Q: Quicktime player just won't play .mov files after Mavericks update....WHY?????

Thanks, Jon!

File supplied to me is here: https://www.wetransfer.com/downloads/a81959752f8f3a3767b809c3c6c8c74720150114204 339/229b867bf2457d8861b6544d3d190fd720150114204339/a097b1

jeremy.

File supplied to me is here:

File is damaged so badly that the atoms cannot be parsed/read. Probably why MediaInfo could not read anything useable. Suggest you request a retransmission of the file. Also check to make sure the sender can play the file before sending. If retransmission is also bad, try an alternative method of transmission.

Upgraded to Yosemite, and now cannot play some mov files in either version of quicktime (7.6.6 / 10.4).  I get a converting window that never advances nor concludes.  Problem is I have hundreds of movies that now cannot be played.  What is the fix for this? 

Problems such as these are always the reason that I never want to update operating systems on my laptop or iPhone, So much time wasted trying to fix all the new problems created.

Upgraded to Yosemite, and now cannot play some mov files in either version of quicktime (7.6.6 / 10.4).  I get a converting window that never advances nor concludes.  Problem is I have hundreds of movies that now cannot be played.  What is the fix for this?

The basic fix is to not create or use file types and/or compression formats that are not natively supported and if you must do so, they must be converted to "fix" them. The work around is to use a third-party player that internally supports the file types and compression formats of the files you have or to add codec component support for the installed QT 7 player if available for such content.

Hello,

I am hoping someone can help me as i am out of ideas of how to solve my problem!

I have exported a film it is 2 mins long with the first min being a slide show of photos with tilts and pans. When i first exported it the first minute when played on quicktime were jumping. Not at the same point but at random times. I downsized the photos on photoshop and this helped it but they still are not perfect. The rest of the film was playing fine. I then decided it might help if i export the photos as a separate film and then reimport it. Again this helped but they are still not playing perfectly on quicktime for some reason. Any ideas for what i could do? I have put the res down too much already so i cant down size them anymore.

Now when i play the video on quicktime the last half of the film is jumping in the same way as the photos were. I have tried it on VLC player and it works fine but it has to be played on quicktime for a client so i really need this to work on quicktime. I have tried exporting it as many different formats and reducing the bit rate but still the same thing is happening.

I really need some sort of clue to what is going on and how to solve this problem as i am out of knowledge and ideas!

the info on the  latest export of the film:

QuickTime movie

Size: 153 MB on disk (152,965,033 bytes)

1920 × 1080

H.264, AAC, Timecode

Audio channels: 2

total bit rate: 8,492

Thank you!!!

This is a disgusting display of “look at how much I know about CODECS” on the part of JW.  I agree… “what are you smoking?”   The original vision of Steve Jobs is absolutely corrupted here by JW.  I feel so sorry for all of the people who came here looking for a SIMPLE answer to their problems created by software engineers that have become lost in the woods because Steven is no longer here to keep them in check.  Disgusting.  Totally disgusting.  This now looks like a Microsoft forum.

The codec response is indeed complicated.

Here is a work-around that worked for me in Chrome on a site that has black video screens:

1. Right Mouse click in the text of the website - not on the movie. Inspect Element.
2. For some reason, that screen has to be open on the side for the rest to work.
3. When you see a blank spot that is a video, right mouse click on it, Save As.
4. Send it to your Downloads Folder.
5. View it.

This is just ridiculous. I am a video professional and have hundreds of .mov files i cant preview anymore that i use almost every day since i bought e 3500euro imac. I don't care about why this is supposed to be normal and the whole tech explanations. I just want it to work like it always did. If it ain't broke don't fix it!!

When i am working on projects now i have to put all the files on my macbook because that mac didn't have this horrible "downgrade" .What a stupid work around which costs me a lot of time.

I, WE need a solution not an excuse!!

Replying to this in hopes that someone else might post with an easy solution with less words.  I found the help in this entire post confusing and a bit passive aggressive. 

Replying to this in hopes that someone else might post with an easy solution with less words.  I found the help in this entire post confusing and a bit passive aggressive.

The original topic of this discussion dealt with "Why" MOV files don't play in the QT player app under Mavericks (or Yosemite). The basic answer is that the files are, for one reason or another, either corrupted or playback incompatible with QT-based apps. Since you wish to "skip" the question of why the files don't play and go directly to a solution, try the following:

1) If you want to play the files and don't care how, then download, install, and use the VLC media player for playback. If they won't play, then it is most likely the files are corrupted or contain data that is not supported. (E.g., "legacy" codec formats that are no longer available or proprietary codecs which are illegal for VLC to use.)

2) If you want the files to be compatible with all QT-bassed applications, then download, install, and use the free HandBrake app to convert your MOV files to MP4 files employing any of the Apple device presets. If the files won't load or convert correctly, then they are probably corrupted or contain unsupported data formats.

Both of the above apps are supported by the FFmpeg codec framework which handles about 99% of the non-propietary file formats you are likely to encounter and are generally not bothered by "standards" or "security" issues that may prevent QT-based apps from loading, playing, or otherwise using the files. Corrupted files will not normally play in any media player.

Hoping someone with more experience can help. Just went through 10 years of videos and

got them all converted correctly so that the current version of quicktime will play them all

on a Mac using current version of OS and QT.

