Black screen for MOV files

[stevech]

I'm trying to place .MOV files created by my Panasonic/Lumix digital camera into a library where they can be viewed using GBPVR. These are short (a few minutes at most) videos.

They playback as black video and normal audio, under GBPVR.
I tried loading the MOV file into:
Windows XP MediaPlayer 10 latest - same black with audio
Nero - same as MediaPlayer 10
Apple QuickTime for Windows - shows video and audio normally.

Something odd in this camera's MOV files, I guess.

Suggestions?

[sub]

You'll only be able to play these files in GB-PVR, WMP, Nero etc if you have the appropriate directshow filters installed. I'm fairly sure they're only installed with an application called 'quicktime alternative' - google for it.

[stevech]

Thanks - found it - will try it.
Is there a good but free MOV to MPEG2 translator utility?

[sub]

I dont know. I never use .mov files.

[darisb]

stevech,

You might have run into the same problem that I have. I installed the Quicktime Alternative last night. I can now play the .MOV files I download off the Internet, but I still get the black screen when I try to play .MOV files from my Konica/Minolta A2 on the GBpvr. I did some research, and it turns out that a lot of digital cameras are using the MJPEG format. I believe that's where the problem comes in. I don't have an answer for you, but that where I'm researching today.

Regards,
Daris

[darisb]

Ok, I might be a little off. It could be either MJPEG or Photo-JPEG. See the following links.

M-JPEG http://www.siggraph.org/education/materi...MJPEG.html

Photo-JPEG http://www.siggraph.org/education/materi.../JPEG.html

[darisb]

Since this is one of the last remaining issues with my system, I did some more research this morning. I downloaded a couple evaluation codecs on my laptop this morning and tried to play the MJPEG output from my digital camera in Windows Media Player.

I downloaded a eval codec from Pegasus Imaging (http://www.pegasusimaging.com/picvideomjpeg.htm) . I was able to play the sample movie in Windows Media Player. The audio was normal, the video was accelerated, and there was a watermark on the video.

Next I uninstalled the Pegasus codec and tried to install the codec from MainConcepts (http://www.mainconcept.com/codecs.shtml). The install failed and so did the uninstall. I was never able to test this one.

Finally, I installed and tested the codec from Lead Codecs (http://www.leadcodecs.com/Codecs/LEAD-MCMP-MJPEG.htm). I had pretty much the same results as the codec from Pegasus, except without the watermark. There was some text about it being an evaluation copy under the picture.

The next step would be to download and install the codec on my GBpvr server, and test.

I hope that helps some of you digital camera owners. I suppose I should do some actual work today.

Regards,
Daris

[stevech]

I removed Apple's Quicktime for Windows, installed the Quicktime Alternative.
Now MOV files display correctly from FireFox and IE, and from the Quicktime Alternative's own user interface client.

MOV files did also display correctly with Apple's QUicktime. I don't think my Lumix camera creates motion JPEG; I thought AVI and MOV are conventions for MPEG like files.

I haven't installed Quicktime Alternative on the PC running GBPVR, but it seems like it should work since it's just a DLL/OCX with a registered file type.