Converting to something a Mac can play

[frisket]

I have a number of family movies digitised by a local company, all of which play perfectly on my Linux systems, but none of them play at all on Macs ("The file is not compatible with QuickTime player"). This seems to be a very common problem.

The formats as delivered (or at least the filetypes) are .mpg (for conversion from video tape) and .mp4 (for conversions from cine)

I have been led to believe that AVI, MOV, and MP4 all work on Macs, but my attempts to convert using mencoder all fail with the same error message (above) when I copy the file to a Mac. The command I have ben using is the one quoted on all the web pages I have looked at:

mencoder -oac lavc -ovc lavc sourcefile.mpg -o targetfile.avi

Incidentally, no matter what output file type I use (.avi, .mov, .mp4), the output file size is identical. This makes me think that it is failing to perform the relevant reencoding because I have omitted some vital piece of information like the output file format — is just the output filetype sufficient or is there something missing. Clearly as it stands it is not doing what the command line implies. I don't care what type of file I have to convert to so long as it plays on an iMac or iPad.

[LigH.de]

To create a media file that works on a Mac, you need to select

• a video codec which is supported by QuickTime (with options set up in a range supported by QuickTime)
• an audio codec which is supported by QuickTime (with options set up in a range supported by QuickTime)
• a container format which is supported by QuickTime and able to combine video and audio stream

Means: Do some homework and learn what is possible and what is required. That will take some time but is absolutely necessary when you want it to work in a restricted system like QuickTime.

Or...

Use a player which has less restrictions and more features than QuickTime. Like the VLC player.

PS: A quite common combination is the MP4 container, containing a video stream in MPEG4 AVC (H.264) format in Main profile with a lower level and limited complexity (I hope you can find documentations about that, it is complicated) and MPEG audio (MP3 or LC-AAC). But mencoder is not really a state-of-the-art converter. Rather obsolete these days. Some more elaborate converters do exist which have presets to create clips with the required restrictions per specific playback device. I just have no clue which of them are available on a Mac. Maybe HandBrake.

[frisket]

Thanks very much, that's very useful and informative. When I get more time I'll have to try and find out and document it.

Right now, it's also something I don't have time for, so Mac users will just have to figure out how to play mpg and mp4 files themselves.

[crjackson]

Right now, it's also something I don't have time for, so Mac users will just have to figure out how to play mpg and mp4 files themselves.

Most of us Mac users already know to use a better player than QT. I have several (including VLC) just in case there is a need.

[The_Doman]

You could try Avidemux to remux/convert to other, more Mac friendly, container formats?
There are Windows, Linux end Mac versions available.

The formats as delivered (or at least the filetypes) are .mpg (for conversion from video tape) and .mp4 (for conversions from cine)

It would be helpful to exactly find out what video formats are really used inside those Mpg/Mp4 files.
Avidemux should be able to show you that.

[Alwyn]

@Frisket

What system are you going to use to re-encode these videos?

Is the Mac format the same as ipad and iphone, because it's a doddle creating bog-standard H264 MP4s for those, using any normal H264 encoder eg Handbrake.

I've attached a Main 4.0 H264 MP4 I just did from an MPEG 2 file with Handbrake/Windows. It plays nicely on my old ipad.

[ProWo]

In many cases there is no need for conversion.
Still remux to mov. No recode, no quality loss.

[Alwyn]

In many cases there is no need for conversion.
Still remux to mov. No recode, no quality loss.

Agree for perhaps MP4 ie H264. I used the term "recode" loosely; I meant "what system will you use to "change" your files to make them compatible?".

But for MPEG 2, my ipad wouldn't read it, so it probably will need recoding.