I have one video that is a .mov file that is a WMA2, WMV3 Codec that I can't get

to convert or play. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I have one video that is a .mov file that is a WMA2, WMV3 Codec that I can't get

to convert or play. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Sounds like you don't have a paid Flip4Mac codec package installed on your system. You could try a free FFmpeg based converter like HandBrake.

This isn't just a case of third-party codecs. I use QT Pro v. 7 a lot to edit clips. It's much quicker and I can just "save-as" to a .MOV. Sometimes these files will open in the newer QuickTime, iMovie, etc. and sometimes they just won't. They will, however, play in VLC and QT-Pro just fine. You can export them (sometimes) but the resolution will suffer. I've had mixed results doing this and I've seen this on clips from my Sony cam and my iPhone.

This isn't just a case of third-party codecs. I use QT Pro v. 7 a lot to edit clips. It's much quicker and I can just "save-as" to a .MOV. Sometimes these files will open in the newer QuickTime, iMovie, etc. and sometimes they just won't. They will, however, play in VLC and QT-Pro just fine. You can export them (sometimes) but the resolution will suffer. I've had mixed results doing this and I've seen this on clips from my Sony cam and my iPhone.

Once again, it is very difficult to respond to such postings without "in-depth" information regarding the content (or a video clip to examine) to either eliminate or isolate a specific problem in each case. No, lack of codec support may not be the only cause of playback problem—but it is the most common one and is the first thing users should chek. (E.g., with reference to the previous post in this forum, WMV files are not natively supported by either the QT 7 nor the QT 7 but become playback compatible with QT 7 and conversion compatible with both QT X and QT 7 when the Windows Media codecs are installed on a Mavericks (or later) system.)

Encode settings would probably be the next "most often ignore" cause for playback problems. For instance, a Nikon user whose contest video clip did not play properly wanted me to explain why:

The original version of this converted video looked like the one below when played in QT 7

and would not even open in QT X (possibly due to the unrecognized "isom" FourCC)

but opened fine in VLC as seen below.

In checking the encode settings

it was quickly noted during analysis that this was a High 4:2:2 @ L3 profile video while most current QT apps and Apple
devices limit H.264 playback to High @ L5 (4:2:0 Chroma sampling) video encodes. Thus the problem was not the codec
used but rather the encoding settings.

The next most common problem is probably security and/or file handling issues. These can range from problems caused by Apple "security" updates that trap on older file formats to problems associated with the copying of files, file corruption, system problem, changes in file typing, and/or the loss of "End of File" pointers. This is, more or less, a "catch-all" grouping of problems that may be due to any number of issues and are usually the most difficult to resolve.

In addition, many people seem to overlook the fact that QT X and QT 7 are two separate sets of structures embedded in the Mac OS. They operate differently, have different features, and support different forms of content. Further, apps such as the QT X and QT 7 Players, iMovie, iTunes, GarageBand, etc. functionality depends on which set of embedded structures support the individual app—with virtually all such apps (except the QT 7/7 Pro player) now being supported by QTX routines under the latest Mac OS. On the other hand, third-party apps like VLC and HandBrake are supported by routines and codecs built directly into the app which have no need to rely on either the QT X or the QT 7 routines built into the latest Mac operating systems. This is why it is often important to know not only what specific content you are dealing with, but also know which app or apps you are using with the content to properly address various issues and explain why certain content is or is not supported by a particular app or device. This holds true for both playback and conversion issues.

As to conversion quality, this is an entirely different issue. In most cases, "reasonable" conversions can be made without major problems if you use the correct codecs and settings. This does imply that you may experience better results if you use an app having "manual" settings. However, in no case is it reasonable to expect conversion output quality to be any better than your input. In most cases it is possible to retain most of the source video's quality but this often comes at the price of an increased bit rate and larger output file. Each user must decide for his or her own self if playback compatibility, file size, or playback quality is of primary importance here. If not familiar with the various facets of such transcodes, my advice would be to post a sample file that is giving you problems and see what custom encoding by someone else in this forum can do, compare the results, and then adopt the workflow and settings that best suit your particular needs.

If I take video from an iPhone, for instance, what possible issue could there be with a codec if I'm going to a Mac? Because I'm pretty sure sure I've seen this with iPhone video as well. Granted, I could see that if going from the Sony but I get varied results from the Sony clips. Sometimes they're fine other times not. That said, both versions of QT will play the Sony files fine. All I'm doing is clipping the file with QT-Pro. Nothing more. So it's the save out from QT-Pro that seems to jack it up. If it were a codec issue or format issue it would be consistent. Codec A is not compatible with version B so it won't play it. That's not what is happening. I'm seeing different results at times. Sometime it saves out and can be played back in QT-X and other times not. I'm not using any different hardware than other times. No different camera settings. Not changing anything from the defaults. What I think the issue is that when you edit clips in Pro it somehow either distorts the file or perhaps it doesn't really clip them so much as marks them? I don't know. I readily admit my lack of knowledge of codecs and the underpinnings. But basic troubleshooting would seem to pan out that using the exact same cameras and formats should beget the same results.

An obvious work around is to pull the original videos into iMovie (shudder). But QTPro is so much simpler to use. I'd rather get the basic stuff done there before pulling them into iMovie to titling.