iTunes 12 will not allow movies to be added

Older Mac Pro, OS 10.7.5, iTunes 12.0.1.26.

Permissions repaired, directory checked, no problems.

Hard drive is OK, plenty of space.

Been using this computer for a couple years now as my Apple TV streaming source.

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The only movies I can appear to add are those with mp4 extension or ones I created using iMovie. Movies I have already had and added to my library that have m4v extension still remain in the library (on my media drive, so designated by iTunes Preferences and reverified that it has not changed).

Also, I cannot drag and drop even those movies that Ad File to Library will add.

So, I am just guessing, Apple has messed something up with this release.

--- A side note, on my newer Mac Pro running Yosemite and iTunes 12.0.1.26 I have the same problem. Apple did a nice job with allowing my "registered computers" to be automatically logged in to without having to enter my info. That aside, I can navigate to my other computer's media drive, select the movie - an mp4 - and it does not add to the iTunes on my Yosemite computer! Yes, I waited an appropriate time to allow cross computer getting the file, it did not appear in the reading bar.

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I used to be able to Handbrake my movies to mp4, even with the m4v extension, and drag them onto the iTunes window and they would add. I could then Get Info and get them into the correct Genre.

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So, despite following the help and what and doing all the proper checks….

Just how does one add mp4 or m4v movies to the NEW iTunes?

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.5), 2007 machine

Posted on Oct 18, 2014 7:58 AM

Reply
97 replies

Nov 25, 2014 1:46 PM in response to mtondreo

Hi


I have had the same problem when I updated to I tunes 12. I have tried many of the things listed above to with little or no improvement. I then looked at my movie section on I tunes and tried to play a movie. The list was intact but it seemed to forget where all the movies were, so I deleted the list in ITunes and then added the movie directories again. I then tried to sync movies again and it worked perfectly.


Graham

Dec 1, 2014 5:49 AM in response to Rick Prescott

I may have found a solution. Like the rest of you I followed my typical process of hand braking a movie I owned, then sending it to MetaZ to update the meta file, then letting MetaZ automatically add the movie to iTunes. Like the rest of you this did not work for me, as it dumped the movie into "Home Videos" without any of the metadata that had just been updated.


In troubleshooting I tried changing the extension of the movies from m4v to mp4 and then dragging them into iTunes. Nothing. So I changed the extension back to m4v and dragged them into iTunes. Nothing. For at least one I tried changing the extension to .mov and dragging it into iTunes. Still didn't work. Then I tried Subler, as mentioned above. What an ugly program. So I deleted it and never exported anything....


Then I tried pulling the m4v movie files into MetaZ again. Although MetaZ already added the metadata (supposedly), NONE of them had any of the metadata that had originally been added! So I added the metadata again through MetaZ. Then I let MetaZ export to iTunes again. VOILA! It worked! The files went into iTunes as normal movies, not Home Movies, and with all the metadata.


I don't have time right now to try and recreate the process and refine it, but I'm guessing that something must have happened as I was changing the extensions back and forth that reset the metadata state and then allowed it to actually be updated? Given the product that was dumped into the iTunes Home Movie folder there was no metadata. So that seems to be where the failure occurred: The first time through, the MetaZ metadata didn't actually stick. Therefore, when the file was exported into iTunes it got placed where metadataless movie files go: Home Movies. So it's not an iTunes problem, it seems. It's a problem with metadata sticking—a problem either with the original handbrake file that wouldn't allow the metadata to be added, or a problem with MetaZ working with the original m4v handbrake file.


If you try this process and can streamline it for others, please comment below so we can get this figured out!

Dec 1, 2014 1:59 PM in response to Nim-Pho

How about this:

All you complainers blaming Apple and other "smart people" here for your inability to place illegally hacked movies into iTunes 12 properly.

BUY the movie in the iTunes store and it will be placed in the correct Movie folder and on all your iDevices.


Otherwise learn the 3rd party tools that enable you to do what you want, like Handbrake, Subler etc...

You can lead a horse to water.....


<Edited By Host>

Dec 3, 2014 12:57 PM in response to Rick Prescott

Im not sure if anyone has suggested this yet but you can use a converter (i use a free app from the App Store called "smart converter") that will will convert your movie files so they're compatible with Quicktime and then you can simply "right click" and select view in other and then select iTunes from your list of applications....it will most likely be stored in the Home Videos section of iTunes. This has worked for me without issue for the past two months....hopefully that is helpful, apologies if not.

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iTunes 12 will not allow movies to be added

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