Knowledge Base

Problem

Users receive an 'invalid type' error or the video simply does not load when attempting to import or play an MP4 file in Observer XT.

Details

Observer XT supports MP4 as a container format, but specific internal codecs or encoding settings within the MP4 can prevent playback. This can occur on any Observer XT version. The error may appear during video import or when starting an observation. Videos opened directly from an external device (e.g., camera, phone) rather than copied to the local computer may also fail.

Solution

1. Ensure the video file is fully copied to the local computer before importing — do not open it directly from a camera, phone, or external device.
2. If you receive an 'invalid type' or codec error, the MP4's internal codec is likely unsupported. Convert the video to a compatible format such as DivX, Xvid, MPEG-1, or MPEG-2 using a third-party video converter.
3. After conversion, retry the import in Observer XT.
4. If playback issues persist, right-click the video in an observation and select 'Properties' to verify the codec and frame rate details, which can help identify the incompatible element.
5. Note: frame rate and codec are determined at recording time by the capture software (e.g., MediaRecorder or Viso) and cannot be changed within Observer XT itself.