Trouble importing mov files

RickinSav'h · Post by **RickinSav'h** » Mon May 19, 2008 5:12 pm

It seems that as time goes on I can successfully import fewer & fewer mov files. When dragged to the time line they show up but seem to have only sound no video.
Has Quicktime's mov format codec advanced over time?
Any way to get MSP to accept the latest mov files?

MSP 8 SP1

troppo · Post by **troppo** » Tue May 20, 2008 2:55 am

MOV is not a codec, but it is a container format, like AVI. Using Quicktime Pro I can encode a DV .MOV and a DV .AVI, different extension, same codec.
In Final Cut I have a list of about 40 different codecs I can encode to, all of which can have a .mov extension.
So, to answer your question, you will need to find out what codec you are using. The .mov files that come from digital cameras are usually mp4. From phones they can be 3gp or mp4.
To complicate matters, the audio part of your .mov can be another whole range of different formats.
For example, a MPEG2 file I try to play back on my Mac in quicktime has no audio, but plays fine in my PC in MSP. This is because the quicktime codec used to decode the MPEG2 file can't handle the type of audio stream it uses.

Good luck in the codec minefield!

RickinSav'h · Post by **RickinSav'h** » Tue May 20, 2008 5:22 pm

Thanks Troppo,
Didn't realize the mov files were like avi in that the extension is a container for a multitude of possible codecs. I think I basically understand the container thought. I wonder how it is that while MSP 8 will only play the audio & no video that on the same PC Quicktime plays both. Also I've found that I can often use Adobe Premiere Elements 2 to open & convert the format successfully. Super seems to also handle the conversion okay. Typically I am converting mov files to mpeg1 as I've found that mpeg1 files play in powerpoint with the least problems. Some times I'll edit out a scene, add titling or some other minor change.

How does MSP 8 "know" what codec to use when a mov file is inserted? Obviously I have the codec on the PC as the files play / convert successfully with other software.

MSP 8, I find, will play a mov with video codec "Photo-JPEG" but not a mov with "H.264". The mov codec descriptions come from the quicktime player movie inspector.

Is there a way to "tell" MSP 8 what codec to use while playing any given file?

Thanks in advance for helping out in the minefield.

troppo · Post by **troppo** » Wed May 21, 2008 2:53 am

Yes, I agree it's weird how some applications will play video files fine and others wont, on the same PC. Just as a guess it might be because some apps have their own built in codec to play the files, and these might be better or worse?