QuickTime 7.4 breaks movie playback, how to fix

Movies still not playing The QuickTime 7.4 update is proving disastrous for a growing number of users who cannot properly playback videos that previously played normally. As noted yesterday, some movies play without video, others play without sound, and still others don't play at all. A typical report from MacFixIt reader Steve Bunnell:

"Recently upgraded via Software Update to: Quicktime Version 7.4 (92). Many hundreds of old .mpg and .mov files are destroyed under this version of QT. Which is pretty annoying, since I have a presentation in 2 hours. With the newly non-playing movies. Archived copies of the movies are also not playing. This is not a corruption issue."

And a few other typical reports:

• "Yes, all my videos encoded with Tubesock  play audio only on QT 7.4, no video,
• "Am experiencing the same problem since upgrading to Quicktime 7.4, even after trying all suggestion listed. My entire library of MPEG-4/.mp4 is now blank but with audio." -- Michael Steele
• "I have Mac OS X 10.4.11 and after installing quick time 7.4 have no sound on movies embeded in the web. Tried removing and reinstalling and no change." -- Alice Friedman
• "We experienced the same issue with an upgrade. The new software plays audio but scrambles the video. This is very frustrating. It does fine with video on the web, but all of the mp4 files are messed up." -- Steve Butler

In these dire cases, when our previously mentioned fixes don't work, your best bet may be a downgrade to QuickTime 7.3, as deescribed below:

Downgrading to QuickTime 7.3 First, make a backup of your current Mac OS X installation with QuickTime 7.4 applied, problematic as it may be. If there is an issue along the way, your valuable data will be safely intact in its current form.

Next, you'll need to perform an Archive and Install process to remove all of the QuickTime update's (and potentially problem-causing) components, and replace them with the components of the older release. Unfortunately, this means you will lose some system settings and some or all third-party system add-ons.

To begin the process, insert your Mac OS X CD or DVD. Restart your machine and hold down the "C" key to boot from the newly inserted disc. Follow the on-screen instructions, and after accepting the license agreement, click "Options." Select "Archive and Install," and check the "Preserve User and Network Settings" option if you'd like to do so.

After the installation process is complete, you will be left with an earlier Mac OS X system that (hopefully) does not suffer from the problems generated by QuickTime 7.4.

Next, download and install the latest version of your OS (Leopard [10.5.1], Tiger [10.4.11], or Panther [10.3.9]) from Apple's download page.

Finally, download and install QuickTime 7.3 from one of the following links:

• QuickTime 7.3.1 for Leopard [10.5.1]
• QuickTime 7.3.1 for Tiger [10.4.11]
• QuickTime 7.3.1 for Panther [10.3.9]

Serious After Effects problems Meanwhile, After Effects users are reporting that the video editing application has been rendered (no pun intended) unusable by QuickTime 7.4.

Phuong Nguyen writes:

"There is  a hideous error in the new release of Quicktime that has crippled After Effects causing all renders to crash within 10 minutes of starting them. The error message reads, After Effects error: you do not have permissions to open this file (-54) very bad for folks producing material in After Effects."

Another reader writes:

"After updating to the newest QuickTime (7.4) via software update. I'm running AfterEffects CS3, and after the QuickTime update, have been running into errors as After effects does a render and it gives errors. (The error's being reproduced on all machines that have upgraded to QuickTime 7.4. Exact same files transferred over to machines that haven't upgraded are working totally fine and great.)"

A downgrade, as described above, may be the best prima facie solution to this issue.

Subtitles not appearing A few readers have reported that subtitles for .srt file sare no longer appearing under QuickTime 7.4.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

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