Mac OS 9 Lives

Classic Mac OS Software => MultiMedia Players & Codecs => Topic started by: s0s on October 19, 2017, 10:39:32 AM

Title: Not able to play videos
Post by: s0s on October 19, 2017, 10:39:32 AM
I've been trying to get videos to play on 9 for a week now with no luck. I've installed QT, WMP, RP, etc, and even copied extensions into my QT extension folder.

I've tried ripping the videos on my fast computer with Handbrake and VLC, but nothing works. I specifically told handbrake to use .mov, .mpg, .avi, and others. I've tried different audio formats, but nothing works.

From the documentation of handbrake, it automatically chooses the appropriate format depending on the file extension you specify. However, I suspect that the problem might be because the correct format might not be getting used during the rip. The help option says it supports mp4 and mkv, so I specified mp4.

What are some things that I can still try?

Thanks
Title: Re: Not able to play videos
Post by: Protools5LEGuy on October 19, 2017, 01:44:10 PM
AVI, MOV and MP4 are containers. It can have ANY códec within.

In OS9 we have no H264 códec support, but we have divX, Xvid, mpeg 2 and 4 among others.

The most important  thing is to have quicktime rightly.

Title: Re: Not able to play videos
Post by: Protools5LEGuy on October 19, 2017, 01:52:36 PM
The audio format is almost irrelevant.

Do you have the latest quicktime for 9?

Force handbrake to avoid H264 códec.

I would try quicktime theater from artphotodude. It is on the garden.
Title: Re: Not able to play videos
Post by: s0s on October 19, 2017, 04:25:18 PM
I didn't use H264 because I know it's not an option for pre-OSX, but I specified mpeg2, and it didn't work. QT Theater says it needs 256 MB of RAM, so I can't use it. What do you mean when you say rightly?

Here are the command line options I specified for the various attempts. I only tried ripping the introduction to an anime episode on a DVD, since it only takes on average like 3 seconds to rip the 1 minute intro, instead of ripping the entire episode. My idea was that when I found a video that worked, I'd use the settings from that rip and rip the whole episode.

Code: [Select]
test2.mov
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -q 26 -b 100 -w 480 -l 360 -B 64  -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test2.mov
Note: not a file QT understands

test3.mpg
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -q 26 -b 100 -w 480 -l 360 -B 64  -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test3.mpg
Note: the "open" button says "Convert" instead. When I click it, it says couldn't open it because a software component needed by the movie could not be found

test4.mp2
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -q 40 -b 100 -w 480 -l 360 -B 64  -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test4.mp2
Note: the "open" button says "Convert" instead. When I click it, it says couldn't open it because a software component needed by the movie could not be found

test5.avi
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -q 40 -b 100 -w 480 -l 360 -B 64  -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test5.avi
Note: not a file QT understands

test6.mpg
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -e mpeg4 -q 22 -b 300 -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test6.mpg
Note: the "open" button says "Convert" instead. When I click it, the file opens, and the position marker moves, but there's no picture and no sound.

test7.mov
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -e mpeg4 -q 22 -b 300 -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test7.mov
Note: not a file QT understands

test8.mpg
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -q 40 -b 100 -w 480 -l 360 -B 64 -e mpeg4 -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test8.mpg
Note: the "open" button says "Convert" instead. When I click it, the file opens, but unlike for test6.mpg, nothing happens; it locks up instead.

test9.mpg
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -q 40 -b 100 -w 480 -l 360 -B 64 -e mpeg2 -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test9.mpg
Note: the "open" button says "Convert" instead. When I click it, it says couldn't open it because a software component needed by the movie could not be found

test10.mov
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -q 40 -b 100 -w 480 -l 360 -B 64 -e mpeg2 -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test10.mov
Note: not a file QT understands

test11.mpg
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -q 40 -b 100 -w 480 -l 360 -B 64 -f av_mp4 -e mpeg2 -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test10.mpg
Note: the "open" button says "Convert" instead. When I click it, it says couldn't open it because a software component needed by the movie could not be found

test12.mov
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -q 40 -b 100 -w 480 -l 360 -B 64 -f av_mp4 -e mpeg2 -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test12.mov
Note: not a file QT understands

test13.mov
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -q 40 -b 100 -w 480 -l 360 -B 64 -f av_mp4 -e mpeg4 -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test13.mov
Note: not a file QT understands

test14.mpg
HandBrakeCLI -i /media/krang/MEGAMAN2/ -t 4 -c 1 -q 40 -b 100 -w 480 -l 360 -B 64 -f av_mp4 -e mpeg4 -a 1 -o /media/krang/Files/Videos/test14.mpg
Note: the "open" button says "Convert" instead. When I click it, the file opens, but unlike for test6.mpg, nothing happens; it locks up instead.
Title: Re: Not able to play videos
Post by: s0s on October 19, 2017, 05:19:18 PM
Here is a step in the right direction: the sample movie from QT6 does play. I checked the video format and it's Sorenson. I'll try to get a test video to that format and see if it works.
Title: Re: Not able to play videos
Post by: devils_advisor on October 19, 2017, 05:56:36 PM
Try divx
Title: Re: Not able to play videos
Post by: Protools5LEGuy on October 19, 2017, 08:57:00 PM
http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php/topic,2403.msg13722.html#msg13722 (http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php/topic,2403.msg13722.html#msg13722)

Dronecatcher has been playing in OS9 before...
Title: Re: Not able to play videos
Post by: s0s on October 20, 2017, 10:02:28 AM
Try divx
I apologize, but I forgot to mention in my first post that I tried divx also. As of my last post, I still wasn't able to play videos.

But I finally managed to pull it off under strict conditions.

Backstory: a long time ago I used to use DVDRip, but I suddenly had to stop using it because there was some kind of error I wasn't able to fix. That was when I switched to Handbrake. I've used Handbrake ever since. In fact, it works great, except for ripping and converting stuff to watch on Mac OS 9.

I had long since forgotten about DVDRip, until I was at the end of my rope and at that point, I figured wth, so I looked in my package manager and did a search for video software (to avoid confusion, I use Linux as my main OS), and there was a reminder of a time long past: DVDRip! So I figured wth, and I installed it.

I tried a lot of combinations, changing a single setting every time. But, finally, after many failed attempts, I found one that played video and sound.

I'm posting the settings I used, in order to declare that if is definitely possible to play ripped video on my Mac OS 9 computers with these settings:
resolution  488 x 368
container   avi
video codec ffmpeg
ffmpeg/af6 codec    mpeg4
keyframes   150
video framerate 29.970
2-pass encoding no
deinterlace mode    smart deinterlacing
video bitrate       150
audio       ac3

This was the only combination that worked. I could have made the video quality better, but my target Macs aren't very powerful, so I wanted to make it easier for them to play. But the big hurdle was just getting a video to play at all!

As for converting existing video files:
This is my next project, to convert other videos I have so they can play on my old Macs, but I haven't been able to yet. Conversion is my only option for these files, because I can't rip them. Some might have been old recordings that I converted to digital video with my old camcorders hooked up to the VCR. Others are old music videos from YouTube I downloaded.
Title: Re: Not able to play videos
Post by: DieHard on October 21, 2017, 10:08:49 AM
Do you have a copy of DVDRip that we can post since you were kind enough to put the settings ?

Also, I have a Box here that came in from a school buyout
it is "iTView Mac" in excellent condition with software from "Focus"
It may need a 5V Power supply that is NOT in the box

If any one wants, it, just PM me and pay shipping

- Diehard