h264 files unable to play

[jarno527]

I need a way to play H264 files. I'm Mac OS. Latest update of VLC player. Can't get this file to play at all. Ideas?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cwa4zd24fx8hy ... .h264?dl=0

[jodaki]

Bump.

I have this problem too on
OSX High Sierra 10.13.6

VLC 3.0.4

The videos are from 2 different CCTV cameras. They are H264 format saved with an .avi file extension. Changing the extension has no effect.

Ive tried the suggestions elsewhere about setting the demuxer to H264 but VLC still doesn't want to play them.

In contrast VLC for windows plays the avi (h264) files properly even without having to set the demuxer to H264.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

[jodaki]

Hi Guys,
Really? Has nobody else noticed that VLC 3 for OSX (fails on both 10.13 high sierra and 10.14.2 mojave) doesn't play H264 video?
I didn't think my usage was so niche...

[fkuehne]

It's possible that this is due to limitations of the hardware decoder for specific files and does not affect all H264 content - this is the majority of all content played with VLC these days!

To fix those special cases, we need sample files, which you can upload to https://streams.videolan.org/upload/ (please give the file name here!) so we can take a look. For the meantime, disable hardware decoding in VLC's preferences to work-around the issue.

[jodaki]

Thanks for your help felix paul kuehne
Ive uploade the following file: 2019-01-21 14-45-00~14-45-33.avi
It's from a Sony SNC VB642D camera.

I disabled hardware decoding as you advised and VLC can now play the files from my HIKVision camera but not from the Sony SNC (which is a much higher-end camera)

I get a warning that vVLC can't open w264 format files. I don't know what w264 is.

Anyway I hope you can help, many thanks again,
John

[InTheWings]

--demux=avformat

[jodaki]

>> --demux=avformat

thanks inthewings,
I have just tested this on mojave but it doesn't work for me. I will test on high sierra tomorrow.

[jodaki]

Update:

Installed the 3.0.6 update to VLC
This update hasn't fixed the problem.

Also to confirm that InTheWings suggestion:
>> --demux=avformat
does not help me on High Sierra or Mojave.

thanks

[jodaki]

Hi
Ive just read that QNAP, the company who make the surveillance software I use, have messed around with the h264 header labels on the video saved from attached cameras.

People there are saying that they have changed the label h.264 to q264

I don't know how this ties in with VLC (in my case) thinking the format isn w264 but it looks very relevant.

This sounds like a cheap trick by the NAS maker to keep people using their (utterly appalling) video viewer (QVC client), which just happens to read q264 files.

If this is correct then this would be none of VLC's problem. But is there any way that VLC could be a bit more relaxed about the header labels in order to open these files? I believe they are after all still just h264 video.

thanks, John

[jodaki]

Bearing in mind that this already seems to be what happens with VLC on PC. So, I guess Im wondering if you can implement this feature for MAC too?

[jodaki]

It's possible that this is due to limitations of the hardware decoder for specific files and does not affect all H264 content - this is the majority of all content played with VLC these days!

To fix those special cases, we need sample files, which you can upload to https://streams.videolan.org/upload/ (please give the file name here!) so we can take a look. For the meantime, disable hardware decoding in VLC's preferences to work-around the issue.

Hi Felix, just wondering if you had managed to look at the file I sent and if there is anything else I can do to help?
thanks, John

[jodaki]

Hi there,
The MAC version of VLC is still unable to play these H264 files. The PC version can play them.
Does anyone know what the status of this is and whether there is a plan to fix this for the Mac version at some point?

thanks, John

[tutinet]

Hello!

I hava the same problem.
I cannot play h264 extension file (CCTV camera) the following version 3.0, 3.0.1 , 3.0.2 , 3.0.4 , 3.0.5 , 3.0.6 , 3.0.7 and 3.0.8
by selecting the H264 demuxer in the Tools > Preferences area.

(Windows 10, 0319)

Only 3.0.3 can play this video. Unfortunatelly I find some video (h264) files, which can play only 3.0.3 version .

My question is: What does the 3.0.3 version do, what other version no ??

[jodaki]

Just to confirm that the latest version of VLC for Mac 3.0.8 DOES play H264 files which have been corrputed to the W264 and Q264 'format'. My godforsaken Qnap camera files are now playable - thank you VLC!

[tutinet]

Just to confirm that the latest version of VLC for Mac 3.0.8 DOES play H264 files which have been corrputed to the W264 and Q264 'format'. My godforsaken Qnap camera files are now playable - thank you VLC!

Hi!

I tired the 3.08 version, unfortunatelly didn"'t play my CCTV h264 files.

Only 3.03 és 2.2.6, and other 2.x.x versions play.

[jodaki]

3.08 version, unfortunatelly didn"'t play my CCTV h264 files

In your case that might be true. It is important to differentiate between problems here. What initially looks like a problem playing H264 files actually turned out, in my case, to be a problem playing W264 and Q264 files. My camera reported in its settings that it was saving files in the H264 format. But after inspecting the files my QNAP Surveillance Station actually wrote to my NAS filesystem - it turned out that Surveillance Station had saved them as W264 files.

The VLC developers really had no duty of care to fix this - it was my own fault for buying into a crap system. The fact that the developers HAVE included the QNAP extentions so that VLC for MAC will now play them, speaks very highly of the VLC team. Who I once again want to thank for fixing this problem for me and other QMAP users.

This whole episode speaks very poorly of QNAP, who do this solely to prevent users using their video player of choice, and thus tying them into using inferior low-grade players such as their own which comes bundled with their surveillance station cctv software.

All QNAP have accomplished (apart from infuriating their customers) is to attract very bad publicity among exactly the sort of people who are QNAP's target market. I and other QNAP users I have spoken to would urge other people NOT to buy QNAP surveillance Station, and by extension, not to buy QNAP NAS products at all because they will attempt to bind you into using poor software.

There is no other possible reason for their corrupting the H264 files into a format that nothing other than their own awful player will be able to play.

Sorry for the rant guys - dont buy QNAP!