how do I play xdcam footage

[Craig Seeman]

If you do not have Final Cut Pro 6.0.2 and up you do not have XDCAM EX MOV codec installed.
You would probably need to buy CalibratedSoftware’s EX MOV decoder for non FCP Macs and Windows.
https://www.calibratedsoftware.com/QXD.asp

You might want to check to see if VLC Player will play them. I haven’t tested with MOV but it works for MP4.

[John Woodman]

I’ve got some simular problem. FCP 6.0.4 can open the xdcam ex files, but quicktime does not recognize them. Any Idea?

[Craig Seeman]

I don’t know what you mean by [John Woodman] “FCP 6.0.4 can open the xdcam ex files, but quicktime does not recognize them. “

FCP can play and EX MOV, Quicktime should too. They’re accessing the same component. You need to explain “open” and “recognize” given the above context.

[John Woodman]

I mean I can view the files in FCP, but not in Quicktime. Quicktime keeps on telling me I have to install an extra codec. When I check this, I see the 1,4 codec is installed.

[Petra Bauer]

Hi,

I received this link from my friend yesterday and when I installed it quicktime could play the footage.

https://blog.lib.umn.edu/mcfa0086/discretecosine/164630.html

best
/p.

[Don Greening]

[John Woodman] “Quicktime keeps on telling me I have to install an extra codec. When I check this, I see the 1,4 codec is installed.”

Try trashing the preferences for QT Player. It should work if you have v.7.3.1 or better. No other codecs are needed if you already have Final Cut Pro v.6.0.2 or better. I can view XDCAM EX clips in the stand alone Quicktime Player just fine as long as the files have been previously converted to the Quicktime .mov format from the native .mp4 format by Sony’s Transfer Tool app.

– Don

Addition: Sometimes QT Player will not initially “see” the FCP codecs after an upgrade. That’s why I suggested the preference trashing. Try running FCP and Quicktime Player at the same time and see if you can now play EX clips within QT Player.

[John Woodman]

Hi, thanks for the tips. but what is exactly “trashing the quicktime preferences”? How exactly do you do that?

thx in advance.

[Don Greening]

Here is the path on your hard drive:

Macintosh HD>Users>”yourname”>Library>Preferences

• >com.apple.quicktime.plugin.preferences.plist
• >com.apple.quicktimeplayer.plist

Drag both preference files to the trash but don’t empty the trash……..yet. New preference files will be created the next time QT Player is started. Start QT Player and see if your XDCAM EX files will now play properly. If they do then you can empty the trash bin.

– Don

[Brian Rose]

Did anyone ever figure this one out? I’m having the same problem. My XDCAM files (that have been transferred correctly to .mov) are visible on another computer but not on my Macbook. When I open them up all I get is sound. I’ve tried trashing the preference files but that doesn’t work either.

I know I don’t need a special codec to see these. I’m also running FCP 6.03 and it has the same problem, sound but no images.

No one can figure this out!! Any ideas?

Grazie.

[Craig Seeman]

Read above thread. Follow instructions. Post exactly what you did an the results.
FCP 6.0.3 should have the codec. Some installs are “funky” though.