Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: est1895 on January 12, 2012, 04:14:25 pm
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Should I upgrade to QuickTime 7 Pro? What kind of files can be converted? :pimp:
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I might be missing something here, but here's my advice: Don't. Get MPC-HC instead. It handles both Quicktime and RealPlayer files with no problems. As far as conversion goes, don't even think about paying for that, either! Get this free converter instead.
Media Player Classic: Home Cinema - http://mpc-hc.sourceforge.net/
Media File Converter: http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html#Dnload
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People actually use QuickTime?
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I use QuickTime becuase it handles HiDef files, but I also have been using Flv files.
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People actually use QuickTime?
Was my thought as well. Can't think of any situation when something would prevent you from using any number of free replacements for Quicktime, regardless of platform.
Any one of several codec packs (K-Lite, CCCP) handle more or less every format, including HD formats and FLV's, and all use MPC-HC as linked before. And they're all free.
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I went to the MPC-HC website and it looks pretty impressive; but why do all that for free? Is there a catch? Will it play Quicktime files? It does say MPEG files, but I have MPEG-4 files for Quicktime.
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Personally, I just use the K-Lite Codec Pack - Mega - plays Quicktime MP4 files just fine as far as I know, and it installs MPC-HC by default. And in my experience, it is FAR more efficient than Quicktime ever was.
Only possible catch is the occasional need to play with some settings.
EDIT: And yes I do understand the downsides of Codec Packs - I've just never had an issue with them personally. It is quite possible that MPC-HC can handle Quicktime with no further adjustment, and barring that it is also possible (though slightly more involved) to set up exactly what codecs you need.
Short Version: Open Source is wonderful.
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I went to the MPC-HC website and it looks pretty impressive; but why do all that for free? Is there a catch? Will it play Quicktime files? It does say MPEG files, but I have MPEG-4 files for Quicktime.
Supported Decoding:
MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 playback. Media Player Classic is capable of VCD, SVCD and DVD playback, without the need to install any additional software or codecs.
It has built-in codecs for MPEG-2 video and codecs for LPCM, MP2, AC3 and DTS audio, and also contains an improved MPEG splitter that supports playback of VCDs and SVCDs using its VCD/SVCD/XCD Reader. A *.mp4 and MPEG-4 Timed Text support added. An AAC decoding filter makes MPC suitable for AAC playback in MP4.
MPC Home Cinema also has H.264 and VC-1 with DXVA support, DivX, Xvid, and Flash Video formats is available in MPC HC. MPC can also use the QuickTime and the RealPlayer architectures. Media Player Classic supports native playback of OGM and Matroska container formats.
As for the reason... It's open source. People got sick of paying for this stuff, so they made it themselves and allow people to download it for free. It is maintained by coders for free in their spare time, kinda like FSO. The world of open source is a beautiful place if you know what you're looking for.
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do not, under ANY circumstances whatsoever, pay a CENT for quicktime.
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It all comes down this....picture quality. In other words will the K-lite pack be able to play MPEG4 videos, with a higher quality, then Quicktime?
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It will be identical. And there is even the option of cleaning up lower quality video with built in GPU based shaders.
And on top of that, it should use less of your processor time than the notoriously inefficient Quicktime, which means it should play smoother and with less lag.
EDIT: And it's free, Open Source, and all that wonderful stuff. Some may advocate against using K-Lite - If it worries you at all, try using MPC-HC by itself first. It may do everything you need beautifully by itself.
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Wheres the HomePage please? There are so many links.
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Get the CCCP. Play anything.
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Quicktime, RealPlayer, and WMP are a collective blight on the software world. Open-source does everything they can do, and isn't loaded with crap.
For playback, I usually prefer VLC Media Player (www.videolan.org)... it plays EVERYTHING- music, and pretty much every video format known to man.
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I've been using The KMPlayer myself, though apparently the person who originally developed it (before it was sold to a Korean media company) is now working on an even better player independently. I did use VLC at one point, but I found it to lag horribly while attempting to jump through a video, and the interface left a lot to be desired. They may have improved it since then though.
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K-Lite Codec Pack - Mega is what I use: http://www.codecguide.com/download_kl.htm
CCCP: http://www.cccp-project.net/ - Also works great, just not my preference.
If you're going to use VLC, grab a nightly from here: http://nightlies.videolan.org/ - There's been quite a number of significant codec advancements since the Stable release. Used to use this, but MPC-HC has more options and less interface lag.
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WMP are a collective blight on the software world
Le wat
I agree on QuickTime and RealPlayer, but WMP is hardly a blight. It is very good media player with only two major drawbacks, Microsoft doesn't bundle some of the widely used codecs with Windows and thus WMP relies on DirectShow filters adding such playback capabilities. It also doesn't have built-in support for external subtitles. However, WMP plays out of the box all videos I currently have on my HDD with exception of external subtitles. So even built-in codec support in WMP isn't that bad anymore. Codec support is much improved in Win7 compared to obsolete WinXP.
For these reasons I install MPC-HC. http://mpc-hc.sourceforge.net/
It beats VLC in everything (IMO) but cross-platform as VLC is also available on OS X and linux. I haven't used codec packs such as CCCP or K-Lite in ages. CCCP even uses MPC-HC with some additional codecs added for good measure. Personally I wouldn't touch any codec packs with ten foot pole, sole exception being CCCP and even it is usually unnecessary since both MPC-HC and VLC plays almost everything without additional codecs.
