I took a .wmv file and converted it using Flip4 Mac into an .m4v file and to a .mov file. I also exported the file via QT7 Pro to an .mp4 file. The m4v and the .mp4 file both have codex AAC but only the .m4v has AAC,H.264.
1) First of all, I do not know what point you are trying to make by saying "converted it using Flip4 Mac into an .m4v file and to a .mov file" and "I also exported the file via QT7 Pro to an .mp4 file." Whether you use QT 7 Pro, iTunes, GarageBand, or a third-party app/utility like MPEG Streamclip to perform the conversion, it is the same QT structure embedded in the OS using the same Flip4Mac component (codec) to perform the actual conversion. In short, what does "converted it using Flip4Mac" mean to you?
2) M4V, MP4, and MOV are all just file containers. M4V files contain H.264/AAC (with a possible alternative AC3 "Passthrough" track) which automatically opens in/self-loads to iTunes by default. MP4 files may contain either MPEG4/AAC or H.264/AAC data and, by default, open in the QT Player app. MOV files are generic and may contain any supported audio and/or video combination supported by your currently installed components including MPEG4/AAC and H.264/AAC, as well as, compression formats such as "muxed" MPEG-1, DIVX, or even WMV data. In the case of H.264/AAC compressed data, the same exact data can be contained in any of the file containers and, in some cases, can be moved from one container to another. So as far as iTunes is concerned, it doesn't matter which container the data is in as long as it was compression targeted for the device you want to use to avoid sync failure by iTunes.
All of the above files are in my iTunes Library verified by going through Home, Music, iTunes, iTunes Music,movies. They all 3 appear there but none of them appear in iTunes "Movies" when I go to iTunes.
How did you import the files? Into iTunes or directly to that location? Are you using a dedicated external drive for your iTunes library and, if so, was the external drive turned on when the files were imported to iTunes? And what version of iTunes are you using?
1) If you "Drag 'n Drop" the files directly to the iTunes library location at the Finder level, then they will not update the iTunes database and/or show up in the iTunes app.
2) If you "Drag 'n Drop" them to the open iTunes app, then they should display a progress bar indicating that they are being saved to the iTunes library in a normal manner. (This assumes you are physically consolidating your files in iTunes and not using external references.) In this case the iTunes "Movies" window should immediately refresh, display the new files. If the progress bar displays but the files don't show up in the "Movies" area, check the "Music" and "TV Shows" areas to see if they have been imported to the wrong area. If so, re-annotate the files so they will show up under correct heading.
3) Do you have an external drive designated for the iTunes library storage? I ask this because I use an external 4TB drive for my content and if I forget to turn it on before opening iTunes, then any files I import are automatically stored to the startup drive default location and I have to remember to later consolidate them to the external drive to keep my physical data and database properly up-to-date.
How can I get them into iTunes so that I can open them in iTunes and watch from my laptop.
The easiest way to do that for an M4V file is to simply double-click on the movie icon in the Finder window. If iTunes is not open, this should open, movie a copy of the file to the iTunes library (if that preference is set), and then begin playing the video in the iTunes player all automatically. If that doesn't happen, then you have a problem, probably with the iTunes app if the same file can be properly opened/played in the QT Player app. Also, using this M4V double-click approach, if the file does open and play in iTunes, check to see where the file where the file was placed (i.e., under which iTunes area heading). I am asking this because the path you quoted above for where the files are stored does not look normal if you are organizing your content in the most up-to-date version of iTunes). (I.e., My "Movies" folder is at the same hierarchical level as the "Music", "Podcast", "Books", "Mobile Applications", "ringtones", and "TV Shows" folders.