Help! How can I convert a .mov to a mp4 file

Hi

Isn't it so that You now got QuickTime X - and that you need QT 7 (still free download for QT-Player) then You've got the Pro-key to unlock it ? ?

.mov - is no codec/file format but a container as .avi etc.- open it with QT and see via Inspector what the real codec is.

- I read this discussion - may be one can do the opposite -

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2781359

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 , 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 a bit stumped here.

rd

Convert formats just some un-sorted notes - not specific to Your situation - but might help.

You may be able to convert the footage to DV, which is iMovie's native format.

From AVCHD cameras

try Voltaic

www.shedworx.com/voltaichd

From MPEG-4 cameras

try QT Pro.

From MPEG-2 cameras

www.sjoki.uta.fi/~shmhav/SVCD_on_a_Macintosh.html#edit_convert_MPEG

(MPEG-Streamclip + MPEG QT-component $20 (a must))

(Roxio Toast™ - can back-convert to streamingDV)

From MPEG-1 cameras

• Unsolved yet - see mpeg-2 (guess)

From .avi - is a container and there is no general approach

• You can use MPEG-Streamclip to convert some of the AVI files so that QuickTime can play them

and then to streamingDV for iMovie.

From .wmv

• iMovie is by concept meant to work with miniDV camcorders.. any other 'imports' need a conversion or are not supported... a quick solution would be purchasing a plug-in from www.flip4mac.com, 49$, which allows the conversion of .wmv (a PC format) into something useful for iM (dv-stream) ...

or, ask the emailer to send it in some other codec .. mpg4 for example .. which will be converted by iM 'out-of-the-box' ... and, to work with iM, the video should fulfill a few standards .. 720x480 pixel resolution, 30 frames per second ... otherwise, you will experience a dramatic loss of quality ..

From mpeg4 - a true codec

From .m4p

• Unsolved yet

From .mp4 - container ? if so no general approach

• Unsolved yet

From .m4v

• This I found in iMovie project folder - movies Large but not HD format

Imported into iDVD without any problems

From .mov

• Also found in iMovie project folder - probably HD projects

Imported into iDVD without any problems

Yours - trying - Bengt W

Download Divx for mac. It's free and plays almost all formats of movies. I use it for avi files, maybe it will for for mov files, for to Divx(dot)com

Good Luck

I like Lion. right Click on the movie clip, go to services, then encode movie file. It will give you the option to encode video in h.264.

Streamclip is free, and one just adds the video to the big window and exports as .mp4 whatever they want.

Hugh

Divx can raise heck with Snow Leopard and iDVD. I like Handbrake for lots of features and converts nearly everything to MP4. But I really only use it when FKV Crunch won't work. Crunch does what Handbrake does without using all four cores and in half the time, and converts almost anything to anything else.

Thart should say FLV Crunch.

in case, the .mov contains h264-encoded material, follow this simple, ultra-fast process:

• open .mov with free tool Mpeg Streamclip

• immediately, go to 'Save as'

• in drop-down choose MP4

.. no step 4, no rendering, no $$ ...

tech-lingo: this process just changes the media-wrappers mov>>mp4

Clever Karsten

WHY - Do You not write the Book - Video formats from different sources and how they are converted to what and why ?

The admiration of You in my eyes grows more and more. You are such a brick !

Yours very Bengt W

Bengt Wärleby wrote:

... and why ?

Exactly - why?

I'm very, very rarely in need of any conversions: My cams are supported, using AppleTV makes tools obsolete, for PS3 I learned the above 'trick', I strictly use -apps as intended ...- ok, here&there I 'steal' DVD-content for private projects, other soccer-moms offer me 'odd' formats for our game-videos, etc.pp. - but MY list of tools and conversions is short. VERY short. Gives a very thin book.-

Just to mention: there are >4000 video-'formats' ... 😀

and 'swappers' like to combine them!

I've read thousands of post, esp. on my German board, where people with highly obscure formats try to convert in even more obscure formats ...- interesting, but not my cup of tea, and there are mucho better players on that track.

Bengt Wärleby wrote:

.... You are such a brick !

LOL - thanks, Bengt, again, for the flowers!!

k.

It's hard to argue with simplicity, and avoiding any intermediate transcode/conversion steps. I tip my hat to you Karsten.