10.4: No more playing AVI?

Up until 10.3 I could trick iTunes in to playing my avi format movies by modifying the "Type" field to MooV using FileBuddy. Doesn't work in 10.4 anymore. Any workarounds?

Font smoothing is back in the Java Preferences application, after applying 10.5 Update 4.
Select General Tab --> Applet Plugin version --> Options.
There's a checkbox to enable font smoothing for that plugin version.
Regards,
CB

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Please help! Playing .avi files in QT Pro

I have installed Perian, been to the Apple Store, and searched high and low for the answer, but cannot figure out how to play .avi files in QuickTime Pro. It's only some .avi files (not all), I can hear the background noise, but the screen is black. Please tell me how to remedy this.
Thank you,
Thom

'avi is simply a container that can contain any number of different video codecs. Most, but not all, can be played on a Mac.
These are the downloads and the settings you need in order to view/hear/play pretty much everything that the net can throw at you: The setup described below has proved repeatedly successful on both PPC and Intel macs, but nothing in life carries a guarantee!
It is known to work in the great majority of cases with Safari 3.2.1 and 4, QT 7.4.x, 7.5.x and 7.6 and OS 10.4.11 and 10.5.6.
Download and install (or re-install even if you already had them) the latest versions, suitable for your flavor of Mac, of:
RealPlayer 11.1 for Mac from:
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/15540
Flip4Mac WMV Player from http://www.telestream.net/flip4mac-wmv/overview.htm (Windows Media Player for the Mac is no longer supported, even by Microsoft)
Perian from http://perian.org/
You should read this support page http://perian.org/#support in case you need to delete older codecs.
The latest version of Adobe FlashPlayer can be obtained from here:
http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1ProdVersion=ShockwaveFlash
(You can check here: http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/about/ to see which version you should install for your Mac and OS.
Note that Adobe requires you to uninstall any previous version of Flash Player, as mentioned here:
http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_14157&sliceId=1
using the uninstaller from here (make sure you use the correct one!):
http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_14157
and also that you follow the instructions closely, such as closing ALL applications first before installing. You must also carry out a permission repair after installing anything from Adobe.
You should also ensure that you have downloaded and installed the correct version for your Mac of Security Update 2009-001. (N.B. Security Updates require both a restart and a permission repair.)
In Macintosh HD/Library/Quicktime/ delete any files relating to DivX (Perian already has them). However it should be noted that Perian is not an internet plugin and will not play DivX files imbedded on a website. For that you will need the DivX Player browser plugin available from http://www.divx.com/divx/mac/
Now go to Safari Preferences/Security, and tick the boxes under Web Content (all 4 of them) to enable Java.
Lastly open Audio Midi Setup (which you will find in the Utilities Folder of your Applications Folder) and click on Audio Devices. Make sure that both Audio Input and Audio Output, under Format, are set to 44100 Hz, and that you have selected 'Built in Audio'.
Important: Now repair permissions and restart.
You should also consider having the free VLC Player from http://www.videolan.org/ in your armory, as this plays almost anything that DVD Player might not.
There is an additional 'fix' you could try if you are having problems with Flash and Quicktime, depending on which type of Mac you have:
On Intel Macs, make sure that you are not running Safari in Rosetta. You can check this, and change it, in the Get Info window.
On PPC Macs, go to the Hard Disk/Library/Internet Plug-Ins folder, and drag the file 'QuickTime Plugin.webplugin' to the desktop. Quit and restart Safari. If things have improved you can trash that file. If they haven't put it back, as the lack of this plug-in can cause QT content in some widgets to cease functioning.
And there is an additional kid on the block: SilverLight. Microsoft has created their own version of what a replacement for Flash could be. You can read more about it here:
http://silverlight.net/
So, if you go to any sites that have been designed for this new Silverlight stuff, you can download the plug-in from here (but make certain that you are downloading SilverLight v.1.0 for OS X (10.4.8 upwards) if you are using a PPC Mac. Version 2 only works with Intel Macs:
http://silverlight.net/GetStarted/
Recommendation: Close all applications before installing any of the above, repair permissions, reboot, and repair permissions again.

HT3775 I have an .avi file Quicktime is refusing to play, yet the information says Quicktime does play .avi files. Does anyone know what the problem is?

I have an .avi file Quicktime is refusing to play, yet the information says Quicktime does play .avi files. Does anyone know what the problem is?

