Hi Nick,

Thanks for replying.  I should have included my system details in the original post:

Windows 10 Pro Version 10.0.14393 Build 14393
AMD Radeon RX 460 Graphics
Radeon Software Version 16.6
Intel Core i7-2600K CPU @ 3.40GHz
16 GB RAM
ASUS P8Z68-V Intel Z68 Motherboard
Vegas Pro 14 Suite (Build 201)

I've uploaded a sample file that was recorded on an iPhone 4S, which Vegas has intermittent issues accessing. (and cannot open without Quicktime installed): https://www.dropbox.com/s/fyads5pmo5js3mk/IMG_2173.MOV?dl=0

Thank you.

Yep, uses QT to read this format...

Plug-In
  Name: qt7plug.dll
  Folder: C:\Program Files\VEGAS\VEGAS Pro 14.0\FileIO Plug-Ins\qt7plug
  Format: QuickTime 7
  Version: Version 14.0 (Build 201)
  Company: MAGIX Computer Products Intl. Co.

And it is standard h264 format.

General
Complete name                            : G:\TEST\Media Tests\iPhone 4s\IMG_2173.MOV
Format                                   : MPEG-4
Format profile                           : QuickTime
Codec ID                                 : qt   0000.00 (qt  )
File size                                : 14.9 MiB
Duration                                 : 10 s 573 ms
Overall bit rate                         : 11.9 Mb/s
Encoded date                             : UTC 2016-07-21 22:06:53
Tagged date                              : UTC 2016-07-21 22:07:04
Writing library                          : Apple QuickTime
com.apple.quicktime.make                 : Apple
com.apple.quicktime.model                : iPhone 5s
com.apple.quicktime.software             : 9.3.2
com.apple.quicktime.creationdate         : 2016-07-21T15:06:53-0700

Video
ID                                       : 1
Format                                   : AVC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                           : High@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC                   : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames                : 1 frame
Format settings, GOP                     : M=1, N=30
Codec ID                                 : avc1
Codec ID/Info                            : Advanced Video Coding
Duration                                 : 10 s 573 ms
Bit rate                                 : 11.8 Mb/s
Width                                    : 1 920 pixels
Height                                   : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9
Frame rate mode                          : Variable
Frame rate                               : 29.970 (29970/1000) FPS
Minimum frame rate                       : 28.571 FPS
Maximum frame rate                       : 30.000 FPS
Color space                              : YUV
Chroma subsampling                       : 4:2:0
Bit depth                                : 8 bits
Scan type                                : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.190
Stream size                              : 14.9 MiB (99%)
Title                                    : Core Media Video
Encoded date                             : UTC 2016-07-21 22:06:53
Tagged date                              : UTC 2016-07-21 22:07:04
Color range                              : Limited
Color primaries                          : BT.709
Transfer characteristics                 : BT.709
Matrix coefficients                      : BT.709

Audio
ID                                       : 2
Format                                   : AAC
Format/Info                              : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile                           : LC
Codec ID                                 : 40
Duration                                 : 10 s 572 ms
Source duration                          : 10 s 635 ms
Bit rate mode                            : Constant
Bit rate                                 : 64.0 kb/s
Channel(s)                               : 1 channel
Channel positions                        : Front: C
Sampling rate                            : 44.1 kHz
Frame rate                               : 43.066 FPS (1024 spf)
Compression mode                         : Lossy
Stream size                              : 80.4 KiB (1%)
Source stream size                       : 80.7 KiB (1%)
Title                                    : Core Media Audio
Encoded date                             : UTC 2016-07-21 22:06:53
Tagged date                              : UTC 2016-07-21 22:07:04

Other #1
Type                                     : meta
Duration                                 : 10 s 573 ms

Other #2
Type                                     : meta
Duration                                 : 10 s 573 ms

Thanks, Set.

Yes, that "plugin" within Vegas simply calls the installed Quicktime software. Of course, Quicktime is no longer supported on Windows and I having this dependence seems to be problematic.

