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Q: QuickTime that comes with OS X El Capitain 10.11.3 no way to convert .mov to .mp4

I tried looking for a way to convert .mov to .mp4 in Quicktime. I can't seem to find any way to do so. I go into QuickTime then "File -> Export" and see no options to convert from .mov to .mp4. Any ideas on this?

MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014), OS X El Capitan (10.11.3)

Posted on Feb 17, 2016 8:19 PM

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Q: QuickTime that comes with OS X El Capitain 10.11.3 no way to convert .mov to .mp4

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  • by Jon Walker,

    Jon Walker Jon Walker Feb 18, 2016 5:24 AM in response to n00b2MaC
    Level 6 (18,613 points)
    Feb 18, 2016 5:24 AM in response to n00b2MaC

    I tried looking for a way to convert .mov to .mp4 in Quicktime. I can't seem to find any way to do so. I go into QuickTime then "File -> Export" and see no options to convert from .mov to .mp4. Any ideas on this?

    What do you actually need here?

     

    MOV refers to the file container—in this case the generic QuickTime file container which may contain any combination of compression formats compatible with the system on which it was created. These compression formats can include MPEG-4 (MPEG-4 or MPEG-4 AVC) video and MPEG-4 (AAC) audio. MP4 also refers to the file container but in this case on a Mac, normally limits the compression formats to MPEG-4 audio and video content only. Both file containers are normally defaulted to open automatically in a QT Player app. A third commonly used Mac file container is M4V. Like the MP4, this file container normally contains MPEG-4 compressed audio and video data but also may contain an AC3 and/or chapter track(s) and is normally defaulted to open in iTunes. MPEG-4 audio and/or video data is compressed and plays the same in any of these file containers and, in most cases, the extensions are interchangeable as far as most apps are concerned. Therefore, if your MOV file just contains MPEG-4 audio and video data, then you can manually change the MOV (".mov") extension to MP4 (".mp4") by simply retyping the extension name in the Finder window and the file will play normally in most apps. In those instances where an app won't accept a file with a modified extension, an app like MPEG Streamclip, QT 7 Pro, Subler, Metadata Hootenanny (or any similar "muxing" utility) could be used to copy the compressed MPEG-4 data to a "real" MP4 file container that is acceptable. In cases where the source MOV file does not contain MPEG-4 composed data, then the QT Player, the Finder Encoder option, or any other similar converter could be used to convert the audio and video to MPEG-4 data in an MOV, MP4, or M4V file container which could then be processed or modified as described above. Therefore, the real question here is, "What form of compressed data is already in the MOV file you wish to change?" You can usually find this out in either the QT Player "Inspector" or Finder "Info" window.

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  • by JBanana,

    JBanana JBanana Sep 15, 2016 2:52 PM in response to Jon Walker
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 15, 2016 2:52 PM in response to Jon Walker

    I still don't understand.  Could you just tell us exactly what steps to take, in the simplest terms, how to do the transfer. This is a lot of great information, but when I've got a Quicktime .mov and I need to play it on a PC, I still don't know how to do that.  Could you dumb it down for people like me?

  • by Jon Walker,

    Jon Walker Jon Walker Sep 15, 2016 4:32 PM in response to JBanana
    Level 6 (18,613 points)
    Sep 15, 2016 4:32 PM in response to JBanana

    I still don't understand.  Could you just tell us exactly what steps to take, in the simplest terms, how to do the transfer. This is a lot of great information, but when I've got a Quicktime .mov and I need to play it on a PC, I still don't know how to do that.  Could you dumb it down for people like me?

    Sure. First tell me what kind of data is in the MOV file and what software you have at your disposal. (I.e., before I can describe the specific steps you need to take, I need to know if the data in your source MOV file can be copied directly to an MP4 file container or must be converted to MPEG-4 audio and video formats before placing the data in the MP4 file container. Knowing the software to be used will determine the specific controls/names to use in describing the specific steps to be taken. Also, if you have any special encoding requirements—like anamorphic encoding—I would also have to know that in advance.) For instance...

    Screen Shot 2016-09-15 at 18.09.57.png

    The data in the above MOV file can be copied directly to an MP4 file using MPEG Streamclip, Subler, or a similar app. On the other hand, QT 7 Pro could "Pass Through" the same data using the "Movie to MPEG-4" export option. Neither of these workflows require the "conversion" of data. However, an MOV file like the following one would definitely need to be converted to MPEG-4 audio and video data before wrapping the new data in an MP4 file container using any of dozens of available apps, each of which would likely have a slightly different set of step instructions...with some being unfamiliar to me.

    Screen Shot 2016-09-15 at 18.36.15.png

    In any case, AAC (MPEG-4) audio with MPEG-4 or MPEG-4 AVC video in an MP4 file container is pretty universal and should play natively on almost any recent system using most modern players or HTML5 compatible browsers. For the most part, such data plays equally well in MOV, M4V, or MP4 file containers on MacOS/IOS devices but may not be as universally supported in MOV or M4V file containers on other system/software combinations.

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