Flip4Mac WMV Studio Pro

Editor's Review

Import/Playback. Export. These are the two real buzz words that the Flip4Mac WMV Studio Pro 2 for Mac OSX software has honed in on to enhance the speed and quality of workflow between Windows Media and Quicktime. Essentially, what the Flip4Mac WMV Studio Pro 2 for Mac OSX does is take material from the Windows Media format and allow you to bring it into your Quicktime environment for editing and high-quality playback without the laboured conversion process.

It also gives you the ability, however, to export it straight back out again (also without a manual conversion process) using encoding profiles that give you optimum results.

What sets the Studio Pro 2 software apart from its siblings is the ability to create custom encoding profiles, tweaked from your own viewpoint to achieve the desired results.

Smooth interfacing and seamless transition between projects or editing processes has been the hallmark of the Quicktime format, and one that Mac users rely on when producing or engaging with all forms of media. Windows Media, however, is not a format that Mac users consider themselves familiar with or fond of due to its incompatibility with the fundamentals of the Quicktime software.

This is where Flip4Mac WMV Studio Pro 2 for Mac OSX steps in, integrating Windows Media material into your Quicktime workflow so that your work process isn't hindered. As you can tell by the name, it is the combination of a number of progressive products:

The WMV Player, the only QuickTime component that allows you to play Windows Media 7, 8 and 9 files in the QuickTime Player application.

The WMV Player Pro, which adds the ability to import and edit WMV files in QuickTime-capable applications.

The WMV Studio, which gives you the Windows Media export capabilites so that you can open and edit Windows Media 7/8/9 files and encode Windows Media 9 at standard-def resolutions.

And lastly, the WMV Studio Pro, which gives you the ability to playback in HD resolutions, six-channel audio, and multi-pass encoding which lets you encode video into another format whilst keeping a high quality.

Telestream Inc. have done well to recognize the demand for this style of software in both the professional market and in the arena of the home user.

In the high-flying media world, client demands for production rate and production quality are high, and no matter what you Mac users out there may think of the Windows Media format, many clients require results that conform to Windows Media 9 or use that format to begin with.

For the home user, and for most of us here at Software .com Labs, the main concern is that the process of getting a Windows Media file into Quicktime is labored and unpredictable, playback is often low-definition, and getting any edited Windows Media material back out is similarly painful.

To counter both sets of concerns, the Flip4Mac WMV Studio Pro 2 for Mac OSX software is extremely customizable and presents a good set of options for both parties.

For both, there is no conversion process - importation and integration into Quicktime is seamless.

For both, the Studio Pro aspect of the program gives you the ability to playback video in HD, so quality won't be a problem.

For the home user, export is made easy with encoding templates that tell you the best settings for the type of material you're producing - music video, high action voice, talking heads etc.

For the advanced user, the WMV Studio Pro 2 level of software is unique in that it gives you the ability to create your own, specialized encoding templates for specific customers and personal needs. There are also settings for keyframe, frequency, buffer size, you name it.

The software isn't perfect of course, and - as Mac does - has received complaints for crashes, stuttered playback in some machines and you can't export in HD.

Don't be fooled though, if import/playback and export are buzz words for you and your Mac, Flip4Mac WMV Studio Pro 2 for Mac OSX has gone there and produced a powerful, multi-faceted product. It supports Final Cut Pro, Express, iMovie, Squeeze, Cleaner as well as Quicktime Pro.

Flip4Mac WMV Studio Pro 2 for Mac OSX: What We Liked

No conversion process - seamless integration of Windows Media material into your Quicktime workflow.

High-quality playback capabilities.

Advanced and Standard settings for almost every process - particularly export - for casual media-goers or the professional on a deadline.

Flip4Mac WMV Studio Pro 2 for Mac OSX: What We Didn't Like

No HD export option.

Occasional processing issues.

Flip4Mac WMV Studio Pro 2 for Mac OSX Support:

Telestream, Inc. offer domestic and international phone contact and an email address. They also provide online support for the Flip4Mac products via FAQs, user forum, user guide and a support inquiry question sheet on their home site.

About Telestream, Inc.:

Telestream, Inc. have been making the movement of media content across formats and out into audiences easier since 1998. Since then, the company has gone on to win the Frost and Sullivan 'Best Practices Award' for 2009 and the Californian 'Innovation All-Star' in 2009 for their 'make-life-easier' approach. They are headquartered in Nevada City, California, U.S.A.