GalaxieMusique

Q: QuickTime convert .avi to .mov with OS X Mavericks

Hello! I used QuickTime for watch any videos on OS X Mountain Lion, but now, I'm passed to OS X Mavericks and QuickTime, when I open an .avi file, convert this in a .mov file. I'm sorry for my English, I'm French and I don't know speak English very well, but what can I do for QuickTime opens on .avi and doesn't convert to .mov?

MacBook Pro (13-inch Early 2011), OS X Mavericks (10.9), QuickTime Player X

Posted on Oct 23, 2013 3:57 PM

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Q: QuickTime convert .avi to .mov with OS X Mavericks

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  • by JWKessler,

    JWKessler JWKessler Oct 26, 2013 8:05 PM in response to Nat82
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 26, 2013 8:05 PM in response to Nat82

    Perian no longer works in Mavericks, or at least that is what is being reported. I still have it installed and Quicktime 7 still works and opens .flv, .MP4 and probably other files that it opened before.

     

    If you have QT 7 (I have the pro version) you can do a get info on one of your movie files, select Quicktime 7 under "Open With:" and click the change all button. From now on double clicking any file of that type will open it in Quicktime 7 instead of Quicktime X. No Quick Look, but at least you don't have to wait for conversions before viewing a movie file.

     

    I'm still trying to figure out if Perian is letting QT 7 open the movies files that QT X isn't supporting. If so I'll leave it installed. It doesn't seem to be doing  harm in any case.

     

    Note that Perian is no longer being supported so a Mavericks version will not be forthcoming.

     

    There is one advantage to using Quicktime X to convert files to .MOV files. Once you do so (and of course save the file) the file will open in Quick Look.

  • by martbr,

    martbr martbr Oct 27, 2013 12:56 AM in response to JWKessler
    Level 1 (11 points)
    Oct 27, 2013 12:56 AM in response to JWKessler

    Please read my post in this thread: Perian is an QuickTime extension, QuickTime is only available for 32 bit applications and was replaced with "AV Foundation" for 64 bit applications.

     

    In other words: Perian still works on Mavericks, but is only used if QuickTime is used. Which means: only for 32 bit applications like the old "QuickTime Player".

     

    The new "QuickTime Player" on Mavericks is 64 bit and based on "AV Foundation" - this is the reason why it has to convert all videos which are not MP4, M4V, H264 (and may be some more formats). Same problem as with iOS (which uses "AV Foundation", too).

     

    Apple should really rename the new "QuickTime Player" to "AV Foundation Player" because it has nothing to do with QuickTime. And people seems to be confused by its name.

  • by donsmith,

    donsmith donsmith Oct 27, 2013 6:52 AM in response to GalaxieMusique
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 27, 2013 6:52 AM in response to GalaxieMusique

    I compared MP4 files that would preview with QuickLook and MP4 files that would NOT preview and found that the difference was that the MP4s that would not preview were compressed with Streaming Hints checked. I and others tested my theory and when the same file was compressed without Streaming Hints checked in Compressor then that MP4 would Finder preview with QuickLook (spacebar play). If the MP4 was compressed with Streaming Hints checked then it would not Finder preview with QuickLook. This is all under Mavericks of course. No problem with Hints-enabled MP4s under Mountain Lion.

  • by OG,

    OG OG Oct 27, 2013 10:25 AM in response to GalaxieMusique
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Oct 27, 2013 10:25 AM in response to GalaxieMusique

    After experiencing the problem in playing MP4 files with QT and reading all the posts here, I came up with a better solution. Instead of using QT to play MP4 files, I use Flip Player. To make it the default player, I associated the file with the player (in Finder, right click the file, select get info, and select Flip Player in Open With drop down menu.

     

    If you do not have Flip Player, you can download from: http://download.cnet.com/Flip-Player/3000-13632_4-87679.html

  • by Wanya_23,

    Wanya_23 Wanya_23 Oct 27, 2013 10:32 AM in response to OG
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 27, 2013 10:32 AM in response to OG

    OG,

     

    The problem here is to make Quicklook works with all the video file.

