MPEG2 playback on Mac OS 9?

[DarthNvader]

Was there ever a software solution to MPEG2 playback on Mac OS 9?

 

[Powerbase]

From a quick looks, it seems Quicktime 6 could once you got it the MPEG-2 playback component (a separate purchase at the time).

Edit: Initially available for classic OS, it seems. I'm not sure if the Pre-X Mac OS Quicktime 6 could use the MPEG2 component. That might have been a OS X only thing.

 

[Snial]

MPEG2 software playback was possible under Mac OS 8 as a QuickTime plug-in. It worked on PowerMacs as lowly as my PowerMac 4400/160.

QuickTime MPEG Extension

QuickTime MPEG Extension was a system extension that was developed by Apple Computer for classic Mac OS. It allowed playback of MPEG-1 video on Power Macintosh computers without the need for additional dedicated hardware, such as the Apple MPEG Media System card.[1][2] Version 1.0 of the...

apple.fandom.com

I presume there are later versions too. Aaah, this is MPEG-1!

 

[NJRoadfan]

Apple shipped a DVD player with a software decoder in MacOS 9, so QuickTime should have MPEG2 support via a plug-in.

 

[s_pupp]

The Quicktime 6 MPEG-2 plugin does indeed give the ability to play MPEG-2 files when booted to OS9. There is also a hacked version of the Apple DVD Player 2.7 that allows the playing of mounted DVD disk images in the absence of a hardware DVD drive.

 

[DarthNvader]

The Quicktime 6 MPEG-2 plugin does indeed give the ability to play MPEG-2 files when booted to OS9. There is also a hacked version of the Apple DVD Player 2.7 that allows the playing of mounted DVD disk images in the absence of a hardware DVD drive.

Can you elaborate on that?

All I can find is the "QuickTimeMPEG2.component", is this the file I need for OS 9?

 

[thecloud]

Files with the .component extension are for OS X and go into /Library/QuickTime/. For OS 9, you are looking for a file named "QuickTime MPEG2" that goes into :System Folder:Extensions:QuickTime Extensions:. I think you probably need to install the third download here.

 

[GorfTheChosen]

Files with the .component extension are for OS X and go into /Library/QuickTime/. For OS 9, you are looking for a file named "QuickTime MPEG2" that goes into :System Folder:Extensions:QuickTime Extensions:. I think you probably need to install the third download here.

 

[thecloud]

Just to make sure, I set up a new Mac OS 9.2.2 install in a VM, installed QuickTime 6.0.3 on top of that (since Mac OS 9.2.2 comes with QuickTime 5), then opened the .qup update file mentioned above. It installed the QuickTime MPEG2 file into the QuickTime Extensions directory.

 

[DarthNvader]

Just to make sure, I set up a new Mac OS 9.2.2 install in a VM, installed QuickTime 6.0.3 on top of that (since Mac OS 9.2.2 comes with QuickTime 5), then opened the .qup update file mentioned above. It installed the QuickTime MPEG2 file into the QuickTime Extensions directory.

Yes, the .qup is the QuickTime Update Package.

Thanks all!

 

[DarthNvader]

It seems to not require video acceleration or altivec, the test files I found playback just fine at full speed in Qemu even with the CPU set to a 604.

Test Files - Alcorn McBride

We have a library of files to help you test your gear. Click below to browse our selection.

alcorn.com