

from AVI to any of the Mac program formats- and a method that 

will  

preserve

the contents of the original AVI (no loss)?


Thanks to all,

Jon