     

    If QuickTime X isn't working but there's alternatives like vlc, QuickTime 7 and many other video players...

     

    We all need a solution for Quick-look being able to preview videos again....

     

    Please apple !!!

  • by Livebox,

    Livebox Livebox Oct 27, 2013 10:32 AM in response to GalaxieMusique
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Oct 27, 2013 10:32 AM in response to GalaxieMusique

    I had removed Perian quite some time ago and I understood that the developers were retiring the project to work on other things.

     

    The recent update to Mac OS X 10.9 prevented me from accessing AVIs through QuickTime Player (10.3), QuickTime Player 7 Pro (7.6.6) and Flip Player (3.2.1.2). All three were also unable to convert the AVI files.

     

    On reinstalling Perian (1.2.3) I have now been able to view AVIs through all players and I am also able to convert them to other formats.

     

    I'm taking this 'opportunity' to convert all AVI files to MOV format which I hope is a worthwhile move.

     

    The fans are whirring!

  • by thomasselis,

    thomasselis thomasselis Oct 27, 2013 1:02 PM in response to Livebox
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 27, 2013 1:02 PM in response to Livebox

    Converting in Quicktime Player X (like it starts doing when opening an .avi, .flv...) would be a solution if these files wouldn't get 2 to 4 times bigger than the original file! :-(

  • by Livebox,

    Livebox Livebox Oct 27, 2013 3:29 PM in response to thomasselis
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Oct 27, 2013 3:29 PM in response to thomasselis

    Hope I'm not being patronising but I right-click my original file and at the bottom end of the drop-down menu I use 'Encode Selected Video Files'.

     

    The available options give me all I need for relatively quick conversion without having the player running.

     

    I've just done several hundred small AVI files to MOV and even using 1080p didn't cause too much increase in file size.

     

    eg. 3.6MB to 4.8MB, 5.2MB to 5.9MB, 4.2MB to 5.8MB

     

    Bigger, yes, but absolutely none of them were anywhere close to double.

     

    The increases you are seeing would have definitely put me off!

  • by OG,

    OG OG Oct 27, 2013 4:15 PM in response to Wanya_23
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Oct 27, 2013 4:15 PM in response to Wanya_23

    You are looking for the fountain of youth with your plea for Apple to fix Quick Look. Apple couldn't care an ***. That's the nature of the company. It's purist... my way or the highway.

     

    So look somewhere else for a solution.

  • by thomasselis,

    thomasselis thomasselis Oct 27, 2013 4:15 PM in response to Livebox
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 27, 2013 4:15 PM in response to Livebox

    I've just tried a flv-file from 305MB and converted it (the way you describe) at 480p and the outcome was an m4v from 658MB...

  • by OG,

    OG OG Oct 27, 2013 4:37 PM in response to thomasselis
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Oct 27, 2013 4:37 PM in response to thomasselis

    thomasselis:

     

    Your experience is nothing new. I've belabored Apple in many previous posts that it does not do a good job of efficiently converting files to its favored format. Take for example converting Word documents to Pages. The result is about 2x bloat. So I am reluctant to be purely Apple when it comes to using its apps. I look at what does the job efficiently.

  • by Deborah Terreson,

    Deborah Terreson Deborah Terreson Oct 27, 2013 5:11 PM in response to Wanya_23
    Level 4 (1,004 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 27, 2013 5:11 PM in response to Wanya_23

    Wanya_23, the issue of QuickLook not working for the favorite file formats we use is that Apple didn't make them! As the OS gets more integratd with the 'cloud' and is online all the time, the functions that are nested inside the system will be more and more walled off.

     

    The codecs to run most of the videos we get online now have their own security (like Flash which presents it's own headaches, hence Apple and Adobe getting spiky with each other after nearly 2 decades of playing together well) or are open source and prone to a faster upgrade cycle than Apple's security can vet for safety. (Just try and open an application that isn't from the App Store - I use an old version of iStat for my menus and in order to get MenuCracker to launch so iStat would run in the first place, I had to add it to a security exemption list!)

