QuickTime: How to Read Macintosh Movies on Windows PCs

TECHINFO-0014192

TOPIC

How do I read QuickTime movies on a Windows-compatible PC which have been made on a Macintosh?

DISCUSSION

When you created a QuickTime movie to be used on both Macintosh and Windows-compatible computers, there are two important things to remember:

First, the movie must be self-contained. That is, the movie must contain all of its video, sound, and all other data in the movie file.

Second, the movie must have a single fork (which is a data fork). This is because MS-DOS has no equivalent to the Macintosh Resource Manager or Alias Manager, which handles movies that reference other movie files. Self-contained, single fork movies can play on both Macs and Windows-compatible PCs with no performance penalties and no conversion required. Macintosh applications like DiVA VideoShop allow users to save movies with these attributes already set.

The Movie Converter utility for Macintosh is included on floppy disk #6 in the QuickTime for Windows Programmer's Guide kit. Use the Save As menu item in Movie Converter to create self-contained, multi-platform Movies.

You can also convert multimedia application data which has been created on a non-Macintosh platform to QuickTime movies playable on a Macintosh with the QuickTime Movie Exchange ToolKit. The ToolKit includes applications for DEC VAX, IBM RS6000, SGI, Sun-4, Cray YMP, and MS-DOS/Windows that let you easily create a QuickTime movie with both sound (8-bit) and images (8- and 24-bit). The APDA part number for this kit is R0190LL/A.

Another Way to Convert a QuickTime Movie

1. Open a movie file using Movie Player 2.0 or above on the Macintosh.
2. Choose Save As from the File menu.
3. In the dialog box that appears, click the radio button labeled "Make movie self-contained." This tells the utility to sever any links to other movies after incorporating the relevant video into this movie.
4. Select the checkbox labeled "Playable on non-Apple computers." This causes the movie to be saved as a single fork movie.
5. Rename the movie using PC naming conventions. The filename should be 8 characters in length for maximum portability. Use the extension ".mov." For example: MYMOVIE.MOV

The resulting file is a QuickTime cross-platform movie that can be played on either a Macintosh or any x86-based computer with Windows 3.x, Windows NT, and Windows 95.

Remember, when creating movies on the Macintosh that the following features are not yet available on Windows:

• MACE, sprites, time code, and modifier tracks
• Apple Component Video decompressor
• Multiple video tracks
• Display of non-burnt text tracks

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