The Flip4Mac WMV component, used to play Windows Media content in the Quicktime player in Mac OS X, has been released as a universal binary beta.
Flip4Mac WMV is a collection of QuickTime components that allow you to play, import, and export Windows Media video and audio files. Flip4Mac WMV can be used with most of your favorite QuickTime applications including QuickTime Player, iMovie and Final Cut Pro. After installing Flip4Mac WMV you can play Windows Media files using QuickTime Player and view Windows Media content on the Internet using Safari and other Web browsers.
This is a closed beta, but links to the beat download can be found here.
MacDailyNews Note: We’ve been using it since yesterday afternoon and the browser plugin works in Safari without issue on Intel-based Macs.
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Related article:
Windows Media Components for Apple’s QuickTime by Flip4Mac distributed free by Microsoft – January 11, 2006
This has never worked for me.
I have WMP files, and QT will not let me open them with this. Also, it killed my webbased previews on Netflix ( must be a windows format ) which I could always view before, and now gets confussed, and just a blank screen appears.
NeverFade: It’s just you. Flip4Mac WMV works like a dream for me. With the Pro upgrade it even let’s me import WMVs into iMovie. 3 WMVs in, 1 m4v out.
Sorry Tommy, but I’m with NeverFade. Flip4Mac didn’t work for me, and in fact caused problems with other programs. (Was a while ago, I don’t remember what.)
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Flip4Mac – Never again.
Well, it works fine on my Intel iMac…
NeverFade and qka:
Some people just must ALWAYS have more problems than others when it comes to computers. They are the same people who ask you to rid their XP machines of malware, “cause they just don’t know WHY their computer is SO SLOW… I don’t EVER go to any BAD websites!”
Right. Well, I’m a fairly new Mac user, and have been using Flip4Mac WMV player since long before Microsoft took it over, and it has always worked well for me. If you are having problems, perhaps it is YOU or YOUR setup, not the fault of the program, because, obviously, the complainers are far fewer than those that like the product.
Flip4Mac works flawlessly for me…always has.
It was VERY buggy at first, but they finally got it right about the time M$ absorbed them (for ppc, anyway).
If you had trouble with the first versions, un-installing all of the pieces was a cast iron b unless you had help–like from version tracker comments.
I have the free version on my g4 17″ and it works every time without fail, but it was necessary to get all the earlier bits off first–not a very mac-like experience overall…but what is the alternative?
Flip4Mac didnt work for me at first but after it was updated its worked like a charm. I actually used it to export a radio station that only streams online through their website through WMA to a file that I imported to itunes and now itunes plays the stream using flip4mac like a dream. AH! KBZT 94.9 in san diego playing through airtunes on the big speakers all the way out in florida. life is good. thank you flip4mac.
Flipuser:
I am not complaining as much as just a statement about it. It didn’t really matter to me if it worked or not – I am not dependent on it – I just tried it out… because I don’t like WMP, and frankly its discontinued now. Actually I know much about computers, just didn’t fiddle around with this for any longer after the initial installation.
I dled it a long time ago, so it probably didn’t work with my setup at that time. Maybe I’ll give it another go around once I get home. But thanks for the attitude. Much appreciated.
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The more recent versions have worked without any problems on my PB G4 17″.
I like Flip4Mac… For what it is. In the few instances where I want to watch something that requires windows media this works pretty well. I actually used it before Microsoft discontinued wmp and even before that version it worked quite well, the only problem being the browser plugin.
Works great on my MacBookPro just as the ppc version did on the TiBook.
I’m using the PPC version and can’t view WMP streams. Any solutions out there?
Does anyone else have a problem where no WMVs will play in Safari?
It always has to open up Quicktime player app, which gets really annoying after opening tab after tab containing videos I didn’t know were there.
Finally! I just got my first Intel Mac last week, but not being able to play WMV in QuickTime was annoying me.
Jeff,
MicroShaite, in all their wisdom, won’t open their DRM to other platforms. It’s their way of saying F-you to Mac and Linux users. More than likely, the streams you’re trying to watch have DRM.
All DRM is bad.
tank-
Well, I’ll chime in to say it has worked for me but was somewhat buggy on some of my machines.
Either way, too bad Mafiasoft’s WMV is so shitty. All that effort for a crappy format.
Worked flawless for me. You whiners always bitch about something.
sometimes it works for me… sometimes it doesnt. it’s been sorta iffy. i guess that makes me just half a whiner…
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Doesn’t work consistantly on my box, I even reversed cloned just to make sure.
Anyway I like web sites to know I can’t see their porn in their crappy WMV3 format anyway so they change their ways.
Of course DRM is nothing, SnapZ ProX will do a great job of screen recording w/sound into a QT format.
And we all know it only takes one pirate to feed the rest of us porn starved masses.
re:Static Mesh
“And we all know it only takes one pirate to feed the rest of us porn starved masses.”
I just have to add this “whine”:
When I had Flip4Mac installed, I wasn’t able to import any AVI files from my Canon S1-IS into iMovie. This was both irritating and confusing because I was able to import them previously, but didn’t make the connection to Flip4Mac until I read an article on TUAW where others were having the same issue. I uninstalled it and all was good again.
Have they fixed that problem? If so, I might try it again, but I am very wary of software that can screw up other applications.
I don’t know what they have changed, but this is the first one that works on my G5 iMac. Works much better the WMP. The playback is smooth, even when it is not the selected window. WM played in a stuttered fashion if it was not the selected window. Kudows on a now good product.
“I’m using the PPC version and can’t view WMP streams. Any solutions out there?”
If anyone out there has the VLC *plugin* installed on their machine concurrently with F4M, it causes MAJOR problems. VLC’s plug-in component hijacks all file associations and screws things up. I believe this problem is *only* with the plug in component though not the stand-alone player.
VLC forum link:
http://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?t=20234
^^^ Remove /Library/Internet Plug-Ins/VLC Plugin.plugin (On your main HD)……..