Need Converter like Quicktime Pro

[seskanda]

I need a program (free or NON-free) that has the video conversion features of Quicktime Pro. Namely, it should be able to convert the audio+video codecs in a MOV/AVI/MPG/DIVX, etc. file to the various formats that QT Pro supports. I'm using Windows XP. Some help would be great.


Thanks in advance.

[Soopafresh]

MpegStreamClip comes close, although you'll need to buy the Quicktime Mpeg2 plugin from Apple to convert mpeg2 files. Don't know about Divx/Xvid support, however.

[poisondeathray]

ffmpeg should be able to convert just about anything to anything ; there are some front ends for it but most of them probably won't use .mov container for their presets

[seskanda]

How does MpegStreamClip use the MPEG2 plugin which is for Quicktime? I'm hoping ffmpeg will fit the bill, but dunno which front end matches QT Pro, feature-wise. Does ffmpeg support conversion to and from the .MOV format?

[poisondeathray]

yes ffmpeg supports conversions to and from .mov . The problem is to get the most functionality, you have to use command line (most gui's wont have presets for quicktime stuff). Gui's make use easier by simplifying the process and creating the commandlines in the background for you.

the .mov container is the single thing that defines quicktime. It is a container (think of it like a box) that holds different types of video & audio. There are dozens of different kinds so "mov" is very non specific and doesn't provide much information at all.

mpegstreamclip uses the quicktime api - so all plugins you have for quicktime pro are functional in mpegstreamclip

[seskanda]

Does Quicktime Pro come with MPEG-2 plugin? Do i need to have Quicktime installed for Mpegstreamclip to work? Hmm...I prefer NOT to deal with a commandline, so i might stick with Quicktime Pro, then. I've tamed the beast that's QT Pro, namely qttask.exe. It still wants to play ALL media on the web, though....

[poisondeathray]

Does Quicktime Pro come with MPEG-2 plugin? Do i need to have Quicktime installed for Mpegstreamclip to work?

no the MPEG2 plugin is a separate addon ($)

mpegstreamclip will work with quicktime alternative (free) or QTpro . However, there is a special version of quicktime alternative that is required (the instructions and links are on the author's website)

Hmm...I prefer NOT to deal with a commandline, so i might stick with Quicktime Pro, then. I've tamed the beast that's QT Pro, namely qttask.exe. It still wants to play ALL media on the web, though....

haha. I just kill it with my software firewall and don't give permissions to start or work. You can also disable it for windows startup

Can I ask why the need for this QT compatibility? especially on a PC platform?

[Ai Haibara]

In regard to what Quicktime will attempt to play:

You probably already know to check the File Types tab in Quicktime's Control Panel and make sure everything you don't want QT to handle is unchecked. But you also need to do the same in the Browser tab > click the "MIME Settings..." button. That should help with QT trying to play everything in your web browsers.

[seskanda]

Can I ask why the need for this QT compatibility? especially on a PC platform?

I do music on film scores, and I usually get .MOV file(s) of the movie.

Oh, i did set the 'MIME' settings of Quicktime, but the beast rears it ugly Q mark, nonetheless....

Any video converter seems barebones to me, may try the Pro version, though. I also found Total Video Converter, anybody use that before?

[Ai Haibara]

Which browser are you using? Some of them, like Firefox, also maintain a list of applications/actions to take when certain types of files are encountered.