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Flip4Mac Issues in iLife apps and others (#2): Fix coming from Telestream; more
Over the past few days we've been covering an issue where users experience various problems apparently related to the presence of the Flip4Mac components, which provide Windows Media file compatibility in QuickTime.
The problems associated with the presence of Flip4Mac include freezes and crashes in iWeb, GarageBand and other iLife applications, as well as some scattered reports of issues in Mail.app and other third-party applications.
We've now received word from Telestream, the creators of Flip4Mac, that a fix is on the way.
Barbara DeHart, VP for Flip4Mac products, tells MacFixIt:
"I wanted to let you know directly that we are working to isolate the reported conflict with iLife 06 and Flip4Mac WMV components and will let you know as soon as we have a fix in place.
"User's can submit system and application configuration information and/or crash logs by sending email to support@flip4mac.com."
Meanwhile, users continue to report problems.
MacFixIt reader Steve Parker writes:
"I sent in a note a couple days back stating that I was running into repeated crashes in both Safari and NetNewsWire after an upgrade to 10.4.4 and the latest "free" version of Flip4Mac. It happened almost every time I closed a "tab". I removed it, and neither application has crashed since."
Jan-Peter adds:
"I installed the Flip4Mac plug in (2.0.1) on my Powerbook G4 running X 10.4.4. Prior to that, wmv video (example on http://www.channel4.com/4car/video/index.html) caused Safari to prompt for the use of the Windows Media Player, which then worked fine. After installing Flip4Mac, no luck, no way to play the video. Uninstalled it and everything's back to normal."
Uninstalling To reiterate, before uninstalling Flip4Mac, you should make sure the latest release (2.0.1) does not resolve your issues.
Flip4Mac can be uninstalled either via the uninstall application shipped with the Flip4Mac download, or by deleting the following files:
- Macintosh HD/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin
- Macintosh HD/Library/Internet Plug-ins/Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.webplugin
- Macintosh HD/Library/QuickTime/Flip4Mac WMV Import.component
- Macintosh HD/Library/QuickTime/Flip4Mac WMV Export.component
- Macintosh HD/Library/PreferencePanes/WmvPlayer.prefPanel
- Macintosh HD/Library/Receipts/Flip4Mac WMV Import Installer.pkg
- Macintosh HD/Library/Receipts/Flip4Mac WMV Export Installer.pkg
Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.
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components quickly and cleanly.
Where can you get the uninstaller? Searching their site for "uninstaller" gives
no hits. Their User Guide makes no mention.
The manual method seems to work.
Glad its gone, didn't work for me.
Look in /Applications/Flip4Mac
Is there any competition for flip4mac??? I'm not too thrilled with anyone that
get a reccommendation from the same people that made the horrendous
Windows Media Player in the first place. Kind of like George Bush saying he
likes someone... NOT a good reflection on that person. Plus, flip4mac has a
bad habit of jacking up people's systems.
I've searched around but there doesn't seem to be anything else out there
except VLC (which doesn't really work the same way or consistently with
windows media).
BTW, I hope someone makes an underground version that breaks and plays
windows media with DRM (Digital Rights "Manglement") since the scumbag
monopoly chose not to let Mac users purchase and play them
legitimately.
Telestream, the company that created Flip4Mac, has nothing to do with
Microsoft's administration, policies or goals. They are not run by MS, nor have
any ties other than being the recommended method for playing WM files on the
Mac. I wouldn't hesitate to support them fully.
Flip4Mac. Try removing 3ivx or DIVX and you may find that Flip4Mac 2.0.1
doesn't cause crashes.
top convert WMV to MOV? In other words, convert the format so that it could be
played on another Mac that doesn't have Flip4Mac.
Does anyone know if you install this and you have Quicktime Pro, can you
use it top convert WMV to MOV? In other words, convert the format so that it
could be played on another Mac that doesn't have Flip4Mac.
It is my understanding that you must also upgrade Flip4Mac to its "Pro" version
in order to convert between WMV and other formats.
That's correct, you have to pay for the pro version to do that. Despite my
reservations about the software, it does that great. When you open a
windows media file in Quicktime and you choose export (or maybe it was
"save as"?... I can't remember) You can pick another format and convert files
to (gag) windows media as well.
Tried it (with the Free version) --- resulted in a silent video
Minimally, you need WMV Import; see:
Flip4Mac WMV
Upgrades
If you bought WMV Player before it was free you should have received e-mail
with an coupon that'll get you the WMV Import upgrade for free. Also works for
to a free upgraded from Import to Studio.
- by Fingal January 20, 2006 7:41 AM PST
- This could get interesting for how web sites serve Windows Media content to
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
(12 Comments)Mac users. Most often, sites don't give you a choice of what media player to
use for their content. They use scripts to send content to a specific player. I
have found it very difficult to get streaming video from a web site to play in
an alternate player - for example, I have yet to figure out a way to get a
Windows Media stream from certain sites to play in VLC. It's not that VLC
can't play the content (I think). It's that there is no way to direct the stream to
VLC.
The utility MisFox, which helps editing MIME types may be useful here, but I
haven't had time to check it out yet. I suspect that many sites will end up
checking your browser's user identification string to see if you are using a
Mac and then send the stream to Quicktime if you are. This could be a
problem because many other sites are not likely to bother doing this (or to
even have a clue that that's what they've got to do.) Sure, it will be possible
for sites to support Windows Media streams for Mac users but will they take
the trouble to do it?