convert .M4A to .mov

Question

Level 1

107 points

convert .M4A to .mov

I'm attempting to upload to a school website and the .M4A (GB podcast with some pictures) won't work.
If I convert to .MP3 I can listen to the podcast online (without pictures).
Also I have uploaded iPhoto slideshows (.mov) successfully.
So what I'm thinking is that if I could convert the finished .M4A to a quicktime .mov I'd have a podcast with photo's that would upload and play.

BTW: I've tried a few M4A's just to make sure I wasn't uploading a corrupt file and this is not the problem. I can play the .M4A as a quicktime movie on my computer, but it won't work once uploaded (I assume this is due to the school's website, for which I cannot really seem to get any real support <answers> about).

Powerbook G4, G4 IMac, PowerPC G4, Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Sep 8, 2006 8:25 AM

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Answer 1

HangTime

Level 9

53,853 points

Sep 8, 2006 8:32 AM in response to Luke

You can probably do it with QuickTime Player if you have QuickTime Pro.

Hang on a couple of minutes and I'll try it...

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Answer 2

HangTime

Level 9

53,853 points

Sep 8, 2006 8:36 AM in response to HangTime

I tried it on a plain AAC music file and I was able to "Export" the song from QuickTime Player to a .mov file. Unfortunately I don't have the time right now to make a Podcast with pics and test that, but it looks like QuickTime Pro would let you do what you need.

And with that I have to dash out of here. Good luck --Hang

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Answer 3

Luke Author

Level 1

107 points

Sep 21, 2006 7:05 AM in response to HangTime

I don't have Quicktime Pro and the only way I'm getting the podcasts to upload to the website with pictures is for me to create a slideshow in iPhoto and choose the podcast (.m4a or .mp3) as the music for the slideshow (setting up the photos to "fit slideshow music"). Then I export as a movie.
This works, but it makes a significantly larger file.
Now I have a 3-1/2 minute podcast and I can't get the movie to be smaller than 10 MB (and that's with just one photo (a bookcover image).
Any ideas how to keep the size smaller on this .mov.
Thanks,
Luke

Powerbook G3 firewire, G4 IMac, PowerPC G4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

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Answer 4

Sep 21, 2006 8:25 AM in response to Luke

I have this problem too.

I tried taking my m4a podcast (1 hour long) into iMovie, thinking that I could export it as a .mov, but the import took 84 minutes, and I had to leave the export going overnight, so I don't know how long it took. Regardless, the exported .mov file was over a gigabyte (the m4a is only 27 Mb), and I was using H.264 compression etc. so I don't think this strategy will work.

Cheers

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Answer 5

Luke Author

Level 1

107 points

Sep 21, 2006 10:32 AM in response to Bryan Crawford

Were you using Quicktime Pro to export directly from Garageband to Quicktime?
Thanks,
Luke

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Answer 6

Luke Author

Level 1

107 points

Sep 22, 2006 9:06 AM in response to Luke

Buying Quicktime Pro solved the issue for me.
Opening the .m4a in QT Pro and then saving it as .mov did not take any time to speak of and it didn't make the file any larger that the original .m4a.
I'm not able to export (or share) directly from Garageband to Quicktime Pro so at this point I send the podcast from GB to iTunes and then open the .m4a in QT and then save as .mov.

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Answer 7

Jan 18, 2007 6:55 PM in response to Luke

I am looking to do just the opposite. I have a .mov file I am trying to convert it to a .m4a file. Is that possible?

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Answer 8

HangTime

Level 9

53,853 points

Jan 18, 2007 7:01 PM in response to John Shoemaker

http://www.bulletsandbones.com/GB/GBFAQ.html#neverfail

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Answer 9

Jan 18, 2007 8:16 PM in response to Luke

Hello,

Try this free download program that converts movies into a variety of formats.

http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/mpegstreamclip.html

Paul

When you convert your file, drop it into iMovie then go to the share menu and select where/how you would like to use it.

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Answer 10

Jan 19, 2007 1:06 AM in response to Luke

I can play the .M4A as a quicktime movie on
my computer, but it won't work once uploaded (I
assume this is due to the school's website

A .mov file will be a lot larger. The real question is why you can't play it.

I assume that you have created a podcast in GB3 and added pictures to it? When you have done so you can apparently drag it to Quicktime and play it there (it should also play in iTunes OK and in both cases display the picture).

How have you uploaded it? Just as a file, or is it embedded into a web page?
You say it doesn't work - in what, your browser? If you right-click on the link to it and choose 'Download' can you then play the copy you have downloaded?

Your browser may be having problems - are you using Safari? or are you trying at the school on Windows and IE, because older versions may well not work.

See if you can play (and see) the podcast in this page:
http://homepage.mac.com/rfwilmut/podcastsenh/enpodcast07.html

This certainly works so if you can't play it the problem lies with your browser.

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Answer 11

Suz.

Level 2

306 points

Jan 19, 2007 9:40 AM in response to Luke

why could you not import your movie directly into iMovie then export it from there in a format that you need? That's what I would try. iMovie rocks.

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