If you want to play several video files at the same time or want to play video files with a very high resolution you might want to consider using Hap codec. You often won’t be getting the video files in this format from the start, so you’ll need to convert them. Lightact doesn’t have any video encoding functionality, but in this brief article, we’ll guide you through the steps required to be able to convert video files to Hap.
Install the Codecs
The first step is to head to download the installer for Hap codec.
Transcoding Software Packages
We’ve tested several free and non-free software packages and converted files to hap format. Below you’ll find a summary. If, after installing HAP codecs, they still don’t appear in the codec lists of the software below, you need to install Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Redistributable x64 and x86.
VirtualDub
VirtualDub is a free encoding software with a GUI that we’ve used successfully to convert movies to Hap format that Lightact could then play. The process is as follows:
You open a movie file.
Click on Video and then on Compression…
In the window that appears, select one of Hap codecs. If you don’t see them in the list, you probably haven’t installed Hap codecs correctly. Please notice the Format details on the right-hand side of the window. You can click on Configure to fine-tune the compression, but the default values should work in most cases. When you are done, click OK.
You should check the Color depth setting as well. You can find it in the Video top menu.
If you are using HapA you should check 32bit RGB for both compression and decompression. Otherwise, you can leave the values at default (what’s shown above).
If you want to use these processing settings when doing a batch processing operation, you should Save processing settings…
Batch processing can be set up using a Batch wizard. You can access it by going to File menu, then to Queue batch operation and clicking on Batch wizard…
Adobe Media Encoder
We’ve successfully used Adobe Media Encoder CC 2018 to convert movies to Hap format. The process is as follows:
You add a file to the queue by clicking on the plus sign. In the dialog that opens, select the file you want to convert.
Click on the format link below the name of the move to open the Export Settings window.
In the Export Settings window, make sure that AVI is selected as the Format. If your video doesn’t use Audio, make sure you uncheck the Export audio checkbox.
In the same window, open the Video tab and select one of Hap codecs. Click OK.
In the main window click the green button called Start queue.
Additional help:
FFmpeg
FFmpeg doesn’t perform the conversion to DirectShow .avi Hap files correctly. While some video packages are able to play the converted files, Lightact and some others are not.