Perian for Mac

Name: Perian
Rating: 4.3 (45 reviews)
Author: The Perian Team

By The Perian TeamFreeUser Rating

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Key Details of Perian

QuickTime plugin that plays many video formats.
Last updated on 2/21/2024
There have been 9 updates
Virus scan status:
Clean (it's extremely likely that this software program is clean)

Editors' Review

Download.com staffFebruary 21, 2024

Perian is a software app that makes viewing your media files easier. Basically, Perian enables QuickTime application support for a wide variety of media files. Perian is available from several sources, but not the App Store when we looked. It installs easily as long as you have no software already installed that can conflict with Perian.

Perian supports a variety of file types for both video and audio files. All the standard file formats are supported, but there's a ton of less-commonly found file formats supported by Perian, too. Perian works without you realizing it is there. When QuickTime is used to play a file, that file just works (no more error messages). Files that don't normally work on the Mac all work using QuickTime, with Perian handling the file formats.

It's important to note that Perian does not work with QuickTime 10 or above, and the development team for Perian will cease updates in the near future to move to another project. Still, if you use earlier versions of QuickTime and run into file format issues (especially on migrated files), then Perian is a must-have. Its support for a huge number of file formats makes this a useful utility for most people.

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Full Specifications

WHAT'S NEW IN VERSION 1.3.2: - Some Fraps videos only displayed black. [r1424] (#566)
- Workaround checks for Front Row stopped being effective. [r1426] (#564)
- Fixed compatibility with web video playback. [r1427, r1429, r1450] (#572)
- Worked around System Preferences crashing during an update on 10.6. [r1449] (#591) This change will take effect after this update.
- Further fixes to Matroska import. [r1432, r1441, r1447] (#338, #492, #594, #601)

GENERAL

Release: July 23, 2011

Latest update: February 21, 2024

Version: 1.3.2

OPERATING SYSTEMS

Platform: Mac

Operating System: Mac OS X

POPULARITY

Total Downloads: 345,755

Downloads Last Week: 1

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User Reviews

4.3/5

45 User Votes

Play AVI and other videos in Quicktime Player
Indydan543219/2/2012
Pros
Quick and easy installation. Plays AVI and other videos in Quicktime Player. No separate interface required.
Cons
None found.
Summary
My computer is running OS 10.4.11. I installed Perian and can now play every video format except WMV in Quicktime Player. They play flawlessly (I use Windows Media Player 9 to play WMV files.)
Not sure what some people are complaining about.
solvs5/28/2012
Pros
It is free, works fine for most things. Only plugin package for Macs that comes with most of what you need. What's to complain about?
Cons
I did have some problems installing one system once, but I think they had other problems. Wound up reinstalling their OS (10.6) for something else and retrying this and it worked fine. Doesn't have every type of odd codec out there, so there are some things that it won't play, but neither does VLC sometimes. For what it is, it's great and I'm sad to see future development going away. Maybe now that it's completely opensourced someone else will take the ball and run with it. Love how it says it works on PPC 10.6, CNET are the ones who need to get their acts together.
Summary
It works, use it. If it doesn't, you have another problem. Don't say it doesn't work on an OS just because you're having issues. Using it on Mountain Lion, and it works fine with 2 different versions of QT.
Unable to view movies using Perian using Lion OS 10.6
cmooreatl1/2/2012
Pros
Quick and easy download.
Cons
Was unable to view movies using OS Lion 10.6 although audio worked perfectly.
Summary
Hope an update can rectify in the future. Thank you!
It sucks!!!
uniquueuser8/29/2011
Pros
I've found none.
Cons
Did I say it sucks?
Summary
There are other FREE options that work better and faster than this POS. Wasted money and so much time on it. I will never use it again.
It doesn't work on Lion
GiraltCR8/19/2011
Pros
None whatsoever.
Cons
It doesn't work.
Summary
They should've tested 1.2.3 on Lion before releasing it... It doesn't work at all.
Made things better!
missbike6/14/2011
Pros
I installed it- all my troubles with streaming sites like Hulu mostly disappeared! Didn't have to do anything. I like that!
Cons
Haven't had any. It seems to do it's thing and all is well.
Summary
I can only recommend it. Seemed to help enormously in Tiger; certainly hasn't hurt in Leopard. Recommend you try it if streaming media is a big mess, like mine was pre Perian
bless open source should have been build in quick time
jr4u25/29/2011
Pros
without it quick time is useless
Cons
none the best thing is free
Summary
Pleased with results
bj hoefle5/23/2011
Pros
Why could you not be pleased? Free and does what should already be built into computer os
Cons
If there are any I haven't found it yet
Summary
indispensable to Quicktime
attyimelda5/12/2011
Pros
very useful to QT.
Cons
none so far
Summary
since installing perian, my QT has been running glitch-free. switching from one video format to another is now seamless and effortless.
An unsung hero.
Mike Reith4/13/2011
Pros
Perian is a free product that does what operating systems fail to do--keep up with media translation. The writers of this product deserve accolades. Perian is not only essential it is easy to use and is constantly supported.
Cons
None. Ok, maybe the biggest con is anyone who would trash an open-source product that improves computing greatly.
Summary
Perian is the proof that open-source software works and works better than most commercial solutions. I would urge users to donate to their work. Everytime I click on media that would otherwise be useless I think of the programmers behind Perian. Silent Heros.

Developer's Description

By The Perian Team

QuickTime plugin that plays many video formats.

Perian enables QuickTime application support for additional media types:

AVI, FLV, and MKV file formats
MS-MPEG4 v1 & v2, DivX, 3ivx, H.264, FLV/Sorenson Spark, FSV1, VP6, H263i, VP3, HuffYUV, FFVHuff, MPEG1 & MPEG2 Video, Fraps, Windows Media Audio v1 & v2, Flash ADPCM, Xiph Vorbis (in Matroska), and MPEG Layer II Audio
AVI support for: AAC, AC3 Audio, H.264, MPEG4, and VBR MP3
Subtitle support for SSA/ASS and SRT

Perian for Mac

Key Details of Perian

Editors' Review

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User Reviews

Play AVI and other videos in Quicktime Player

Not sure what some people are complaining about.

Unable to view movies using Perian using Lion OS 10.6

It sucks!!!

It doesn't work on Lion

Made things better!

bless open source should have been build in quick time

Pleased with results

indispensable to Quicktime

An unsung hero.

Developer's Description