.mov to anything stock WMP will play

[soulman950]

I have some .mov files that I need to convert to ideally .wmv.... I think mpeg2 will work without any additional codecs but I am not sure

I have a friend that doesn't have internet access so WMP can't connect to auto download codecs as needed so the .mov won't play

I have tried converting to mpeg4 and no go

I have tried using some program for the mac call ffmegX that using various backends depending... I couldn't get it working so I decided to go rigth to the source

I have to believe there is a program in linux that will get the job done

I have looked at mencoder and it doesn't have any stock codecs for WMP
the w32codecs package seems to only be the plugins for mplayer unless I am doing something wrong

I took a look here and found mjpegtools as an option but it seems like I would have to first convert the .mov to some other crazy file first then peice it back together...

I must be missing something, usually I miss the obvious but there should be a way to get this mov to wmv or (anything that will work) without the headache of conversion after conversion...

Quality is not a big issue its just a slide show made with iphoto
the .mov file is 200MB though so converting to raw avi is out of the question I believe but I may be wrong..

Any advice would be apprecieated

I have access to OS X WinXP and Linux if there is a better tool for a different OS

If I missed any info let me know

Thank you in advance for all your help

[Leighgion]

The simplest and most elegant way around this problem is don't use WMP. Download the latest standalone installer for Quicktime 7 for Windows, install it on the computer in question and have your friend play the slideshow with Quicktime Player as it was meant to be played.

The reason why WMP won't play the slideshow has nothing to do with codecs. Slide shows made by iPhoto aren't conventional video streams. For greater space efficiency, the slide shows leverage Quicktime's features to have multiple video tracks to manage the transition effects. These slideshows can be converted to conventional video files, but at a great cost of size (they bloat up) and you'll be reducing their visual quality.

[soulman950]

Thank you kindly

Whle I was looking for an option I was missing in mencoder, I am starting to see that that may be the best way to go... especially if the iphoto product is non standard

[mats.hogberg]

Only "safe" codec is mpeg1, as far as WMP is concerned. Almost any other video codec requires additional codecs for WMP to handle it gracefully.

/Mats