Preview of MPEG4/Video for iPOD? Plans?

[j_c_hallgren]

No, I'm not really asking for it now...just wondering what plans, if any, there might be to preview this type of video in the future...I don't have an iPOD, but do download a webcast designed for it as the file size is the smallest of the choices available...I watch it now via QuickTime which is fine, but happened to be in XY and looked to see if it was supported...

(The wewbcast is DL.TV which is a twice weekly show about computers and such, from the folks at PC Magazine)

[admin]

The rule is: if Windows (WMP - Windows Media Player) can play it then XY can play it.
Do those files have a particular extension?

[j_c_hallgren]

They have a "mp4" extension and on my system, it gets played by QuickTime instead of WMP, but I'm not sure if that is due to WMP not being able to handle it or just my setup...
Update: My WMP 9 appears to NOT support this fmt

This is where I get these webcasts from
http://dl.tv/blogs/digitallifetv/default.aspx
This URL may change in near future according to last show..

[admin]

Just tried it. It seems my WMP cannot handle it.

[surrender]

Its funny. I renamed .mp4 to .avi and XY can preview now.

EDIT: This mp4 was downloaded from the site given by JC.

[admin]

Its funny. I renamed .mp4 to .avi and XY can preview now.

Not mine. So there are different mp4 formats. Anyway I'll add the extension so you don't have to rename them anymore

[j_c_hallgren]

I'm on 5.10.10, and just downloaded the newest webcast of DL.TV...
It opens fine in QuickTime player via Win Explorer and shows as H.264 video plus AAC audio...and...XY shows '.mp4' with a QT icon in file type in Config, but I get "Cannot Decode" when I try to preview via XY...

Any ideas? Any thing I can check to help debug?

Update:BTW, when I move to another file while in Preview after getting this 'cannot decode', and then move back to the mp4, the hex view from the other file remains in the preview tab!

[admin]

I'm on 5.10.10, and just downloaded the newest webcast of DL.TV...
It opens fine in QuickTime player via Win Explorer and shows as H.264 video plus AAC audio...and...XY shows '.mp4' with a QT icon in file type in Config, but I get "Cannot Decode" when I try to preview via XY...

Any ideas? Any thing I can check to help debug?

Generally I can't do nothing here. You might find some Codec on the web that enables WMP/XY to play it.

Update:BTW, when I move to another file while in Preview after getting this 'cannot decode', and then move back to the mp4, the hex view from the other file remains in the preview tab!

Yep, will be fixed in the next version. Thanks.

[infimum]

Anyway I'll add the extension so you don't have to rename them anymore :)

OK, mp4-extension files can be "previewed" now (but no audio information such as bitrate as in the case of mp3), but could you also take care of the m4a extension? When I change the m4a extension to mp4, files can be previewed. So I don't think it's that difficult. Thanks.

Wiki for terminology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mp4

[admin]

Anyway I'll add the extension so you don't have to rename them anymore

OK, mp4-extension files can be "previewed" now (but no audio information such as bitrate as in the case of mp3), but could you also take care of the m4a extension? When I change the m4a extension to mp4, files can be previewed. So I don't think it's that difficult. Thanks.

Wiki for terminology
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mp4

Yep, I added it. Also the audio info should be there now (next upload).

[infimum]

Thanks, admin. Super fast response. Love the XY phenomenon.

[admin]

Love the XY phenomenon.

Love that expression.

[j_c_hallgren]

Thanks, admin. Super fast response. Love the XY phenomenon.

Since you're new here, this wasn't "Super fast" in Don's/XY world! Yes, it's quite typical of the fabulously great support we get here, but that description is really more applicable to the less than 1 hr time between bug report and beta vers that we've seen on some rare occasions! Ok, so that was once due to a crash situation, but still, getting a reply and fix in that short time is almost like the support one expects from an anti-virus pgrm, not a file manager...so that's we're so hooked on XY!

[Jeff Bellune]

If anyone doesn't have a plug-iin to allow WMP to play AAC and M4A audio, here is a good, free one:

Orban Plug-in

There is also a QuickTime DirectShow splitter that works very well in WMP:

MediaLooks QT Plug-in

Usage Statement from the author for QT plug-in: This product is free for end users if used for personal non-commercial goals. Currently the filter will work with Windows Media Player, Winamp, BS.Player, Media Player Classic, KM Player and Zoom Player. For other applications a MediaLooks logo will be displayed.

Preview in XY will display the logo.

Disclaimer: I am very careful not to install codec "packs", torrent offerings or other such P2P nonsense. I have to protect my production system. These plug-ins have not had any adverse effects on my system. YMMV.

-Jeff

[admin]

If anyone doesn't have a plug-iin to allow WMP to play AAC and M4A audio, here is a good, free one:

Orban Plug-in

Thanks for the tips, Jeff!

In http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Audio_Coding they list a couple of extensions:
m4a, .m4b, .m4p, .m4v, .m4r, .aac, .3gp, .mp4
I'm not so deep into sound file formats, so if you stumble upon an important extension that's not yet supported by XY just let me know.