Here is a neat trick that I am sure could be expanded to include even more file types, as submitted by reader Frantz. Thanks, Frantz!
I’ve found a trick allowing me to display Matroska video files in Quicklook without the need of a plugin :
1 / First you need Perian for mkv support in Quicktime : http://perian.org/
2 / Then you need to add a Uniform Type Identifier in Quicktime Player :
- Edit QuickTime Player.app’s /Contents/info.plist
- Add the following code just before the last 2 tags </dict></plist> :
<key>UTExportedTypeDeclarations</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>UTTypeConformsTo</key>
<array>
<string>public.movie</string>
</array>
<key>UTTypeDescription</key>
<string>Matroska Video File</string>
<key>UTTypeIconName</key>
<string>generic</string>
<key>UTTypeIdentifier</key>
<string>com.apple.quicktime.mkv</string>
<key>UTTypeReferenceURL</key>
<string>http://www.matroska.org/</string>
<key>UTTypeTagSpecification</key>
<dict>
<key>public.filename-extension</key>
<array>
<string>mkv</string>
</array>
</dict>
</dict>
</array>
3 / In Terminal.app
touch /Applications/QuickTime\ Player.app
Et voila that’s all:
December 17th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
[...] some good stuff not on the other so it’s worth keeping an eye on both. Highlights include a neat trick for expanding video format support to mkv (Matroska video) files (and in principle others) and a [...]
December 17th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
[...] some good stuff not on the other so it’s worth keeping an eye on both. Highlights include a neat trick for expanding video format support to mkv (Matroska video) files (and in principle others) and a [...]
December 17th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
[...] some good stuff not on the other so it’s worth keeping an eye on both. Highlights include a neat trick for expanding video format support to mkv (Matroska video) files (and in principle others) and a [...]
December 17th, 2007 at 11:14 pm
this is pretty cool… does anyone know how to display thumbnails for mkv files? is there a tutorial anywhere that shows this?
December 18th, 2007 at 7:16 am
[...] some good stuff not on the other so it’s worth keeping an eye on both. Highlights include a neat trick for expanding video format support to mkv (Matroska video) files (and in principle others) and a [...]
December 18th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
I don’t get step 3? Could you explain it for a newbie?
December 18th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
In order for the OS to update Quicktime based off of the changes you made, “touching” the file will force it to update to the latest changes you made to it.
December 18th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
[...] some good stuff not on the other so it’s worth keeping an eye on both. Highlights include a neat trick for expanding video format support to mkv (Matroska video) files (and in principle others) and a [...]
December 19th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
[...] some good stuff not on the other so it’s worth keeping an eye on both. Highlights include a neat trick for expanding video format support to mkv (Matroska video) files (and in principle others) and a [...]
December 21st, 2007 at 8:01 am
[...] some good stuff not on the other so it’s worth keeping an eye on both. Highlights include a neat trick for expanding video format support to mkv (Matroska video) files (and in principle others) and a [...]
December 25th, 2007 at 8:24 am
Hi, nice workaround, but i dont get any sound and there is no thumbnail in finder. Any idea?
Thanks
December 25th, 2007 at 10:46 am
I did exactly what the tip said and the video works but the sound is deafening screech. How can I fix this please?
January 10th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Minor tweaks result in this working for wmv files, too (assuming you have Flip4Mac installed to allow playing them in the first place):
UTTypeConformsTo
public.movie
UTTypeDescription
Windows Media Player File
UTTypeIconName
generic
UTTypeIdentifier
com.apple.quicktime.wmv
UTTypeReferenceURL
http://www.flip4mac.com/wmv.htm
UTTypeTagSpecification
public.filename-extension
wmv
January 10th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Oops, didn’t escape any of the characters. Let’s try again:
<array>
<dict>
<key>UTTypeConformsTo</key>
<array>
<string>public.movie</string>
</array>
<key>UTTypeDescription</key>
<string>Windows Media Player File</string>
<key>UTTypeIconName</key>
<string>generic</string>
<key>UTTypeIdentifier</key>
<string>com.apple.quicktime.wmv</string>
<key>UTTypeReferenceURL</key>
<string>http://www.google.com</string>
<key>UTTypeTagSpecification</key>
<dict>
<key>public.filename-extension</key>
<array>
<string>wmv</string>
</array>
</dict>
</dict>
</array>
January 15th, 2008 at 11:12 am
This seems to work for ogg vorbis files.
<key>UTExportedTypeDeclarations</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>UTTypeConformsTo</key>
<array>
<string>public.audio</string>
</array>
<key>UTTypeDescription</key>
<string>Ogg Vorbis Audio File</string>
<key>UTTypeIconName</key>
<string>generic</string>
<key>UTTypeIdentifier</key>
<string>com.apple.quicktime.ogg</string>
<key>UTTypeReferenceURL</key>
<string>http://www.vorbis.org/</string>
<key>UTTypeTagSpecification</key>
<dict>
<key>public.filename-extension</key>
<array>
<string>ogg</string>
</array>
</dict>
</dict>
</array>
January 19th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Hi All,
Orri I thought you missed the first line too.
The correct lines are:
UTExportedTypeDeclarations
UTTypeConformsTo
public.movie
UTTypeDescription
Windows Media Player File
UTTypeIconName
generic
UTTypeIdentifier
com.apple.quicktime.wmv
UTTypeReferenceURL
http://www.google.com
UTTypeTagSpecification
public.filename-extension
wmv
Regards,
Steaf
January 20th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Hmm. Is there another way to add a UTI entry _without_ modifying the original Quicktime Player app’s contents? Where are entries of this kinds usually stored in the system? I’m completely up-to-date with the latest rev of the QT app, so I can’t (or too lazy to) check if this info.plist mod will survive a QT rev update.
As for the sound troubles, it’s likely that the Perian sound prefs are not being honored into the Quicklook Quicktime daemon. The screeching is likely an AC3 soundtrack not being passed through or something like that. That’s my best guess, in any event.
It’d be nice to build a Quicklook module which uses the mplayer module to preview more esoteric movie (container) formats. I’ll take up programming now, and get back to it in a year.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:31 am
hey.. it has stopped working in 10.5.2 and QT 7.4.5.
i realized it just a few days back. any chance we can see a separate plug-in like for the other files??
i think this work around would break every time there is an update. or atleast is likely to.
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:02 am
edit : it still works. my plist editor was acting up.
it still works.
yay!