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Current Version

New! Flip4Mac WMV 2.3.1.2 available
Supports MAC OS X Snow Leopard
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Purchase Assistance

Need assistance with a previous purchase?
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Re-download your product
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Obtain your serial numbers
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Click here, then enter your order number

Flip4Mac WMV Frequently Asked Questions

Support

Does the new version of Flip4Mac WMV also include a Microsoft Silverlight installer?
Yes, the newest version of Flip4Mac WMV includes the option to install Microsoft Silverlight browser plug-ins to expand the Microsoft video content that can easily be viewed by Mac clients. Silverlight components are installed by default. To disable that installation, click on the “Customize” button under the “Installation Type” pane and then uncheck the Microsoft Silverlight Plug-in option.

How can I get technical support?
Whether you're using the trial version of Flip4Mac or have recently purchased, if you have questions or need help, we want you to be able to find the answer as quickly and easily as possible. Here are a few suggestions we believe will be helpful.

Browse the community user's forum which has answers to all kinds of questions. The forum is broken down into categories so that it's easy for you to post specific questions and get helpful feedback from our forum moderators and other users.
Select the WMV FAQ link on the Flip4Mac Support page to review the answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Send a Support Request to the Flip4Mac Support Team.

Where can I obtain a copy of my invoice?
Flip4Mac is an internet based company, as such, the official invoice can also be found online. Click here to obtain your order information and invoice, thanks for purchasing!

Flip4Mac products are currently supported through our community forum. Click Here to visit the forum now.

Do you accept Purchase Orders for a Flip4Mac purchase?
We can accept Purchase Orders for the Flip4Mac products, although we primarily sell through the Flip4Mac e-store. In order to process a Purchase Order, we will need a prepaid check accompanying the Purchase Order and there will be a $15 per item processing fee. If you need a quote, just email desktopsupport@telestream.net and we will be happy to provide one.

Playback

I have a file where I can only get the video, but not the audio (or vise-versa).
Usually when a file plays only video or audio, it is because the missing media is encoded using a codec which is not available in your system. Please review the entry below for information on unsupported codecs. If you do not know what codec the video is using, you can contact our support team for assistance. Please include the size of the file so we can recommend a method for delivery.

Does Flip4Mac WMV support all WMV codecs
At the present time, Flip4Mac does not support playback or conversion to the following Windows Media codecs:

Windows Media Audio Voice
Windows Media Video Screen
Windows Media Video Image
GoToMeeting (G2M)
GoToWebinar

Note: Videos created using Microsoft PhotoStory are encoded using the Image codec.

Support for these codecs is on our roadmap and we hope to have compatibility in the near future.

When playing WMV files, playback is jerky and/or I can’t move ahead in the timeline. How can I fix this?
Flip4Mac version 2.3.0.7 introduced a change to the way it loads files. Rather than preloading, the file loads immediately, allowing you to play the video while it finishes loading in the background. This is a considerably slower load time than if it preloads, but allows you to watch the video without delay. This was done to eliminate conflicts with certain applications when encoding. However, for larger files and particularly HD files, it can cause stuttering playback and the inability to skip ahead in the timeline.

To change this option, do the following:

Go to System Preferences > Flip4Mac WMV > Player and click the Advanced button
Click the + button and add QuickTime to the list
Reboot QuickTime for the changes to take effect

Why don’t videos play properly in Safari 4?
Flip4Mac WMV Player is currently not fully compatible with Safari 4. Safari 4 contained a major change to plug-in integration and we are currently working with Apple to resolve the situation. Until all of the variables have been addressed, we recommend that you use Safari 3 or another web browser for playing Windows Media on the web. We appreciate your patience.

