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Flip Video Frequently Asked Questions

Trouble shooting Tips when using the Flip Video Camcorders.............

 

Questions:

 

Problem:   Camera shows as Full But actually, there is no Video on Board

Solution:   Plug your Flip into your USB Port, got to My Computer (PC), Right Click on the Flip Video Icon, select “Copy”, Copy this folder to a place on your Hard Disk.

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Problem:   How do I download the latest Flip Video software

Solution:   For Mac & PC users go to http://www.theflip.com/app/fvsw/45/update/.

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Problem:   How do I change the date or time on the camcorder?

Solution:   When you turn the camcorder on, you are automatically presented with the option to set your camcorder's date and time. To change the date and time settings, use "+" and "-" on the 4-way navigation button to adjust the desired value for each setting, and use "◄", and "►" to select the setting you want to change. The date and time settings can be reviewed and reset as often as needed. To access the date and time settings at any time, press and hold "+" on the 4-way navigation button while you power on the camcorder.

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Problem:   What is the resolution of captured photos?

Solution:   The JPEG photo files you can capture using the program's Snap feature have a resolution of 424 x 318 pixels, with full 24-bit color depth.

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Problem:   Can I print captured photos on my photo printer?

Solution:   When you use the program's Snap feature, the resulting photo is a standard JPEG photo file, which you can print on any photo printer using a photo viewing or editing program that supports the JPEG format.

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Problem:   When playing back videos on my camcorder, the sound is not as strong as when I play back the videos on my TV or computer.  Is there something wrong with my camcorder?

Solution:   The sound quality and volume when playing videos on your TV or computer will likely be much higher than when playing videos on your camcorder, mainly due to the larger size of your TV or computer speakers. The speaker on your camcorder is much smaller in comparison. For optimum volume and quality, the microphone should be within 12 feet of the subject in an indoor environment. When you are outdoors or there is a high amount of background noise, this distance may need to be shorter.

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Problem:  I get the "Macromedia Projector" error message when I connect my camcorder to my computer.

Solution:   Please follow the instructions below to reinstall the program.

If you are using a PC, please go to your Control Panel and select Add or Remove programs, also called Programs and Features on Vista, and remove any instance of 3ivx and Muvee.

If you are using a MAC, please open your hard drive (Macintosh HD icon on your desktop) and in the search field type "3ivx". Drag all 3ivx files into your trash can, and empty it. Then, start a search for "Muvee" and drag all Muvee files into your trash can and empty it.

After this is done, please reboot your computer and reconnect your camcorder.

If the problem persists, we suggest checking the DCIM folder in your camcorder drive for any videos which may be future-dated.  If any video in the camcorder is incorrectly dated and carries a future date from the current date (i.e.:  2097 as the year), please move these videos to your desktop or a safe location outside of the camcorder drive.  The videos will still be viewable and you may burn them onto a disk; however, they cannot be edited or manipulated using the Flip Video software resident on the camcorder.

Once you have removed these videos from the camcorder, please disconnect the camcorder, then reconnect it again to the computer and allow the Flip Video program to launch.  The Macromedia error should no longer stop the program from fully launching.

If this does not alleviate the issue you are experiencing, please contact us for further instruction.

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Problem:   Why can't I save my videos to my computer ?

Solution:   Your version of the Flip Video camcorder may require a firmware update. This update resolves issues related to copying videos off the camcorder to a PC or Mac and improves overall camcorder and software performance.

While only a few incidents have been reported to us, we have updated the firmware to ensure your camcorder works properly. We request that you perform this simple update by clicking the link below or by visiting theflip.com website.

To get this simple update, click on this link: http://www.theflip.com/app/fvsw/45/update/

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Problem:   I've deleted some or all of my videos from the camcorder but I am still missing recording time.

Solution:   We suggest trying the following to regain your full record time.

Connect your camcorder to your computer and open your DCIM/100VIDEO folder. This folder contains the videos from your Flip Video camcorder. When your videos are manually renamed within this folder, they are no longer recognized by the Flip Video program. Please ensure that all videos in this folder are carrying their original name. For example, VID#####.AVI where ##### is any number between 00001 and 99998. Then, delete all videos you have previously saved from this folder. Your videos cannot be retrieved once they are deleted, so please make sure you have the videos you wish to keep saved into another folder before doing this.

Also make sure you have deleted any videos that reside outside of the DCIM/100VIDEO folder within your camcorder's root directory.

After you have deleted all videos, disconnect your camcorder and check on your record time. If you have still not regained your full record time, please reconnect your camcorder and empty your "trash can". Then, power your camcorder on and off 8 times.

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Problem:   When I capture a specific frame of video, can I use it with a photo viewing or editing program such as Paint, iPhoto or Photoshop Elements?

Solution:   When you use the program's Snap feature, the resulting photo is a standard JPEG photo file, which you can open in any photo viewing or editing program that supports the JPEG format.

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Problem:   How do I start the Flip Video Program on my computer?

Solution:   To start using the Flip Video Program on your computer:

Windows XP computers:

After connecting the camcorder to your Windows XP computer, a Windows dialog should appear asking you to choose what you want to do with the device:

  • Choose View your Flip Camcorder Videos using the program on the device, and click OK.
  • When the Flip Video Program starts for the first time, a window will appear requesting your acceptance of the license agreement, and the automatic installation of 3ivx video compatibility software, which allows your computer to play your videos, and muvee software, which allows you to make custom movie mixes. Click I Agree and wait for the installation to complete. Upon completion, the program will automatically start.
  • You are now ready to use the Flip Video Program to play back, save, share, edit and make movie mixes of your videos. Please note that the camcorder must remain connected to your computer for you to use the program with your videos.
  • The next time you want to use the program, simply connect your camcorder and the program should automatically start. You do not need to install the program each time you want to use it.

