No MPEG-4 support on new iPod Touch?

HarryT · 09-13-2009, 04:39 AM

I've had a 1st Gen 32GB iPod Touch for a year or so, which I primarily use as a video player; all my video I convert to MPEG 4 format, which worked very well.

I've just bought the new 64GB 3rd Gen iPod Touch, loaded some of my video onto it, and discovered that when it plays, all I get is a solid green background.

A little experimentation shows that if I recode the video to use the "H.264" codec rather than MPEG4 it plays fine.

Has Apple actually documented the fact that MPEG4 is no longer supported on the new devices? It's a bit of a nuisance!

GntlmnBndt · 09-14-2009, 02:23 PM

I did check and listed amongst the various supported video codecs on the Apple Tech Specs for the new Touch is:

Quote:

MPEG-4 video, up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats

First off... I am jealous as hell! The new Touch looks like some nice hardware.

Second, until we know if this is a hardware issue or a function of the new OS (3.1.1), I am now officially hesitant about updating the software. Can anyone who has updated to 3.1.1 on a Touch verify if this is an issue on older iTouch hardware? I setup my video conversions some time ago, and I don't even remember what specs I am using. I'll have to go back and look.

The Bandit

HarryT · 09-15-2009, 04:01 AM

Thanks for that. There's obviously SOMETHING about my video that the new Touch doesn't like, in that case. The same file plays fine on my original Touch (with v3.0 firmware), fine on my iPod "classic", but doesn't work on the new Touch (audio is fine, video is just solid green).

Perhaps it's just the particular settings I used when encoding it. As I say, if I recode it for H.264, everything's fine. Unfortunately that's a slow process!

FlorenceArt · 09-15-2009, 07:14 AM

I think this happened to me before, a video that had been fine suddenly became all green. I deleted it from iTunes and imported it again, and it worked. I guess the file had become corrupted somehow.

garyj · 09-15-2009, 11:16 AM

GntlmnBndt - I have an iPod Touch V2 which I recently updated to 3.1.1 and I can still
play videos in MPEG-4 format which I downloaded from The Internet Archive with no
problem.

GntlmnBndt · 09-15-2009, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garyj

GntlmnBndt - I have an iPod Touch V2 which I recently updated to 3.1.1 and I can still
play videos in MPEG-4 format which I downloaded from The Internet Archive with no
problem.

Sweet... thanks for the report. I'm about due for another sync (haven't synced since the 3.0 update), and that puts my mind at ease on the subject.

The Bandit

HarryT · 09-15-2009, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

I think this happened to me before, a video that had been fine suddenly became all green. I deleted it from iTunes and imported it again, and it worked. I guess the file had become corrupted somehow.

Unfortunately it's all my videos, not just one, so it's definitely some incompatibility between whatever video settings I used, and the new Touch.

fugazied · 09-15-2009, 07:30 PM

It does seem a bit strange, maybe the new one is a bit pickier on what kinds of mpeg4s it plays.

I had a quick look at http://discussions.apple.com/categor...categoryID=221 and I couldn't see any references to the problem you are having so it might be an obscure bug.

Have you tried using different bitrates/framerates and resolutions. It might be less tolerant.

HarryT · 09-16-2009, 03:03 AM

As I say, if I recode my videos for the H.264 codec rather than MPEG4, it works, so I do have a solution. It's just annoying that I have to do this for hundreds of hours of video!

cnf · 09-16-2009, 06:58 PM

Sorry, but you do realise that h.264 IS mpeg4 right?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4#MPEG-4_parts (look at part 10)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264

Further more, could you post some (or parts) of video's that do and do not work?
I have an iPhone 3G, and a friend of mine has a 32gig touch, sure we could test a bit for you.

ilovejedd · 09-16-2009, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnf

Sorry, but you do realise that h.264 IS mpeg4 right?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4#MPEG-4_parts (look at part 10)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264

Further more, could you post some (or parts) of video's that do and do not work?
I have an iPhone 3G, and a friend of mine has a 32gig touch, sure we could test a bit for you.

Obviously, the MPEG-4 support being referred to here is for MPEG-4 Part 2 Simple Profile.

Moejoe · 09-17-2009, 04:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

As I say, if I recode my videos for the H.264 codec rather than MPEG4, it works, so I do have a solution. It's just annoying that I have to do this for hundreds of hours of video!

What tools are you using to encode your video? Are you using a resolution less than 720x for MPEG4 (simple profile)? What extension are you using? Do your videos work in iTunes and not on the iTouch?

A lot of people try to bring over .avi (which is usually xvid or divx ) which is not supported by iTunes, even if it has an .MP4 extension.

If you're videos are sourced from the sharing sites they're most likely to be <720x pixels wide, Xvid with either MP3 or AC3 audio and the .avi extension. These will never work with an itouch without re-encoding.

