Kevin's Watch

Help please!

I've just been sent videos of a friend of mine singing at a wedding earlier this year. She was amazing, and I've been hassling her bf - who videoed it - for a copy ever since.

Thing is, it's a quicktime video and I don't have quicktime, or a mac, or any iplayer/mac type stuff on my pc.

All my music on my PC (and I have an awful lot) is in wma format, and I want it to stay that way.

Trying to open the movie brought me to the 'buy quicktime' webpage, which scared me. here are my questions, if anyone can help I'd be very grateful!

1. Can I even use Quicktime on a PC not a mac?

2. If I download Quicktime in order to play the file, will it automatically change all my media files to mpegs?

3. If no, do I have to buy it or can I get it as freeware somewhere?

or, 4. Is there a way to convert the file I've been sent to another format that I can watch?

There should be a free Quicktime player available to you, allowing you to view QT format movies with impunity, but not create them yourself.

dw

What dw said on a free player out there.
It shouldn't convert anything without your permission, and when you install it make sure you say NO if it asks if you want it to be default player for all media files.

I hate damn quicktime...it has a long a awful history of being unremovable [un-uninstallable?].

I know conversion freeware exist to change those files to play in windows media player, but never used it.

Quicktime, like almost any media player you download, will try to make itself your default. I really do not like Quicktime Player, but it won't affect anything else on your PC to use it if you say no when it asks to change the defaults.

Something to keep in mind, I think they automatically package Quicktime player with iTunes these days (it's been a long time, but I remember always having to download both). You can install the package then uninstall iTunes, of course...

...but I prefer to just play any odd media formats in VLC Media Player. It plays almost anything. Really - if a file doesn't work in one of the other players, nine times out of ten VLC will play it.

Murrin wrote: ...but I prefer to just play any odd media formats in VLC Media Player. It plays almost anything. Really - if a file doesn't work in one of the other players, nine times out of ten VLC will play it.

This.
VLC has never failed me. Even plays Realplayer stuff (thank god I don't come across that stuff too often anymore).

It's a small and non-intrusive program.

Thanks you all!

VCL has done the trick! The video quality is awful - very pixelly and jumpy but that could be the fault of the cameraman. The audio is perfect though - which is what I wanted anyway

Ah, they beat me to it.

I use it for everything.

--A