Codec missing or unavailable - .mov file in Premiere CC 2014

[Didi_Hirsch]

'Codec missing or unavailable' error.

Trying to import a .mov file from an iPhone 5.

Already installed latest version of QT 7 and restarted computer.

File uploads to Youtube so it can be read.

Using Premiere CC 2014 on Windows 7.

[Kevin-Monahan]

Hi Didi_Hirsch,

Can you try it the latest version of Premiere Pro and let us know what happens?

Thanks,

Kevin

[Didi_Hirsch]

Everytime I upgrade none of my previous Premiere files will work. Can I just install codecs instead?

[Peru Bob]

Try converting the file with HandBrake.

[Didi_Hirsch]

Handbrake won't open the files.

[Didi_Hirsch]

OK Kevin-Monahan​ I went ahead and installed the latest version of Premiere (CC 2017) and am still getting the 'codec missing or unavailable' message when trying to import these video files.

[Peru Bob]

I wonder if FFMpeg will convert it?

https://www.ffmpeg.org/

[Didi_Hirsch]

This only appears to work for Unix - it's a .bz2 file.

[Warren Heaton]

Was the file recorded on the iPhone and, if so, which app was used?

Do you have Adobe Clip insalled on the iPhone and, if so, will it import the file?

On your computer with Premiere Pro, will the file open in Apple QuickTime Player or Telestream Switch (Switch can supports many common QuickTime CODECs without the QuickTime system driver being installed. Switch used to ne free, but the most recent version 4 is $10.

[Didi_Hirsch]

-When I try to open with QuickTime, it says 'Additional software is required for QT to playback this media. It may be available from the QuickTime Components page.'

I clicked the Continue button, then it takes me to a page that says: 'The page you're looking for can't be found.'

-Tried opening in DivX, it says: 'Error 4: Can't download DivX codec. Please check your internet connection and try again'

(I am connected to the internet).

-VLC Media Player plays it, and says the codec is:

(Stream 0)

Video - MPEG-H Part2/HEVC (H.265) (hevc)

Decoded format: Planar 4:2:0 YUV

(Stream 1)

Audio - MPEG AAC Audio (mp4a)

I am trying to Convert with VLC but every mp4 file it puts out is unusable and extremely small in size (199 bites).

[Warren Heaton]

Apple deprecated QuickTime as a system driver for time based media back in 2013 in favor of AV Foundation Frameworks.  Most players (including VLC Player, Handbrake and most any other player application out there) require QuickTime in order to play the wide range of formats and CODECs that were supported by QuickTime.

There's a very short list of CODECs that AV Foundation Frameworks fully supports:  Apple ProRes, H264 and as of macOS High Sierra H265.  A short list is supported for playback only (Photo-JPEG, MPEG2, DV-NTSC, DVCPro, and a handful of others).

The tricky part about the rollout of AV Foundation Frameworks is that the file format is still a QuickTime movie file (.mov).

Adobe announced application level support for some of the QuickTime CODECs (like Animation) back in May.

So, what am I saying here?  It's entreily possible that you may need to roll your OS back to a prior version so that you can be working with the full support of QuickTime at the OS level in order to play and/or convert your movie file.

I highly recommend anyone using QuickTime who may have not yet worked out how to continue their workflow without QuickTime working at the OS level watch the following video:

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

And perhaps read the PDF that went with that presentation here:

http://devstreaming.apple.com/videos/wwdc/2013/606xdx2xbp31zp28fdov8p0b6d/606/606.pdf

Scroll to page 29 to see the CODECs no longer supported.  You can also include any 3rd party QuickTime based CODECs as unsupported as well.

If you're running the macOS, it's very easy to tell if your files won't play without the QuickTime system drivers installed:  If QuickTime Player X shows "Converting..." when you open a movie file, that's QTMovieModernizer (a component of QuickTime) converting your files for you.  Be sure to save the converted file if you want to be able to open and play your video when QuickTime is gone.  (And, as of last week with the release of High Sierra, it's gone).

[Warren Heaton]

Also, it sounds like the file was not recorded on your iPhone5, but was just being stored there.  Does that sound correct?

Files recorded via the iOS are AV Foundation Frameworks movie files, not QuickTime movie files (but both AVFF and QT files are .mov files).

[Warren Heaton]

Didi:

Is yout iPhone running iOS 11? That would explain H265.

Upgrade Premiere and you should be fine to work withbthe file.

-Warren

[Didi_Hirsch]

Not sure the phone OS as it was sent to me by someone else.

I am using Premiere on a Windows 7 machine.

And I already have updated to the latest version of Premiere.

[High Sierra Photography]

I am having the same exact issue with an iPhone clip that was sent to me.

MacOS Sierra

10.12.5

Current Premeire Update

[Ann Bens]

Change mov to mp4.

[Didi_Hirsch]

Changing extension from .mov to .mp4 did not work.

[omard71709135]

Boss! Thanks

[High Sierra Photography]

I got it to work. I put the clip in EditReady and converted it to Prores 422.

[HLLBellowe22]

I just had the same problem as you did, and I noted that my iPhone 7+ was set to record at 720  and 30 fps.   So, I switched the settings to 1080p 30fps and guess what , Adobe Premiere loved it and it works fine!!   Interesting... 

[Vasily_K]

Didn't work for me.

I use iPhone 7+ and recorded 1080 30fps and 60fps.

None of the videos are accepted by Premiere Pro. No video

[Ann Bens]

Might want to go the Handbrake route.

[Didi_Hirsch]

I tried Handbrake and it wouldn't even recognize/find the files to open them.

[danzigism]

Hi Didi, just out of curiosity, are you uploading the MOV files from your iPhone to Google Drive or something like it? Or are you plugging in your iPhone lightning cable to your computer and copying them that way?

I use Google Drive constantly for backing up my videos on my iPhone. I figured to save time, I could open up my raw footage on my PC just by downloading them from Drive on my PC. But when I do, I get the same exact error about the codec missing once I import them in to Premiere.

When I copy the same exact video clip directly from my iPhone to the PC and import to Premiere, it works just fine.

Which leads me to believe that the video codec or something about the file is modified once it gets uploaded to Google Drive.

Might sound crazy, but I'm really curious to see if you have the same issue I do.

[Didi_Hirsch]

They were shared with me via Dropbox. Not sure what happened to them before they were put on DB, perhaps they were put on Google Drive. But as long as it is strictly file transfer, nothing should be happening to the files...