Need MPEG-4 file to play in QT and WMP

[dzinkin]

Hello! Longtime lurker but first-time poster.

Is there any way to use QuickTime Pro (7.x), iMovie 6 or GarageBand 3 to save an MPEG-4 file that will play in both QuickTime and Windows Media Player? I'm getting a podcast server set up and would like both Mac and Windows clients to be able to play the files with their "native" video software, but so far the settings I've tried haven't succeeded.

I know that VLC will play anything I throw at it, and that I could just ask visitors to install iTunes for Windows, but my intended audience isn't sophisticated enough for the former and certain members of said audience are vehemently opposed to the latter. However, if it can be done with other free Mac software (MPEG Streamclip or the like?), or if there's a free codec for WMP that I can ask visitors to download, that wouldn't be a problem.

Any help would be most appreciated -- I've just tried some ten different permutations of settings and am wondering if there's something simple I'm missing. Thanks!

[Cornucopia]

A standard MP4 made from QT automatically works, without any adjustments needing to be made to the file. I know, I make these all the time for some clients of mine. They put them up on the web, works no problem.
The problem, if any, lies with what the setting on the computers is for the EXPECTED/DEFAULT player for these files...
Macs have no problem, because it's always assumed that QT will be the platform, so QT would be the player (and users who install 3rd party players on macs just build on top of that, so there's only more/expanded features)
PCs that DON'T have QT (for PC) installed may or may not be capable of playing through WindowsMediaPlayer. Depends on codecs installed and what version of WMP is (not sure about this, but probably v10 or better is my guess--others may know more here).
PCs that have QT, or the new RealPlayer or DivXplayer will have playback of MP4 routed to them.
On the web, it's a little bit easier to get around that by scripting the page to force a particular player (which is what my clients do).

Scott

[dzinkin]

I was hoping to avoid even the need to install QT (sorry, should have said so at the start) -- I don't want the user to have to install anything extra if possible, other than the latest version of iTunes on the Mac or WMP on the PC. Am I to understand that the MPEG-4 files QT outputs and the ones WMP 10 can accept are that different?

[Cornucopia]

The ones QT outputs are acceptable to WMP10 (assuming the MP4 codecs installed). Often, MP4 files made on the PC aren't acceptable to QT, mainly because of Adv.StdProfile instead of Std.Profile, HE-AAC instead of LC-AAC. That kind of thing. (>>>edit: or stuffed into an AVI container, instead of true MP4 container)

PCs are all over the place in terms of support/updates, so it's a little hard to pin down what's lacking--Older WMP?, Not correct Plugins?, corrupt reg database (from other installs)?...

Scott

[dzinkin]

What codecs are needed to play M4V files under WMP 10 (or 11, for that matter)? At this point I don't mind telling users to install a codec pack. Thanks again.

[shaynew]

If you have access to a windows PC/intel-mac and you're okay with providing a mac file and a PC file, then I'd do the following to get the PC file.

Use QT Pro to export an uncompressed AVI (or DV if you lack disk space) then take that file over to a PC and use Windows Media Encoder (free) to turn that into a WMV.

If you really only want one file everyone can play and if you don't mind the big file size:
I think mpeg1 (.mpg) is readable by both PC and mac. No sure how to export one though, look in QT Pro or MPEG streamclip.

--Shayne

[dzinkin]

If you have access to a windows PC/intel-mac and you're okay with providing a mac file and a PC file, then I'd do the following to get the PC file.
--Shayne

In that case I can just take the source DV and encode it once to M4V and then to WMV. I'm trying to avoid that.

In several places I've read that there's at least one codec pack that will let WMP play the MPEG-4 files created by iTunes and QuickTime, but no one seems to have a download link. If it doesn't exist I'll just keep separate files for each platform, I suppose.

[terryj]

Try a google search under "MPEG-4 Codecs for Windows"
or try "Quicktime for WMP codec pack". I know it exists on
{questionable P2P network sites that I don't wish to mention
publicly}.

[redstripes]

A standard MP4 made from QT automatically works, without any adjustments needing to be made to the file. I know, I make these all the time for some clients of mine. They put them up on the web, works no problem.
The problem, if any, lies with what the setting on the computers is for the EXPECTED/DEFAULT player for these files...
Macs have no problem, because it's always assumed that QT will be the platform, so QT would be the player (and users who install 3rd party players on macs just build on top of that, so there's only more/expanded features)
PCs that DON'T have QT (for PC) installed may or may not be capable of playing through WindowsMediaPlayer. Depends on codecs installed and what version of WMP is (not sure about this, but probably v10 or better is my guess--others may know more here).
PCs that have QT, or the new RealPlayer or DivXplayer will have playback of MP4 routed to them.
On the web, it's a little bit easier to get around that by scripting the page to force a particular player (which is what my clients do).

Scott

yes