Quick time mov can't be seen on a PC

I gave a a Quick time mov of a FCP project that was shot in DVCPRO HD 720 24p.
It was a simple export using Quick time self contain mov.
I can see file on my mac. I put that file on a disc and was able to still see the file...
I gave that disc with the file, to a person who edits on a PC. they called and said they can not see it.
they say the file opens and the hear audio but there is no video....
They also said they have the latest version of Quicktime
what can i tell them?

Although they claim to have the latest version ask them for the version number. I'm not sure the latest version of Quicktime for the Mac is the same as it is for the PC.

If by chance they don't use a Mac very often they might think the version of Quicktime they downloaded three months ago is the lates and as we all know Quicktime has had quite a few revisions in that time.

If it turns out they do have the latest version I'd recommend checking the compressor your using when making the Quicktime, I'm not sure a PC can play DVCProHD and all else fails have them un-install then re-install the same version of Quicktime you have.

how can i check the compressor when i just export my project using the Quicktime movie selection?
What is with the DVCPROHD????why would that matter?

And, how can i ask a client to uninstall and reinstall their equipment...That is not what they are paying for...

your thoughts???

> how can i check the compressor when i just export my project using the Quicktime movie
> selection?

The drop-down menus at the bottom of the dialog box has options for selecting other Sequence Presets. But if your plan is to use another codec, use Export - Using QuickTime Conversion instead.

> And, how can i ask a client to uninstall and reinstall their equipment...That is not what they are
> paying for...

If they're not willing to install the codec of the editing sequence, then they don't get to see the movie file in its top-quality form. Simple as that. Can't have it both ways. But if they're not editing with the thing, and if they haven't paid all the bills yet, then you shouldn't give them top-quality, anyway. Export an MPEG-4 or WMV and give that to them for viewing purposes.


www.derekmok.com

I understand ,, but my clients are not production houses or editing companies..
they are corporations who have know idea about video production, they are just buying the good video packages I am showing ....
It's hard for me to sell them something and ask them to modify to me.. I have to modify to them...
Also, this same Quicktime mov has to be made so I can down convert for web stuff as well.
Giving them the mpeg 4 and wmv is not a problem , it's just giving them a SD DVD..

Thanks,

I'm also not sure that PCs have the DVCPRO HD codec. Not positive, but I did recommend someone use this codec recently and the response was that it wasn't available for PC.

So, you need to give it to them in a codec that they can read.

Some of the simplest and most cross platform and backward compatible ones are 'Photo Jpeg' and 'Animation'.

So, exporting out of FCP, choose 'Using Quicktime Conversion' then select the correct information under 'options'.

If you are going to be doing this on a regular basis you need to do some more research about what is the best, most compatible path for your clients, but this should get you out of a hole right now.

Thanks,,
do you know if there is list somewhere that states which codecs are he best for cross viewing on macs and pc's?
Thanks,,,

Um, nope not of the top of my head. Do a Google search for corss platform codecs avid fcp or something similar.

Like I said, Photo JPEG and Animation will almost always work.

If your client simply wants to view videos you send them, and they're using the Quicktime player. MPEG4/H.264 works quite well on my PCs.

However, I've found that for editing video on a PC from a Mac, the ONLY codec that has been reliable for me has been Motion JPEG A. It's what I've standardized on. I've found that even the Animation codec has given me problems on my PC. While uncompressed may work, the files are way too large and slow for most applications.

Travis
VoiceOver Guy and Entertainment Technology Enthusiast
[www.VOTalent.com]

Just to confirm Jude's assumption... the DVCPRO HD codec is NOT available on a PC...Mac only. It's a licensing thing...Microsoft hasn't licensed the codec, so it is not available on the PC side.