I would also stay clear of KMPLayer, and in fact I would advise of boycotting it because of GPL license violations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-Multimedia_Player#Alleged_license_violations
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I would also stay clear of KMPLayer, and in fact I would advise of boycotting it because of GPL license violations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-Multimedia_Player#Alleged_license_violations
Yes, I'm aware of those claims, but I could honestly care less so long as the player works fine.
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i only have a couple of gripes with WMP, but it's still my player of choice. or it was in XP with WMP10, i might look around more because 11 in win7 blows. it plays things fine, and perhaps even better than 10 (it finally plays mp4), but the interface is horrendous and un-customizable.
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WMP are a collective blight on the software world
Le wat
I agree on QuickTime and RealPlayer, but WMP is hardly a blight. It is very good media player with only two major drawbacks, Microsoft doesn't bundle some of the widely used codecs with Windows and thus WMP relies on DirectShow filters adding such playback capabilities. It also doesn't have built-in support for external subtitles. However, WMP plays out of the box all videos I currently have on my HDD with exception of external subtitles. So even built-in codec support in WMP isn't that bad anymore. Codec support is much improved in Win7 compared to obsolete WinXP.
My dislike of WMP is mainly because it is quite bloated compared to the light functionality of VLC or MPC-HC. If I have VLC installed or the portable edition on a PC, I can play anything simply by opening it and pressing play. That isn't true of WMP.
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what can't you open and play with WMP?
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what can't you open and play with WMP?
Last version I actually opened (which I suppose to be fair was not on these Win7 installs) couldn't play DVDs without an external codec. And much as QuickTime and Realplayer are ass, WMP wouldn't play their few proprietary files, whilst VLC generally could.
And like you said - the interface is clunky and generally-speaking, ****.
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??
what can't you open and play with WMP?
Last version I actually opened (which I suppose to be fair was not on these Win7 installs) couldn't play DVDs without an external codec. And much as QuickTime and Realplayer are ass, WMP wouldn't play their few proprietary files, whilst VLC generally could.
And like you said - the interface is clunky and generally-speaking, ****.
It cant play OGG for a start. I use it, but i just select 10+ songs, say add to list, and use my keyboards media controls to control the music; something VLC can not do.
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VLC's pretty good. I only have a few complaints about it (and some of them might be settings I just haven't set)...
- The seek bar is kinda sketchy. Maybe codec-dependent.
- When it starts a video, it puts the filename on top of it (maybe a setting for this?)
- It overrides what the volume buttons do, making them affect VLC's internal volume setting instead of the computer's (maybe a setting for this?)
- Sometimes I use it to extract the music from videos, and I have to specify "mp3" in two fields... filename should be sufficient
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I have QT, and Real Player... they do have their uses, but as others have noted, there are better (even though I don't have them), more efficient tools for the job. I'd not bother paying for either QT or RP, not by a long shot.
Now, there may be examples when a version of QT Pro might be useful... it can convert files from one type to another that others just (seemingly) can't, so far as I know. The example I note in this instance was in relation to some native Mac MIDI files from an old computer helicopter sim; I had a forum post on that, actually (I still need to finish the project... just got lost in the to-do list). However, having QT Pro would only help you in that instance if you actually HAD a Mac, as the MIDI files wouldn't play on any other OS, and QT was the only player that I could think of that would play them. Maybe Timidity would help with the issue, but no matter...
...I was able to convert those files, mind you, with a very cool program which I wish they made for Windows called Audio Hijack, which is sort of like a virtual "record from your sound card" option (something I don't believe Macs can do natively). I used retail QT to play the files on a computer, Audio Hijack was linked to record the output from the QT application, and dumped said output as a lossless audio file. I then converted the file format to what I wanted it to be in Audacity.
Moral of the story? You probably don't need to buy anything, and you probably shouldn't either. QT is fine on a Mac, and works well on one, but that's only if you actually have one. Next, if you're doing Audio editing or recording, you probably ought to get Audacity. There are several auido codec plug-ins that will convert just about anything to anything else. However, I think you were noting video concerns, so I'm probably barking up the wrong tree. But, I think this is probably the most fair case for or against QT in the thread to date, so there you go.
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I think the only reason I kept QT Alternative (which I think is now QT Lite) around was because Firefox required it to play some sort of content in-browser. I'm not even sure if the issue I had back then even applies anymore, so for all I know I could go ahead and ditch it.
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what can't you open and play with WMP?
Last version I actually opened (which I suppose to be fair was not on these Win7 installs) couldn't play DVDs without an external codec. And much as QuickTime and Realplayer are ass, WMP wouldn't play their few proprietary files, whilst VLC generally could.
And like you said - the interface is clunky and generally-speaking, ****.
well that was back when they still wanted to force you to buy DVD software, like with bluray now. microsoft has never been interested in supporting anyone else's proprietary files. nor has any other entity with their own format for that matter. my ipod refuses to play wma. so far, i've not run across anything WMP 11 won't play without codecs (except the aforementioned bluray)