Why aren't my Flip4Mac Browser Preference Settings being used?
Beginning in Mac OS X 10.6, all Apple applications, including Safari, run as 64-bit applications on 64-bit computers (most Macintosh computers manufactured in the past few years). The Flip4Mac WMV Web plug-in is also 64-bit compatible. However, certain functionality in the plug-in is not supported by Apple when running as 64-bit, specifically the WMV Player movie controller – the bar at the bottom of the movie that enables you to play/pause, set the volume, and use the drop-down menu at the right that, among other things, lets you save the movie. Instead, Apple's controller must be used and the drop-down features aren't available.

To use the WMV Player movie controller when playing embedded media, Safari must be in 32-bit mode. Apple has also removed support for the WMV Player movie controller from Safari 4 under Mac OS X 10.5.

The WMV Player movie controller does not display when:

Playing a non-embedded movie in Safari 4 under Mac OS X 10.5 or higher
Playing any movie in Safari under Mac OS X when Safari is set to 64-bit (the default)

The WMV Player movie controller displays when:

FireFox or any other Mozilla-based browser
Safari 3 (Mac OS X 10.5 only)
Safari 4 in Mac OS X 10.5 or 32-bit Safari 4 in Mac OS X 10.6 when viewing embedded media

Therefore, the Flip4Mac Browser Preference Pane settings will only be used when the web page has been authored to support Windows Media embedded plugins.

I want to play .mms streams in iTunes with Flip4Mac. Can I?
Yes you can. Here's how:

Make sure the Flip4Mac plug-in is installed – this will allow you to play the streaming .mms URL in QuickTime.
Open QuickTime Player, then use File: Open URL (or just hit Command-U)
Type in your URL – in my example, that's mms://wmc1.liquidviewer.net/WEEI (Boston sports radio), then click OK. The URL will take a while to open; be patient, let it buffer as needed.
Save the stream as a .mov file using File: Save As, etc. Just save it to your Desktop as an ordinary .mov file; name it as you'd like.
Drag the .mov file you just created into your iTunes Library.
Play the movie file in iTunes. It will again take some time to buffer and stream, and it will not show up in iTunes as a streaming radio URL, but it will play as one.

Does Flip4Mac WMV support URL flipping?
URL flipping is not supported when Create Streaming Movies in the Flip4Mac Streaming Utility is turned on. Although this feature cannot be changed using the UI, it can be enabled by App developers but will affect Flip4Mac's capability to support URL flipping.

Can third parties build Windows Media DRM capable clients for the Mac?
Microsoft makes Windows Media DRM technology available for Windows operating systems and many device platforms. At this time, Microsoft has no plans to offer Windows Media DRM support on the Macintosh.

Upgrade

How do I upgrade?
If you installed Flip4Mac WMV on a computer that's connected to the Internet, you can purchase an upgrade directly from System Preferences. Simply, open the Flip4Mac WMV preference pane and click Upgrade. Then click the lock icon to enter an administrator name and password to make changes to the upgrade settings. Finally, select the features you need and click Purchase to start the secure Flip4Mac Software Purchase Wizard. When the purchase is complete your serial number is automatically entered and activated. You will receive an Order Confirmation via email containing your serial number. Save this receipt in case you ever need to re-install the software. If you are upgrading from a previously purchased upgrade level, this will deduct your previous expense from the total cost.

I don’t know which version of Flip4Mac to purchase. Can you help?
Please review For more information, please review the Flip4Mac Product Sheet for detailed upgrade information. If you still have any questions, you can contact our support staff. Please describe your workflow in detail when requesting upgrade information. Upgrades do not improve playback capability.

Can I create WMV content with the Player Pro component?
No, the Player Pro component does not contain a WMV encoder, therefore encoding or creating WMV content is not supported. You must purchase one of Flip4Mac's WMV Studio components to export to WMV. For more information, please review the Flip4Mac Product Sheet.

