# Playing avi on a Mac **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 13, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341 "2006-02-13T21:33:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/1 "2006-02-13T21:33:08Z")
Very aggravating. I downloaded some avi files which show Quicktime icons. Double-clicking launches Quicktime and I get a couple of different errors, depending on the file. One is “Quicktime is missing softwarerequired to display this movie file. Unfortunately, it is not available on the QuickTime server.” The other is “You may experience problems playing a video track in [file name] because the required compressor could not be found. Would you like to close the movie or continue?” I click OK or continue or whatever and then click the start buttong on the movie window. The timer starts but no video or audio. What’s really annoying is that if I do a “get info” on the individual files then click on the preview, the movie runs in miniature in the “get info” window so my computer can bloody well read them with _something_. Based on a website I found I downloaded DivX6 for Mac; no success. So I’m looking either for something free I can download to play avi files or something free to convert them to some other format that I can view. I’m running QuickTime Player 6.5.3 with Mac OS 10.2.8. I’ve also tried Windows Media Player 7.1.3.0267 (“Cannot play back the file. The file format is invalid.”) and RealOne Player 9 (doesn’t even allow me to select the desired file). ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/2 "2006-02-13T23:12:05Z")
Have you been able to play them anywhere, like on a Windows machine? The Quicktime icon only means that that’s the default application to run avi files. It sounds like there’s something wrong with the files, but I’m no expert. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/3 "2006-02-13T23:15:02Z")
I don’t own and have no access to a Windows machine. I emailed the guy who posted the files, and his oh-so-helpful response was “I don’t know anything about computers, all I know is they all work for me.” Well bully for you. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/4 "2006-02-13T23:17:42Z")
Try [VLC](http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) , a small, free video app. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/5 "2006-02-13T23:45:54Z")
Sounds like you’re missing whatever version of the divx codec. At least, that’s most likely the cause. **Stan Doubt** ’s link to VLC player is definitely what you want. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/6 "2006-02-13T23:46:54Z")
VLC player will solve all of your problems, I bet. That’s what I use. Works flawlessly. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2006, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/7 "2006-02-13T23:54:05Z")
you still need the codec. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/8 "2006-02-14T00:38:40Z")
OK, so I downloaded VLC and it runs the clips. Except it runs a double image in shades of purple and green. Which I don’t think is right. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/9 "2006-02-14T00:57:39Z")
Try a different video output type. You’ll find such an option under Settings -\> Preferences -\> Video -\> Output Modules. You might have to check “Advanced Options” too. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/10 "2006-02-14T01:14:01Z")
Nothing that says Output Modules under Video preferences, even with the advanced options checked. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/11 "2006-02-14T02:28:04Z")
You expanded the “Video” tree, right? For example, [this](http://img496.imageshack.us/img496/4888/untitled7ba.gif) and not [this](http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/8232/untitled28od.gif)? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/12 "2006-02-14T03:23:05Z")
OK there’s the output modules, and I played around with selecting some different ones, and either nothing changed or the file didn’t play at all. I don’t understand any of this stuff. Why can’t they just make a “stop being purple and green” button? ---
**Author:** ![Tyrrell\_McAllister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tyrrell_mcallister/32/16772_2.png) [@Tyrrell\_McAllister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyrrell_McAllister)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2006, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-avi-on-a-mac/344341/13 "2006-02-14T03:28:04Z")
An alternative to VLC is [MPlayer](http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/27163). Never hurts to have as many video-playing options as possible.