QuickTime on Yosemite wants but can't convert .mov files

QuickTime Player 7 for Mac OS X v10.6.3 or later

Use the older version of QuickTime Player on your file.

Does anyone know why QT on Yosemite can't read and play .move files??

Under Yosemite and Mavericks, the QT X player is not allowed to access proprietary/third-party codecs installed by the user for playback. If you have not removed any codecs during the Yosemite upgrade, and assuming the codecs are QT 7 playback compatible, you can install and use the QT Player 7 for Mac OS X 10.6.3 or Later app (if not already installed on your system). This QT 7 player is compatible with Mac OS X v10.6.3 thru Yosemite and allows access to codecs for which a user has configured his or her system—assuming those codecs are compatible with the QT 7 player. (I.e., since the file played under Snow Leopard, chances are good that QT 7 can play it also under Yosemite.) Other possible options would be to play the file using a free third-party media player like VLC or use an app like HandBrake to convert your file to a QT X v10.4 player compatible file. (Oops! Once again too slow in typing a response.)

I'm wondering about this "third party codec" stuff...I've had the same problem, going back to an old version of quicktime solved the problem. But the third party codecs could only have come from the iPhone 4s is hot the video on or the Final Cut software I edited it on...all Apple products right out of the box with no mods/apps/scripts whatever...totally frustrating.

Now I'm left wondering If my only option is to kill a Saturday afternoon trying to export all my old files into formats that are less likely to be dropped by Apple.

I'm wondering about this "third party codec" stuff...I've had the same problem, going back to an old version of quicktime solved the problem. But the third party codecs could only have come from the iPhone 4s is hot the video on or the Final Cut software I edited it on...all Apple products right out of the box with no mods/apps/scripts whatever...totally frustrating.

Not sure if you are seeking a response to your post or not. Your comment appears to be based on abductive reasoning in that you have formed a hypothesis based on an incomplete set of observations which you have failed to test. Whether employing deductive, inductive, or abductive reasoning, at some point it's necessary to actually check the codecs used to create your problem files to form, test, confirm, or refute the truth of the hypothesis or generalization you are trying to assert. Based on your lack of specific information, an iPhone 4s problem could just as easily be be due to Apple security updates or a file transfer workflow that introduces corruption of a file's container and/or data, an FCE problem could be due to the absence of Apple "pro" codecs on a particular platform or the withdrawal of support for a particular Apple codec under certain Mac operating systems, and any MOV file can theoretically contain data encoded by third-party/proprietary codecs which are not QTX/QL playback compatible. As I have attempted to explain on many occasions, playback compatibility is based on a combination of three facets— the file container, the format of the data contained in the file, and how the particular media player is programmed to handle the specific data in the given container. The following would be just a few examples of potential problem files:

The file depicted above is a reference MOV file linked to H.264/AAC data that is natively compatible with all current QT/QL software. This file plays directly in the QT 7 player but must be converted to a local, standalone file before opening in the QT X player on my system and is not playback compatible with QL software.

The files depicted above contain video data created by Apple "legacy" codecs commonly used by FCE/QT7 professional and prosumer users which are not supported by the current QTX/QL playback structure. These files continue to play without problem in the QT 7 player but are not compatible with QL playback and force a conversion when opened in the QT X player app.

The last two files depicted above represent potential third-party/proprietary playback issues. In my case, both files play fine in the QT 7 player because I have both Perian and the Flip4Mac Studio Pro codec packages installed. While the files won't play directly in the QT X player app or QL software, they will convert to QTX/QL compatible files if opened in the QT X player. However, users without these (or similar) codec packages installed will not be able to convert this content using the QT X player or Finder conversion software.

Now I'm left wondering If my only option is to kill a Saturday afternoon trying to export all my old files into formats that are less likely to be dropped by Apple.