Why is my WMV file only 30 seconds long?
The WMV Studio Export Component is most likely operating in “trial” mode or using Player Pro’s trial features. During the trial period any Windows Media files that you export are restricted to half the length of your source media, up to a maximum of 30 seconds. To create a full-length WMV file, you will need a minimum upgrade level of Flip4Mac WMV Studio. All you need to do is go System Preferences > Flip4Mac WMV > Upgrade and follow the purchase instructions. If you have purchased Flip4Mac WMV, make sure you have your license installed properly in System Preferences.

Flip4Mac Frame Sizes
The Flip4Mac WMV Studio allows you to convert videos to WMV using preconfigured settings. Prior to upgrading from the Flip4Mac WMV Player, the entire feature set was available in demo mode. Once WMV Studio is licensed, frames sizes are limited to the preconfigured setting sizes. These settings were designed by a master compressionist and will serve you well in most cases. The available frame sizes for all products can be found at http://www.telestream.net/flip4mac-wmv/tech-specs.htm.

Also keep in mind that output frame size must be divisible by two. Flip4Mac will not allow exporting a WMV file with a frame size that is not divisible by two.

Here are a few tips regarding aspect ratio and frame sizes that might also prove helpful.
HDV can be either progressive or interlace although interlace is still upper field first whereas DV is lower field first. DV 16x9 is anamorphic (stretched pixels) whereas HD is true 16x9 square pixels. The whole subject of aspect ratios and frame sizes is quite complicated. You might want to go to http://library.creativecow.net/articles/gerard_rick/pixel_madness.php and read up on square versus rectangular pixels. There are basically two aspect ratios that are widely used at this time. 4:3 has been in use for years, but 16:9 is becoming more widely used all the time. The proportions are always subject to these aspect ratios.

Activation

I enter my serial number and name, why won't the Activate button light up?
First, leave the name field blank. Secondly, if you are coping and pasting your serial number make sure you don’t inadvertently copy an extra space either before or after the serial number. The serial number is case sensitive, the hyphens must be included, and all 0's are zeroes. Enter the serial number following these guidelines and you shouldn't have any more issues. If you do, feel free to contact us at desktopsupport@telestream.net.

When activating my Flip4Mac product, the following error displays: "Serial number could not be saved. You do not have permission to save the serial number."
There may be several reasons that cause Flip4Mac to display the "Serial Number Cannot Be Saved" message. Try each of these solutions (starting with number 1, the most common solution), then try to activate your license again:

Display system preferences and select Accounts to create a new user account. Make sure to check the 'Allow user to administer this computer' option. After you create a new user account, log out your current user, log in as the new user. Your serial number is global and will be retained when you log back using your original user account.
Make sure that FileVault is turned off (go to System Preferences > Security).
Remove the Library > Application Support > MindVision folder.
Remove any net.telestream.wmv.plist files from the Library > Preferences folder.
Run Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility, select your hard drive, and click Repair Disk Permissions

How do I activate my license if my Mac isn't connected to the Internet?
Please refer to the Manual Activation Guide for instructions.

Conversion

Export hangs from Final Cut using Flip4Mac
Often elements introduced in Final Cut can conflict when converting to a non-native format. There are a few things that you can do to increase reliability.

Make sure that the Full option under Sequence > Render All is checked and your video has been fully rendered before export.
Set in points and out points on either end of the clip before exporting.
Delete com.apple.finalcutpro.plist and the Final Cut Pro User Data folder from User/Library/Preferences. This restores FCP to its original settings.
Empty the Render Files and Audio Render Files folders located in User/Documents/Final Cut Pro Documents. This will require you to re-render your sequence. Sometimes error can crop up in your render files which can be eliminated by refreshing them.
Export to a high quality intermediary format like H.264, load that video in QuickTime, and export from there as a WMV. Often by compressing data into a single format, it will eliminate the element which is causing it to hang.
If you are encoding the video with VBR, switch to CBR. Constant bit rate can often export more reliably. You may need to boost the bit rate to compensate for quality loss.

