Using Quicktime Pro

[WildCelt]

Greetings,

I want to start encoding video using h.264 (I've used XviD for many years), and for some reason shelled out $30 to Apple to register Quicktime Pro before I did much research.

Now that I've done that and tinkered with it, I am wondering if I made a bad purchase. Is it even usable? It looks like I cannot even load the codec in my favorite video editing program (or even any other program--it doesn't show up as an available codec in Windows). Do I have to use Quicktime (ugh) to compress? Also, if I am stuck with Quicktime, is there any way to load files compressed with different codecs (say, Lagarith for example)?

I've read the guides and they mention Quicktime Pro, but I see nothing other than mentions--not how to actually use it. I think I am beginning to see why.

Any help/direction is appreciated. Perhaps I should just kiss my $30 goodbye and call it a lesson learned. :)

[Sharktooth]

you have to use quicktime for everything quicktime related.
btw, next time read before you buy. craptime(tm) is the most standard-enemy, incomplete and crappy media player with crappy quality and poorly coded encoders... the worst thing ever made by apple...

[Atak_Snajpera]

I am wondering if I made a bad purchase. Is it even usable?
Very BAD purchase!!!! You've just dumped 30 bucks!!! In this forum you will find alot better software for free!!!! x264 eats apple's shitty encoder for breakfast!!!

[WildCelt]

Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking. Lesson learned!!

Thanks for the replies. So, you both would recommend x264, then?

[Blue_MiSfit]

Yep... Kiss your $30 goodbye.

On the upside QuickTime Player Pro does handle simple editing of MOV files very well, and some of their codecs aren't terrible.

Okay, I can't really think of any... :)

If you want to encode H.264 - use x264, hands down. The word "Best" is frowned upon in this forum, but I can pretty confidently say that x264 is the BEST H.264 codec out at the moment :)

Oh yeah, it's free too..

~MiSfit

[Atak_Snajpera]

Thanks for the replies. So, you both would recommend x264, then?
Stop asking rhetoric questions :)

[WildCelt]

Does x264 add itself to the list of codecs in Windows?

[Atak_Snajpera]

x264 Video for Windows IS NOT RECOMMENDED!!! Go to MPEG-4 GUI section

[WildCelt]

Ah, ok. Thanks!

[Blue_MiSfit]

Right. The "list of codecs in windows" you talk about is a list of VFW (video for windows) codecs. This is a very old and outdated framework (introduced back in the Windows 3.1 days), and is not reccomended for x264 usage due to its limitations.

Some clever folks have managed to hack around these limitations, but it's frowned upon - generally speaking.

x264 is best used in its native form - via the command line, or via libx264. That doesn't mean you have to type the commands, though! There are lots of GUI programs that wrap the CLI encoder or libx264.

Some suggestions: ripbot264, MeGUI, AutoMKV, StaxRip, etc...

~MiSfit

[WildCelt]

Thanks Blue_MiSfit for the explanation!