Which codec...?

[drmdzh1]

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!

[Andrew Yoole]

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

[drmdzh1]

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

[Andrew Yoole]

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.

[drmdzh1]

Ys, that's what I mean, it no longer shows up in the after effects menu, neither does JPEg or a bunch of others.

[Warren Heaton]

You need to export using Adobe Media Encoder for H264.

If it’s a sample render, I’d user ProRes422 Proxy or ProRes422 LT.  Then ProRes422 HQ when high resolution output as needed.

Any file using a legacy QuickTime CODEC will convert to either H264 or ProRes.  It’s probably important to note that the conversion is going away, probably with the next version of macOS.

[Warren Heaton]

For those that might be interested in further reading about what's going on under the hood with QuickTime as a system driver for time based media being replaced by AV Foundation Frameworks and how this change affects the QuickTime movie file format, here are three things available online that are certainly worth the time to get up to speed on:

***Moving to AV Kit and AV Foundation

Moving to AV Kit and AV Foundation - WWDC 2013 - Videos - Apple Developer

***Moving to AV Kit and AV Foundation Session 606 PDF

https://devstreaming-cdn.apple.com/videos/wwdc/2013/606xdx2xbp31zp28fdov8p0b6d/606/606.pdf

The "Supported Codecs" slide is probably of the most interest:

Supported Codecs

• Delivery codecs

■ H.264, AAC, JPEG

• Mezzanine codecs

■ Apple ProRes, LPCM

• Camera device codecs

■ MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.263, DV.

As well as the "Not Supported by AV Foundation" slide:

Not Supported

• Cinepak (“Compact Video”) Animation (“RLE” )
• Video (“Road Pizza”) Graphics (“SMC”)
• Sorenson Video Sorenson Video 3 Motion JPEG A Motion JPEG B H.261
• Windows RAW Microsoft Video 1 Pixlet
• MACE 3:1
• MACE 6:1
• QDesign Audio QDesign Audio 2
• 1-bit Indexed-Color RGB 2-bit Indexed-Color RGB
• 4-bit Indexed-Color RGB 8-bit Indexed-Color RGB 16-bit Direct-Color RGB 1-bit Grayscale
• 2-bit Grayscale 4-bit Grayscale SGI
• MacPaint
• BMP
• FLC FlashPix JPEG 2000 PDF Photo CD PNG
• TGA
• TIFF
• Blit Codec
• Curve Rasterizer Quickdraw Codec Blend Effect
• Blur Filter
• Brightness and Contrast Channel Compositor Chroma Key Effect Cloud Generator
• Cross Fade Effect Edge Detection Filter Emboss Filter
• Fire Generator
• Film Noise Filter Alpha Gain Filter General Convolution Glass Distortion Filter HSL Balance Filter Lens Flare Filter
• Gradient Wipe Effect Implode Effect
• Push Effect
• RGB Balance Filter Ripple Filter Sharpen Filter
• Slide Effect
• SMPTE Iris Effect
• SMTPE Radial Effect SMTPE Matrix Wipe Effect Wipe Effect
• Color Style Filter ColorSync Filter Travelling Matte Effect Explode Effect
• Zoom Effect

***Dropped support for QuickTime 7 era formats and codecs

Dropped support for QuickTime 7 era formats and codecs