Sometimes Vegas will play it fine, then I only get audio (black preview window). I can sometimes click to another clip and then go back to the .MOV clip and it works again, other times I need to close Vegas and re-open. Very buggy and unreliable. Hence my post.

I've also opened a support request with Magix as occasionally Vegas crashes (and I send the crash reports).

I leave quicktime as it is since installed, and not worry about that security issue thing..

OK, so this batch file will rewrap all the .mov files to .mp4 in the directory from which you run it. You can name it to something like mov-to-mp4.bat and just double click it.

for %%a in ("*.mov") do ffmpeg -i "%%a" -vcodec copy -acodec copy "%%~na.mp4"

(Suggestions for improvements to that file from batch file experts are welcome!)

For FFmpeg, I recommend you download the latest 64-bit Zeranoe build, unzip to wherever you like to run it from (mine is in C:\Program Files\ffmpeg), and add it to your path so you can run it in a command line from anywhere. More help here.

Thanks, Nick! That seemed to work perfectly. Silly how Vegas requires Quicktime installed to play this. I will re-wrap into MP4 moving forward. I think you may have saved me countless hours. I just wish I posted to this group previously!

As compoundplug.dll will play the files with a simple rewrap from .mov to .mp4, it would seem pretty straightforward to add native support of the .mov version of these types of files to Vegas.

I agree. Thanks again. Hopefully MAGIX adds native support for this in a future release.

Nick's command is a bit outdated. If it doesnt work for you, please use

for %%a in ("*.mov") do ffmpeg -i "%%a" -qscale 0 "%%~na.mp4"

it seems to work when -vcodec and -acodec don't. don't know why, but it does.

Nick's command is a bit outdated. If it doesnt work for you, please use

for %%a in ("*.mov") do ffmpeg -i "%%a" -qscale 0 "%%~na.mp4"

it seems to work when -vcodec and -acodec don't. don't know why, but it does.

qscale is a new one to me. I'll give it a go.

vcodec is an alias for codec:v and acodec is an alias for codec:a, so maybe this syntax would work if -vcodec and -acodec are failing:

for %%a in ("*.mov") do ffmpeg -i "%%a" -codec:v copy -codec:a copy "%%~na.mp4"

or:

for %%a in ("*.mov") do ffmpeg -i "%%a" -c:v copy -c:a copy "%%~na.mp4"

or maybe even just this:

for %%a in ("*.mov") do ffmpeg -i "%%a" -c copy "%%~na.mp4"

@dickson1337 I just did a test with footage from 4 different Apple mobile devices, using Zeranoe's ffmpeg 3.3.1.64-bit release. Those last 3 lines I suggested all work correctly (i.e. lossless re-wrap) but "-qscale 0" lossily re-encodes the footage, is slow, and throws up a warning, "Please use -qia or -qiv, -qscale is ambiguous".

weird. I think there's something wrong with the audio codec and it can't be copied or something. the videos were from a digital camera for a school project. also, this only seems to happen on windows 10. well in any case, slow or not, it fixed my Vegas crashing all the time, so again, for future visitors, give both lines a shot and see what you come up with.

EDIT: I realised it might be because of the PCM codec in most .mov audio which can't be copied over to .mp4, so maybe something like

for %%a in (*.mov) do ffmpeg -i "%%a" -c:v copy -qia "%%~na.mp4"

this should reencode only the audio theoretically, but I'd need someone to test this. Again, only use this line if Nick's don't.

ffmpeg doesn't accept pcm audio in mp4 container indeed.

I would use this command line instead of yours

for %%a in (*.mov) do ffmpeg -i "%%a" -c:v copy -c:a aac -b:a 192k "%%~na.mp4"

Of course, you can change 192k to a value that suit you.

I agree with GJeffrey's suggestion.

Also worth mentioning that AVC+PCM in a MOV container is supported by the spec and by ffmpeg, and often gets very nicely decoded by Vegas without Quicktime (using Vegas's native compoundplug.dll instead of qt7plug.dll). In fact that's how I archive my Panasonic GH4 footage after trimming, so I can keep both video and audio lossless. But it sounds like something about the spec of the files from dickson1337's camera prevents compoundplug from decoding them.