Mpeg Rendered In Vegas Won't Play In Quicktime

merlyn60 wrote on 12/15/2004, 7:09 AM
Hello guys. I'm new to the video thing and I've rendered an mpeg-2 video clip that won't play in Quicktime 6.5.1 even though other mpeg-2 play with no problem. Is there something I'm not doing properly in the render process in Vegas 5.0? The error says "couldn't open file because it's not a file the that quicktime understands". Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

Jsnkc wrote on 12/15/2004, 7:31 AM
What settings did you use when you rendered the file out? Is the file extension a .mpg or is it something like a .m2p ?
merlyn60 wrote on 12/15/2004, 7:43 AM
Thanks for the reply. The extension is .mpg. I used the default template, but changed the video rendering quality to "Best". I didn't change anything else. By the way, the mpeg2 plays fine in Windows Media Player.
B_JM wrote on 12/15/2004, 8:08 AM
i got that problem also in QT 6.51 but going back to 6.4 it works fine ... i have no clue why

merlyn60 wrote on 12/15/2004, 8:18 AM
That's weird. I'm thinking it has to be something with the main concept encoder since I can open other mpeg-2 that weren't rendered out of Vegas in Quicktime 6.5.1. Maybe I'm missing a setting or something? I just renderd an AVI out of Vegas and Quicktime reads it fine, but I need a hi-quality clip that can be read on PC and Mac so it needs to be in mpeg-2 form. Anyone else?
merlyn60 wrote on 12/15/2004, 8:35 AM
Maybe someone could render something from Vegas as an mpeg-2 and see if Quicktime 6.5.1 reads it?
Jsnkc wrote on 12/15/2004, 8:40 AM
I just tried it with a MPEG, I rendered yesterday and it wouldn't play it.
merlyn60 wrote on 12/15/2004, 8:46 AM
Interesting. So It's not just me. Thanks for doing a test. Were you using Quicktime 6.5.1 or a different version? If you were using a different version of Quicktime, does that suggest that it's the Main Concept Encoder (setting or otherwise)? Anyone else with a version of Quicktime thats NOT 6.5.1 (besides B-JM) have any luck?
Jsnkc wrote on 12/15/2004, 9:42 AM
I just have version 6.5 I tried rendering out pretty much all the diffrent MPEG-2 templates that are in Vegas and none of them would work.
merlyn60 wrote on 12/15/2004, 9:45 AM
Same with me. Thanks for testing Jsnkc. Is there anyone out there that can try rendering an mpeg-2 out of Vegas 5.0b and attempt to play it in a version of Quicktime other than 6.5.? Any help with this would be appreciated.
Jsnkc wrote on 12/15/2004, 10:36 AM
I just updated to the latest 6.5.2 and it wouldn't play it either. We don't have any machines around here with an older version so I can't test that unfortunately. I'm sure someone around here has it though.
merlyn60 wrote on 12/15/2004, 10:44 AM
I just did the same as well and it's still not playing. Thanks for the help. I'm just waiting for someone else to post saying that thye've tested with an older version.
B_JM wrote on 12/15/2004, 2:16 PM
i assume you DID add the QT mpeg2 plug in ? it is $19.95 and needed ....

QT 6 MPEG-2 Playback - Windows

$19.99

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/buy/mpeg2playback.html
B_JM wrote on 12/15/2004, 2:18 PM
non - the less, i only got QT to play mpeg in older versions .. seem to have more and more bugs in QT as they go along ... gee i wonder why apple would do that ?

merlyn60 wrote on 12/15/2004, 2:20 PM
Yes I do have the mpeg-2 plugin. Mpeg-2 files that were not rendered in Vegas play just fine with no problems whatsoever in Quicktime 6.5.1. Jsknc and I are still waiting for someone besides B_JM to test a Vegas 5.0b rendered mpeg-2 in a Quicktime version older than 6.5.1.
merlyn60 wrote on 12/15/2004, 2:24 PM
B_JM: Just to be clear. Using Vegas 5.0b, you tried to open an mpeg-2 rendered in Vegas 5.0b in Quictime 6.5.1 and could not. You tne went back to a Quicktime previous to 6.5 and the Vegas rendered mpeg-2 worked in it?
merlyn60 wrote on 12/15/2004, 7:47 PM
No one else out there has a an older version of Quicktime than 6.5.1?
vitamin_D wrote on 12/16/2004, 6:19 AM
Having the same problem myself -- was getting some bad color shifts and compression artifacts even at 3mbps .mov for client preview renders of an animation cycle I'm doig, so I output the same renders to mpeg2 default settings (just changed the window dimensions to 320x240).

The client has been long in replying to my requests for approval on the latest renders, and I'm sitting here getting steamed that things aren't moving quicker. Turns out he tells me my files don't play in Quicktime (???), which means for him he has to jump through a series of hoops to view my latest work, transcoding from mpeg to avi -- something that's a bit of a chore because he's a PR guy, not a video guy :(

I have QTPro version 6.0.0.71 and the videos simply do not load. They work OK in WMP9, though.

- jim
B_JM wrote on 12/16/2004, 10:23 AM
went back to 6.4x something
B_JM wrote on 12/16/2004, 10:30 AM
things i can think about it could be:

1. header attributes and/or meta data in mpeg file (called user data)
2. vegas produces closed GOPS , though why QT would not play a closed GOP if that is it - would be odd.
3. mux rate of video program stream, program vs. elem. stream
4. name of file ? (never know with QT - it did have a name bug before)
5. audio type in muxed program stream

if i have just a couple secs of what does and doesnt play == i could check pretty quickly ..

since i am not working anymore where i used to (or anywhere at the moment) -- i dont have access to the files i made that had the problems..
clyde2004 wrote on 12/16/2004, 10:35 AM
Just to toss in a bit more info ... I have QT 6.5.2 and Vegas 4. QT won't open a MPEG rendered out of 'V4.x' either
B_JM wrote on 12/16/2004, 12:03 PM
no clue if it has anything to do with it - but apple has a few topics on this in thier listserver
http://search.lists.apple.com/?q=mpeg2+playing&cmd=Search%21&form=extended&m=all&ps=10&fmt=long&wm=wrd&wf=2221&sp=1&ul=
B_JM wrote on 12/16/2004, 12:07 PM
normally i would not even care -- as there are much better applications for playing mpeg2 files than QT .. But I am programming a playback system for a edgeblending media showserver and it uses the QT engine for decoding all media files -- and mpeg2 would be the prefered choice for files here, but I am stuck having to use other qt codecs here. (whch means a lot of re-encoding) .



scdragracing wrote on 12/16/2004, 10:14 PM
there is some serious confusion in this thread.

meryln60, mpeg2 is NOT a good choice for computers, because it is field-based ntsc, while computer displays are frame-based, with no fields at all.

you need a good frame-based codec, which is just about anything but mpeg2 :-)
B_JM wrote on 12/17/2004, 1:02 PM
mpeg can be frame or field based and is a very good high compression codec for pc's ... plus this has nothing to do with the question