RAD Game Tools is unable to open an MP4 file

Question

I downloaded RAD Game Tools to convert an MP4 file to BIK, but I get the following error message:

This happens with not just the file I want to convert, but with all my video files. I have no idea what's causing this or if a codec is corrupted, but I really need help. How can I fix this error? Alternatively, is there another converter I can use?

Solution

Your error message suggests a problem, the file you are trying to open is an mp4, not an avi file. If your bink converter cannot open mp4 files, you can either convert your file to .avi with a different tool and then convert it, or you can find a different bink conversion tool. I am not able to provide a recommendation other than to google "bink mp4 conversion".

Comments

[Karan]

What does MediaInfo have to say about the MP4? Also, I'm not sure which audio/video codecs RAD Game Tools supports out of the box, and which ones it requires system codecs for. Check if you have the appropriate codecs installed on your system. Finally, given that the error message is so uninformative, are there any logs created by the app anywhere?

[Karan]

My codec theory seems sound. See the FAQ: "I get an "Error opening, 'filename'" message when compressing or converting one of my files." Try installing the specific codecs required by your files as displayed by MediaInfo, or one of the popular codec packs.

[Spitfire]

I was unable to find any converter like that by just googling, although i see that i made a mistake and that my file is an .MP4 File.

[washbow]

It seems Rad Video Tools may support this conversion, have you tried redownloading/reinstalling the program? Are there any specific sizes or bitrates that the input file must have?

[Spitfire]

None at all actually, i have indeed re-installed the program several times, yet nothing.

[washbow]

According to radgametools.com/binkfaq.htm (this)"means Bink doesn't have an importer for the file" and "the only recourse is to create the file in another format - try an uncompressed AVI or a QT"

[Spitfire]

Ah, never mind, i seem to have fixed the problem by converting the MP4 to WMV, although it's taking a long time to convert.

[Karan]

Remember, the more times you convert, the more data/quality you'll lose. Source uncompressed video > BIK would be better (not to mention faster) than Source > MP4 > BIK, which in turn would be better than Source > MP4 > WMV > BIK.

[Eduardo Lucio]

@Spitfire What did you use to do the conversion to "*.wmv"? 🤔