I gave iMovie a try but it just made things more mysterious. When using "Import Movie" it shows some files as greyed-out and others as apparently openable. However, iMovie won't open all files that would seem to be okay. Instead some open and some have a -37 error. Quicktime, on the other hand, will open every file with an icon that appears to say okay.
ERROR -37
erreor -37 bdNamErr there may be bad names in the final system
Ten or twelve years ago the assumption would be there was a file or folder name somewhere in the file pathname longer the 31 characters but that limit has long since gone away. However you might try renaming the files getting the -37 error on the suspicion there is something wonky (hidden characters
etc. embedded somewhere in there.
How and on what kind of media have these files been stored and for how long and it what conditions? It is starting to sound as if the files may have become damaged. It only takes a few bits to decay, fade, or flip in the wrong place to make a file unusable and magnetic media has a finite lifespan. SD cards and thumb drives have an even shorter memory lifetime.
VLC Player will also repair damaged videos but there are some things you must do when importing the files
You simply need to go to “Tools†=> select “Preferences†from the drop-down. Now, a window will open where need to find and click on “Inputs/Codecs†option. Scroll down the sidebar and identify the section that says “Damaged or incomplete AVI fileâ€. This has a drop down from where you need to select “Always Fixâ€. Now save your preferences and play the video error free.
Now, a window will open where need to find and click on “Inputs/Codecs†option. Scroll down the sidebar and identify the section that says “Damaged or incomplete AVI fileâ€. This has a drop down from where you need to select “Always Fixâ€. Now save your preferences and play the video. If its corrupt VLC will fix it.
There are also dedicate video repair apps such as
Video Doctor,
WonderShare.