AVI is a legacy file container originated by Microsoft back in 1992 and which has not been officially supported for more than a decade. Like the container, many of the codecs commonly used to create AVI content are also "legacy" compression formats most often supported on PC/Windows platforms. In fact, some codecs have never been transcoded for Mac use. Of those that have, many never made the transition to Mac OS X or the transition to Intel-based platforms. Those codecs that are still supported on the Mac can normally be found in the avi to quicktime converter available as an online download. While some common AVI compression formats may be supported by the QT X Player app, QT 7 currently provides a more compatible AVI playback environment for most "legacy" compression formats. If the codec(s) used in your AVI files are not supported by the avi to quicktime converter for QT use, you can try the VLC media player which may still support more esoteric compression formats. If VLC does not support the files, the normal approach is to discover which specific audio and/or video codecs were used to create the file and perform an Internet search to see if a compatible Mac component is available for download.

Playing AVI and MKV on a Mac questions

First let me say I'm converting to Mac soon. Hence these questions.
I know VLC player can play AVI and MKV files on a Mac. But I want to use DivX Plus Player cause it has a prettier user interface. Does DivX Plus Player play all AVI and MKV files on a Mac?
Does Perian still work on the latest version of Mountain Lion?
Does converting AVI and MKV files to MP4 using the free software Handbrake cause severe loss of quality?
Does an App exist on the Mac App Store that can play AVI and MKV files?
Thank you.

I know VLC player can play AVI and MKV files on a Mac. But I want to use DivX Plus Player cause it has a prettier user interface. Does DivX Plus Player play all AVI and MKV files on a Mac?
Depends on whether or not the codecs cotained in the AVI or MKV files (AVI and MKV are only file containers—not compression formats) are supported by the DivX installation or your Mac component configuration.
Does Perian still work on the latest version of Mountain Lion?
The Perian package still works under Mountain Lion but some codec components may only be available via the older QT 7 player app. However, DivX codecs may or may not have conflict problems with the Perian components.
Does converting AVI and MKV files to MP4 using the free software Handbrake cause severe loss of quality?
Again, this would depend on the specific codecs used in the AVI or MKV file containers. Basically if the content is compatible with the formats supported by FFmpegX software, then they will be supported by HandBrake. As to loss of quality, the depends on the quality you start with in the source file, the specific settings used for the conversion, and the target display dimensions of your conversion. In some cases where the source data is already compressed as MPEG-4 or MPEG-4/AVC content, the data can the resaved to MOV, MP4, and/or M4V file containers withould having to transcode any data.
Does an App exist on the Mac App Store that can play AVI and MKV files?
Basically, any App Store application that can convert AVI or MKV files using its own internal codec support and has a built in player module should be able to play such files. And more are available online besides those in the App Store.

Please help: Why JMF does't play .avi video clip?

The player doesn't play .avi media file, or plays sound only, but it works fine when palying .mpg files, anything I need to pay attention to when using the following code to generate a player to play video clips?
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.io.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.media.*;
public class PlayClip extends JFrame {
//singliton design pattern
private static PlayClip instance;
protected Player player;
private File file= new File ("goal.avi");
private PlayClip () {
instance=null;
initComponents();
public static PlayClip getInstance(){
if (instance==null)
instance=new PlayClip ();
return instance;
private void initComponents() {
JButton OK = new JButton ("OK");
OK.addActionListener (
new ActionListener () {
public void actionPerformed (ActionEvent e) {
player.close ();
instance = null;
dispose();
getContentPane ().add (OK, BorderLayout.NORTH);
setSize (300, 300);
show ();
createPlayer ();
/** Creates new form PlayClip */
private void createPlayer () {
if (file == null) {
return;
removePreviousPlayer ();
try {
//create a new player and add listener
player = Manager.createPlayer (file.toURL () );
player.addControllerListener (new EventHandler () );
player.start (); //start player
catch (Exception e) {
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog (this, "Invalid file or location", "Error loading file", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE );
System.exit (1);
private void removePreviousPlayer () {
if (player == null )
return;
player.close ();
Component visual = player.getVisualComponent ();
Component control = player.getControlPanelComponent ();
Container c = getContentPane ();
if (visual != null)
c.remove (visual);
if (control !=null)
c.remove (control);
private class EventHandler implements ControllerListener {
public void controllerUpdate (ControllerEvent e) {
if (e instanceof RealizeCompleteEvent ) {
Container c = getContentPane ();
Component visualComponent = player.getVisualComponent ();
if (visualComponent != null)
c.add (visualComponent, BorderLayout.CENTER);
Component controlsComponent = player.getControlPanelComponent ();
if (controlsComponent != null)
c.add (controlsComponent, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
c.doLayout ();
}

