Why am I getting error message "an interface has too many methods to fire events from" in Windows Movie Maker? My searching research shows two reasons users are looking for answers. They're either:
- Trying to use an MPEG-2 video file in Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker and it won't work... if that's you, continue reading.
- Running a script on a server that has nothing to do with digital video files... this article isn't for you... search some more.
The early versions of Movie Maker were made to edit Digital Video (DV-AVI) files. That's why many to most MPEG-2 file imports fail. Let's explore the differences between those file types to better understand what's happening when you come across the error message.
It wasn't until Movie Maker 6 in Vista, when Microsoft issued an MPEG-2 decoder as part of the operating system, that the file type was supported... and that's only in the Home Premium and Ultimate versions. Movie Maker 6 in other versions of Vista continue to not have built-in support for MPEG-2 files.
MPEG stands for Moving Picture Experts Group, formed in 1988 to develop standards to put videos on discs. Their MPEG-1 standard was designed to make video CDs (VCDs). The desire for bigger, better video files on discs led to the MPEG-2 standard finalized in 1995, and the roll-out of DVDs. We know how much DVDs have captured the hearts and wallets of those who watch movies at home. The format was and continues to be hugely successful.
MPEG-2 files were made for disc distribution and local playing, not for consumer editing. But we want to do it anyways.
The spread of MPEG-2 didn't stop with professionally produced DVDs... today you find them on many camcorders, those that record on min-DVDs and many of the hard drive models. Also, capture devices that record from TV often make MPEG-2 files. Topping those off are personal computers with their DVD burners and DVD making software. Consumers want, and have, lots of MPEG-2 files, and they want to use clips from them in their movie projects.
Note that MPEG-2 files can come with various file extensions such as: .mpeg, .mpg, .mod, .vob. To compound that, file extensions are hidden by default so you may not be seeing them. If you're getting the error message, you're using an MPEG-2 file.
So why the error?
To understand the error message we need to look a little deeper into the file type. MPEG-2 files are more highly compressed then DV-AVI files.
Learn about how DV-AVI files work and why you get this annoying error message...