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Current Version

Flip4Mac WMV 2.4.2.4 available
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Previous Releases

For access to previous versions of
Flip4Mac WMV, please contact support.

Purchase Assistance

Need assistance with a previous purchase?
Click here for instructions on how to:

Re-download your product
Print a receipt
Obtain your serial numbers
Access your order history

Flip4Mac WMV Frequently Asked Questions

Support

Does Flip4Mac WMV include a Microsoft Silverlight installer?
Yes, 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 or licensed version of Flip4Mac, if you have questions or need help, we want you to find the answer as quickly and easily as possible. Here are a few suggestions.

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

Where can I obtain a copy of my invoice?
Telestream is an Internet-based company. As such, the official invoice can also be found online. Click here to obtain your order information and invoice

Playback

Why aren't I able to view the video or hear the audio in my WMV file?
When a file plays only video or audio, it is usually because the missing media is encoded using a codec which is not available on your computer. Please review the entry below for information on unsupported codecs. If you do not know which codec the media 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
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 plan 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 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, which includes 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 on 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 plug-ins.

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. Microsoft does not offer Windows Media DRM support on the Macintosh.

Does Flip4mac play any WMV videos with the GoToMeeting codec?
The GoToMeeting (G2M) codec is not currently available for the Mac. To request this development, go to www.gotomeeting.com.

To view this file on a Mac, you will need to transcode the WMV using a Windows program. Please follow the steps recommended by GoToMeeting:
http://glenndcitrix.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/edit-and-re-encode-your-rec ording-with-this-single-free-application/
and
http://glenndcitrix.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/convert-recordings/

I can't export WMV from QuickTime X (Snow Leopard, Lion). How can I use my upgrade features?
Unfortunately, QuickTime X does not have the ability to export using third-party plug-ins, however Apple has made QuickTime 7 Player available to install along with QuickTime X. You can install it via by this link and you must own a QuickTime 7 Pro license.

I am using OS X 10.3 (Panther) or a G3 processor, but this is not supported by Flip4Mac. What should I do?
The last version of Flip4Mac compatible with this set up is version 2.2.1.11. To reinstall, go to Applications/Flip4Mac and run the Flip4Mac WMV Uninstaller.pkg, then click here to download this version.

I am using OS X 10.4 (Tiger), but this is not supported by Flip4Mac. What should I do?
The last version of Flip4Mac compatible with this set up is version 2.3.8.1. To reinstall, go to Applications/Flip4Mac and run the Flip4Mac WMV Uninstaller.pkg, then click here to download this version.

OS X 10.7 Lion: mms and Windows Media based web streams don't play in Lion's QuickTime X 10.1 Player.
This is an issue in QuickTime X Player in Lion. Please download and install QuickTime 7 Player. QuickTime 7 Player gets installed in /Applications/Utilities/ and can be used in parallel to QuickTime X. Select a WMV file in the Finder and open the Get Info window to assign it to QuickTime 7 Player. Select QuickTime 7 Player in the "Open with" dialog, then click the "Change All…" button. From now on QuickTime 7 Player will open all WMV files including web streams.

OS X 10.7 Lion: WMV files only show black video in Lion's QuickTime X 10.1 Player.
This is a conflict caused by the 3ivx codec. Please go to your ˜/Library/QuickTime/ folder and remove the 3ivx codec, then restart all QuickTime applications and web browsers.

Upgrade

How do I upgrade?
If you installed Flip4Mac WMV on a computer that is connected to the Internet, you can purchase an upgrade directly from System Preferences. Open Flip4Mac WMV Preferences and click Upgrade. Click the lock icon and enter your administrator name and password to make changes. Finally, select the upgrade with the features you want 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 reinstall the software. If you are upgrading from a previously purchased upgrade level, this deducts your previous expense from the total cost.

I don’t know which version of Flip4Mac to purchase. Can you help?
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 and should only be purchased for editing and transcoding features.

Can I create WMV content with the Player Pro component?
No, the Player Pro upgrade does not facilitate WMV encoding, therefore encoding or creating WMV media 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?
Flip4Mac WMV is most likely operating in trial mode or using Player Pro's trial features. In trial mode, 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 should upgrade to Flip4Mac WMV Studio or better. Go to System Preferences > Flip4Mac WMV > Upgrade and follow the purchase instructions. If you have purchased Flip4Mac WMV Studio or better, make sure that your license is installed properly in System Preferences and reboot your computer.

What are the frame size limitations for encoding WMV files?
Prior to upgrading to Flip4Mac WMV Studio, all functions are available in demo mode. Once WMV Studio is licensed, frames sizes are provided as preconfigured settings. These settings were designed by an experienced compressionist and will serve you well in most cases. Frame sizes for all products can be found at http://www.telestream.net/flip4mac-wmv/tech-specs.htm.

Keep in mind that output frame size must be set with even numbers. Flip4Mac does not allow exporting a WMV file with a frame size that is not divisible by two. This is a limitation of the format necessary for image scaling.

Activation

I entered my serial number and name, but the Activate button is grayed out. What should I do?
If you are copying 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 0s are zeroes, not the letter O. Enter the serial number following these guidelines and if you still have any questions, you can contact our support staff.

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." What should I do?
There may be several reasons that cause Flip4Mac to display this message. Try each of these solutions 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. You may delete the new account after Flip4Mac is activated.
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.

Flip4Mac displays "Engine Not Installed" error when trying to activate my license. How can I fix this problem?
To fix the "Engine Not Installed" error, please try the following:

Go to Macintosh HD > Library > Frameworks and delete the following folders:
EWSMac.framework & EWSMac-GC.framework
Run the engine installer zip

Conversion

I converted a WMV to an MOV in QuickTime 7 Player or QuickTime X Player 10.0 (Snow Leopard) using the "Save As…" feature, but it doesn't work properly. What's wrong?
Using the "Save As" feature does not reformat the file. It creates a WMV file in an MOV (QuickTime) wrapper. While this may look and behave like an MOV file, the video and audio are still encoded as Windows Media. You can see this by loading the video in QuickTime and hitting CMD-I for Movie Inspector.

To re-encode a file, use Export (QuickTime 7), Save for Web (QuickTime X – Snow Leopard/Leopard), or Export for Web (QuickTime X – Lion) features.

How can I import/export WMV files from Final Cut Pro X?
Unfortunately, Final Cut Pro X does not support import and export via the QuickTime interface anymore which is required for the Flip4Mac plugin. However, Flip4Mac is compatible with Compressor 4 which is integrated with Final Cut Pro X. Compressor may convert a WMV file to a compatible QuickTime format before importing into Final Cut Pro X or you can export your Final Cut project to WMV directly through Compressor.

If you do not have Compressor 4, you can purchase it through Apple.

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