JDunlop,
thanks for your quick reply to my java.sun.com forum posting! i just got back from vacation, so i didn't get a chance to try your method til now. i pulled your email address off the website to update you on my problem playing an avi file in JMStudio (JMF).
as per your instructions, i downloaded the divx player at www.divx.com and tried to play the avi file. this is the error the divx player gives:
Divx Player 2.1
The file contains unknown video data
The file contains the following type of data:
Video data: FOURCC code "MP42"
You may need to install a new video codec on your computer to watch this video
Some quick questions:
1. Where could I find the "MP42" codec to play my avi file in JMStudio (JMF)? Does java.sun.com have video codecs?
2. You mentioned in your posting "If you don't have the one that was used in the encoding, your out of luck." Does this mean that I need to know how the avi file was originally coded and have the original codec to decode (play) it?
Thanks,
lac410
P.S. If you need more Duke Dollars for your help, I'd be happy to award them to you.
Re: Please help: Why JMF does't play .avi video clip?
Author: JDunlop Jun 5, 2003 5:00 AM
sounds to me like you are missing a video codecs. If you don't have the one that was used in the encoding, your out of luck. Download the player from divx.com, it will tell you which codecs the video needs (if it won't play). You can then search the net for that particular codecs.

Unable to play .avi files on Nokia E7

Hi ,
I am unable to play .avi files on my E7.
How can i play .avi files on E7 ?
Kindly Help.
Thanks in advance
Regards,
Parth.

Hi parth87.
The E7 does not support AVI files, but if you want to know which formats are compatible, follow this link to find out more.
Regards,
haZey
If you find this post helpful, a click upon the white star at bottom would always be appreciated.
If it also solves your problem, clicking ACCEPT AS SOLUTION below it will benefit other users!

Why can't iTunes play avi. files?

I have videos that are in avi format, can iTunes convert them into something it can play?

The previous answer was very misleading. It implies that iTunes can't be made to play AVI files. That is not true. If QuickTime can be made to play AVI then so can iTunes and FrontRow. The following open source component is free, and a piece of cake to install (as shown in the hand-holding video on its site). See "perian.org".
Installing perian will immediately make QuickTime player and FrontRow be able to play AVI files. Stick your .avi files inside your "Movies" folder so you can navigate to them in FrontRow (without having to trick iTunes into importing them).
To import into iTunes, one more trick is needed since itunes doesn't recognize .avi files...they need to have a special sort of alias file created for each. Apple provides the free developer program MakeRefMovie which does that. (The program is all over the web if you don't really want to sign up for free developer status...google "download MakeRefMovie")
Quick Tutorial for this whole process here-->
http://flynnsarcade.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=36
Gory details tutorial for MakeRefMovie here-->
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tutorials/refmovies.html
Message was edited by: polyglotinc
got rid of square brackets in msg.

Consistent crash when playing .avi f

I have a .avi file which runs for 42 sec. It worked fine until I put the latest firmware on there. Now it starts .6 seconds into it every time. What's more, if I rewind it to the start, the player bombs completely - black screen, I have to reset.
Any ideas why..

Downgrade your firmware. Convert your avi to wmv using ZEN Media Explorer. I think it cause by the firmware, it happen to me, when i play avi file, it keep exiting while the movioe doesnt finish playing or sometimes it freeze when the avi movie is almost finish. But in playing wmv it doesnt have any problem.

Playing ".avi" , ".mpg" videos

Please help. I`m not sure if this is the right part of the discussion , but maybe someone can help me out.
All I`m trying to do is to get my new mac to play "http://files..........avi", "http://files......mpg" , "http://files......rar" (with the only exception being".....wmv". That still works fine) and the like links by simply clicking on them. Right now I have to go through a process of copying , pasting , downloading,"opening with...", selecting procedure. A real pain in the you-know-what. On my old Vaio all i had to do is click and the window would open to maximum size by itself, the thing loaded-up by itself and started playing by itself. I `ve downloaded every single player imaginable - the"flip4mac" ,divix, real, VLC but to no avail.
Please help.
JimL

