VLC and .mov files issues

[ddaix]

I've encountered several issues when trying to view QuickTime .mov files in VLC.


1) VLC _thinks_ it can't decode AC3 audio when the container is a .mov file: the very same audio stream in an .avi file plays fine, but when that stream is enclosed in a .mov container, VLC returns the following error:

main: no suitable decoder module for fourcc `ac-3'.
VLC probably does not support this sound or video format.

Obviously the error message is itself in error: VLC does support this sound format, just not when found in a .mov file.

Converting the AC3 track to AAC and then replacing it with the AAC track allows VLC to play the sound once more. But that step should be completely unneccessary. An .avi container should be easily replaced by a .mov container as long as they both support the included streams' formats, which is the case for AC3 sound tracks.

[As a side note, can anyone tell me whan would be the best conversion options to preserve an AC3 stream when trasncoding it into AAC? I'm using 192 kbps, Stereo, 44.1 and "Better" in the QuickTime dialog, but your expert input would be welcome]

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2) Thanks to Perian, it's now easy to include subtitles tracks in QuickTime movies providing one has access to a properly synced .ssa or .srt or .sub file. The subtitle track then appear as an additional video track in the .mov container (format "Subtitle Text"). However, VLC doesn't know how to handle that stream and returns this error:

main: no suitable decoder module for fourcc `SRT '.
VLC probably does not support this sound or video format.

Of course VLC knows how to handle SRT files. Just not when found in a video stream inside a .mov container.

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3) If one doesn't like the format of the subtitles provided by Perian, or wishes to have greater control over their rendering, one can use a great little shareware application called Submerge (http://www.bitfield.se). It adds the subtitle track to .mov files as a video track (format PNG). Same problem as before: VLC doesn't handle those tracks properly. It's better than with Perian's, as it displays them at least, but instead of superimposing them on the main movie track, it opens them in a separate window. So one ends up with two windows, one for the movie, the other for the subtitles. And when going full screen, only the main movie remains.

Not good.

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So, it would be nice if VLC could learn to work better with .mov files. I hope those issues are not very complicated to fix and that the upcoming release of VLC will be able to resolve them. Especially since iTunes 7.4 now supports closed-captioned QuickTime movies, which, as far as I can tell, use additional video tracks such as the ones created by Perian or Submerge.

Thanks in advance.

[funman]

can you provide samples to work with please ?

[ddaix]

can you provide samples to work with please ?

Sure.

You can grab a test file here:

http://dxoft.free.fr/binaries/Test_MOV_File.mov.zip

It contains a DivX track (MPEG-4 generic), an AC3 track, a Perian subtitle track (SRT based, "Text Subtitle" format) and a Submerge subtitle track (format PNG).

The QuickTime player reads the file perfectly (at least with Perian installed). You can show one or both subtitle tracks at will. Or none. The AC3 plays fine.

VLC can't play the AC3: it disables that audio track by default and believes it can't decode it.

VLC can't display the Perian subtitle track and complains about not knowing about SRT.

VLC does display the Submerge PNG subtitle track, but in a separate window, not superimposed.

Let me know if I can help you further (you can easily deduce a working e-mail address from the download link above if you need to contact me).

Best regards.

[ddaix]

** bump **

Any new on this issue?

[DavidP]

And I too have just run into this issue. I don't see any response here. Is there a fix? Anything one can do to the original file to avoid the problem?

[madmax_2069]

I can confirm this issue using the test file. using VLC 0.8.6d on a G4

also if he didn't point out that when you have 2 movies in the playlist ( this movie and another, with the test movie first and another movie second) when the test movie finishes the new movie starts but the test movie window does not close and is behind the new movie's window, but when you close out the new movie's window the test movie window also closes with the new movie's window.

the sub titles window makes it hard to watch the video in full screen (if you do the sub title window does not show up when in full screen), but if you have the test video in full screen the on screen controls do not work, when the 2nd movie starts it start full screen over the test video's full screen and shows a white screen with the sound playing and becomes unresponsive and crashes VLC shortly after.

here is the crash log i get (if it helps)
http://pastebin.com/f1e4d7b0f

[madmax_2069]

is there any update to this issue, has anyone even looked into the issue.

or is this going to be over looked

[lsanczyk]

Hi everybody!

I have a .mov video, and a .mov file containing subtitles (it sounds strange, but I open this second .mov file using notepad and can read the video dialogs). Someone knows how can I use/open or convert these type of subtitles?

Thanks!
Leopoldo.

[fahrennheit451]

**BUMP**

same issues here :/

[jphastings]

Ah ha! If you want to play it, you need to convert the FourCC to a valid AC3 one, then *also* convert to MKV.

Step 1:

Open your MOV file in a hex editor.
Replace this:
6D 73 20 00 (which is the 'ms ' VLC whines about)
With this:
73 61 63 33 (which is 'sac3'. It's the code Nero uses for AC3. No idea why this one works where others don't)

There should be a couple of replacements made. (I found > 2 usually)

Step 2:

Open the MOV in MKVmerge and mux it to an MKV.

Result!

You now have an MKV you can play in VLC without any worries. Which program puts the 'ms ' FourCC on mov files I have no idea, but this is how to fix it.

Hope this helps someone out there!