QuickTime and the avi codec question (once again)

A colleague has emailed me several movies with names like "movie01.avi".
They're technical graphics stuff, produced from iterated computer
graphics calculations, not from any kind of video source. They appear
with a QT icon on my desktop but trying to play them brings up the
"sorry, QT is missing a necessary software component . . . " dialog box,
and a blank white QT Player window. The Movie Info window's Format

Randy Howard...

web-search for VLC. it's the #1 hit. download it, problem solved.
HTH HAND

AES...

I did in fact do exactly this -- and no, it did NOT solve the problem.

Randy Howard...

Interesting.

Maybe I mishandled the VLC installation in some way, but I doubt it --
I've successfully installed and tried a lot of Mac apps.

Randy Howard...

If it runs, you probably did the install fine.

Maybe these movies themselves are irremediably flawed -- could well be,

Randy Howard...

It's possible. Or they could be encoded in some /very/ new
Codec particularly to a particular piece of capture or ripping
software for the PC or some other platform. You could also try
mplayer, another free viewer that might have a different (or at
least more up to date) codec set bundled in.

and I'm working on the source they came from. But they seem to be in
fact Indeo IV 50 coded files.

Sure would be nice to have a GraphicConverter for video formats!

field gives ", 444 x 348, Millions" (nothing before the first comma).

Wayne C. Morris...

AVI is not a codec, it's a container format, and various different codecs
can be used inside it. Installing the DivX and 3ivx codecs should allow
you to play most AVI movies:

If "Show Movie Info" doesn't tell you what codec was used in the AVI, try
"Show Movie Properties" (command-J). If that doesn't tell you anything,
ask your colleague what codec he used.

Dave Balderstone...

avi is just a wrapper. Ask your colleague what codec was used for the
movies inside the avi file.

Malcolm...

That's what I get for Divx movies.

Searching web-search and Apple Support site has provided lots of complicated
and confusing information but no obvious simple solution (not obvious to
me, anyway). Is there a straightforward way to play, or convert, these

john evans...

Agreed, it's pretty good.

However, when I'm on this old b/w G3-400, I find

to be better, playing even divx5 encoded avi's better than VLC.

AES...

Thanks much for suggestion.

Downloaded VLC disk image; installed and opened just fine

(but *very* slow download!! -- several hours on my DSL connection --
problem apparently at server end, as I've downloaded comparable
sized files from other sources much more rapidly)

Clever Monkey...

You have to choose your source location wisely. In this case, wise
means "choose a source that is quicker than the one geographically close
to you that you expected to be best". I had to use a Western European
location, even though I'm Eastern North America.

Tried it on the movies in question -- error message:

main: no suitable decoder module for fourcc `IV50'.
VLC probably does not support this sound or video format.

Clever Monkey...

VLC has plugins for other codecs, doesn't it?

Philo D...

Good ol' "Indeo" codec, version 5.0 ... from Intel around 1999.
Too bad modern macs cannot play it.
If you are capable of running Classic, there is an Indeo 5
codec for the old OS9 version of Quicktime.

Julian...

Is there REALLY no way to play these old indeo 5 codec movies in OS X?
Or maybe converting them to another format? Does ffmpegX or some such
do this?

Warren Oates...

ffmpeg only lists indeo2 and indeo3 among its supported codecs, along
with something called idcindeo.

Julian...

Actually I have now found a way to play these old indeo codecs. Just
get hold of a copy of an old QuickTime 4 version for OS 9 and load the
indeo clip (which it supports in OS 9). Export it as a DV stream and
then it will play in the latest QuickTime and probably also in VLC and
MPlayer as well.

rpitchu...

Hmm... this is good info and it works in OS 9. How exactly do you
export it as a DV stream from Quicktime in OS 9?

Julian...

Go to the QT-9 File menu and to the item "Export..." It should give you
the option of exporting the movie to a DV stream ("Movie to DV
Stream"). If it does not you may be missing the DV codec (Check
HD‹>Library‹>QuickTime folder for list of your codecs).

Warren Oates...

I was going to mention trying it out on OS 9, but I'm not sure if the OP
has access to OS 9.

Maybe that is an answer to Randy's problem.

Guess I'll have to go back to the original source and get them to
produce something QT can handle.

Thanks again.

files?

Mac iBook G4, OS 10.3.9, QuickTime Pro and QuickTime Player v 7.1.3.

Thanks . . .

ebsound...

I'm not the best at these questions but VLC didn't work for me so I got
ISquint1.5 and set it to "optimize for TV" and convert from AVI (AVI
has been on the file icon on all things I converted) and I've never had
a problem with this. If all else fails, try it.