I always come across movie files that don't play correctly in Quicktime but play perfectly in VLC. Are there video codecs that I'm missing or something? I think Apple should make Quicktime as awesome as VLC =P
stedwick: You might want to try installing the divX plugin to QuickTime player. I've got it installed and it plays just about everything that I've tried. YMMV of course, depending on what files you try to play.
I prefer QuickTime to VLC because of the variable playback speed feature. I'm an impatient freak and watch my movies at 1.2X to 1.4X speed - same information, only in quicktime (get it?)
I like the fact that I can get a fully free (and legal) codec pack for Windows Media Player (on Windows) that will let me play just about any media file out there. I wish the same were true with Quicktime.
stedwick: You might want to try installing the divX plugin to QuickTime player. I've got it installed and it plays just about everything that I've tried. YMMV of course, depending on what files you try to play.
I prefer QuickTime to VLC because of the variable playback speed feature. I'm an impatient freak and watch my movies at 1.2X to 1.4X speed - same information, only in quicktime (get it?)
Agreed -- I dont care for VLCs controls always being hidden when I strech the video -- I love QT unPros full screen with controls, and such, I just wish it could play divx, xvid (both of which mine does with plugins) and OGM which I have yet to find a working QT compadible codec for
I like the fact that I can get a fully free (and legal) codec pack for Windows Media Player (on Windows) that will let me play just about any media file out there. I wish the same were true with Quicktime.
Yes, there is free Xvid QuickTime codec.
Exactly which media types do you want to play for which you cannot get a QuickTime codec?
If these codecs are really legal and free, why is it that Apple doesn't package them all with QT Player?
Or is it just that independent non-profit developers can break patents and such without getting flak for it? In that case Apple could still put a menu item in QTP that points to the place where you can download these codecs.
It's partially the patents, it's also partially that the codec field is a *MESS* right now, and there are exactly two solutions: WMV, and MPEG-4.
WMV obviously has the 400lb gorilla behind it, and the only reasonable alternative is MPEG-4... so anything, and I mean anything, that dilutes that solution or fragments the non-WMV market is a plus for WMV.
Apple is pushing MPEG-4 as the competition to WMV, and I really hope they pull it off. So far, it looks good. They have MPEG-4 Part 10 (ie, AVC ie H.264) as an accepted part of the digital broadcast TV standard *almost* globally. H.264 is picking up as a video conferencing standard as well. iTMS videos? H.264. Blu-Ray and (I think) HD-DVD? H.264.
That's also why the video iPod plays back only H.264 and not MPEG-2 - they need a unified end to end, content through distribution to playback solution to show every end of industry.
If these codecs are really legal and free, why is it that Apple doesn't package them all with QT Player?
Or is it just that independent non-profit developers can break patents and such without getting flak for it? In that case Apple could still put a menu item in QTP that points to the place where you can download these codecs.
XviD is supposed to be an opensource ISO-compliant implementation of MPEG-4. The MPEG-4 standard is based on QuickTime and is part of the default installation of QuickTime. It makes no sense for Apple to support multiple implementations of a defined standard. It makes even less sense to do so when it set the defined standard.
What makes sense is for a video player to play videos, regardless of type or standard or whatever. Even if Quicktime format is supposedly the "best," there are lots of videos that are not in Quicktime format, and I think Quicktime should play those also.
VLC plays EVERYTHING, and Quicktime doesn't, so VLC is better than Quicktime. Simple.
However, the Quicktime interface is very nice, and I'll use Quicktime again if/when it starts playing videos.
And right there you give everyone the option of creating video in whatever wacked out format they want, instead of unifying them in a concerted push against WMV. "Well I'll just use Divx Variant C because, y'know, QT can play it too..." Bzzt.
