MPG file won't open on Mac

Question

MPG file won't open on Mac

I have a large mpg file (400 mb) that runs fine on my PC laptop but I get the error:
QuickTime cannot open the file: "neurotoxicology.mpg"
it is not a file that QuickTime understands (-2048)
on my Mac.

I upgraded to QuickTime Pro, with no improvement. Is there a codec I can download to fix this, and if so, how would it be installed?

Is there a better player our there for mpg files?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Posted on Nov 17, 2005 3:30 PM

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Answer 1

Nov 17, 2005 3:58 PM in response to Community User

The -2048 error usually means that the true file format of your .mpg file is MPEG-2.
QuickTime can't open these files without the additional MPEG-2 Playback Component ($20 at the Apple Store).
You should be able to view (no editing) the file by using the VLC player (free download).

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Answer 2

Nov 19, 2005 9:51 PM in response to Community User

there is a programm out there called "mpeg streamclip". do a google search for it.
its free and it will play mpgs. it will also allow you to convert them to just about anything. imovie native format is DV25. convert to DV and select that option. it even breaks it up into the size files that imovie likes. (about 9min chunks).
cheers,
matt

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Answer 3

Nov 20, 2005 1:42 AM in response to matt warren1

Notice that MPEG Streamclip needs Apple's QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component for full MPEG2 support.

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