I am trying to open an MP4 video that I recorded on my laptop and then sent to my desktop computer. This video would not open with any program that I tried, so I thought I’d try Shotcut. I used Shotcut a few years ago but am in need of a refresher and have been looking at tutorials but nothing covers the error message I’m getting which is that: “The video file either has the wrong codec or the file is corrupted 10100bc” something like that. Anyways, is there any hope (at all) of opening this file? I just downloaded the newest version of Shotcut 21.10.31.
I have often encountered video files that will not play in Windows Media Player, but will play in VLC or other programs. The two most common issues I have encountered are a codec that WMP does not support, or - much harder to diagnose - a chroma subsampling format that Windows / WMP cannot read. I would suggest first trying it either with VLC or loading into Shotcut, and seeing if it plays there. If so, and if you need it to play under Windows Media, you will have to convert the offending codec / chroma format.
Another option is to use a program that will show you exactly what is in the .MP4 container - codecs, bitrates, etc. There is one for Windows that gets mentioned here from time to time, but as I don’t use Windows, I do not recall what it is. (Hopefully someone else will chime in with the name.) I generally use the command line version of ffmpeg and get the info that way.
The newest version of MediaInfo has an advertisement link to the right of “Language” on the menu bar. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something that people may want to be aware of before installing.
See also in Shotcut Properties > menu > More Information… However, it is not quite as nice as or complete as MediaInfo, and sometimes it is nice to have its opinion.
I understand! This is part of why there is a learning curve for any video editing software … and a major reason why video editing software such as Shotcut is so amazing. There is an incredible amount going on “under the hood” with digital video files. People think “it’s just an .mp4 file” - but that can actually mean any of a hundred or more different combinations of codecs and chroma subsampling choices, plus infinite variety in terms of the bitrates chosen. The fact that digital video “just works” most of the time is simply astonishing.
That, of course, puts a lot of pressure on folks who are supplying or editing videos when they don’t “just work” - and that is where learning more about what is “under the hood” will be invaluable. But take it a step at a time - it doesn’t happen all at once!
