Icons / Tumbnails for Videos

I'm wondering if there is a way that I can "select" what the icon / thumbnail
is for a video file. Currently it seems that Vista selects a random point
within the video to act as the tumbnail - is there any way to make this
"un-random?" (like choosing a specific time within the file?) so as to more
readily identify the file?

On Sat, 6 Oct 2007 13:27:18 -0700, Chris
<> wrote:

>I'm wondering if there is a way that I can "select" what the icon / thumbnail
>is for a video file. Currently it seems that Vista selects a random point
>within the video to act as the tumbnail - is there any way to make this
>"un-random?" (like choosing a specific time within the file?) so as to more
>readily identify the file?

The way it is suppose to work is the thumbnail is made from the first
video frame. However if the first frame is black or nearly so due to a
fade-in or copyright notice, common for videos, it keeps going for a
set time then picks the first frame it hits that it can use. If it
can't find a useable frame it may just Peter out and instead throw up
a file type icon instead. As far as I know there's no way to pick what
frame is used. Maybe there is something deep in some dark corner of
the Registry. Knowing Windows it probably wouldn't be smart enough to
remember anyway.

Adam as always is correct..

however ACDSEE (not free) can do exactly that from the media plugin settings


"Adam Albright" <> wrote in message
news:...
> On Sat, 6 Oct 2007 13:27:18 -0700, Chris
> <> wrote:
>
>>I'm wondering if there is a way that I can "select" what the icon /
>>thumbnail
>>is for a video file. Currently it seems that Vista selects a random point
>>within the video to act as the tumbnail - is there any way to make this
>>"un-random?" (like choosing a specific time within the file?) so as to
>>more
>>readily identify the file?
>
> The way it is suppose to work is the thumbnail is made from the first
> video frame. However if the first frame is black or nearly so due to a
> fade-in or copyright notice, common for videos, it keeps going for a
> set time then picks the first frame it hits that it can use. If it
> can't find a useable frame it may just Peter out and instead throw up
> a file type icon instead. As far as I know there's no way to pick what
> frame is used. Maybe there is something deep in some dark corner of
> the Registry. Knowing Windows it probably wouldn't be smart enough to
> remember anyway.
>