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New Flip4Mac WMV Product Family and Free Upgrade
We would like to share great news with you. Today, we are announcing an expansion of the WMV Product Family along with a notice of free upgrade to all current WMV Export Component customers. Our new components expand QuickTime capabilities to play and import Windows Media, enabling users to make, edit, and play Windows Media on the Macintosh.
Now for the first time, Macintosh OS X users can make, edit, and play Windows Media from within QuickTime-based media applications. The new family of products now include:
* WMV Player – play Windows Media in the QuickTime Player – introductory price of $9.99
* WMV Player Pro – edit, convert, and play Windows Media on a Mac – $49
* WMV Studio – make, edit, and play standard definition Windows Media on a Mac -$99
* WMV Studio Pro – make, edit, and play up to high definition Windows Media on a Mac -$179Full product details and online purchase are available at http://www.flip4mac.com.
Leading the way in the new product rollout is the Flip4Mac WMV Player. This groundbreaking QuickTime component enables Macintosh users to play Windows Media files directly in the QuickTime Player, providing the first true Mac-like experience for playing Windows Media. With an introductory price of $9.99, the WMV Player provides an affordable, easy to use alternative for consumers and professionals alike. It also provides improved high definition Windows Media playback on a Mac. Users are no longer limited in their viewing choices and no longer need to download a separate player to view Windows Media. Telestream’s Flip4Mac WMV Player simplifies and improves the playback experience and expands viewing choices for Mac users.Another first, the new Flip4Mac WMV Player Pro ($49) adds the ability for Mac users to import Windows Media files for editing in their QuickTime applications, including Final Cut Pro HD, Final Cut Express HD, QuickTime Pro and iMovie. Windows Media files can also be converted to other formats using compression tools like Sorenson Squeeze and other QuickTime-based applications. WMV Player and Player Pro support Windows Media 7, 8, and 9.
For those who want it all, the new Flip4Mac WMV Studio ($99) and WMV Studio Pro ($179) replace the current Flip4Mac WMV Export and Export Pro/HD offerings released in December 2004. The Flip4Mac WMV Studio solutions combine the WMV Player Pro and either standard or high definition export capabilities.
We are also announcing a free upgrade for all WMV Export customers to the new WMV Studio offerings. With the WMV Studio, Mac users can now make, edit, and play Windows Media on their Macs – it’s fast and easy. Upgrading is easy. Simply download and install the new software. If you previously purchased the WMV Export Component Standard, your serial number will enable the WMV Studio. If you previously purchased the WMV Export Component Pro/HD, your serial number will enable the WMV Studio Pro.
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7 Replies
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Charles,
Can I make a “decent” looking Windows Media 1280 x 768 movie with WMV Studio Pro, working off a 720×486 Blackmagic 8-bit OT movie out of FCP HD?
Thanks.
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You could make a decent looking WMV at that size by upscaling, but the real question should be, why? I would recommend that you just make the WMV at its native size, and do the scaling on the fly during playback. Either play the movie full screen, or if it is embedded, then just set it to playback at 1280×960. Upscaling through software encodng will not be any better visually than through playback.
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Thanks Charles. The reason is….drum roll please………the client has asked for it that way! 🙂
And they apparantly are not up for a discussion on why it’s not the best way to go. Plus I don’t even want to get into the source files they’ve supplied me with that have to be edited together prior to encoding.
The reason I can’t resize on the fly is that the file will be traveling around to different conferences, on different laptops where I won’t have control of how it’s displayed.
So the Pro version will upscale my 720×486 movie the best it can given the source? I know it’s far from ideal and won’t look great by any means but will it be passable using this new app? Will it be equal to upscalling on the fly during playback?
Thanks again.
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It will probably be a little less than upscaling on the fly, depending on the bitrate. If you have all the bitrate in the world to max out to, then you will be fine most likely. But if you have to hit a target bitrate, then the lower resolution version will look better, even scaled up during playback. What you could do, is encode at 640×480, and place the WMV inside a Powerpoint presentation. Manually set the size of the WMV in the Powerpoint doc to your desired resolution. That way, whenever it is played back, the size is automatically set to the client’s wishes.
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Thanks again, Charles. I’ll give that a shot.
Another question on the same topic. Do you know where a file with the following specs could have originated from???
1280×768
Bitrate: 6128 Kbps
WM 7 video
Windows Media Audio 9.1 – 128 kbps, 44 kHz, stereo 1-pass CBRI thought the file was WM HD but now I realize it’s not after reading the fine print in “properties”. I’m being asked to replicate this more or less. I tried to punch the aspect ratio into cleaner and it crashed my computer.
Thanks again.
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Cleaner won’t encode to HD sizes. You’ll either have to use QT or Sorenson Squeeze 4.1. Also, WMV7 is not a HD codec. And if you’re using WMA9, then there is no reason to use WMV7; WMV9 should be used. This is a case where the client really needs to be educated. Also, 720p is 1280×720, not 1280×768, if that’s what you’re trying to output.
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