User profile for user: Zubsy
Zubsy Author
User level: Level 1
17 points

Quicktime Player has Problems on macOs Ventura 13.2.1

I have been using Macs for years. Quicktime Player has become a mayor issue. With the latest updates, Quick Time is prone to immobilizing several important app to app hand-offs. Nothing works properly, when you are caught in this loop!!

  • I have a new iMac with an M1 chip
  • running on the latest Ventura 13.2.1

Quicktime has a host of fatal problems:

  • Unable to read .mp4 files generated by certain apps (which used to work without a problem before, like ADOBE PREMIERE etc
  • QuickTime refusal to read certain .mp4 apps
  • Files run, but there is an error message - see screenshots below
  • As a consequence of this QuickTime error, MAC refuses to handle files:
  • No import into iPhotos possible
  • No airdropping onto other devices possible.
  • QuickTime cannot be uninstalled and re-installed for trouble shooting
  • Would use work around with other non macOS Video Viewer, but this does not help/resolve the handling/sharing issues.
  • It has become a known issue at Apple ... but everybody pretends it is not happening
  • PS.: Apple products are VERY expensive. I expect them to run smoothly and better customer service.



Posted on Mar 14, 2023 02:53 PM

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User profile for user: Matti Haveri
Matti Haveri
User level: Level 6
19,104 points

Posted on Mar 15, 2023 07:56 AM

There is the "old" H.264 (AVC Advanced Video Coding) and new H.265 (High Efficiency Video Coding HEVC) that needs macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later.


QuickTime Player refuses to play some H.265/HEVC flavors (as well as Final Cut Pro 10.6). Currently macOS 11-12 Big Sur, Monterey and Ventura are more forgiving but they still has the following issues with "Codec ID" and "Chroma subsampling" options.


You can check all those pesky details with apps like Invisor (my favorite because it neatly highlights differences when a folder is dropped on it) or MediaInfo.


H.265 Codec ID hvc1 plays OK (as well as H.264 Codec ID avc1).


H.265 Codec ID hev1 has an error message "This file contains some media that isn't compatible with QuickTime Player" and plays audio only. There is a lossless fix if you install ffmpeg and add '-tag:v hvc1' without re-encoding in the Terminal:


ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy -tag:v hvc1 output.mp4


Chroma subsampling 4:2:0 (Bit depth 8 bits) plays OK.


Chroma subsampling 4:2:2 (Bit depth 10 bits) has an error message "This file contains media which isn't compatible with QuickTime Player". Opens anyway in Big Sur but fails in Mojave.


To muddy waters even more:


Google, Youtube, Facebook might use VP8 or VP9 video and OPUS audio codecs that might have to be converted to more common H.264/265 and AAC/PCM codecs.


Google might use webm wrapper and open source community Matroska mkv wrapper that might have to be converted to a more common mp4 (or its very close cousin m4v or mov) wrapper (usually losslessly with ffmpeg although subtitles might be unsupported in other wrappers).


VLC and IINA should have no issues with playing any decent new or old codec. Handbrake or VLC can be used to convert old codecs to new H.264 or H.265 wrapped as common mp4 (or its very close cousin m4v or mov).

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: Matti Haveri
Matti Haveri
User level: Level 6
19,104 points

Mar 15, 2023 07:56 AM in response to Zubsy

There is the "old" H.264 (AVC Advanced Video Coding) and new H.265 (High Efficiency Video Coding HEVC) that needs macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later.


QuickTime Player refuses to play some H.265/HEVC flavors (as well as Final Cut Pro 10.6). Currently macOS 11-12 Big Sur, Monterey and Ventura are more forgiving but they still has the following issues with "Codec ID" and "Chroma subsampling" options.


You can check all those pesky details with apps like Invisor (my favorite because it neatly highlights differences when a folder is dropped on it) or MediaInfo.


H.265 Codec ID hvc1 plays OK (as well as H.264 Codec ID avc1).


H.265 Codec ID hev1 has an error message "This file contains some media that isn't compatible with QuickTime Player" and plays audio only. There is a lossless fix if you install ffmpeg and add '-tag:v hvc1' without re-encoding in the Terminal:


ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c copy -tag:v hvc1 output.mp4


Chroma subsampling 4:2:0 (Bit depth 8 bits) plays OK.


Chroma subsampling 4:2:2 (Bit depth 10 bits) has an error message "This file contains media which isn't compatible with QuickTime Player". Opens anyway in Big Sur but fails in Mojave.


To muddy waters even more:


Google, Youtube, Facebook might use VP8 or VP9 video and OPUS audio codecs that might have to be converted to more common H.264/265 and AAC/PCM codecs.


Google might use webm wrapper and open source community Matroska mkv wrapper that might have to be converted to a more common mp4 (or its very close cousin m4v or mov) wrapper (usually losslessly with ffmpeg although subtitles might be unsupported in other wrappers).


VLC and IINA should have no issues with playing any decent new or old codec. Handbrake or VLC can be used to convert old codecs to new H.264 or H.265 wrapped as common mp4 (or its very close cousin m4v or mov).

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User profile for user: Zubsy
Zubsy Author
User level: Level 1
17 points

Mar 15, 2023 02:50 PM in response to Matti Haveri

Hi Matti!

Thank you very much for your reply.

I will work through it step by step. Lots of useful information!

At least, there is someone, who acknowledges the issues. You know, what you are talking about!

Thank you so very much! Must look into those wrappers more.

PS.: I work with h.264 codecs - and also make sure to export h.264 out of Premiere. So, the problem is there, also with h.264 - - - I hardly ever use h.265 or HEVC, because they are so annoying and get rejected so much (see them as an Apple way to further lock customers into their MacOs world ... ) literally, they do not translate well outside of the Apple world.

Thank you again for your help! Very appreciated. Structure more clear now. But problem persists.

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Quicktime Player has Problems on macOs Ventura 13.2.1

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