A question that must be answer by the individual user. The initial release of the QT 7 was said to have been delayed primarily due to the resolution of H.264 copyright issues but has been in QT service for more than a decade and will likely continue to be around for another decade—or at least until Apple decides to once again "completely re-write" QT. On the other hand, the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) codec (a.k.a. H.265 or MPEG-H Part 2) standard was ratified in January of 2013 and is the most likely successor to H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC) which one might consider a candidate for "adoption" into Apple's "standards-based" codec arsenal at some time in the near(?) future. But I wouldn't jump the gun just yet since, at the current time, you run into the same codec playback problems you already have with "legacy" codec use. While you have been able to use the free HandBrake app to encode H.265 video content for some time now, neither QTX nor QT7 currently support this format and there are few third-party OS/IOS apps out there capable of playing your results. Still, if you are considering an eventual graduation to UHD, 4K, or even 8K content, now is probably the time to start doing your research...

Thanks for taking the time to educate me on the various forms of reasoning I might apply to my initial question. I was merely hoping that someone might have an answer that doesn't require a PhD in programming/video editing etc. to see a old iPhone video of my kid dancing to Roy Haynes without wasting time doing conversions that did not seem to work easily. As it turns out, Adobe produces a nice tool, media encoder, for batch converting files that offered me some nice results and erases my concerns of losing this video when Apple stops supporting the legacy version of Quicktime. In any case, it's a lot simpler answer than the pejorative response you provided. Sorry my minor frustrations got you out of sorts - and I'm sure someone will thank you for the detailed, very windows like explanation of codecs etc. that seems to leads nowhere but down the road of more time wasted.

Thanks for taking the time to educate me on the various forms of reasoning I might apply to my initial question.

You are welcome. Unfortunately, you still seem to be missing the point that you have yet to disclose what codecs are causing you a problem no matter what form of reasoning was used to arrive at the conclusion that they must be Apple codecs.

I was merely hoping that someone might have an answer that doesn't require a PhD in programming/video editing etc. to see a old iPhone video of my kid dancing to Roy Haynes without wasting time doing conversions that did not seem to work easily.

Sorry, did not realize that you required a PhD to simply open the file in whatever version of QT "solved the problem" to provide specific codec information from the QT player "Inspector" window (or the Finder "Info" window). While stating that the files came from your iPhone 4s implies that they are probably H.264/AAC files, it does not confirm that the files were actually recorded by the iPhone and not DropBoxed, emailed, or downloaded to the device in some other compression format which has yet to be determined.

As it turns out, Adobe produces a nice tool, media encoder, for batch converting files that offered me some nice results and erases my concerns of losing this video when Apple stops supporting the legacy version of Quicktime.

There are likely any number of converters available on the internet—some of which are free and offer features like batch processing, anamorphic encodes, preset and custom encode options, etc. If you are satisfied with the one your are currently using, then, by all means, use it. However, since you have yet to specify what codecs were used in the original files nor confirmed the original issue was not an Apple security update, then it has yet to be determined if any conversions are, in fact, actually required. Further, while third-party "legacy" codecs are not natively supported by either QT 7 OR QT X, both they (if installed) and Apple's own "legacy" codecs remain (with few exceptions) playback compatible with QT 7 but are only conversion compatible with the QT X player. Once again, had you posted the specific codec information, any regular forum responder could have told you what problems you might expect when attempting to view your files in the various players used under different Mac operating systems, as well as, provide possible solutions to your problems.

In any case, it's a lot simpler answer than the pejorative response you provided.

Like beauty, the "pejorative" nature of my response is in the eye of the beholder. And, while your workflow may be a simpler answer, it may not be the most efficient in terms of time and the quality of your results.

Sorry my minor frustrations got you out of sorts - and I'm sure someone will thank you for the detailed, very windows like explanation of codecs etc. that seems to leads nowhere but down the road of more time wasted.

Contrary to what you may think, little or no detail was provided regarding codecs other than illustrating how you might better use your system's built-in resources to provide the information required to better determine your specific problem(s) and their solution(s). It is indeed regrettable that, for you at least, the accumulation of knowledge, in and of itself, seems to be such a waste of time.