Make no mistake about it, when MS was pushing Apple to kill QuickTime, there was a *REASON*. QT is Apple's strategic big gun, and the trigger is being pulled.
iPod success is driving QT7 installations on Windows. QT7 includes H.264. Video iPod plays H.264. One codec, one standard. For now. Once WMV is given some serious competition, such that MPEG-4 (the *container*) becomes the standard, then the codecs, from any source, can compete on an even basis. Right now, they can't. With WMV, it's MS's way or the highway. Apple's pushing for an open standard that is extensible, but to do so effectively against an entrenched system, they need to provide *one* unified front and *one* solution to the other less-tech-savvy industries. They're getting there, but it's going to be a while yet.
And a Quicktime monopoly is no better or worse than a WMV monopoly.
I guess the thing is, you can easily download whatever codec you want for WMP or for VLC. They even have codec "packages" that contain everything you could ever want...but for some reason it doesn't work with Quicktime. I mean, I've installed everything I can find, but Quicktime crashes, or there is no sound, or it's out of sync, or SOMETHING goes wrong, and I just end up opening the file in VLC and it works perfectly.
Standards are good, but it should be POSSIBLE to use Quicktime for whatever you want.
Likewise, it's great that the Video iPod is pushing the Quicktime standard, but I don't see any problem with allowing for a simple codec download to play DivX, or XviD, or ANY file format on Video iPod.
Isn't a UNIVERSAL video player better than a player that plays only the standard, even if the stardard happens to be the best?
Anyways, I just think the OPTION should be there.
Of course, the option is there: just use VLC.
It just seems that Apple is forcing people NOT to use Quicktime.
Apple isn't pushing QuickTime, they're pushing MPEG-4 *using* QuickTime.
Huge, massive, big freakin' difference.
MPEG-4 is open, documented, and anyone can use it.
WMV is not.
And no, WMP does not play everything. Hell, it doesn't even play many WMV files on the Mac!
QuickTime is not the culprit for those plugins you install that crash - the plugin developers are. I don't understand why you expect Apple to fix a 3rd party's code.
And a Quicktime monopoly is no better or worse than a WMV monopoly.
I guess the thing is, you can easily download whatever codec you want for WMP or for VLC. They even have codec "packages" that contain everything you could ever want...but for some reason it doesn't work with Quicktime. I mean, I've installed everything I can find, but Quicktime crashes, or there is no sound, or it's out of sync, or SOMETHING goes wrong, and I just end up opening the file in VLC and it works perfectly.
Standards are good, but it should be POSSIBLE to use Quicktime for whatever you want.
Likewise, it's great that the Video iPod is pushing the Quicktime standard, but I don't see any problem with allowing for a simple codec download to play DivX, or XviD, or ANY file format on Video iPod.
Isn't a UNIVERSAL video player better than a player that plays only the standard, even if the stardard happens to be the best?
Anyways, I just think the OPTION should be there.
Of course, the option is there: just use VLC.
It just seems that Apple is forcing people NOT to use Quicktime.
Stedwick
First off, VLC does not play all content--not by any stretch of the imagination. Windows Media 9 and Windows Media 10, anyone? The QuickTime player is about as universal a media player as you can get. Anyone who wants can write codecs to play practically anything in QuickTime-compatible apps. The reason that you can't play WMV in QuickTime for free is that Microsoft did not release a free QuickTime codec. In this sense, the Windows Media Player is totally unnecessary on the Mac except for Microsoft's insistence on incompatibility. You must also remember that WMV followed QuickTime, which was based (at least, in part) on stolen QuickTime code.
First off, VLC does not play all content--not by any stretch of the imagination. Windows Media 9 and Windows Media 10, anyone?
VLC can play WMV 9 and WMV 10. It can't play files that have password on them or files that require you to buy a licence to play them, but anything else, it will gladly play.
Of course, MPlayer is even better in this regard, as it simply uses w32codecs that are packaged with the player. It is, however, not a set of frameworks, but a simple player and it differs from QuickTime. A better comparison would be QuickTime vs. Xine or QuickTime vs. GStreamer, or QuickTime vs WMP Multimedia Engine.
Comments
http://labs.divx.com/archives/000062.html
I prefer QuickTime to VLC because of the variable playback speed feature. I'm an impatient freak and watch my movies at 1.2X to 1.4X speed - same information, only in quicktime (get it?)
