Need Help with QuickTime to Apple TV Export Weirdness

Question

I am having a problem using QuickTime Player 7 Pro to convert a movie file in its original 1280x720 size for use with Apple TV. (iMovie creates a 960x540 file for Apple TV by default and the only way to get a 1280x720 file is to have iMovie use QuickTime to export it as a .mov file in that size and convert it to a .m4v file for Apple TV separately, with QuickTime Player 7 Pro. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to produce the 1280x720 file that is compatible with Apple TV.
To demonstrate my issue, I exported two projects from iMovie, both using the Export via QuickTime menu option, set at Movie to QuickTIme Movie, 1280x720, H.264, 24fps:
- Movie 1 is an 8:20 video. (All library video taken by the same camera and imported into iMovie at the same time).
- Movie 2 is a :15 test video using a clip from the same source as Movie 1.
Next, I used QuickTime Player 7 Pro to export Movie 2, the short test clip, using the Movie to Apple TV setting. It  yielded a 1280x720 .m4v file, just as I wanted. With that test completed, I moved on to the full video.
When I exported Movie 1, the full 8:20 movie, using exactly the same setting in QuickTime Player 7 Pro, it produced a 960x540 .m4v file! Repeated exports yielded the same results.
How can this happen? How do I get the1280x720p Apple TV-compatible file that I want?

Answer 1

Thanks for the detailed reply. I have exported movies from iMovie many times with the "Export using QuickTime/Movie to QuickTime Movie" Share menu option. Despite the fact that Apple literature states that TV1 will play an H.264/AAC 1280x720, 24fps MOV file, I have never been able to get one to play. It won't even sync. (I get an error message stating the sync didn't work because the file is incompatible with TV.)
Sorry for the delay in responding. Wanted to check a couple of files on the TV1. Don't have many files encoded at 720p24 and have re-converted most for better AC3 DD5.1 quality at 640 Kbps for the TV2 units.. In any case, wanted to make a quick check to see if they still played with increased specs after the last update. Files play but only for a few seconds before freezing. Thought it might be to to wireless streaming to the TV1 so I tried synching a test file but it played the same way. Only files that still play are 540p30 files. Not sure if they have really "killed" 720p or not as a couple of trailers (Thor and Captain America) play at 1280x544 (i.e. 2720 macro-blocks) which is significantly more than my 960x540 (2040 macro-block) files. Might be interesting to see if a 960x720 PAR encoded file will still play on the TV1. (Not that it would help you but it is a matter of some curiosity for me.)
I spent much time at my Apple retail store trying to see what I may have done wrong. The Apple Geniuses there confirmed with me that TV1 will not play this type of file. (I have no experience with TV 2, but I would be surprised if the results were different.
Then be prepared to be surprised. The TV2 plays the 720p files just fine even with the increased audio data rate for the secondary AC3 DD5.1 surround sound. In fact, I am seriously considering the retirement of the TV2 so I can watch all files without having to worry about frame rates. (Besides, my wife keeps complaining that the bedroom TV (the TV1 unit) doesn't play her Netflix "chick flicks."
I just tried renaming the MOV file to M4V. It now syncs with my TV. Unfortunately, it still won't play. The error message on the screen states "The format was not recognized."
Strange, my files are recognized, stream, sync, and play (albeit with frozen video as sound continues) whether I use a real M4V or MOV file container. (Don't have an MP4 720p file to test at the moment.)
So, I am forced to export and then convert. That said, I am embarrassed (but happy) to admit that I found the solution to my QT 7 Pro problem. As I experimented further today,I found that my test file (Movie 2) was exported by iMovie at 24 fps and the full movie was exported at 30 (29.97) fps. QT 7 Pro must have forced the conversion to 960x540, which would be the only way a 30fps file would play on TV. Once I corrected the setting and exported again at 24fps, the QT 7 Pro conversion to 1280x720 worked as it should.
Glad you were able to settle that issue.
If you or anyone knows of a way to export from iMovie into a 1280x720, 24 fps format guaranteed to be compatible with TV1, please post instructions. Until then, I will have to keep using an intermediate export first and then Handbrake or QT 7 Pro to convert.
It's not really possible to guarantee that every file will be playable since the content actually drives the encoder and may require changes to user settings on occasions. However, having said that, I take it you did not try the "Export using QuickTime.../Movie to MPEG-4 Movie" Share menu option previously suggested. It will allow you to create an H.264/AAC 720p24 TV1 compatible MP4 file directly from iMovie. Here is a "quickie" file I exported from iMovie moments ago which plays on my TV1.
QuickTest.mp4