XPost: misc.phone.mobile.iphone, rec.photo.digital   
   From: winstonmvp@gmail.com   
      
   On 2/20/2026 1:56 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:   
   > Maria Sophia  wrote:   
   > [...]   
   >> While iOS does allow switching the codec for standard video (H.264 vs.   
   >> HEVC), apparently that interoperability setting is not used for the short   
   >> motion clip embedded in a Live Photo. For Live Photos, Apple always appears   
   >> to encode the video portion as HEVC inside a MOV container, and there is no   
   >> user setting I could find that forces H.264 for that specific stream. Even   
   >> with "Most Compatible" enabled, Live Photos still produced HEVC video.   
      
   Inserted from earlier reply.   
   >> The playback issue I described was not caused by the capture format anyway.   
   >> IrfanView 32-bit was forcing the old QuickTime plugin for MOV playback, and   
   >> since QUICKTIME.DLL no longer exists on my Windows PC, playback failed   
   >> immediately. IrfanView never fell back to DirectShow or LAV Filters.   
    >>   
   >> Once I disabled the QuickTime option to let IrfanView use DirectShow, and   
   >> once a modern DirectShow codec pack was installed (LAV Video, LAV Audio,   
   >> LAV Splitter), the iPad MOV files played normally, as they should play.   
      
      
   >   
   >    Thanks for the feedback. I already was afraid that (Apple's) Live   
   > Photos would be a special case, i.e. not a 'normal' video. Oh well,   
   > can't win them all.   
      
   Clean install of Win10 and Win11 each to a separate device.   
     Win10 Pro 22H2(Surface 3, 128GB eMMC ) - Win11 25H2 Pro(Acer Laptop,   
   8th gen, Micron 256 GB SSD).   
     - No MSFT apps removed from either device after setting up each with a   
   Local Account(No MSFT account logon on either device).   
      
     Common software installed or included on each device.   
     - Media Player(included app), Media Player legacy, iTunes(no   
   Quicktime), Irfanview 4.72 32-bit with default settings, Thunderbird,   
   and Chrome. No additional CODECs installed!   
      
   Install of Irfanview on Win10/Win11 does not enable QuickTime or force   
   use of 'old' Quicktime.   
     - Default Video Sound Settings(all auto-enabled/pre-checked as default   
   on first use)   
     1. Use internal video/sound player(recommended; Use DirectShow for playing   
     2. Play MP3/OGG/RA files in main window(using Direct Show option)   
     3. Try to play Flash video(FLV files in main windows(using Direct Show   
   option)   
     4. Neither of the two QuickTime options were enabled(i.e. unchecked)   
      Use Quick Times ror Mov/3GP/MP$FLI/FLC; Use Quick Time for QTIF, MAC   
   PICT files.   
      
   - 2 separate videos created on iPhone 16 using 'Most Compatible setting)   
   - not High Efficiency(HEIF/HEVC). Both created as *.MOV files. *.MOV   
   files transferred to both Win10/Win11 using 3 different routes(Upload to   
   OneDrive/sync down to Windows, copied from trusted iPhone to Windows via   
   File Explorer, and emailed from iPhone to POP3 email in Thunderbird)   
   - 2 separate Live Photos created on iPhone(when using Most Compatible) -   
   Note, these save as JPG/H.264 - photos also transferred to Win10/Win11.   
      
   Both MOV files played in Irfanview using the above default installed   
   settings.   
   Both Live Photo files played in IrfanView  using the above default   
   installed settings.   
      
      
     i.e. Contrary to the op's comment.   
     => Irfanview 32-bit does not force QuickTime(when QT is not present).   
     => Playing MOV files did not fail because QT was not present.   
     => Viewing Live Photo files did not fail because QT(or any other   
   related) was not present.   
     => Irfanview does not fall back to DirectShow b/c QuickTime is not   
   present - it is the default pre-enabled setting.   
      
      
   The only practical/logical possibility for the op's experience   
     - Irfanview's settings(before or after the QT dll(or its app) was   
   uninstalled or deleted) for QT was previously enabled.   
     Thus the only configuration that should have been required on   
   Win10/Win11 with an untampered o/s  to play MOV files or view Live   
   Photos was Irfanview's 32 bit default setting(Direct Show).   
      
      
   The op's analysis appears to be faulty for MOV files(*.MOV) and Live   
   Photos(JPG/H.264) when created using Apple's common 'Most Compatible'   
   setting/feature on an iPhone(and iPad).   
      
   Why does it work?  I know   
     Maybe the op can figure out(why), too!   
      
      
   --   
   ...w¡ñ§±¤ñ   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)