"quicktime" lol
I like the fact that I can get a fully free (and legal) codec pack for Windows Media Player (on Windows) that will let me play just about any media file out there. I wish the same were true with Quicktime.
Originally posted by drumsticks
stedwick: You might want to try installing the divX plugin to QuickTime player. I've got it installed and it plays just about everything that I've tried. YMMV of course, depending on what files you try to play.
http://labs.divx.com/archives/000062.html
I prefer QuickTime to VLC because of the variable playback speed feature. I'm an impatient freak and watch my movies at 1.2X to 1.4X speed - same information, only in quicktime (get it?)
Agreed -- I dont care for VLCs controls always being hidden when I strech the video -- I love QT unPros full screen with controls, and such, I just wish it could play divx, xvid (both of which mine does with plugins) and OGM which I have yet to find a working QT compadible codec for
Originally posted by mikef
Is there a free Xvid plugin for Quicktime?
I like the fact that I can get a fully free (and legal) codec pack for Windows Media Player (on Windows) that will let me play just about any media file out there. I wish the same were true with Quicktime.
Yes, there is free Xvid QuickTime codec.
Exactly which media types do you want to play for which you cannot get a QuickTime codec?
Or is it just that independent non-profit developers can break patents and such without getting flak for it? In that case Apple could still put a menu item in QTP that points to the place where you can download these codecs.
Originally posted by Mr. Me
Exactly which media types do you want to play for which you cannot get a QuickTime codec?
I cannot play any WMV files with QT out of the box. I know there's a commercial plug-in, but I don't want support bad enough to pay for it.
WMV obviously has the 400lb gorilla behind it, and the only reasonable alternative is MPEG-4... so anything, and I mean anything, that dilutes that solution or fragments the non-WMV market is a plus for WMV.
Apple is pushing MPEG-4 as the competition to WMV, and I really hope they pull it off. So far, it looks good. They have MPEG-4 Part 10 (ie, AVC ie H.264) as an accepted part of the digital broadcast TV standard *almost* globally. H.264 is picking up as a video conferencing standard as well. iTMS videos? H.264. Blu-Ray and (I think) HD-DVD? H.264.
That's also why the video iPod plays back only H.264 and not MPEG-2 - they need a unified end to end, content through distribution to playback solution to show every end of industry.
Originally posted by Gon
If these codecs are really legal and free, why is it that Apple doesn't package them all with QT Player?
My guess is that they want to protect their existing x264/MPEG-4 investment.
Or is it just that independent non-profit developers can break patents and such without getting flak for it?
That could be part of it, but I was under the impression that at least in the case of Xvid, it's a clean-room implementation.
Originally posted by Gon
If these codecs are really legal and free, why is it that Apple doesn't package them all with QT Player?
Or is it just that independent non-profit developers can break patents and such without getting flak for it? In that case Apple could still put a menu item in QTP that points to the place where you can download these codecs.
XviD is supposed to be an opensource ISO-compliant implementation of MPEG-4. The MPEG-4 standard is based on QuickTime and is part of the default installation of QuickTime. It makes no sense for Apple to support multiple implementations of a defined standard. It makes even less sense to do so when it set the defined standard.
VLC plays EVERYTHING, and Quicktime doesn't, so VLC is better than Quicktime. Simple.
However, the Quicktime interface is very nice, and I'll use Quicktime again if/when it starts playing videos.
Stedwick
Make no mistake about it, when MS was pushing Apple to kill QuickTime, there was a *REASON*. QT is Apple's strategic big gun, and the trigger is being pulled.
iPod success is driving QT7 installations on Windows. QT7 includes H.264. Video iPod plays H.264. One codec, one standard. For now. Once WMV is given some serious competition, such that MPEG-4 (the *container*) becomes the standard, then the codecs, from any source, can compete on an even basis. Right now, they can't. With WMV, it's MS's way or the highway. Apple's pushing for an open standard that is extensible, but to do so effectively against an entrenched system, they need to provide *one* unified front and *one* solution to the other less-tech-savvy industries. They're getting there, but it's going to be a while yet.
