Movie Maker and Flip Camera
EDTECH Editor-Jones
Hello,
I did some quick searching, but I can't seem to find a free, easy way to
convert a MP4 file (from a Flip video camera) to something compatible with
Windows Movie Maker. Any suggestions?
THANK YOU!
Lisa Weinstein
Century Junior High
Orland Park IL 60467
lwein...@orland135.org
The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
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SIGNOFF EDTECH
EDTECH Editor-Jones
Lisa:
Flip's own built-in software will convert it for you, if memory
serves...use the "Share" settings. That will, of course, be "dumbed
down" a bit, since they're using it for compression. Alternatively,
you can use WinFF to convert the files (though we have seen some
corruptions of files using it). Of course, if you have Windows
7/Windows Live Movie Maker, that'll accept the MP4 files as-is, and
will spit out WMVs from them.
There are also online services that'll convert for you, but I've
had very limited success with them: fail often, quality not high,
and in a school setting you're using bandwidth just to convert a
file.
Hope this helps!
Jeff
Jeffrey L. Jones, District Technology Resource Teacher
Coordinator, Virtual Classrooms and Communications, Fayette County Schools
Fayette's iSchool - http://ischool.fcps.net/
Twitter (@jeffreyljones)
701 East Main Street
Lexington, KY 40502
(859)381-4124
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EDTECH Editor-Jones
Lisa,
You can use a variety of video converters--all free--to get the job done.
http://www.mguhlin.org/2010/07/converting-videos-to-webm-format.html
Hoping this is helpful,
Miguel Guhlin
http://mguhlin.net
Phone: 210-617-3330
Email - mgu...@gmail.com
EDTECH Editor-Jones
Have you tried Any Video Convertor?
http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/
Alexis Cuff
Library Media Specialist
Palisades School District
Kintnersville, PA
EDTECH Editor-Jones
I had this exact problem last week. I was able to convert the videos with
Format Factory but I still couldn't get it to work with Movie Maker on an
XP machines. I was able to work with them on Movie Maker 2.6 on a Windows
7 machine. The problem I have found with the Flip software is that it
saved the files to the computer's hard drive and not to the network drive.
This is a problem for us since we have Deep Freeze on our lab machines and
everything gets deleted when the machines are restarted. I haven't tried
saving them using Flip and then copying and pasting them to a network
folder yet. That's the next thing I will try.
If there are any other suggestions on how to handle the mp4 files from a
Flip, please let us know.
Marilyn Mossman | Director of Technology
Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit
Office: 248-539-1493 | 32200 Middlebelt Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 |
mmos...@hillelday.org
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
EDTECH Editor-Jones
Marilyn:
I do feel your pain.
As for video formats, the underlying issue, of course, is that
Windows XP is an old OS, and the Flip is a new technology, and the
designers of the latter have made format decisions that the former
does not inherently support. It was no more than 2 years ago that
Flips native format was AVI, and if you installed the codec
separately, XP's Movie Maker was happy as a clam importing the
files directly. But Flip went MP4 in preparation for hi def
support, and XP was left in the dust. Windows 7 fixes that (and,
for student projects, I really endorse it as very simple and
intuitive), but it doesn't fix your storage issues.
Yes, Flip's software is horribly inflexible, hard-coding
destination folders for its processing. It was intended as a
mindless home user platform (though I don't think it does well with
that concept either, frankly). Of course, processing video data
across a network isn't a good idea either. XP's Movie Maker used to
simply give up and lock up/crash when you tried, and my memory is
that 7's Live Movie Maker will simply tell you "Nope, not gonna
happen!" when you try to import video across a network.
The moral of the story is, of course, to provide students with
local storage for video editing. If your workstation config allows
it, provide local external storage -- cheap Flash-memory drives
will work for small projects, true external HDD's for larger ones.
If your workstation config blocks local external drives, then you
really have no choice but to have a few workstations configured
without Deep Freeze specifically for this purpose.
I do have a personal vendetta against such workstation
lockdowns...they really do assume that student production will
demand little of computer resources, which, of course, means
primarily word processing and other simple tasks. This is one of
hundreds of cases when a security decision has impacted pedagogy
and student expression, and I'm against it. Our Systems Support
manages 55 schools and 35,000 students in an almost exclusively
PC-based enterprise, and they've managed to avoid such Draconian
measures.
Good luck!
Jeff
> From: "Marilyn Mossman" <mmos...@hillelday.org>
>
> I had this exact problem last week. I was able to convert the videos with
> Format Factory but I still couldn't get it to work with Movie Maker on an
> XP machines. I was able to work with them on Movie Maker 2.6 on a Windows
> 7 machine. The problem I have found with the Flip software is that it
> saved the files to the computer's hard drive and not to the network drive.
> This is a problem for us since we have Deep Freeze on our lab machines
> and everything gets deleted when the machines are restarted. I haven't
> tried saving them using Flip and then copying and pasting them to a
> network folder yet. That's the next thing I will try.
>
> If there are any other suggestions on how to handle the mp4 files from a
> Flip, please let us know.
>
> Marilyn Mossman | Director of Technology
> Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit
> Office: 248-539-1493 | 32200 Middlebelt Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 |
> mmos...@hillelday.org
>
> Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
> ________________________________________
> From: EDTECH Editor-Jones [edad...@MAIL.H-NET.MSU.EDU]
> Sent: Friday, November 19, 2010 9:23 PM
> Subject: Re: Movie Maker and Flip Camera
EDTECH Editor-Jones
Dear Marilyn
I regularly use AVS video converter. It converts video from one format to
another very easily.The software does cost $59, but so far it has been
worth every penny! http://www.avsmedia.com/
Martha Green
Martha R. Green MEd.
Program Coordinator
Office of International Outreach & The Confucius Institute
Texas A&M University
Annenberg Presidential Conference Center I 1245 TAMU
College Station,TX 77843-1245 I USA
Tel. +1 979. 862.6700 Fax. +1 979. 862.6705
Email mgr...@ipomail.tamu.edu I Web http://worldroom.tamu.edu
Welcome to Aggieland
> From: "Marilyn Mossman" <mmos...@hillelday.org>
>
> I had this exact problem last week. I was able to convert the videos with
> Format Factory but I still couldn't get it to work with Movie Maker on an
> XP machines. I was able to work with them on Movie Maker 2.6 on a Windows
> 7 machine. The problem I have found with the Flip software is that it
> saved the files to the computer's hard drive and not to the network drive.
> This is a problem for us since we have Deep Freeze on our lab machines and
> everything gets deleted when the machines are restarted. I haven't tried
> saving them using Flip and then copying and pasting them to a network
> folder yet. That's the next thing I will try.
>
> If there are any other suggestions on how to handle the mp4 files from a
> Flip, please let us know.
>
> Marilyn Mossman | Director of Technology
> Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit
> Office: 248-539-1493 | 32200 Middlebelt Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 |
> mmos...@hillelday.org
>
> Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
>
---
EDTECH Editor-Jones
Whenever I have that problem with flip cameras, I convert the video using
Any Video Converter:
http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/ and set the
output conversion to .wmv. I hope that helps.
Chris Clementi
Middle School Computer Teacher
Google Certified Teacher
http://www.kidsnetsoft.com/html/home2.html
twitter: kidsnetsoft
EDTECH Editor-Jones
Hello Lisa,
My favorite conversion program is "Any Video Converter" - google it and it
should come up. Use that to convert to wmv or avi with which movie maker
should play nicely. Good luck.
Josh Coyne
> From: "Lisa Weinstein" <lisa.t.w...@gmail.com>
>
> Hello,
>
> I did some quick searching, but I can't seem to find a free, easy way to
> convert a MP4 file (from a Flip video camera) to something compatible with
> Windows Movie Maker. Any suggestions?
>
> THANK YOU!
> Lisa Weinstein
> Century Junior High
> Orland Park IL 60467
> lwein...@orland135.org
>
> The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
> --St. Augustine
---
EDTECH Editor-Jones
Another way would be to open the flip movie with quicktime. It converts it
to .mov, which should work in moviemaker.
_______________
Beth Evans
ESL teacher
Integrated Arts Academy at H.O. Wheeler
6 Archibald St.
Burlington, VT 05401
(802) 864-8475
Fax # (802) 864-2162
EDTECH Editor-Jones
I second Chris' suggestion of Any Video Converter! I have had no problems
converting video formats into things that Movie Maker (Win XP) can manage.
Of course, this assumes that one is a local administrator on their
computer at work. I have had almost no luck with the web-based file
format converters for video.
-Alix
Alix E. Peshette
Coordinator - Digital Learning
and Instructional Technology
Placer County Office of Education
360 Nevada St. Auburn, CA. 95603 USA
530-889-5942 Digital Learning
530-745-1495 Instructional Technology
Blackboard 9.1 System Administrator
www.alixpeshette.edublogs.org <http://alixpeshette.edublogs.org/>
www.twitter.com/AlixPeshette <http://twitter.com/AlixPeshette>
www.delicious.com/artfully
<https://mail.placercoe.k12.ca.us/exchange/www.delicious.com/artfully>
www.linkedin.com/in/alixpeshette
<http://www.linkedin.com/in/alixpeshette/>
Google Certified Teacher
"Technology - opening minds with a new set of keys"
EDTECH Editor-Jones
Weeeeell, not actually true for Windows Movie Maker for Windows XP.
Windows 7, of course, will accept it, as will Windows Vista, both
of which use the "Live" version of Movie Maker. But then, they'll
accept MP4, the native format for Flip camcorders (and the original
reason for this discussion), so no conversion would be required.
Also, my memory is that QuickTime PRO is the one that does
conversions, which (unlike the free QT player) actually costs
money. Is my memory correct?
Jeff
EDTECH Editor-Jones
I don't have quicktime pro. I just converted a video last week.
_______________
---
EDTECH Editor-Jones
I just opened my own QT. It's listed as the player, and all of the "Save,"
"Save as..." "Export..." options are grayed out with "Pro" written next to
them. Can you give details...specific Windows OS, QT version, and where
you got the version you're using? I'd love to have it! ;-)
Thanks.
EDTECH Editor-Jones
Thank you to everyone who responded to this question. I know I wasn't the
original questioner but the answers were very helpful for me so I thought
I would let you know what worked. Among the many solutions, I found 2
that worked for me. One was to use Windows Live Movie Maker on a Windows
7 machine. One of our computer labs does have Windows 7 so this is
certainly an option for us. As for the Windows XP lab, I did download and
install Any Video Converter from -
http://www.any-video-converter.com/products/for_video_free/ and this
worked much better than the Format Factory that I originally tried.
So again, thanks for all of your great input.
Marilyn Mossman | Director of Technology
Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit
Office: 248-539-1493 | 32200 Middlebelt Rd, Farmington Hills, MI 48334 |
mmos...@hillelday.org
At Hillel, we inspire a passion for learning, responsibility to self and
community, and devotion to Jewish living in a warm and engaging
environment
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EDTECH Editor-Jones
Quicktime player for Mac, version 10.0
Allows you to open the mp4 and then save it as .mov.
Also allows trimming from beginning/end of the clip you're viewing. Quite
helpful for getting just that moment for teaching...
_______________
---
EDTECH Editor-Jones
OK, well the entire thread was aimed at the problem of handling MP4
format on the Windows platform, and converting it for XP's Windows
Movie Maker, a non-current OS and application. Since currently,
Mac/QT uses MP4/H.264 as its native format (with m4v extension), no
one would ever need to convert an MP4 for that platform, so your
advice would be for someone to use a Mac to covert the file for use
on a PC. And, of course, MOV isn't useful to Windows XP/Movie Maker
either.
I think you can see why I was confused.
EDTECH Editor-Jones
I use a mac at home to convert and edit, a pc at school to produce...
Sorry for the confusion, Jeff.
_______________
---
EDTECH Editor-Jones
Folks,
Here are a couple of free apps you might find useful from the PC side of
things as far as converting and creating DVD's goes.
1. Hamstersoft Free Video Converter http://videoconverter.hamstersoft.com/
Allows you to convert between multiple formats, including WMV for Movie
maker, and change the settings as you need. Can also strip video and
convert audio files.
2. Freemake Video Converter http://www.freemake.com/
This does the same as Hamstersoft with the additional feature of being
able to create a DVD from any footage.
Hope these apps are helpful.
Craig Jackson
E-learning Specialist
Research and Curriculum Unit
Mississippi State University
EDTECH Editor-Jones
Have you tried prism file converter? very easy to use. Search for it in
google, install and use. No annoying watermarks, free, and simple to use.
> From: "Lisa Weinstein" <lisa.t.w...@gmail.com>
>
> Hello,
>
> I did some quick searching, but I can't seem to find a free, easy way to
> convert a MP4 file (from a Flip video camera) to something compatible with
> Windows Movie Maker. Any suggestions?
>
> THANK YOU!
> Lisa Weinstein
> Century Junior High
> Orland Park IL 60467
> lwein...@orland135.org
>
> The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
> --St. Augustine
---