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drmdzh1
Inspiring
January 26, 2019
Question

Which codec...?

  • January 26, 2019
  • 1 reply
  • 4743 views

Which codec is best for viewing in Quicktime WITHOUT QuickTime then having to "convert" the file? I'm not too concerned about render time, I just want something that can run smoothly in quicktime without the double-step.

OS 10.14

Quicktime 10.5

thanks!

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    1 reply

    Andrew Yoole
    Andrew Yoole
    Inspiring
    January 26, 2019

    H264 (.mp4) video files are the most universally viewable file format for delivery.  They will open directly in Quicktime Player on a Mac, and in Windows' media player etc.  But it shouldn't be used in a production workflow - it is strictly a delivery format.

    The newer Quicktime player often has to convert legacy Quicktime formats, like Quicktime Animation for example, but the older Quicktime Player 7 will still open those formats without conversion.  You can still download and install Quicktime Player 7.

    Download QuickTime Player 7 for Mac OS X v10.6.3 or later

      D
      drmdzh1Author
      Inspiring
      January 27, 2019

      I don't have the H264 codec listed... I used to have it, but not since upgrading.

      Andrew Yoole
      Andrew Yoole
      Inspiring
      January 27, 2019

      I don't mean H264 packaged in a Quicktime container.  That format has been dropped.  Apple's lack of attention and support to Quicktime means that it will probably gradually disappear as a format altogether in coming years.  A great shame - ten years ago Quicktime owned the production video format space. Now they've put too many eggs in the iPhone basket and left their professional customers behind.

      Choose H264 as the format, rather than Quicktime.

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