HT201290: If QuickTime Player can't open an audio or video file

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rjosephestrada
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: Manually Installed Codecs for DVIs? Still?

Do I need something special installed to play old avi files on my Mac?

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.4)

Posted on Jun 25, 2013 9:07 PM

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rjosephestrada

Q: Manually Installed Codecs for DVIs? Still?

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  • by Niel,

    Niel Niel Jun 25, 2013 9:14 PM in response to rjosephestrada
    Level 10 (314,533 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 25, 2013 9:14 PM in response to rjosephestrada

    It depends on how they were created. If Mac OS X's built-in software can't play AVIs with that codec, using Perian or VLC is likely to work, but nothing's guaranteed to work with all AVIs.

     

    (84693)

  • by jayv.,

    jayv. jayv. Jun 25, 2013 9:36 PM in response to rjosephestrada
    Level 4 (1,290 points)
    Jun 25, 2013 9:36 PM in response to rjosephestrada

    In trying out different codecs (if VLC Player does not meet your fancy), please stay away from codecs named FkCodek, CodecM and Genieo (usually downloaded after being prompted by a website saying you need a certain plugin or codec). Keep an eye out for those names as they have been linked with malware on Mac.

  • by woodmeister50,

    woodmeister50 woodmeister50 Jun 26, 2013 3:47 AM in response to rjosephestrada
    Level 5 (5,664 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jun 26, 2013 3:47 AM in response to rjosephestrada

    Check ourt MPlayerX in the MacApp store.  It is free

    and seems to have played ecverything that I have

    thrown at it, including AVIs.

     

    BTW, an AVI is simply a container for video and audio.

    The content within the AVI can be encoded in many

    different formats.

     

    To find out what formats are contained in any container

    (AVI, MP4, MKV, etc.) a very simple free app called

    simply Mediainfo can reveal the contents and details

    of the audio, video, and if present subtitle tracks.