Classic Mac OS Software (Discussions on Applications) > MultiMedia Players & Codecs

H264 codec, the "video game" is over in Mac Os 9.

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MacTron:
The ubiquity of the H264 codec and the lack of support of it in Mac Os 9 let this great operating system out of the game, the "video game". LOL
Ten years ago I have failed in to bring H264 to Mac Os 9. Just for the record, I have tried out two ways:
1) Continue the Mac Os 9 port of the great UNIX/Linux video package FFMPEG.
2) Hack the QuickTime 6.2 (for Mac Os X) H264 codec and insert them in to QuickTime 6.0.3 for Mac Os 9.

Mat:
A solution would be to use an hardware decoder at a PCI card. It was once done with the Wired 4DVD card to decode MPG2/DVDs at every PCI mac (even the smallest ones). As back than one could use some existing cheap PC decoder PCI card, and bring all the new codecs in hardware back to our beloved macs.

Would need one or two good coders and some months of their spare time. But definitely doable, ...

Protools5LEGuy:
MPEG2 was easy to do. Even some ATI Rage 128 had a hardware decoder for DVD onboard or as Add-on card. Good to know PC decoder PCI cards works on Macs. Please be specific with the model. http://www.wiredinc.com/wp/pdf/Wired4DVD%20Manual.pdf

H264 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264/MPEG-4_AVC is "other" game.

It is true than today, most downloads are for H264 content, but we can use other OSes to convert them to a OS9 compatible codec. Just in case we want to preview some of this H264 content on OS9 machines.

Emicsoft Video Converter for OSX (Universal Binary) has let me change the codecs on some stuff to preview it on OS9. But I am sure there should be more choices.

I would like to get some more info from MacTron on what troubles he had porting to OS9 FFmpeg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FFmpeg.
If he used CodeWarrior, a XCode Version asking for a Carbonized app or the latest Macintosh Programmer Workshop.

https://github.com/ksherlock/mpw

https://www.ffmpeg.org/
--- Quote ---A complete, cross-platform solution to record, convert and stream audio and video.
--- End quote ---

Maybe with this latest MPW http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=1301.msg11981#msg11981 we can build FFmpeg for OS9 at last.

Also, we should search more info on OS9 Quicktime 6.0.3 plugins/codecs, to see if it is possible to hack some parts from OSX 6.2 QT as MacTron tried.

The OSX Perian code is open too. http://www.perian.org/. The game is not over if we develop a OS9 Perian.

Cisco had published a Open Source H264 http://www.openh264.org/

devils_advisor:
i believe you need a x environment. you talking about porting the source but thats quiet a task if you ask me. you need to strip it and replace stuff that requires libs and stuff thats not available or rewrite it from scratch.

MacTron:

--- Quote from: Mat on April 14, 2015, 08:10:43 PM ---A solution would be to use an hardware decoder at a PCI card.

--- End quote ---

Yes this is a good idea ... we can try to use a PCI card with a hardware h264 decoder. Some embedded ARM CPUs include one in the GPU, we have to find one installed on a PCI card. Another possibility is to use the nVidia or ATI GPU already available in most Mac's ...

Anyway, using a software only or hardware aided solution, this is a really complex task, furder away  of most of us capabilities ...  :'(

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