My QuickTime, V10.4 doesn't recognise certain newer .mov files (since november 2017) while it's playing older ones (september 2017). No new iPhone, no new MacBook, no updates done in the maintime. It says 'The file is not compatible with QuickTime Player'. I've checked the specifications and the older ones have a H.264/AAC codec, while the new files have hvc1/AAC/mebx. Could that be the problem? What should I do to play those new .movs? VLC and Premiere Pro also don't recognise the files (in VLC, I only see the first three or so frames and hear the sound).
Sounds as if you have updated your iPhone to iOS 11 but are still using a pre-High Sierra version of macOS on your MacBook. Basically, newer iOS devices now have the option to record video using H.264 or HEVC (H.265) video compression. If your iPhone "Camera" app is defaulted to HEVC video recording and the iPhone "Photos" app is defaulted to transferring these videos in their original HEVC (hvc1 video track type) compression format, then they are not "natively" playback compatible with pre-High Sierra versions of the macOS or using the QT7 player under High Sierra. If this is your problem, you currently have three possible fixes:
- Reset the iPhone "Camera" app to record videos in the more compatible H.264 video compression format,
- Reset the iPhone "Photos" app to transcode videos to the more compatible H.264 video compression format during transfer, or
- Update the MacBook macOS to High Sierra in order to play the HEVC files natively.
Unfortunately, this does not explain why a current version of VLC cannot play your HEVC content or why QTX can't play HEVC files if your MacBook is already operating under High Sierra. In either of these cases I would suspect you are suffering from some sort of software (or peripheral hardware) "conflict" issue. Several users have reported such issues operating under High Sierra but most have dealt with the loss of AC3 (mono, 2-channel mono, and/or stereo) audio playback (e.g., AVCHD, H.264/AAC/AC3 M4V, HEVC/AAC/AC3 M4V, etc. recordings). If you are not operating under High Sierra on the MacBook, I would check to see if the copy of VLC installed on your system is the latest available version compatible with your current macOS.