You can find out exactly what kind of file you have by running it through the excellent Mediainfo, which can be downloaded from Videohelp.com

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/MediaInfo

Run one of your troublesome files through that and we'll soon get to the bottom of the problem

HarryT · 09-17-2009, 05:53 AM

Thanks, when I get home from work this afternoon I'll do that for one which works, and one which doesn't, so that we can see what the difference is.

No videos from file sharing sites; they're all converted from DVD (bought bought ones and recorded from TV), converted using a program called "Aimersoft DVD to iPod Converter".

Moejoe · 09-17-2009, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Thanks, when I get home from work this afternoon I'll do that for one which works, and one which doesn't, so that we can see what the difference is.

No videos from file sharing sites; they're all converted from DVD (bought bought ones and recorded from TV), converted using a program called "Aimersoft DVD to iPod Converter".

No problems. A lot of those pay-for video encoding applications cause more headaches than they're worth.

I use Handbrake http://handbrake.fr/downloads.php, a free, open source DVD/File to MP4 creator. It does an excellent job, and has the best pre-set templates for iPods and other devices that I've seen.

I rip my DVD's with DVDFab HD Decrypter (free version) http://www.dvdfab.com/free.htm

HarryT · 09-17-2009, 12:59 PM

Here's what iTunes has to say about a file that doesn't play on the 3G Touch, and one that does. Both files play perfectly in iTunes, and the one that doesn't work on the new Touch works perfectly well on the old one, and on the iPod Classic.

Does this throw any light on the matter?

09-13-2009, 04:39 AM	#1
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	No MPEG-4 support on new iPod Touch? I've had a 1st Gen 32GB iPod Touch for a year or so, which I primarily use as a video player; all my video I convert to MPEG 4 format, which worked very well. I've just bought the new 64GB 3rd Gen iPod Touch, loaded some of my video onto it, and discovered that when it plays, all I get is a solid green background. A little experimentation shows that if I recode the video to use the "H.264" codec rather than MPEG4 it plays fine. Has Apple actually documented the fact that MPEG4 is no longer supported on the new devices? It's a bit of a nuisance!

09-17-2009, 12:59 PM	#15
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Here's what iTunes has to say about a file that doesn't play on the 3G Touch, and one that does. Both files play perfectly in iTunes, and the one that doesn't work on the new Touch works perfectly well on the old one, and on the iPod Classic. Does this throw any light on the matter? Attached Thumbnails

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09-15-2009, 04:01 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Thanks for that. There's obviously SOMETHING about my video that the new Touch doesn't like, in that case. The same file plays fine on my original Touch (with v3.0 firmware), fine on my iPod "classic", but doesn't work on the new Touch (audio is fine, video is just solid green). Perhaps it's just the particular settings I used when encoding it. As I say, if I recode it for H.264, everything's fine. Unfortunately that's a slow process!

09-15-2009, 07:14 AM	#4
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	I think this happened to me before, a video that had been fine suddenly became all green. I deleted it from iTunes and imported it again, and it worked. I guess the file had become corrupted somehow.

09-15-2009, 11:16 AM	#5
garyj Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 20 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: Axim X51v/iRex iLiad	GntlmnBndt - I have an iPod Touch V2 which I recently updated to 3.1.1 and I can still play videos in MPEG-4 format which I downloaded from The Internet Archive with no problem.

09-15-2009, 07:30 PM	#8
fugazied Wizard Posts: 1,305 Karma: 1958 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: iPod Touch	It does seem a bit strange, maybe the new one is a bit pickier on what kinds of mpeg4s it plays. I had a quick look at http://discussions.apple.com/categor...categoryID=221 and I couldn't see any references to the problem you are having so it might be an obscure bug. Have you tried using different bitrates/framerates and resolutions. It might be less tolerant.

09-16-2009, 03:03 AM	#9
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	As I say, if I recode my videos for the H.264 codec rather than MPEG4, it works, so I do have a solution. It's just annoying that I have to do this for hundreds of hours of video!

09-16-2009, 06:58 PM	#10
cnf Member Posts: 18 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2009 Location: Antwerpen, Belgium Device: PRS-505	Sorry, but you do realise that h.264 IS mpeg4 right? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-4#MPEG-4_parts (look at part 10) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.264 Further more, could you post some (or parts) of video's that do and do not work? I have an iPhone 3G, and a friend of mine has a 32gig touch, sure we could test a bit for you.

09-17-2009, 05:53 AM	#13
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Thanks, when I get home from work this afternoon I'll do that for one which works, and one which doesn't, so that we can see what the difference is. No videos from file sharing sites; they're all converted from DVD (bought bought ones and recorded from TV), converted using a program called "Aimersoft DVD to iPod Converter".

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