Some of my Quicktime movies show as black screens after upgrading to Lion

Anyone has any thoughts why this is happening?

In some cases it may be due to an apparent reduction in support for certain older codecs. In other cases it appears to be problem of trapping file extensions for the processing of content. And in still other cases it is simply an incompatibility in the capabilities of the selected QT player. As you have given no information regarding the particular compression formats, file container types, or which player was used, it is difficult to be more specific.

Well it sounds like there are lots of issues with Quicktime in Lion.

Sounds like you are having more than your share of problems. Do you have a lot of video processing harware devices connected to your system? Lion also seems to have conflict problems with certain third-party hardware devices and software applications.

Most reported issues seem to be associated with legacy codecs and/or file containers. Of the 3561.6 hours of H.264/AAC (MP4) and H.264/AAC/AC3/Chapter (M4v and MOV) movies and TV shows currently managed by iTunes on my computer, I have yet to find one that does not play. However, I have noted VOB files will not load in QT X.1 unless I change the file extension. Howeveer, when changed, the same "muxed" MPEG2/AC3 data does play both video and audio in QT X.1 but only the video plays in QT 7 which is normal since QT 7 does not support "muxed" AC3. Be that as it may, check the compressed content in one of your non-playing MP4 files. At least one user indicated his non-playing MP4 files were H.264/ADPCM—a combination I would normally consider incompatible with QT based players and which may have been sourced from a PC user. Other users have reported that non-playing files play correctly when re-wrapped in a different file container. In some cases the reason this solution is obvious while it is not for others. Most of us here are still running tests, comparing notes, and still looking for answers.

An "all black" player window nearly always means just one thing. You're missing the video codec for playback.

Use the Movie Inspector window to tell us more about one of these files.

Files 1, 2 and 3 would require Final Cut be installed on the viewing machine. Is it?

File 4 should play just fine as Sorenson 3 is supported in Lion.

File 5 is questionable (in Lion) and others have had issues with Motion-JPEG codecs and posted questions here.

File 6 is the real stumbling block. The DV Stream (.dv) format has been supported since the late nineties on all Mac's.

File 7 is an odd sized MPEG-2 file and the Lion OS includes that codec support (previously an extra purchase from Apple).

File 8 uses a discontinued "wrapper" (AVI) and may need third party codec support (Perian.org).

I would install the perian third party option if it's not installed on the viewing machine. I would also install MPEG Streamclip and use its included "script" to move the older MPEG-2 Playback Component to the newer location for that OS.

Do some more tests after adding the third party software.

Ok I am looking at the info window of a few of the files. Here are some specs for some of the files that wont play.

Thanks for posting specific examples...

QTKirk has provided most of the information but here are some additional comments:

With regard to "component" video, Apple still lists this (these) codecs as being supported. (See Media formats supported by QT Player) However I am not sure if Apple is using the term here in a generic sense or is specifically referring to the old Apple Component 422 video codec. Support for the specific codec has seemed to be failing since introduction of iMovie '08 in that such content would import and edit but would export as a blank "black" screen. While "Component" video is still listed as a supported codec component, it (like Motion JPEG A, Motion JPEG B, JPEG 2000, etc.) is no longer listed as a QT 7 "Pro" export option under Lion.

MPEG files containing "muxed" MPEG2/MP2 content is another combination that some users have reported as being "iffy" in QT X.1 under Lion—although I believe the main complaint was audio drop out. (I.e., users report files containing the same compressed A/V formats would play/not play on a random basis.) In any case, a sample file sent to me for examination played fine on my system and the original poster stated the file data did play consistently when re-muxed to a different container. Have no idea what was causing this or why some files played consistently while others did not.

Another thing to keep in mind for users migrating software from an older PPC platform to Lion or to a Snow Leopard system that has since been upgraded to Lion is to ensure that transferred universal software was not stripped of its Intel coding before transfer. (I.e., I spent nearly a week locating and re-installing software of this category when I first upgraded to Lion on an iMac migrated from my old PPC G5.)

Also, while as QTKirk said, "black" screen playback problems are virtually always component related, a missing component is not the only possibility. In some cases, it appears that when a new OS is installed components/component packages (usually third-party) may become orphaned. In these cases it may be necessary to reinstall the software. However, be advised that a small number of users have reported reinstallation by an installer program did not always "take" and the components/component plackages had to be physically removed and then replaced for the navigation path to be re-established.

Jon, I never updated iMovie since '06, To this day it is the best version (in my opinion) and I can still use it just fine.

Then you shouldn't have any problems since non-edit compatible files are converted to a proper editing formats as part of the import process.

Jon, you mention

"ensure that transferred universal software was not stripped of its Intel coding before transfer. (I.e., I spent nearly a week locating and re-installing software of this category when I first upgraded to Lion on an iMac migrated from my old PPC G5.)"

and also

"components/component plackages had to be physically removed and then replaced for the navigation path to be re-established."

Can you provide an article with intructions to do this? I would love to give it a go as I move forward.

Do not know of a published article but the subject has cropped up a few times previously on this forum. The problem was most often noted when ugrading from Leopard to Snow Leopard and lost access to Perian or Flip4Mac compnent packages. Perian had the most problems with the installer packaged requiring the manual physical removal/replacement. Most components are installed for global use in the "~/System/Library/QuickTime" folder (OS installed components) and the "~/Library/QuickTime" folder (Applicastion and third-party installed components) and sometimes for local specific user_accounts in the "~/Users/named_user/Library/QuickTime" folder (if it exists). NOTE: placing components in user account libraries is becoming less and less common for the most part and the user's "Library" folder is, I believe, now invisible by default under Lion.

In any case, the procedure is merely the physical removal of the problem component package, registration of its absence (i.e., I usually rebooted the system to ensure the system knows the component had been removed) and the manual replacement or running of the component package installer.

BTW, I do have Final Cut Pro 6.0.6 installed in the machine as per my previoous email.

I am running the basic components auto-installed by the OS, Flip4Mac, Perian, iMovie v9.0.4 and FCP v6.0.6, and the x264 component. I also use the TurboHD H.264 hardware encoder for some work flows and various apps like Compressor, Visual Hub, HandBrake, VLC, and MPEG Streamclip to access additional encoding components/presets not directly accessible otherwise.