Check your QuickTime MIME Settings preferences to make sure they are all enabled.
Quicktime>Quicktime Player Preferences>Advanced
Click on the MIME Settings button.
In the next window that opens up make sure that Streaming-Streaming movies is enabled (checked).
While you’re at it make sure all the boxes are enabled by clicking on the corresponding triangles so that they are pointed down.
This will show the “hidden” boxes especially the Video box. This box will enable you to play .avi files.
Click the OK button.
Now click Streaming
Your settings you should be (as starters):
Streaming Speed: Automatic
Make sure Enable Instant-On is enabled (checked).
Now click on Browser
Make sure:
Play movies automatically
Save movies in disk cache
Are both enabled.
Movie download Cache Size: Slider set all the way to the left.
======================
Safari/QT MIME Plug-in Problems
Courtesy of user: andybal_uk - cheers!
If you've used the "installed plug-ins" command from Safari's Help menu & see no mention of QT, then No, of course that isn't normal.
You should see a section headed-
QuickTime Plug-in 7.x.x
The QuickTime Plugin allows you to view a wide variety of multimedia content in web pages. For more information, visit the QuickTime Web site. — from file “QuickTime Plugin.plugin”.
then a long list of mime types that the plugin handles.
So - assuming you don't see that, either the plugin is missing for some reason or there's a conflict that doesn't allow it to load.
Take a look in your Home/Library/Internet Plug-Ins folder - if you see any QT plugin or webplugin file there, remove them to the desktop or trash.
Now look in HD/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/ amongst other files, this should contain QuickTime Plugin.plugin
IF you found a QT plugin in the Home account plugins folder & have removed it, you should quit any browsers & re-open them - hopefully you will now have QT functioning.
IF you have no file 'QuickTime Plugin.plugin' then it seems something went wrong with the installation or a recent update.
=====================
.rar files can only be played using RealPlayer. Most websites provide an option to select this player if that is the only type of file available on their site.
=====================
The players that you have downloaded, make sure they are specifically for your model mac-Intel. Some websites will show
Hopefully, you are selecting the Universal symbols for your downloads. Some websites may state "Intel package."
Also, it is highly recommended that you repair permissions after installations. See Knowledge Base Article: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=25751 About Disk Utility's Repair Disk Permissions feature
=========================
As a side note: I have never had any problems playing .avi files using QuickTime. However, since I have an extensive .avi collection as a carry over from my OS 8.x-OS 9.x years I elected to install & make default VLC when I switched over to Tiger & QT Pro. This way, VLC plays all of my .avi files beautifully.
I am new to the CAT Systems. Today I am celebrating my "first anniversery" (new computer & OS). So I guess the honeymoon is officially over!

HT1536 I can't play .avi file in my imac

I can't play .avi file in my imac

I can't play .avi file in my imac
The referenced article is quite explicit. Nothing has changed since its 2010 posting. Either codecs are supported or they arenot supported. If not supported, then the proper codec(s) must be installed IF AVAILABLE to support the data in the AVI file container. In some cases, depending on which QT player app you are trying to use, the data may not be supported in the AVI file container but may be supported in an MOV, TS, MPG, or MPEG file container. Thay is why you need to follow the instructions and determine which specific compression formats were used to create the file. AVI is a "legacy" file container that has not been officially supported by Microsoft for more than a decade. If you do not want to determine the specific problem preventing your viewing of the file and fix it, then download a third-party player like VLC that employs its own internal FFmpeg codec support and does not rely on your Apple's system configuration for palyback or use a converter app like Handbrake that has presets that will convert the AVI file to QT compatible compression formats in QT compatible file containers and suffer some possible loss in video quality.

My QuickTime player us not playing .avi files and says I need a codec I can't play no .avi files on QuickTime. How could I fix this because I want to play these files with QuickTime.

My QuickTime player us not playing .avi files and says I need a codec I can't play no .avi files on QuickTime. How could I fix this because I want to play these files with QuickTime.

Hmm . . . comes with a Utility MPEG2 Component ML app with no explanation of what it's for?
The utility app is an "assistant PKG installer." It allows Lion and Mountain Lion users to install the older QT MPEG-2 Playback Component installer PKG file which is not allowed to run on its own under Lion or Mountain Lion since these operating systems already have a QT X only MPEG-2 component embedded in the QT embedded structure. Without this utility you would have to either copy the component from an older system to your Lion or Mountain Lion system, use Pacifist for installation, or manually open the PKG contents and transfer the component to the appropriate component folder.
As to your "discussion" regarding the playback of AVI file types, there are really only two strategies here:
1) You can add component support so that QT can play the files natively or
2) You can convert the file contents to compression formats that are natively compatible with the unmodified QT component configuration.
Each user should decide for his or her own self which approach best suits their needs for a particular source file. In most cases, conforming the system's codec component configuration to play the source file directly results in higher video quality since no transcoding takes place but this strategy will not work if a codec which is required is not available for the user's operating system. On the other hand, converter utilities tend to support more built-in codecs and are easier to use since the user does not have to concern him or herself with the nature of the particular source compression formats but at the risk of some potential loss in visual quality. As to what converter to use, once again this is a matter of personal choice. In the case of commercial converters like iSkysoft, the codecs are built in while MPEG Streamclip accesses the host operating system's QT codec component configuration. I personally prefer the free HandBrake app for AVI, MKV, TS, MTS, and M2TS conversions since it has an exceptionally full-featured X.264 GUI with some user options that 97% of users are likely to never use.

