User level: Level 1 (4 points)I need to view an mp4 file from a USB drive from my Tesla. I tried on my MacBook Pro, Apple M1 Pro, Tahoe 26.4.1 with the message "File is not compatible with Quick Time". I downloaded VLC with the same results. Also tried on my iMac Intel core i5, Sequoia 15.7.7 with the same message.
Posted on Jul 2, 2026 11:29 AM
User level: Level 7 (22,314 points)Jul 3, 2026 12:25 AM in response to YvesFo
That is weird because VLC should play almost any movie.
A sample clip on some cloud service would give us more clue (not Youtube because it re-encodes uploaded movies).
Also make sure you are not trying to play '._' dot underbar files which are created to FAT formatted disks (they can be deleted with dot_clean -mn [folder path]). Those files carry some Mac-specific extended file attributes that Windows, "smart" TVs and car devices do not understand.
User level: Level 6 (14,029 points)Jul 21, 2026 6:24 AM in response to YvesFo
Tesla uses H.265 HEVC video which technically should be compatible with macOS (any version). But Tesla could be using some weird tweaked parameter that makes the files weird.
https://www.clipsalvage.com/articles/how-tesla-stores-video.html
I suspect a corrupted video file. How is the USB drive formatted? Is it all videos from your Tesla, or just that one file?
Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256320489