Hap QuickTime Codec. Hap is a video codec for fast decompression on modern graphics hardware. This is the home of the Hap QuickTime codec. For general information about Hap, see the Hap project. The Hap QuickTime codec supports encoding and decoding Hap video. Video can be decoded to RGB (A) formats for playback in any existing application,. Although QuickTime 7 and QuickTime X (QuickTime Player v10.x) structure embeds are AVI compatible, QT X AVFoundation only recognizes AVI files that include Motion JPEG encoded video with PCM audio. Therefore, the playback of AVI through QuickTime on Mac or PC's will mostly depend on the type of compression (or codec) of the AVI itself.
Playing AVI and DivX files
This chapter from our book Troubleshooting Mac® OS X discusses why some Audio Video Interleaved (AVI) multimedia files do not play in QuickTime and provides methods for playing AVIs on Mac OS X.
About AVIs
There has been confusion over AVI files since QuickTime® added support for such. AVI is a media container very similar to QuickTime, but with a unique data format. AVI was originally called Video for Windows® (VFW) and QuickTime supports the VFW format.
However, most, if not all AVI playback issues arise with movies that have been compressed using CODECs (Compressor - Decompressor) that are unavailable for QuickTime in Mac OS X. In particular, the Indeo® CODEC, popular for video compression on PCs, has not been ported to Mac OS X.
To further confuse the issue, many DivX®-encoded files carry the .avi extension. QuickTime does not include native DivX support, even though QuickTime 6 and later support the ISO Standard MPEG-4 media compression format and DivX is based on the MPEG-4 standard.
QuickTime X and AVIs
Under Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard®, QuickTime Player — aka QuickTime X — does not support third-party components, i.e. QuickTime plug-ins. Nevertheless, Snow Leopard includes QuickTime Player 7 as an optional install: QuickTime X will invoke QuickTime Player 7 to play videos supported by the latter or by QuickTime Player 7 components.
If you have an existing QuickTime Pro key, QuickTime Player 7 is installed automatically and Pro functionality is available in QuickTime Player 7. If you elect not to install QuickTime Player 7, it can be installed later. Likewise, if you attempt to open a media file that requires QuickTime Player 7, you are offered the opportunity to install it. QuickTime Player 7 is installed in the Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities folder.
Playing AVIs on Mac OS X
We have found that the following four methods will enable viewing most AVI files that do not play in QuickTime. While none of these methods are foolproof and some AVI files still refuse to play, one of these methods will usually work.
Use VLC
Probably the easiest way to play AVI and DivX files on Mac OS X is to download and install the freeware VLC Media Player for OS X. VLC is also often referred to by its original name, VideoLAN Client.
Install Perian
Perian is an excellent, free, and open source QuickTime component.
Install the 3ivx® D4 CODEC
Download and install the 3ivx MPEG-4 CODEC per the installation instructions in the associated ReadMe file. This CODEC adds support for a variety of DivX and other formats which often carry the .avi extension.
Convert AVIs to QuickTime movies
If all else fails and you are running Mac OS X 10.6 or earlier, it may be possibles to convert the .avi files to QuickTime .mov files using tools from 3ivx.
You will need...
- QuickTime 6 or later.
- 3ivx MPEG-4 CODEC.
- 3ivx DivX Doctor II.
Procedure
- Download and install 3ivx MPEG-4 CODEC per the installation instructions in the ReadMe file.
- Download and install 3ivx DivX Doctor II, again per its included instructions. Note that the installation instructions specify numerous additional downloads you can get, but we have found them unnecessary in Mac OS X 10.2 or later.
- Drag and drop .avi files onto DivX Doctor II. They will be converted into .mov files and stored on your hard drive at the location you specify.
- While some .avi files fail to convert — again, none of these methods are foolproof — the resulting .mov files generally play flawlessly in QuickTime. This method may also fix problems with the soundtrack on AVIs that do not play properly using only the DivX for Mac CODEC.
Try the DivX for Mac CODEC
Avi Codec For Quicktime Mac
Many AVIs can be played in QuickTime by installing the freeware DivX for Mac CODEC. While this plug-in has been continuously improved, the sound in some AVIs will sometimes be either missing or distorted. [1]
Related links
Quicktime Player Avi Codec
- VideoHelp is an excellent site offering a plethora of information on video formats.
Notes
[1] Both the 3ivx D4 and DivX for Mac CODECs must be installed in the Macintosh HD > Library > QuickTime folder. However, both CODECs can not be in this folder simultaneously and work with QuickTime as they conflict. If you decide to keep both CODECs , you must temporarily disable one while using the other. To do this:
Quicktime Avi Codec Mac
- Quit QuickTime Player.
- Open the Macintosh HD > Library > QuickTime folder.
- Move — click and drag while pressing the Command key — the CODEC you do not want to use to a temporary folder or to your Desktop.
- Open QuickTime Player.
| If you have a codec problem, and are not a 'power' user, I suggest you first install on your computer a Codec Pack. If you want more precise information, then use AVIcodec which will tell you the codec required and where to download it.
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Quicktime Avi Codecs
Information about codecs
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