Video Playback (.mp4/Youtube/VLC/etc.)

[WoolyBouley]

My friend acquired a computer years ago (450 MHz PowerPC G4 running Tiger 10.4.11) and today I gave her a fresh install to clear the old owner's password and junk pictures/documents and whatnot. Before I did this we used the computer to watch movies using VLC 0.9.10 (only .avi because my .mp4 were only generating audio). Since the fresh install, I re-installed VLC and to my surprise, the same movies we used to enjoy are now just a black screen with audio. I am completely up to date on all of my software and I have scoured these threads for answers with no luck.

I'm looking for a fix, first of all, for my .avi to play like before in VLC.

I would also love some information on being able to play .mp4. I tried MPlayer with the optimized settings for this processor and it didn't work. Am I out of options?

Also, I've been reading great things about viewing Youtube videos with MacTubes 3.1.4 since it's so damn choppy on her browser, but it seems to be just as choppy with this software.

I know this G4 is almost ancient and I understand if her processor or video card just can't handle some things, but I'm not willing to give up until I feel I've tried everything, especially since I've read so many similar stories with success. Forgive me if this thread is redundant, but I just couldn't find what I am looking for using the search.

Thanks.

 

[jbarley]

Maybe try downloading a copy of Perian, it can do wonders when it comes to video files on older systems.

 

[WoolyBouley]

Maybe try downloading a copy of Perian, it can do wonders when it comes to video files on older systems.

Perian did not do anything. I may not be using it correctly, but my problem still remains.

 

[MacinDan]

Try VLC 0.8.6 here. The black screen in 0.9.10 may mean you don't have a Quartz Extreme capable graphics card. In 0.8.6 you don't need one.

Set Mactubes to play with Quicktime instead of Flash by going to Preferences-->Player and selecting Quicktime Player.