MAC Video technical question- what file formats can MACs read?

[liveoaktx]

I obviously don't have a MAC but have a video converter that will convert to MP4 or MOV, among others. It looks to me like MOV is the older format and MP4 is the one to go for. Would someone verify if this is the case?

[Touchdown]

1. Panther and Tiger use mp4 on QT IMovie, and

Final Cut Pro. Mpeg2 is usually converted to mp4 for the use of QT7. Flash, Windows, Real and a few others all work with OSX, but WinMedia must be opened with Exploder, not Safari

[liveoaktx]

2. So, if I convert the WMVs to MP4's they should play for Mac Users

Test clip-tell me if this works -MP4 MPEG

If it does, I will start doing two types of files, WMVs and MP4s and convert over time some of the older clips

[InternalDialogue]

3. Macs will also read most WMVs

But it's not the most Mac-friendly format. I believe there is still a codec or two that are unavailable for Mac, but I think I can view about 80% of available WMVs (including most from your site).

[liveoaktx]

4. Can you easily see the MP4 format?

Mp4

[LeftCoast]

5. I get "Page Not Found Error"

:shrug:

[onehandle]

7. Me either. The server may not be updated. nt

[liveoaktx]

8. Thanks, I'll work on this some more

MACs are new territory

[emulatorloo]

9. Keep us posted -- I L-O-V-E your site but am tired of buggy Windows Media

Player. . .

my rec is to go with MP4

P.S. BTW Mac is the accepted abbreviation for Macintosh, not MAC -- sorry if this seems trivial, but to some Mac users that is like a Republican saying "Democrat Party." Understand how you got there -- If PC is abbreviation for Personal Computer it would seem like MAC would be right. But since Mac isn't initials (like PC) it isn't all caps. . .

ANYWAY THNX again for the site.

PS there is a DU Mac User Group -- address here if you need help ever:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=233

ON edit add link to DU Mac

[liveoaktx]

10. Heh. Made me laugh

MP4 seems to be a more disk efficient format than MOV, as in about a 3.5 mg MP4 file versus 20 Mg (or more) for MOV

[emulatorloo]

13. Do it then! I would not worry about older Mac OS 9 users if I were you

PM me if you need a little help testing -- You do not know how many posts I have made on DU refering people to your fine site -- especially for David Schuster reports.

[LeftCoast]

12. I appreciate you making the effort!

:hi:

[buzzard]

16. I use quick time on my mac for viewing.n/t

[unrepuke]

15. My G3 will not read WMV. I'm with Sys 9.2 and have downloaded

a lot of so-called Mac WMV viewers that never work. Maybe Sys 10 handles it ?
I can see Real Time and QuickTime. People keep putting up links to WMvs here at DU without warning that they are WMV. Irritating waste of time for me, and I really wish I could see them.

[DrDebug]

17. Some WMV are open sourced, so there are codecs for the Mac as well

But the fast majority are closed sourced, so they don't work.

You can try changing the extension to .asf and some will work, but the high compression MP4-like versions will never work, since Microsoft blocked any competition by not revealing the algorithm and they keep actively changing minor details so even it one format is broken it's quickly replaced by another. So they will never play on any other player except for Microsoft Mediaplayer. That's how you creat a monopoly.

[RebelOne]

18. I have a practically brand-new eMac at the office

and there are quite a few WMV files that will not play.

[onehandle]

6. MOV is more universal.

MP4 is the newer standard, but some older Macs may not be updated to handle it. Also, anyone still running Mac OS9 or earlier will likely not be able to play the file. Not to mention older version Windows users who use Quicktime.

Crooks and Liars uses .MOVs and .WMVs.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/

[Northwind]

11. *sigh*

It is "Mac" not "MAC" for starters...anyway...

MP4 (MPEG4) is a compression codec for delivery of video in a wide range media, it is particularly good for scaling video down for use on the web; it is NOT a format. MOV is a video format which can be compressed using the MP4 coec. When you make an MOV file into MP4, you do not convert it, you compress it, it is still using the MOV format, all MP4 files are also MOV files.. MOV, either uncompressed or using high quality compression, is used during the production and editing process of digital video. At the end point, whe deciding on delivery meida, an final output MOV will be compressed using any of a number of compression codec, depending on the need.

Now, what do you need the video for?

[emulatorloo]

14. liveoaktx has a great video site of political vids; trying to accomodate

Mac users -- Please be good to liveoaktx because the site is a great resource --

http://www.canofun.com/blog/default.asp

I have been using Windows Media Player for Mac to watch the clips before. . .but it is so buggy. So I am glad the site is going to support Mac users directly.

(see my post 9 on the Mac MAC thing)