Snow Leopard and MP4 movies
in [Mac Applications]
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From: Burt Johnson on 7 Sep 2009 14:38 Warren Oates <warren.oates(a)gmail.com> wrote: > In article <1j5o49z.6how9maq5iopN%burt(a)mindstorm-inc.com>, > burt(a)mindstorm-inc.com (Burt Johnson) wrote: > > > As far as the missing codec, that would have been my first thought too, > > except... Even when I get black when played normaly under QT, it will > > show the proper video if played in the column view where you get a > > little postage stamp image. > > Are you using the QT Player, or viewing it with Quick View (I think it's > called) where you press the spacebar and the movie plays? The "little > postage stamp" is a thumbnail, and you should get it in any "view." I double click and see Quicktime in the menu bar, so I am pretty sure this is the QT viewer. I haven't even thought about the 'quick view.' I may give that a try next time QT shows black (it is working right now, and I don't know how to trigger the defect) -- - Burt Johnson MindStorm, Inc. http://www.mindstorm-inc.com/software.html
From: Burt Johnson on 7 Sep 2009 12:36 I really don't like the new Quicktime that comes with SL. The ability to capture screen movies is nice, but not something I'll use much. The loss of separate control bar is a real loss-of-functionality in my book though. Also, I can no longer just set the movie to play at 2X size, which is the best size for many videos obtained from the web. The biggest problem I have had is with MP4 format movies. I have about 50 of those, and they play erratically. They always play fine in the little preview of the column view, but when opened they often just show black. The audio plays fine, but the video is black. If I reboot, then the video plays fine. After I have been using my Mac or awhile though, bringing up a video will no longer play until I reboot again. I have tested the programs I suspected the most of messing with video (Warcraft, Lightroom, Photoshop), but QT works after a run of each of those, so I have no idea what (if any) other program is interacting and killing QT. Any ideas? PS: M4V movies play through iTunes for me, and I have never seen them fail. The only problem I have seen is with MP4, which I do not have iTunes playing -- just Quicktime directly. -- - Burt Johnson MindStorm, Inc. http://www.mindstorm-inc.com/software.html
From: Warren Oates on 7 Sep 2009 12:57 In article <1j5o1zx.506uir10vxtfaN%burt(a)mindstorm-inc.com>, burt(a)mindstorm-inc.com (Burt Johnson) wrote: > If I reboot, then the video plays fine. After I have been using my Mac > or awhile though, bringing up a video will no longer play until I reboot > again. > > I have tested the programs I suspected the most of messing with video > (Warcraft, Lightroom, Photoshop), but QT works after a run of each of > those, so I have no idea what (if any) other program is interacting and > killing QT. > > Any ideas? Are you switching users sometimes? Black video with good audio usually means you don't have the codec you need. If it's the same account, and you get good video for a while and then it just stops, sounds like a bug in QT, or your display card might be flakey. It seems pretty bizarre. How long can you watch continuously before you lose the video? -- Suddenly he realized that he was alone with a giant halfwit on a dark deserted street. -- Chester Himes
From: Burt Johnson on 7 Sep 2009 13:16 Warren Oates <warren.oates(a)gmail.com> wrote: > In article <1j5o1zx.506uir10vxtfaN%burt(a)mindstorm-inc.com>, > burt(a)mindstorm-inc.com (Burt Johnson) wrote: > > > If I reboot, then the video plays fine. After I have been using my Mac > > or awhile though, bringing up a video will no longer play until I reboot > > again. > > > > I have tested the programs I suspected the most of messing with video > > (Warcraft, Lightroom, Photoshop), but QT works after a run of each of > > those, so I have no idea what (if any) other program is interacting and > > killing QT. > > > > Any ideas? > > Are you switching users sometimes? Black video with good audio usually > means you don't have the codec you need. If it's the same account, and > you get good video for a while and then it just stops, sounds like a bug > in QT, or your display card might be flakey. It seems pretty bizarre. > How long can you watch continuously before you lose the video? Nope. Only one user account ever used on this machine. It is my primary home computer. My wife has her own Mac. I was probably a bit confusing in the way I described the loss of playing. Once a movie plays, it will play forever properly, as will any other MP4 I open during that launch of QT. Once I quit QT though, the next time I try to watch an MP4 movie, it may or may not show the video. And once it stops showing video (that is, plays a black screen), every MP4 after that will always show a black video until I reboot. As far as the missing codec, that would have been my first thought too, except... Even when I get black when played normaly under QT, it will show the proper video if played in the column view where you get a little postage stamp image. That is, I select the MP4 video file in column mode. I see the image in the column mode. I can press play and watch it play. I then double click the file to launch QT, and the video is all black. Reboot, and then do the same sequence and the video plays properly after launching QT. I think that means the codec was found, or the column view would not have shown it. Agree? -- - Burt Johnson MindStorm, Inc. http://www.mindstorm-inc.com/software.html
From: Warren Oates on 7 Sep 2009 14:01
In article <1j5o49z.6how9maq5iopN%burt(a)mindstorm-inc.com>, burt(a)mindstorm-inc.com (Burt Johnson) wrote: > As far as the missing codec, that would have been my first thought too, > except... Even when I get black when played normaly under QT, it will > show the proper video if played in the column view where you get a > little postage stamp image. Are you using the QT Player, or viewing it with Quick View (I think it's called) where you press the spacebar and the movie plays? The "little postage stamp" is a thumbnail, and you should get it in any "view." -- Suddenly he realized that he was alone with a giant halfwit on a dark deserted street. -- Chester Himes |