XPost: misc.phone.mobile.iphone, rec.photo.digital   
   From: mariasophia@comprehension.com   
      
   Frank Slootweg wrote:   
   >>  iTunes(no Quicktime)   
   >> Why does it work?  I know   
   >>   Maybe the op can figure out(why), too!   
   >   Those are indeed the defaults.   
      
   Thanks Winston & Frank for reporting what your observations are, so that   
   everyone on the team (Windows, iOS and digital photos group) benefits.   
      
   For the sake of those who don't know, iTunes is an Apple product.   
   It's not natively installed on Windows. The user usually installs it.   
      
   Once iTunes is installed, the system is no longer "indeed the defaults".   
    a. Apple iTunes is not "just a music player."   
    b. Apple iTunes installs a huge Apple media subsystem on Windows.   
      
   Hence, it's impossible for anyone to say with certainty that the "defaults"   
   are what the settings happen to be at any given moment *after* iTunes has   
   been installed, for example, even without QuickTime, iTunes installs a   
   large   
   portion of Apple's media framework on Windows such as ...   
    a. Apple Application Support (32-bit, 64-bit)   
       i. CoreFoundation.dll   
       ii. CoreGraphics.dll   
       iii. CoreMedia.dll   
       iv. CoreAudioToolbox.dll   
       v. ImageIO.dll   
       vi. Apple-specific proprietary MOV/MP4 parsing libraries   
    b. Apple Mobile Device Support   
       i. Libraries for reading iPhone/iPad media bundles   
       ii. Components for handling Live Photos and HEIF/HEVC assets   
       iii. Apple File Conduit (AFC) services   
    c. Apple QuickTime compatibility shims   
       i. Not the old QuickTime player   
       ii. But compatibility layers that mimic parts of the old API   
       iii. These can change how Windows selects decoders   
    d. Apple HEIF/HEVC support modules (varies by iTunes version)   
       i. HEIF parsing libraries   
       ii. HEVC decoding helpers   
       iii. Sidecar metadata handlers   
    e. Apple Photo Stream and iCloud hooks (optional)   
       i. Additional media handlers   
       ii. Additional codecs for HEIC/HEVC   
   And probably a few things that I omitted in this quick response.   
      
   In short: iTunes is effectively a codec pack. It installs Apple's media   
   stack, which can change how Windows and DirectShow handle MOV files,   
   Live Photos, and HEVC/H.264 content.   
      
   This means Winston's test environment was not a "clean" Windows install.   
   It was a Windows system with Apple's media framework already present,   
   which might explain why his IrfanView behaved differently from mine did.   
      
   These Apple-specific iTunes components certainly absolutely can affect:   
    A. how Windows handles MOV containers   
    B. how DirectShow filters are chosen   
    C. how IrfanView sees available decoders   
    D. how HEVC/H.264 fallback works   
    E. how Live Photo bundles are parsed   
      
   Even so, I thank Winston, who is not rebutting the technical explanation,   
   but only refraiming the situation so he can postulate my Irfanview settings   
   were wrong, which they were, so Winston is correct on my ini settings.   
      
   I admit it openly and publicly that my Irfanview settings were wrong.   
      
   But I do wish to momentarily point out Winston's theatrical performance was   
   duly noted, so I simply refer to his comments as... well... unhelpful.   
    a. "Contrary to the op's comment..."   
    b. "The only practical/logical possibility..."   
    c. "The op's analysis appears to be faulty..."   
    d. "Maybe the op can figure out why too!"   
   That's not technical discussion.   
   That's dominance signaling (with a mock riddle appended for effect).   
      
   The fact is Winston simply tested a different configuration than I did.   
   And, in fact, Winston's setup included Apple iTunes, whereas mine did not.   
      
   Winston's unhelpful theatrical performance that he knows the "secret" and   
   that I don't notwithstanding, I'm not trying to "win" silly games here.   
      
   The fact remains that all of us have set up our Windows machines for years,   
   and in some cases (as in mine, since 2009) when Quicktime was a thing.   
      
   Even as almost nobody's system is 'clean' (since all our systems are   
   "different"), I thank both Winston & Frank for their description of their   
   non-default setups (which depend on a host of factors, not just one).   
      
   My system was set up in 2009, and I've had Irfanview on it from the start.   
   So we're each discussion three differently set up Windows systems here.   
      
   All of us have had Windows setups that evolved over many years,   
   where IrfanView preserves its settings across upgrades. In my case,   
   IrfanView 32-bit had the QuickTime option enabled even as QuickTime has   
   long been removed from my system (which also had iTunes years ago).   
      
   Since QuickTime is long gone from my system, IrfanView attempted to load   
   QUICKTIME.DLL and failed immediately. Because of that, IrfanView never   
   fell back to DirectShow or LAV Filters. That's the problem I encountered.   
      
   Once I disabled the QuickTime option, IrfanView used DirectShow as   
   intended, and the MOV files played normally.   
      
   Leaving the theater to get back into the "technical room" behind the stage,   
   my experience reporrted in this intentionally helpful PSA observed that...   
      
   1. MOV thumbnails from my iPad Live Photos did not appear in Explorer.   
      Installing Icaros fixed that and preserved privacy.   
   2. IrfanView 32-bit failed to play the MOV files because it was trying   
      to use QuickTime first.   
   3. Disabling QuickTime in IrfanView fixed the playback issue.   
   4. Installing LAV Filters ensured that DirectShow could decode HEVC,   
      which is used by many iPhone/iPad devices.   
      
   Regarding the iOS side of things:   
      
   1. Normal videos obey the "Formats" setting in iOS:   
      a. High Efficiency  -> HEVC video + HEIF photos   
      b. Most Compatible  -> H.264 video + JPEG photos   
   2. Live Photos are different. A Live Photo is a bundle containing:   
      a. a JPEG or HEIF still image   
      b. a short video clip (the motion part)   
      
   The "Most Compatible" setting does not always apply to the motion clip.   
   Depending on the device and iOS version, the motion clip may still be   
   encoded as HEVC inside a MOV container. My iPad (10th generation)   
   produces HEVC motion clips even when "Most Compatible" is selected.   
      
   So the behavior Winston observed on his hardware is valid for his   
   system, and the behavior I observed on mine is valid for mine. Both can   
   be true at the same time because the configurations and devices differ.   
      
   What we all want to do is remain helpfully constructive, as this PSA was   
   intended to provide information for those who are connecting their iOS   
   device to their Windows device, without the iTunes layer installed.   
      
   It weas my mistake to not state the omission of iTunes on my system.   
   It was assumed NOT to be there.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)