I converted a WMV to an MOV in QuickTime using the "Save As…" feature, but it won’t play/import properly.
Using the "Save As" feature does not reformat the file. It creates a WMV file in an MOV wrapper. While this may look and behave like an MOV file, the video and audio are still encoded in Windows Media. You can see this by loading the video in QuickTime and hitting CMD-I for Movie Inspector.

To re-encode a file, you will need to use the Export feature.

QuickTime Player doesn't show the correct data rate after encoding file with Flip4Mac
Use Windows Media Player 9 Mac or Windows Media Player 11 PC to examine data rate. QuickTime Player was not designed to measure WMV/A data rates.

How do I import WMV files into PowerPoint?
To import WMV files into PowerPoint, open the WMV video in QuickTime Pro. Select File/Save and save as a reference movie. Because no actual conversion is necessary with reference movies, this is a very quick process. Then insert the .mov file into your PowerPoint presentation and proceed as usual. Although it is an extra step, it can be done very quickly and will make it possible to use WMV files in your PowerPoint presentation.

How do I use WMV Studio Pro with Cleaner 6?
From within Cleaner select New Setting > Format > Windows Media. (Note, select the second Windows Media from the drop-down menu. Selecting the first Windows Media option will provide you with WM 7 encoding options provided from Cleaner). Check the Options check box and click the Set button to display the Windows Media Export Settings dialog.
Flip4Mac WMV/Cleaner Quick Start Guide

Why won't WMV files import into or export from iMovie '08 or iMovie '09?
Flip4Mac is currently only supported in iMovie '06 and not in iMovie '08 or '09. Our Engineering team is working with Apple to determine what is needed to support iMovie '08 and '09. In the meantime, there are some workarounds.

iMovie '08: You have 2 options

Import the Windows Media file into QuickTime Pro (a $29.00 purchase from Apple) and export as MOV. You can then import the file into iMovie08 for editing. To export as Windows Media, you’ll need to import the edited MOV into QuickTime Pro and then export as Windows Media file, or
Contact AppleCare at http://www.apple.com/support/contact/ and they can help you with getting a copy of iMovie '06, which Flip4Mac supports

iMovie '09
Import the file into QuickTime Pro for conversion to MOV. You can then import into iMovie '09 for editing. To export as Windows Media, you’ll need to import your edited MOV into QuickTime Pro and then export as a Windows Media file.

Snow Leopard

I just installed the new Flip4Mac WMV 2.2.3.7 update, and now it doesn't work. What do I do?
If you try to use the latest version of Fip4Mac WMV on a Mac with a G3 processor or OS 10.3.9 or earlier, you will find that Flip4Mac is not supported. We recommend you down-rev to Flip4Mac WMV 2.2.1.11, which will work with earlier versions of the Mac Operating System. To reinstall, go to Applications/Flip4Mac and run the Flip4Mac WMV Uninstaller.pkg, then click here to download this previous version.

I have Snow Leopard, but I can’t export from QuickTime X. How can I use my upgrade features?
Unfortunately, the latest version of QuickTime does not have the ability to export using third-party plug-ins, however Apple has made QuickTime 7 available to install alongside QuickTime X. You can install it from the Snow Leopard install disk or by running a Quartz (*.qtz) file.

QuickTime 7 will install to your Applications/Utilities folder.

I just upgraded to Snow Leopard. When I try to watch something online, multiple tabs keep opening in Firefox and I have to quit. Why is this happening and how can I stop it?
In Snow Leopard with Flip4Mac WMV 2.3.0.7 there is currently a bug in the Launch QuickTime Player preference option that is causing Flip4Mac to open the video in Firefox instead of QuickTime. Furthermore, it attempts to open this video repeatedly forcing the user to quit.

This can be disabled by going to System Preferences/Flip4Mac WMV/Browser and unchecking the Launch QuickTime Player option. You may have to reboot for this change to be recognized.

We are currently looking into this issue and hope to have it resolved soon.

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