Flip 4 Mac

Do I need to first import a file as .wmv and then "Save as..." to iphone to get it to play on my iPad?

Yes.

To expand on Klaus1's answer:

Anyone using Flip 4 Mac?

Yes, when needed.

Do I need to first import a file as .wmv and then "Save as..." to iphone to get it to play on my iPad?

You do need to download/cache the data locally for conversion. However, the "Save As..." option does not perform any data conversion. Instead, it merely expands the WMV content and copies it in an MOV file container which can then be played in a QT media player like QT 7 or MPEG Streamclip (free) on any computer with the Flip4Mac QT playback component installed.

Is there a quicker way?

The normal work flow would be to use QT 7 Pro, GarageBand, MPEG Streamclip or similar application having access to the QT conversion modules embedded in the QT OS structure (or application having its own embedded WMV conversion routines) to convert the WMV compressed data to a compression format compatible with whatever player you intend using on the iPad. My recommendation would be to use the TV export preset if you only plan to view the content on a computer, TV, and/or iPad. Using the iPhone (or iPod) preset will work here, but will reduce the quality of what you see on the iPad. The iPad will also play other audio/video compression formats, but H.264/AAC presets will normally give you the best quality to file size ratio.

Mac OS X 10.6 includes QuickTime versions 10.0 and 7.6.3. The QuickTime 7 player will only be present if a QuickTime Pro key was present at the time of installation, or if specified as part of a custom install, or individually downloaded.

http://support.apple.com/kb/dl923

Snow Leopard update 10.6.4 included an update to 7.6.6 (if installed). You can install it from the above link even though it says for 10.6.3. It's the same version of QuickTime Player 7.6.6.

Only QuickTime Player 7.6.3 or 7.6.6 can be updated to "Pro".

I have QT 10 and could not download QT 7 and therefore couldn't use QT 7 Pro. Can you have both QT's in Snowleopard?

If you want QT X specific responses, you need to update your profile to reflect the fact you are using Snow Leopard as opposed to Leopard.

In the case of QT X, your "Save As,,," export options will depend on the dimensions of the source file. QT X will not allow you to export to a mobile device preset using dimensions larger than those of your source file. (This is different from QT 7 Pro which allows you to select any of the presets defaulting to the "current" source dimensions if equal to or less than the maximum size compatible with the selected device.) If the TV option is available, I would still recommend using it. If your source content is SD (i.e., 480i or 480p content), you may wish to try the HD 480p option that employs an increased video data rate to retain as much quality as possible. Just don't use the "Movie" option which works the same as the QT 7 Pro "Save As..." option described above.

As previously stated, QT 7 Pro, GarageBand, and third-party applications like MPEG Streamclip are alternatives for creating mobile device compatible files. All are compatible with Snow Leopard. While you may have more user setting options with these apps than with the basic QT presets, the "rule of thumb" here is to use the same dimensions as your source file where possible with a video data rate that provides a combination of quality and file size that suits/meets your needs.

Okay, So I downloaded QT7 and upgraded to QT7 Pro. I also have the Flip4Mac Pro. How do I save the file using QT7 Pro rather than use the Flip4Mac?

Not exactly sure what you are asking here. The QT 7 Pro key merely unlocks the QT editing features not accessible via the the unkeyed QT Player. Installing Flip4Mac Pro adds a Windows Media decompression component the QT component library which allows WMV files to either be partially decompressed and "Saved As..." WMV compressed data in an MOV file container or "Export/Share" the data any other QT or third-party compression format for which you have the appropriate QT component installed on your system. Thus, Flip4Mac in and of itself cannot be used as an independent app or utility for anything. If you are saying you used the "Save As..." option to save the WMV source file(s) and the resulting content is not "device" compatible, then everything is working correctly and it is your failure to actually re-compress the original WVM data to one of the "device" compatible compression formats. (E.g. all Apple "devices" can play an H.264/AAC compressed file targeted iPhone/iPod use.) Remember that iTunes employs can access your entire QT embedded structure along with the QT components at its disposal, but the various devices are limited to specific subsets of the "main" QT system using a limited number of compression formats.

If this is the case/source of your problem, then instead of using the QT 7 Pro "Save As..." option, select the preset specifically designated for use on the target device you want supported. Remember that each device has specific data rate limitations you have the option of creating either a single, "lower quality" file that will play on all devices or select an export preset that will produce the highest level of quality compatible with the specific device. (E.g., an HD WMV file might be converted to an HD TV file that would play on an TV or iPad device but not on an iPhone or iPod.)

Meanwhile, I have not been able to move the "Saved" files that I made with Flip4 Mac to the itunes however they appear in the "Movies" when I sync my iPad. I have no idea what is happening!

Once again, I am not quite sure what you are trying to say here. WwV data in an MWV container cannot be imported into iTunes. However, the same WMV data, partially re-compressed and inserted into an MOV file container can be imported into iTunes (i.e., can be seen in the iTunes "Movies" area) but iTunes will then not sync the content because the data is still actually in the WMV compression format and not a device compatible compression format. In this case, simply select the problem file in iTunes and access the iTunes "Advanced" menu to convert the content to H.264/AAC device compatible compression format for sync to your device.

Basically, this means you can either use QT 7 Pro to convert directly to a targeted compression format which can be imported to and immediately sync'd by iTunes or save the data as an MOV file with the original WMV data in tact which iTunes can then re-compress as needed for one or more device uses. You must decide which work flow best suits your needs.

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.