     

    All of this 'not working' nonsense is Apple firming up internal security in the OS. Until Apple decides to incorporate some sort of a sandbox around video codecs through the QuickLook, don't hold your breath.

     

    You'll just have to go back to the old fashioned way of watching videos..

     

    In the QT 7 player.

  • by hermandaz,

    hermandaz hermandaz Oct 28, 2013 12:56 AM in response to Deborah Terreson
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Oct 28, 2013 12:56 AM in response to Deborah Terreson

    Hi, quciktime cannot open AVI files, but after converting them to MOV, it can play the video. And here, to do the conversion, what we need is a AVI to MOV converter, this tool can help you convert avi files to mov freely.

  • by Victor Beltran,

    Victor Beltran Victor Beltran Oct 28, 2013 1:44 AM in response to GalaxieMusique
    Level 1 (26 points)
    Oct 28, 2013 1:44 AM in response to GalaxieMusique

    So far, this is what I found out:

     

    1. You need a codec to use quick look for mp4 usually Perian, but this open project has stopped offering updates, so it won't fully work on Mavericks.
    2. Some mp4 files will play others will not, specifically the "H.264, AAC, Hint" seems to be the problem. The files whit out the "Hint" spec plays fine, you can check this whit the Get Info Command.
    3. If you open the mp4 file on Quick Time, its converted to a codec that can be use on quick look.

     

    I'm sure that soon, some developer will provide a project similar to Perian. Until then you can also use Quick Time 7 to view the mp4 hinted files whit out conversion, but some HD videos will play slow or stop responding because the 32 bit compatibility.

     

    So, in resume, install Perian, also install Flip4Mac and Quick Time 7, and specially, try to download or create not hinted mp4 movies.

     

    Hope this to be useful.

  • by John Lockwood,

    John Lockwood John Lockwood Oct 28, 2013 8:05 AM in response to GalaxieMusique
    Level 6 (9,309 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Oct 28, 2013 8:05 AM in response to GalaxieMusique

    QuickLook in Mavericks would appear to be using AV Foundation and therefore be limited to the Apple supported formats, i.e. not AVI.

     

    Apple have deliberately chosen not to reveal to thirdparty developers how to write AV Foundation codecs becuse they want everyone to use H.264 etc. i.e. AV Foundation formats as their video format. If they allowed thirdparty codecs to support old formats then this would allow people to be lazy and leave their videos unconverted.

     

    Why do Apple want people to only use the new(er) formats? Apart from making their code simpler, it allows Apple to optimise processing these handful of formats both for speed and power. Apparently Apple have provided a library called QTMovieModernizer which while it does not allow playing older formats does allow them to be converted. However from what people have been saying here it makes the files much bigger. There are plenty of thirdparty tools to convert formats many are free, and in some cases could do things more simply like taking an FLV containing H.264 and simply put it in a new MOV envelope without having to reconvert the H.264 video itself. In some cases VLC can do this for example.

     

    In conclusion it would appear you have no chance of getting AVI etc. supported by QuickLook but by installing QuickTime Player 7 and Perian you can play them still.

     

    It might be worth reading the following.

     

    http://asciiwwdc.com/2013/sessions/606

     

    Note: While I see Apple's reasoning I would still like AV Foundation to be able to support more codecs.

     

    PS. In case you think it is any better on the Windows side of the fence, when Microsoft launched Windows7 they introduced Media Foundation as an intended replacement for DirectShow filters. This could be considered to be equivalent to Apple replacing QuickTime with AV Foundation. Whilst I believe Microsoft have released the details on how to write Media Foundation codecs, the reality is that practically zero have been written so far and we are now on Windows 8.1! It is still possible to use DirectShow filters in Windows Media Player (thankfully) and hence I can still use the Apple Lossless DirectShow filter to play my music files.

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