From: Ron Pearson <ursamajor_1@mac.com>
Date: January 30, 2016 10:15:31 PM MST
To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] QT & video file conversions ?
Thanks guys, I found QT 7 in the Utilities folder of my older MacBook, but not in the folder of the 2012 MacMini. So I transferred a QT7 copy over to the mini. It opens the transit .mov file ok with no conversion. But the movie image is very pixelated and colorized (from a monochrome camera) so it looks like a low rez USGS geologic map of the moon…. maybe useful for future mining? : ) I missed the ISS transit anyway…
I tried some older files I’ve shot the past year of the Sun which open and images are fine with QT 7, so I suspect the format I set the camera at may not be totally ‘readable’ by QT7? Fortunately the new QT conversion process doesn’t overwrite the original .mov files from AstroIIDC. They are saved as a separate converted file, and I’ve kept the originals in separate folders. I usually process the original in AstroIIDC, but I like to view the whole file as a movie so I can see what I got and what parts have the best seeing or something transient like the transit. I’ll try some 8 bit FMT7 format settings of the camera with QT7 tomorrow and see if they work unless you have other suggestions.
Ron
On Jan 30, 2016, at 8:43 PM, Milton Aupperle maupperl@gmail.com [Astro_IIDC] <Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Hi Stephen and Ron;
The issue is that Apple basically doesn't want to support any thing except MP4 going forward. So the "New" QuickTime Player converts everything to mp4 and then plays it. The longer / larger the file, the longer it takes to convert and the more space it uses up on disk for the conversion file. Mp4's are very highly compressed, so I really would not recommend using them - especially for something like Photometric measurements. You also lose subtle detail because of the compression too.
As Stephen suggested, if you associate your movies with the older "QuickTime Player 7" app, then they are just played with QuickTime and no conversion, extra storage for the file or anything else. You likely still have "QuickTime Player 7" on your Mac (possibly in your Utilities Folder) if you upgraded from an older version of OS X, but Apple may have "removed" it as they no longer support QuickTime at all going forward (if an App is submitted to the App store and has any use of QuickTime API's in it - they will reject it immediately now - except for Apples own apps like Final Cut Pro).
Basically you can just select a .mov file in the Finder, press "Command I" for Get Info, then in Finder window select "QuickTime Player 7" as the default App to "Open with" and then click on the "Change All" button below it. That is what I have done and I never have to use that "New" QuickTime Player abomination app anymore.
HTH..
Milton Aupperle
On 2016-01-30, at 5:12 PM, "Stephen Ramsden sramsden@natca.net [Astro_IIDC]" <Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Ron, have you tried just selecting the un-converted file with ASTRO IIDC for stacking instead of opening it on your Mac and then stacking it? Also, you can associate .mov files with QT Player 7 in your system settings instead of with standard QT player (downloadable from the app store if you dont have it-it’s worth every penny of the $29). This will stop it from converting your raw files to compressed files and just play it as is.. I always stack the uncompressed files straight from the capture.
Stephen W. Ramsden
On Jan 30, 2016, at 6:41 PM, Ron Pearson ursamajor_1@mac.com [Astro_IIDC] <Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
For a couple years now when I open a .mov file before processing in AstroIIDC, Quick Time would open and run a “conversion” -to something else. But all was ok and processed normally with AstroIIDC after that conversion.
Earlier this week I tried capturing an ISS transit across the Moon using my PGR Scorpion camera. I had it set to 860x… 8 bit format to get a high frame rate. I collected for about 5 minutes and ended up with about a 5 GB file. But after QT opened and did its ‘conversion’ there was nothing there, just black. So, I hooked up the camera and have tried all the format settings and made sure I was getting video output. I found only the 3 FMT7 16 bit format options would convert in QT and show normal video images. It seems something in QT doesn’t like converting 8 bit files from the Scorpion. I don’t think I’ve had 8 bit file format problems before and my IS color camera 8 bit bit files open ok. My conclusion is It looks like the 16 bit image data are there because there must be 5 Gigs of something, but QT doesn’t like it. I'm using AstroIIDC with Mac OSX Yosemite on both an old (09) Macbook Pro and later 2012 Mac Mini i7 with plenty of ram.
I know Milton has been grumbling about QuickTime and loss of Apple support or something. Can someone explain whats going on with QT and these formats? Is there some other video software that won’t have this problem I can use, or why/if this conversion is even necessary, or can be avoided? thanks and clear, steady skies.
Ron
Milton J. Aupperle
206 - 6414 Travois Place NW
Calgary Alberta T2K 3T2
Phone: 403-453-1624
http://www3.telus.net/maupperl