FCP-L: [FCP-L] Re: MPEG-2 Playback Component

This is a known problem that has been annoying me on my laptop since installing Snow Leopard. There are countless threads on Apple Support, and Squared 5 has an explanation of how to get Streamclip working again. I'll past it below for posterity, but I haven't been able to get it working myself.

I tried the "easy" way of simply copying my old AppleMPEG2codec.component back into the Quicktime Library from a backup, but it still didn't work. Many people on the Apple forum reported that this did work for them, but a few (like me) had no luck. Others said that reinstalling the component was the cure. For the record, I also tried a Restore from the Time Machine application. (I have two backups of my computer from before the SL install: Time Capsule and a FW hard drive.) No joy with the Time Machine Resore either. For good measure, after the restore, I restarted, which resulted in a spontaneous "double-restart" as happens with OS upgrades sometimes, and did the usual rebuilds and maintenance routines (via MainMenu, which has a new update that finally cures its SL bugs.

I haven't had the time to reinstall the component from my Final Cut installer discs. -- Mark B

From Squared 5:

The Snow Leopard upgrade DVD released on August 28 may wipe the content of the /System/Library/QuickTime folder during the upgrade process, and delete your MPEG-2 Playback Component installed in that folder. To use MPEG-2 files with MPEG Streamclip you have to reinstall the MPEG-2 component or restore it from a backup copy.

If you are going to upgrade to Snow Leopard

Open the /System/Library/QuickTime folder and drag the QuickTimeMPEG2.component file to your desktop to make a copy of it. Then upgrade to Snow Leopard. When the upgrade is complete, open the /System/Library/QuickTime folder again and move the QuickTimeMPEG2.component file from the desktop to the /System/Library/QuickTime folder (enter your administrator password if necessary).

If you already upgraded to Snow Leopard

You have to reinstall or restore your MPEG-2 Playback Component.

If you have a Time Machine backup of your System folder, then open the /System/Library/QuickTime folder, enter Time Machine and go back in time until you see the QuickTimeMPEG2.component file; select that file and then click Restore.

If you purchased the MPEG-2 Playback Component from the Apple Online Store, then you probably still have the DMG file that contains the installer. Use Spotlight to search for "QuickTimeMPEG2.dmg": if you find a file with that name, double-click it and then in the disk image, double-click the installer package for Intel Macs.

If you purchased the MPEG-2 Playback Component from the Apple Online Store but you can't find the QuickTimeMPEG2.dmg file, you can download the file again from the Apple Online Store if you remember the Apple ID used when you originally purchased it (if you forgot your Apple ID then go to Apple iforgot). Visit the Apple Online Store, click on "Account" in the store menu, then click "Downloadable Software Purchases," enter your Apple ID and password, and click the link to the QuickTime MPEG-2 Playback Component to download it again.

If you obtained the MPEG-2 Playback Component from the installation of Final Cut Studio, then you can reinstall it again from the Final Cut Studio DVD. Insert the DVD and use the Finder's Go menu > Go To Folder... command to get to the /Volumes/Final Cut Studio/Installer/Packages/ folder inside the DVD. Locate the QuickTimeMPEG2.pkg or the QuickTimeMPEG2Pro.pkg installer: double-click it to reinstall the MPEG-2 component.

--- In FinalCutPro-L@yahoogroups.com, Jeff Cook <jeff@...> wrote:
>
> Thanks for the consult, Philip. I'm bailing out to other methods and
> will dig into this later.
>
> --
> Jeff Cook
> jeff@...
>
> Cook Studios Inc
> Freelance Video Editing
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>
> Video Podcast Series at
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>
>
>
> On Oct 24, 2009, at 6:21 PM, Philip Hodgetts wrote:
>
> >
> > On Oct 24, 2009, at 2:56 PM, Jeff Cook wrote:
> >
> >> And you force MPEG Streamclip to default to using QT7 instead of
> >> QT10...how??
> >
> > Well, a quick lesson in the QT API is required.
> >
> > MPEG Streamclip *should* be calling the QTKit API but it is more
> > likely calling the old QT C API (deprecated, ie do not use, except
> > there's still often no alternative). The Snow Leopard install includes
> > *all* the API from QT 7 plus QT X, so anything that worked on QT 7
> > should continue to work.
> >
> > that it doesn't suggests there's something no-kosher in the way MPEG
> > Streamclip calls the QT API and that's why it's failing. I expect MPEG
> > streamclip will need to be "updated" to the appropriate API calls.
> >
> > But test the MPEG-2 playback in the QT 7 player (in your Utilities
> > folder I believe or install from the Snow Leopard folder - you only
> > need the player, the API is already installed). If playback doesn't
> > work in the QT Player (7) it's unlikely to work in MPEG Streamclip and
> > is likely an incompatibility with Snow Leopard.
> >
> > Philip
> >
> > Philip Hodgetts
> > President, Intelligent Assistance
> > AssistedEditing.com Fast First Cuts, Metadata Worfklows
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> >
> > Personal Blog http://philiphodgetts.com
> > Cell 818 335 3916
>