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fmalloy · Jul 22, 2011, 12:48 PM

Mid-2009 MacBook Pro, 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM.

QuickTime videos (.mp4) recorded with a Flip cam play terribly in QT under Lion - video stutters and drops frames during playback (tho the time marker moves smoothly) consistently. Videos are on the internal hard drive.

Confirmed CPU is idle. Rebooted with no apps running. No backups or Spotlight indexing going on. QT CPU usage is reasonable (<20%).

Same videos played smoothly with no issue in Snow Leopard. No other performance issues noted.

See the stuttering in the QT application and also when played from the Flip application viewer. This is unacceptable.

Waragainstsleep · Jul 22, 2011, 02:39 PM

Does it happen in quicklook? What about iTunes?

fmalloy · Jul 22, 2011, 02:47 PM

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep

Does it happen in quicklook? What about iTunes?

I'll check, thanks for the suggestions. I didn't know you could view videos in QuickLook.

Also need to try DVDs and other video formats...

Spheric Harlot · Jul 22, 2011, 03:14 PM

What Quicktime codecs do you have installed? Are they current?

fmalloy · Jul 22, 2011, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

What Quicktime codecs do you have installed? Are they current?

Not sure. I just did a Lion install. Don't they get installed fresh with Lion?

fmalloy · Jul 24, 2011, 12:28 PM

More info -

Purchased movies and movies ripped from DVD play OK in iTunes

Same stuttering videos play OK in YouTube

Same stuttering videos play OK in the VLC video player

Copied the stuttering videos (.mp4, H.264 from Flip cam) into iTunes - stutters there too.

It seems like a problem with QuickTime. Nobody else sees this?

Waragainstsleep · Jul 24, 2011, 01:13 PM

Have you examined the files and compared them to working ones for differences? There must be something.

Spheric Harlot · Jul 24, 2011, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by fmalloy

Not sure. I just did a Lion install. Don't they get installed fresh with Lion?

What do you have in
/Library/QuickTime/

Waragainstsleep · Jul 24, 2011, 08:08 PM

Could it be related to this:

Lion bug: Some iMacs locking up after playing video | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

fmalloy · Jul 25, 2011, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot

What do you have in
/Library/QuickTime/

AppleIntermediateCodec.component
AppleMPEG2Codec.component
Google Camera Adapter 0.component
Google Camera Adapter 1.component
QTMpeg4Codec.component

fmalloy · Jul 25, 2011, 11:02 AM

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep

Could it be related to this:

Lion bug: Some iMacs locking up after playing video | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Could be, although I get no lockups, just stuttering video. And, it seems to be in the first 5 seconds or so of the videos - they tend to play normally after that.

It's got to be QT related as the same video file plays fine in the VLC video app. I also burned it to a DVD using iDVD and it played fine there.

Never had such problems in Snow Leopard.

fmalloy · Jul 25, 2011, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by fmalloy

AppleIntermediateCodec.component
AppleMPEG2Codec.component
Google Camera Adapter 0.component
Google Camera Adapter 1.component
QTMpeg4Codec.component

Just noticed this - the QTMpeg4Codec.component modification date is Sept. 17, 2010. The other files were all modified in June of 2011...

fmalloy · Jul 25, 2011, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by fmalloy

Just noticed this - the QTMpeg4Codec.component modification date is Sept. 17, 2010. The other files were all modified in June of 2011...

A Get Info on this component shows that it is from FlipShare - not Apple. So, it must have been installed by the Flip camera software?

Guess there's not much chance of getting an update for that...

Art Vandelay · Jul 25, 2011, 11:57 AM

Flip is still offering support until 2013. They may have a newer version already or a forthcoming Lion update.

Waragainstsleep · Jul 25, 2011, 12:40 PM

In /System/Library/Quicktime/ do you have QuickTimeMPEG4.component?

I would remove the flip codec from /library/quicktime and then see what happens when you play those files.

fmalloy · Jul 25, 2011, 02:05 PM

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep

In /System/Library/Quicktime/ do you have QuickTimeMPEG4.component?

I would remove the flip codec from /library/quicktime and then see what happens when you play those files.

Great idea, Waragainstsleep. Will try when I get home today.

Art Vandelay · Jul 25, 2011, 02:05 PM

Download the latest Flip software. It was last updated in May and the Quicktime codec was also updated.

fmalloy · Jul 25, 2011, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by Art Vandelay

Download the latest Flip software. It was last updated in May and the Quicktime codec was also updated.

Thanks Art. But, I downloaded the latest software this morning (I thought it was the latest) and installed it and it didn't change the version or the modification date.

I'll confirm when I get home. I'm hoping this is it and the MP4s will play correctly...

fmalloy · Jul 26, 2011, 04:40 PM

Removed the Flip-installed codec from /Library/QuickTime. Still stutters. It's always the same pattern - jittery, stuttered video for the first 5 seconds or so (audio is ok), then it tends to smooth out after that. Same video plays just fine in the VLC video software which plays MP4s. So that seems to point to the QuickTime player in Lion. It seems to play MOV files from the iPhone just fine.

I'm guessing it's not possible to install an earlier QuickTime version, and I can't find a link at apple.com to re-install 10.1.

Cold Warrior · Jul 26, 2011, 05:05 PM

You could try quicktime 7 pro, instructions here: Install QuickTime 7 Pro with Lion | Operating Systems | Mac 911 | Macworld

Waragainstsleep · Jul 27, 2011, 02:26 PM

Brand new Perian update lists a fix for web video playback. Worth a go.

MacNNUK · 01:20 PM

New iMac 1.7.3, terrible problems with QT10 with Lion.

Wouldn't load multiple windows, would stay invisible, wouldn't play .wmv's, wouldn't loop, wouldn't replay a video, mpg, mp4, flv etc etc

Reading around, I installed QT 7.6.6 from the Apple site.

Apple - Support - Downloads

Other ( later) versions of QT 7 wouldn't install as QT10 was already installed, and I couldn't uninstall QT10, as it's part of Lion.

QT 7.6.6 installed itself in Apps / Utilities.

I ran it, it did everything QT is supposed to do, multiple windows, .wmv's, loop etc.

Then, a big surprise, after running QT 7.6.6, and quitting, QT10 performed as it should do !!!

I wonder if installing QT 7.6.6 also installed some necessary codecs / files that benefitted QT10 too.

I will find out as and when I have to re-boot, if not, I'll just run QT 7.6.6 first of all.

Update: After a re-boot, I had to run QT 7.6.6. before QT10 would loop videos, but not loop wmv's, but it would play them ok.

I get the impression that QT 7.6.6 replays slightly better quality .wmv's than QT10.
And QT10 replays slightly better quality mpg's, flv's etc
( I had previously re-installed an earlier version of Perian, 1.2.2 as suggested elsewhere, did no good, not with QT10 anyway.)

Waragainstsleep · Mar 12, 2012, 02:05 PM

You have too many .wmvs.

.wmvs suck.

My MBP has given up playing AVIs in QT now. I really have to wipe this thing.