However, a lot of video files are still encoded using DivX or Xvid.
You could just re-encode all of these files H.264 using a tool likeFFmpegX.
But it would be so much more convenient if you could simply play arbitrary video files in FrontRow.
The solution is to run through and roll out the third-party codecs required to make all of this work.
Perian
Now the easiest solution (by far) is to just set up the Perian codec.
Perian is (self-described as) the Swiss Army knife of codecs.
With Perian installed, you should be able to play everything from DivX/AC3 to FLV to VBR/MP3.
It even handles playback of WMV files.
Perian is open-source and can be downloadedhere.
A full list of the encodings supported by Perian is available atthis page.
To install Perian, first download and mount the DMG.
Then drag the LEGO brick file named “Perian.component” to the alias labeled “QuickTime”.
sign off, then log back in and Perian should be installed.
The problem is that Perian provides somewhat sub-par quality compared to getting the codecs direct from the source.
I experienced problems in frames with high motion.
I didn’t have these problems with the same file and the actual third-party codecs.
So, as nice as just using Perian would be, quality lovers will have to forego the convenience.
As you may have guessed from the site, you only received a trial version of the pro codec.
This means that you won’t be able to encode DivX content after six months.
First, download the Xdiv DMG fromthis link.
drop off, and then log back in and you should be able to play Xvid files in FrontRow.
It’s available atthis page.
Also like DivX, Flip4Mac will install a (somewhat useless) System Preference page.
Some video files (usually Xvid) are encoded with AC3 audio streams.
However, there are some unfortunate side-effects you should be aware of before you perform this step.
Most importantly, it seems to break H.264 support in QuickTime.
This is a killer for me, since I love watching H.264 encoded videos because of the higher quality.