Quick Time (Mountain Lion) won't play .AVI files.

Since all of you probably already know the information I typed in the headtitle, I have a question. So obviously .avi files can not be played on this version of Quick Time that comes with Mountain Lion, but, would buying a Quick Time Pro solve my problem? I'm ready to pay 30$ for the program, but first I'd like to know would it enable me to play .avi and all sorts of other video files? Ofcourse I read it does play all sorts of files including .avi, but I'd like to hear it from somebody who actually uses Quick Time Pro on Mountain Lion. Thanks for your help in advance!
Dino Sertovic
P.S. I already have tried VLC, I use it but that's not the solution I'm asking for. Nor that, nor other programs such as MplayerX. I'm interested only in Quick Time while it never breaks, deinterlaces my footy nice and is very simple and user friendly.

You don't need to buy Quick Time Pro. Quick Time Pro is just a paid add-on to add features to QuickTime Player 7. You don't need the Pro features for just playing. The player in your Applications folder is Quick Time X. QuickTime Player 7 should be in your Utilities folder (which is inside yoir Aplicatioins folder). If it's not there, download it from:
<http://support.apple.com/kb/DL923>
QuickTime Player 7 will play .AVI files if you install Perian
<http://perian.org>
then replace its A52 codec component
<http://www.techisky.com/answers/does-perian-support-ac3-on-mountain-lion-10-8-ho w-to-fix.html#more-120>

HT3775 I can't play AVI format ㅠㅠ

My mac is [OS X v10.8.3].
mac website said, if your version is over 10.6.x, than you can play AVI format.
but my Quick time can't.... I can't understand this situation..... please help me

Can I ask you one more?,,
I have to play FLV.
but, Quick time, Div X, Flip player can't play FLV....
how can I play FLV?...

Playing .avi's in quicktime X

When I was on 10.6.x some .avi files would not play in the built-in QuickTime (pro x) but does play when i use the Quick Look button.
I installed divX. Now with 10.7.1 more and more avi files do not play, but do play again... with the Quick Look button. I would suppose that the OSX once shows up in Quick Look understand the format and therefore also would play with QuickTime (the built-in player). This is kind of strange to me... any solutions

I have a question for you instead of any help. I have XP with Quicktime installed. Both DivX and Xvid are installed and I can't get it to play .avi files with Quicktime. All it does is plays about a half second of audio then nothing. It used to pop up the additional software message, not sure if that is still the case. Media Player plays them no problem, but I personally can't stand WMP or any other Microsoft product for that matter. Is there some hidden setting that I need to adjust to make it work? Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.

Qt does not play avi

Quick time player 10.2 does not play any AVi video file, the PLAY button just does not work but I can reproduce all AVI video files with old Qicktime player 7.6.
Can can I make the 10.2 version to play AVI files¿
Thanks in advnce Emilio

Can can I make the 10.2 version to play AVI files¿
That depends. AVI is not a compression format—it is a file container type. A very limited number of audio/video compression formats are natively supported by QT X. Further, even if the compression formats are supported, the app must be programmed to use the appropriate codecs when it sees they are in the AVI file container. Unfortunately, the compression formats contained in the files you are using are either not supported or are not normally associated with the AVI file container by the QT X player.
Basically, AVI is a legacy file container which has not been actively supported by its developer since it was replaced by the Windows Media file type/format about 11 years ago. QT X, is Apple's attempt to modernized its own legacy version of QuickTime and replace it over what may likely be a 10-year period of projected development. Unlike the legacy version of QT, it does not support an open architecture allowing users to simply "plug-in" new codec components to maintain backward compatibility with your legacy content. In fact, Apple has gone so far as to actually turn off the legacy codec compunents under Lion and Mountain Lion which are still built into the current QT structure embedded in these operating systems. So basically the best workaround here is to use a legacy media player like QT 7, MPEG Streamclip, VLC, etc. to play the files or to use a converter like HandBrake to actually convert your AVI files to a more modern compression format in a more modern file container.

10.4: No more playing AVI?

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