And a Quicktime monopoly is no better or worse than a WMV monopoly.
I guess the thing is, you can easily download whatever codec you want for WMP or for VLC. They even have codec "packages" that contain everything you could ever want...but for some reason it doesn't work with Quicktime. I mean, I've installed everything I can find, but Quicktime crashes, or there is no sound, or it's out of sync, or SOMETHING goes wrong, and I just end up opening the file in VLC and it works perfectly.
Standards are good, but it should be POSSIBLE to use Quicktime for whatever you want.
Likewise, it's great that the Video iPod is pushing the Quicktime standard, but I don't see any problem with allowing for a simple codec download to play DivX, or XviD, or ANY file format on Video iPod.
Isn't a UNIVERSAL video player better than a player that plays only the standard, even if the stardard happens to be the best?
Anyways, I just think the OPTION should be there.
Of course, the option is there: just use VLC.
It just seems that Apple is forcing people NOT to use Quicktime.
Stedwick
QuickTime != MPEG-4.
Apple isn't pushing QuickTime, they're pushing MPEG-4 *using* QuickTime.
Huge, massive, big freakin' difference.
MPEG-4 is open, documented, and anyone can use it.
WMV is not.
And no, WMP does not play everything. Hell, it doesn't even play many WMV files on the Mac!
QuickTime is not the culprit for those plugins you install that crash - the plugin developers are. I don't understand why you expect Apple to fix a 3rd party's code.
VLC works
Quicktime doesn't
I'm not worrying about Quicktime vs WMP, or MPEG-4 vs WMV, or any of those other issues that people are bringing up.
All I'm saying is that Apple should make Quicktime work as well as VLC. And I'm just wondering why they don't.
Stedwick
Originally posted by stedwick
But Windows Media Player plays everything...
And a Quicktime monopoly is no better or worse than a WMV monopoly.
I guess the thing is, you can easily download whatever codec you want for WMP or for VLC. They even have codec "packages" that contain everything you could ever want...but for some reason it doesn't work with Quicktime. I mean, I've installed everything I can find, but Quicktime crashes, or there is no sound, or it's out of sync, or SOMETHING goes wrong, and I just end up opening the file in VLC and it works perfectly.
Standards are good, but it should be POSSIBLE to use Quicktime for whatever you want.
Likewise, it's great that the Video iPod is pushing the Quicktime standard, but I don't see any problem with allowing for a simple codec download to play DivX, or XviD, or ANY file format on Video iPod.
Isn't a UNIVERSAL video player better than a player that plays only the standard, even if the stardard happens to be the best?
Anyways, I just think the OPTION should be there.
Of course, the option is there: just use VLC.
It just seems that Apple is forcing people NOT to use Quicktime.
Stedwick
First off, VLC does not play all content--not by any stretch of the imagination. Windows Media 9 and Windows Media 10, anyone? The QuickTime player is about as universal a media player as you can get. Anyone who wants can write codecs to play practically anything in QuickTime-compatible apps. The reason that you can't play WMV in QuickTime for free is that Microsoft did not release a free QuickTime codec. In this sense, the Windows Media Player is totally unnecessary on the Mac except for Microsoft's insistence on incompatibility. You must also remember that WMV followed QuickTime, which was based (at least, in part) on stolen QuickTime code.
First off, VLC does not play all content--not by any stretch of the imagination. Windows Media 9 and Windows Media 10, anyone?
VLC can play WMV 9 and WMV 10. It can't play files that have password on them or files that require you to buy a licence to play them, but anything else, it will gladly play.
Of course, MPlayer is even better in this regard, as it simply uses w32codecs that are packaged with the player. It is, however, not a set of frameworks, but a simple player and it differs from QuickTime. A better comparison would be QuickTime vs. Xine or QuickTime vs. GStreamer, or QuickTime vs WMP Multimedia Engine.
That's a whole different kettle of fish though.