Gotta use h.264.


www.shanerosseditor.com

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I don't expect my clients to have all the codecs that are on my system, especially ones like DVCProHD, ProRes, etc. Many of those are only available to FCP users and are not available in the regular Quicktime application, even on other Macs. As a rule of thumb, I ask them upfront about their video requirements and see what flavor of Quicktime and/or Windows Media they have. Maybe shoot them a couple test clips and see which one they can open. I've been lucky in that many of them have the latest Quicktime and H.264 outputs (which I think are the best looking if compressed correctly) work great. Every once in a while I have to dump something to WMV and then I use Flip4Mac. The nice thing about using Compressor is being able to output BOTH versions at once, then you can post a QT and WMV online and let the client pick.

HTH, JK

_______________________________________
SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

Haha. Why'd you wanna give your clients an editing codec for preview? Always stick to an end user codec, unless they know what they want and request for a master.

Uncompressed and Animation are not adviseable, because they require powerful processors to decode.

Usually I'll avoid exporting via quicktime conversion as the quality has almost always been quite bad, as opposed to exporting a final cut movie or via compressor.

"Haha. Why'd you wanna give your clients an editing codec for preview?"

I have to give what works for them...Why would i give them something they can't see or use?

ajmax Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Haha. Why'd you wanna give your clients an
> editing codec for preview?"
>
> I have to give what works for them...Why would i
> give them something they can't see or use?


Precisely the reason why you give end user codecs- h.264 (preferred, but clients need to have QT7), mpg 4 (for QT6, and encodes faster than h.264), or wmv (microsoft's fav codec). Editing codecs result in huge files and require powerful processors.

This is an interesting discussion because I've run into similar problems with a friend of mine. I've sent him clips encoded in mpg 4, H.264, and then a Flip4Mac WMV and he can't view ANY of them, despite having the latest version of Quicktime on his PC. In fact, the last clip I showed him I just uploaded to YouTube to save myself the time and the headaches. It's the same problem the originator of this post mentioned: he can hear audio, but no video appears.

What does anyone think of Flash as a reliable codec? That will probably be what I try next. It seems to have the most cross-platform compatibility (at least until there is broader integration of H.264).

The only full-proof solution I can think of is creating a backbone for my site that detects and converts the videos I upload to whatever the end-user has (basically what YouTube does). That seems like a lot of work, but maybe it's worth it when you consider how we look to our clients when they can't view the work we do.

It all depends on what problem your off to solve. If you want to provide footage that another post facility can use then use compressor to create an uncompressed HD file, they can compress it with their codec of choice. If your trying to provide a file a user can view on a PC then use compressor to create an MPEG 4 file.

Of all the viewable formats, Flash has the greatest "installed base" of users. I've standardized on Flash-8 for showing video on the web. HOWEVER - you can't just encode an .flv and send it off to a client. The .flv needs to be called by a Flash .swf program, which is embedded into an html document. There are standalone .flv players available, but very few PCs have them already instsalled. Also, if you send your client the set of .html/swf/flv files needed for playback, (instead of placing for viewing from a website), the PC owner's security settings will likely prevent playback. AND editing an .flv is difficult and less-than-optimum in quality.

h.264 can't normally be viewed on a PC unless a recent version of Quicktime, or other h.264 codec is installed. If your client intends to edit or process your file, it'll probably need to be converted to an .avi.

Most PC-based editing systems ARE designed to work with the codecs provided with a Quicktime install - various flavors of .mov, etc. HOWEVER, almost every time Apple sends a Quicktime/ITunes update, it breaks the editing system's ability to edit those files. (This should sound familiar to FCP users.) and it takes about six-months to get them fixed. So far, I've found Motion JPEG to be the only codec that hasn't gotten messed up. (Just give them time.)

Why hasn't the industry established a cross-platform codec/file format that we can all use reliably? - I'm conviced that they're trying to drive us C-R-A-Z-Y!!!!

Travis
VoiceOver Guy and Entertainment Technology Enthusiast
[www.VOTalent.com]

So is the MPEG 4, H.264 the answer to see it on PC??

Possibly. PCs have issues with h.264 too. All these wonderful new video STANDARDS and the windowz guys are stuck with stinky AVIs and heavily DRM'd windows stuff.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]