Why this change after conversion?

[terrypin]

I downloaded a 150 MB movie clip 1524_JumpBack_PAL.mov (no longer sure of site), a a firework display. It plays fine in VLC (I got rid of Quicktime ages ago, and VLC appears to be the only player I can now use with MOV files). Here's a still screenshot:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s247/terrypin999/MOVappearance-VLC.jpg

But, as I don't like working with MOV files (and I suspect my NLE doesn't either) I then converted it to MPEG2 and various flavours of AVI. Using two different converters (MOVtoAVI and SUPER) and with all types of file, I get the same puzzling result that looks like this, with a distinctly different colour:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s247/terrypin999/MOVappearance-MPG.jpg

Other miscellaneous MOV files I've tried also change colour to varying degrees.

Why should that happen and is it fixable please?

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[Baldrick]

Try reconvert using mpeg streamclip or avidemux instead.

[guns1inger]

If VLC plays the file OK, why not use VLC to convert the file ?

Click on Media -> Convert/Save, browse to your file, then adjust the settings to create an appropriate output.

[terrypin]

If VLC plays the file OK, why not use VLC to convert the file ?

Click on Media -> Convert/Save, browse to your file, then adjust the settings to create an appropriate output.

That sounds promising, not to say a revelation, as I never realised VLC could do conversions.

However, I don't have a Media button or menu item. Maybe it's because I'm not using the latest version - I have '0.8.6d (wxWidgets interface)'. I'll try the latest shortly, but meanwhile I did the following, which didn't work:
1) Used File > Open to load the MOV
2) Under Advanced options check-marked the box Stream/Save
3) In Settings, check-marked the boxes for Play locally (a guess) and Video codec (with default of mp4v)

But what's the target all about?
out=#transcode{vcodec=mp4v,vb=1024,scale=1}:duplic ate{dst=display}
Meaningless to me!

Anyway, I wasn't hopeful, as there was no way to specify a file name and path. After clicking OK twice, the clip played - but this time it had the red colour! No sign of any new file anywhere.

---------

A little later I tried an alternative approach using File > Wizard. Briefly, I had to enter a file extension for the output myself, which threw me, and I was unsure about the settings. But I did get a result this time. However - that too has the red colour!


I'll try to get on the same page of the hymn sheet by installing the latest version, but I'm not optimistic. Have you ever come across anything similar?

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[terrypin]

Try reconvert using mpeg streamclip or avidemux instead.

Thanks, downloaded MPEG_StreamClip and will install and try it later. But as you see from my reply to guns1inger, I'm not very hopeful.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[terrypin]

I went ahead and installed VLC 0.9.8a Grishenko and then played my MOV.

It now has that red colour! So I'm tentatively coming to the conclusion that that is the correct colour, despite the fact it seems inappropriate and less attractive than the blue.

Is there any other player, apart from QuickTime, that will play MOV reliably?

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[poisondeathray]

MOV is just a container. It's what's inside that matters. A .mov file can be completely different than another .mov file if their video uses different formats. Since it can contain different things, and not all players can play all the formats.

You can try KMplayer which supports most of the commonly used codecs/video formats found in most .mov files

Another option is MPC with Quicktime Alternative installed

[terrypin]

OK, thanks, I hadn't realised MOV was like AVI in that sense.

I'll try both of those suggested players. I use MPC a lot, and I'm trying to recall why I apparently got rid of Quicktime Alternative a year or so ago.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[terrypin]

That tentative conclusion I came to a couple of hours ago now looks pretty solid. The latest version of VLC displays the MOV file
- like every one of the half dozen conversions I did
- like KM Player and BS Player

And the 'red colour' I've been describing I now realise must be the night sky diffused by the fireworks. Strangely, the blue colouration (which is how the previous VLC version played the file) occurs again in the new version, but only in the snapshot. Here's a screenshot taken with PrtScr a moment after clicking VLC's Snapshot tool:

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s247/terrypin999/MOVappearance-VLC-Latest.jpg

All very odd as far as I'm concerned!

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK