![\"\"](https://%5C%22http://staging.macreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Flip4Mac-scr.jpg%5C%22 "\\"Flip4Mac")
You can download Flip4Mac from the Mac AppStore or from the official developer\’s website, Telestream. Its basic role is to enable you, as a Mac user, to open WMV (Windows Media Video) files which you can\’t open by default. One of the best things about Flip4Mac is that this isn\’t a standalone player, since it\’s an add-on for your QuickTime. It works as a background process which starts when you decide to open WMV file, which means that you don\’t have to do any special actions in case you decide to run a WMV file.
The basic version of Flip4Mac can be download for free and it can be used to watch WMV files. Besides incorporating itself into QuickTime you can watch standalone WMV files, as well as WMV streaming videos within Safari or any other browser you might be using. There are no complicated settings, since everything is automated, so you won\’t even feel a difference. Interface is identical to QuickTime players’, but it can be changed.
Flip4Mac basically makes a WMV file behave like a Mac-native format. This means that you’ll be able to preview a file within an icon in Finder, without opening it. This also works for Quick Look and Cover Flow features.
If you use Apple’s Mail application, you\’ll be happy to hear that this add-on will automatically open WMA/WMV attachments, which is something that you\’ll surely appreciate in case you\’re exchanging e-mails with Windows users.
Finally, you\’ll be also able to work with WMV files within iMovie. There\’s no special conversion method that you\’ll need to go through, since you can simply open iMovie and import and WMV clip. It will be automatically converted into iMovie friendly format, so you can work with it.
You should know that previously listed features (File Preview, Mail and iMovie integration) adds a watermark stamp on your video in case you\’re using basic Flip4Mac version. In order to remove watermark, you\’ll need to unlock Flip4Mac Player Pro version for $29 which will also unlocks additional import and export features. Overall, the price is fair since you\’ll really get a lot of features which you don\’t have by default within your Mac OS X.
In case you decide to unlock more features, you can purchase three additional Flip4Mac packages. The basic one, which is free, is simply called Player. Additional packages are: Player Pro, Studio and Studio Pro HD. They will enable you to import WMV (Windows Media Video) and WMA (Windows Media Audio) files into QuickTime in order to convert them to Mac-native formats. Each one of those versions basically unlocks more export options. Player Pro costs $29, Studio is $49, while Studio Pro HD is a very serious application used by professionals and costs $179.
