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Converting mp4 fo mov in QT Pro

When I try to convert an .mp4 to an .mov in QTPro the converted file only has the audio portion.

Any help?

Mac Pro 2.66 10GB memory / Powermac G5 Dual 1.8, Mac OS X (10.6.6)

Posted on Mar 13, 2011 10:04 AM

Reply
19 replies

Mar 13, 2011 8:00 PM in response to ralphiedee

Couldn't care less about Wondershare. I brought that up so who ever read this would know that Wondershare has no problem and converts the file from mp4 to mov the problem was why Quicktime Pro which is supposed to do the same is not converting it.

Frankly, I am still trying to figure out what the things you've already said are supposed to mean.

When I try to convert an .mp4 to an .mov in QTPro the converted file only has the audio portion.

First off, MP4 and MOV are file containers--not compression formats. If the compressed data in the source file is already QT compatible, then there is no need to "convert" anything. If you want the data in an MOV file container, you simply use the "Save As..." option to copy it from the source file container to the MOV file container. If the compressed data is not, already compatible with QT, then you would need to ensure you system is configured with the proper component to allow you to "Export" (i.e., convert) the incompatible compression format to a QT "edit" compatible compression format for editing. Unfortunately, you never mentioned whether or not the files "play" in QT 7 Pro. Some compression formats are "playback" only compatible. Others may be "playback" and "conversion" compatible but not "edit" compatible while "fully" QT compatible files play, convert, and are editable natively.

Good question, I have a video project to do in Final Cut Pro. I was given various .mp4 videos and a .m4v intro. In FCP I was going to import all the files, edit the intro and the main video together and they want the final file as an .mp4 But FCP does not play .mp4 files so I have to convert to .mov.

Since you indicate the MP4 files will not "play" in FCP, the implication is that the video compressed data is not QT compatible. Unfortunately, QT and apps based on it are very "standards" conscious and may not be compatible with proprietary files or files encoded with hybrid profile/level standards which was why QTKirk asked about codec specifics and the source of your files. (The latter of which you failed to answer and which could be key to your problem.)

Isn't AVC the same as H264?

MPEG-4/AVC is the same as H.264 but AVC alone could simply refer to a proprietary or hybrid Advance Video Coding third-party codec.

Now for argument sake I took the original.mp4 file, opened and edited down in a trial of Wondershare Video Converter. It saved the file

Was this really a "Save" action or an Export/Conversion? If a simple save, then it implies the original data was QT compatible which may indicated it is the file container that is giving you problems and may either contain improper headers (which QT checks) or is not properly terminated. On the other hand, if the action was an export/conversion action, then that would imply the source data was not QT compatible. For instance, the Wondershare Video Converter appears to support XviD MP4 which would require a third-party component for use with QT apps.

I imported that file into FCP and it plays fine. But the file extension is still.mp4 so I changed the file extension to .mov, imported that into .fcp and That plays fine as well

Why would you think this would make a difference? QT looks at both the file internals, as well as, the extension. Any supported third-party compression format can be placed in a "real" MOV file container and will play just as well in either container. Changing the file extension normally has no effect on whether or not the file will play since the QT app will check the file "internals" whether or not there is an extension. However, changing the extensions can effect both the display of the finder icon and/or which application will try to open the file which, in turn, could determine whether or not the file will open in the called app. That is why QTKirk stated "We don't change a file extension just so it can 'work' with our apps."

Couldn't care less about Wondershare. I brought that up so who ever read this would know that Wondershare has no problem and converts the file from mp4 to mov the problem was why Quicktime Pro which is supposed to do the same is not converting it.

I doubt QTKirk cares about Wondershare either. What he would likely care about is actually seeing a sample snippet of your source file in order to run independent tests on the problem.

User uploaded file

Mar 13, 2011 9:26 PM in response to Jon Walker

Sorry for not explaining as I re read and I see that my tone may have come across a bit harsh. It has been a frustrating day for me with this but I realized something which I now see was directly causing the problem I was having.

I was actually using the export feature of QT Pro which when I was trying to save which was giving me the .mov file that just had the audio inside. Then I just had tried to use the Save As in QT Pro then chose self contained movie and I'm able to convert all files in all the programs I could not before. So now as I read your reply you indeed do mention to use the Save As command clearly.

Terribly sorry for any misdirected anger as I can tell by reading your answer you are as close to an expert in this problem than I could ever find.

Thank you again

RD

Mar 15, 2011 4:15 PM in response to Jon Walker

John, I re read your reply here in detail. I'm still a bit stumped here with all this but from the information you provided It did clear somethings up. Let me explain a bit more why I'm in this mess. I have to take existing .mp4 videos along with an .m4v video intro, import into Final Cut Pro, edit together, do a bit of audio adjusting and then save the final output back to .mp4

When I imported the m4v into FCP I was able to play it thru the viewfinder but when I imported the mp4 I was getting an error. I later found out that FCP does not play in FCP without rendering the file which takes a while as the main video.mp4 is 3 to 4 minutes. Anyway I figured I would convert the mp4 to either Apple Pro Res (LT) in an .mov container.

I first was attempting this using the export in QT Pro but after reading your reply the first time I saved as reference movie. Then tried to export with Apple Pro Res (LT) in an .mov container. It saved the file but the video was blank and just the audio saved.

As to answer a previous question from your reply "the original mp4 files do play in Quicktime Pro.

Any help is appreciated.

RD

Mar 15, 2011 6:18 PM in response to ralphiedee

Any help is appreciated.

Without analyzing a sample of the source file, I can only make guesses. Based on previous statements, I am still leaning towards the likelihood that the MP4 file was created on a system using a video codec not supported by QT for transcoding purposes. Do you for instance have an XviD component or the Perian component package (but not both) installed on your system?

User uploaded file

Converting mp4 fo mov in QT Pro

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