On Intel-based Macs, MP4 files created with the Sony XAVC S-I (Sony A7S iii) cannot be viewed directly in Quicktime. However, it works with Quicktime on Macs with M1 processors. However, the VLC player can display the Sony MP4 files directly on both systems.
Is there a solution that allows me to view the Sony XAVC S-I MP4 files on Intel Macs directly in the Finder with Quicktime?
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 12.1
What codec??
QuickTime Player refuses to play some H.265/HEVC flavors. Currently macOS 11 Big Sur is more forgiving but it still has the following issues with "Codec ID" and "Chroma subsampling" options.
You can check all those pesky details with apps like Invisor (my favorite because it neatly highlights differences when a folder is dropped on it) or MediaInfo.
H.265 Codec ID hvc1 plays OK (as well as H.264 Codec ID avc1).
H.265 Codec ID hev1 has an error message "This file contains media which isn't compatible with QuickTime Player" and plays audio only. There is a lossless fix if you install ffmpeg and add '-tag:v hvc1' without re-encoding in the Terminal:
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy -tag:v hvc1 output.mp4
Chroma subsampling 4:2:0 (Bit depth 8 bits) plays OK.
Chroma subsampling 4:2:2 (Bit depth 10 bits) has an error message "This file contains media which isn't compatible with QuickTime Player". Opens anyway in Big Sur but fails in Mojave.
What codec??
QuickTime Player refuses to play some H.265/HEVC flavors. Currently macOS 11 Big Sur is more forgiving but it still has the following issues with "Codec ID" and "Chroma subsampling" options.
You can check all those pesky details with apps like Invisor (my favorite because it neatly highlights differences when a folder is dropped on it) or MediaInfo.
H.265 Codec ID hvc1 plays OK (as well as H.264 Codec ID avc1).
H.265 Codec ID hev1 has an error message "This file contains media which isn't compatible with QuickTime Player" and plays audio only. There is a lossless fix if you install ffmpeg and add '-tag:v hvc1' without re-encoding in the Terminal:
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy -tag:v hvc1 output.mp4
Chroma subsampling 4:2:0 (Bit depth 8 bits) plays OK.
Chroma subsampling 4:2:2 (Bit depth 10 bits) has an error message "This file contains media which isn't compatible with QuickTime Player". Opens anyway in Big Sur but fails in Mojave.
Viewing Sony XAVC S-I MP4 in Quicktime