WARNING: QT 7.3 Bug

[Eric Brown]

They seem to have added the fix to "Software Update". It's called "Compatibility update for Quicktime" although it says it's specifically for iLife I'm hoping it's an across the board fix.

[Robert Lane]

Originally Posted by Eric Brown

They seem to have added the fix to "Software Update". It's called "Compatibility update for Quicktime" although it says it's specifically for iLife I'm hoping it's an across the board fix.

That's an older update prior to QT 7.3; so far there has not been any fix issued from Apple specific to the bugs in 7.3

[Eric Brown]

Just saw it today and hadn't seen it in a previous update. Must have overlooked it. My mistake.

[Lloyd Roseblade]

Quicktime 7.3 has screwed up my being able to capture from my Canon XM2 too. I've looked on the apple site but I can't seem to locate the 7.2 pkg. Would anyone happen to have the link to hand?

Many thanks.

[Edit] Sod's law. No sooner had I posted that I managed to locate it on Applecare. Here's the link if anyone else should need it - http://www.apple.com/support/downloa...e72formac.html

[Matt Irwin]

Hi,

Resurrecting this thread because the problem of "invalid public movie atom" is back and occurring with p2 quicktime files.

I just got a call informing me that it's occurring with a select number of p2 clips from a music video I worked on recently. The editor upgraded to the latest version of FCS2 and Quicktime 7.4.5, and suddenly half the timeline is corrupt.
I checked my copy of the footage, and the same thing is occurring (I'm running FCP 5 with QT 7.4.5). The kicker is that p2 clips that I just shot last week open fine, but older clips do not.

Anyone know of any possible fixes for this? Or does it mean a clean reinstall?

[Robert Lane]

I purposely have not updated to QT 7.4.5 so I can't comment on what's causing this bug however if it's the same error message then it's probably back to the same core problem.

It's possible that if the old QT package is still available on your system that you could try forcing a re-install of the older version, but last time that was tried it didn't work.

Call Apple and put in a trouble ticket; that will get the ball rolling with getting the bug fix being worked on (and the more people that complain the faster it will get Apple's attention).

Depending on how you transcoded the P2 MXF files you might be able to simple re-encode them and then use media managers "reconnect media" to make the files work.

Lastly (and this is mainly for others who are considering the upgrade path) you *do not* have to constantly upgrade QT versions just because Apple releases them. If you have a system that's working and mostly trouble-free then there' no need to make any major QT or OS updates. The only reason for doing it would be to either add capabilities to your system (sometimes when new versions are released you get added useful features) or if there is a compatibility issue with newer software. Think of it this way: If you're car's engine runs perfectly well, why would you install new and un-tested parts?

But, if you're going to try any upgrade whether it's QT or the OS then the only safe thing to do is backup ALL your working files AND make an image of the current OS. That way if things go south after the updates you can easily revert back to the previous state without actually reinstalling the OS and every app piecemeal.

So far this is the first complaint I've seen about this issue; there's nothing on the Apple forums about it - yet - so keep us posted.

[Robert Lane]

Matt,

Do you have a status update on your issue?

[Shaun Roemich]

I had a lengthy discussion with an Apple Pro Apps service agent last week about QT 7.4.5 and FCP6.0.3 not playing nice with my JVC ProHD setup and I'm still waiting to hear from him.

I was told the only way to revert to an older version of Quicktime is by re-installing the OS. Needless to say, I'm waiting for the bug fix because re-installing 10.4.11 from scratch will be a nightmare for me, especially in the middle of a project.

I'm toying with buying another Mac to finish up this project and just NOT doing all the upgrades. I think FCP 6.0.2 and QT 7.3 was the last STABLE combo I had.

[Robert Lane]

Originally Posted by Shaun Roemich

...I was told the only way to revert to an older version of Quicktime is by re-installing the OS. Needless to say, I'm waiting for the bug fix because re-installing 10.4.11 from scratch will be a nightmare for me, especially in the middle of a project.

This is a perfect example of what they mean by backing up your entire system before making *any* significant updates to the OS, either major app or Quicktime.

OSX offers a cost-free method for doing this; no third-party software is required. All do you is boot from either the original install disc or a retail disc of OSX, run the Disk Utility and create a new image of your OS disk and save it to another internal or even an external. Depending on the speed of your system this could take a few hours or as little as 15 minutes.

Then install your updates to the current OS and see how things pan out; if things go wrong then all you have to do is wipe the OS drive, boot from the same OSX install disc and then restore your OS to it's previous state from your saved image.

I would *not* ever trust TimeMachine to pull this off effectively; it was designed to capture all the required info for built-in apps (consumer) but will not handle the complexity of FCS.

[Shaun Roemich]

Robert: I will take your VERY VALID AND VALUABLE advice in the spirit in which it was offered.

The frustrating thing is that one would hope that a software developer of PRO level apps would be a bit more careful when rolling out updates that could very adversely affect those who generate an income from their products.

Excuse me, I need to go find some horses now that I've closed the door on the barn...

[Mike Flynn]

Hmmm okay well this is kind of strange. I had problems after updating my Quicktime several months ago. Compressor would give me a QT error, or FCP would just quit unexpectedly during an export. I reverted back to the old version (7.3.1) and everything worked fine.

But wait...yesterday my Compressor starts acting up again and won't export m2vs or m4vs. FCP is quitting, or I am getting the QT error. My version of QT is still 7.3.1. I just reinstalled 7.3.1 and restarted and I am still getting the same thing. FCP just quit as I was typing this. I have not updated a single component of the OS or FCP or QT for months, because I did not want to jeopardize a perfectly working system. And now I am screwed. I suppose I will try updating to the very newest version and seeing what happens. I can always revert back to older versions.


EDIT: Updated to 7.4.5 and still the same issue. Now I am very desperate as I will need to use Compressor as an output from FCP this weekend, and if it doesn't work I won't get the project delivered on time. I have now updated every part of my computer, OS X, FC Studio, Quicktime...everything. If it still doesn't work I will go back and install QT 7.3.1 and see if that works with all the newly updated software.

[Mike Flynn]

Well I *seem* to have things running alright again. After updating my Pro Apps, Quicktime, OS X, firmware, etc I successfully exported a full length .m2v through Compressor from an FCP sequence. I am now trying an .m4v (iPod video - another format that was giving me errors) and it seems to be chugging along.

I don't want to seem paranoid - but my 8-core Mac Pro seems quite a bit slower at encoding video after I installed all these updates....hmmm.....

[Robert Lane]

Shaun,

Your complaint is completely valid and one that I and hundreds of others share, especially in the last 18 months. Apple certainly has put their foot in their mouths on more than one occasion with *updates* that do more harm than good for pro-app users, and just adds fuel to the fire of speculation that Mr. Jobs has shifted too much attention to iPhone.