If you do not see the Windows dialog or the program does not start automatically:

  • Open My Computer and double-click the FLIPVIDEO icon
  • A window should appear that displays the contents of your camcorder.
  • Double-click the Flip Video for PC icon to start the Flip Video Program
  • When the Flip Video Program starts for the first time, a window will appear requesting your acceptance of the license agreement, and the installation of 3ivx video compatibility software, which allows your computer to play your videos, and muvee software, which allows you to make custom movie mixes. Click I Agree and wait for the installation to complete. Upon completion, the program will automatically start.
  • You are now ready to use the Flip Video Program to play back, save, share, edit and make movie mixes of your videos. Please note that the camcorder must remain connected to your computer for you to use the program with your videos.
  • The next time you want to use the program, simply connect your camcorder and the program should automatically start. You do not need to install the program each time you want to use it.

On Windows Vista computers:

After connecting the camcorder to your Windows Vista computer, a Windows dialog should appear asking you to choose what you want to do with the device:

  • Choose Open folder to view files. A window should appear that displays the contents of your camcorder.
  • Double-click the Flip Video for PC icon to start the Flip Video Program.
  • When the Flip Video Program starts for the first time, a window will appear requesting your acceptance of the license agreement, and the installation of 3ivx video compatibility software, which allows your computer to play your videos, and muvee software, which allows you to make custom movie mixes. Click I Agree.
  • A series of three Windows Vista User Account Control windows will appear requesting your permission to continue starting the program and installing the muvee and 3ivx software components. Click Continue in each window and wait for the installation to complete. Upon completion, the program will automatically start.
  • You are now ready to use the Flip Video Program to play back, save, share, edit and make movie mixes of your videos. Please note that the camcorder must remain connected to your computer for you to use the program with your videos.
  • The next time you want to use the program, simply connect your camcorder, double-click Open folder to view files, and double-click Flip Video for PC to start the program. You do not need to install the program each time you want to use it.

Macintosh computers:

Connecting the camcorder to your Macintosh:

  • Double-click the FLIPVIDEO icon on your Desktop. A window should appear that displays the contents of your camcorder.
  • Double-click the Flip Video for Mac icon to start the Flip Video Program.
  • When the Flip Video Program is started for the first time, a window will appear requesting your acceptance of the license agreement, and the automatic installation of 3ivx video compatibility software, which allows your computer to play your videos. Click I Agree, then follow the on-screen instructions to install the 3ivx MPEG-4 5.0.x Decoder. After the 3ivx installation is complete, double-click the Flip Video for Mac icon to restart the Flip Video Program.
  • You are now ready to use the Flip Video Program to play back, save, share, edit and make movies of your videos. Please note that the camcorder must remain connected to your computer for you to use the program with your videos.
  • The next time you want to use the program, simply connect your camcorder, double-click the FLIPVIDEO icon on your Desktop, and double-click the Flip Video for Mac icon to start the program. You do not need to install the program each time you want to use it.

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Problem:   I accidentally deleted a video.  Can I get it back?

Solution:  No, unfortunately, once a video has been deleted from your camcorder, it cannot be retrieved. The information is permanently erased from the memory on your camcorder, if however if you have erased a File from your computer, there are various options to retrieve your file, however it must be noted that you should not add any additional files onto your MAC or PC, as this may over right the file space previously occupied by the file you wish to retrieve.

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Problem:   How do I save videos on my computer?

Solution:   To save a video on your computer using the Flip Video Program:

  1. In Your Library, click on an album.
  2. In Features, click Save Videos. The Save Videos screen will appear.
  3. Select videos by clicking on thumbnails. Each selected video will be highlighted. To select all your videos, click Select All.
  4. To save videos to your computer, click Save to Computer. The Save to Computer screen will appear. You can save to an existing album or create a new album.
  5. To create a new album, click Create New Album, then click Save. Enter the name of the new album where prompted, then click OK. Note: Saving a video to a new location does not delete it from its original location.

To save videos to your camcorder, click Save to Camcorder. You can save videos from your computer back to your camcorder, to view or transport them on your camcorder. Note: There is limited space on your camcorder, but you can save as many videos as space permits.

To save videos for email attachment, click Save for Email. Your videos are converted into a more compact size and format (WMV on Windows and MOV on Macintosh), making them easier to email as well as making them more compatible with standard media players on your recipients' computers. Once your videos are converted, they are saved in a folder on your Desktop called Flip Videos for Emailing. Attach the videos in this folder to an email message using your favorite email program. NOTE: Videos emailed via attachment should be limited to a file size of 5 MB. Email attachments exceeding this size are not reliably delivered by most email systems, as either your mail server or your recipient's mail server may reject them.

NOTE:

  • On Windows computers, saved video files are located in the My Flip Video Library folder in My Documents.
  • On Macintosh computers, saved video files are located in the My Flip Video Library folder in Documents. However, we strongly recommend that you do not manually add or remove files or folders in your Flip Video Library location, as it may result in a loss of your video files. If you would like to manually organize your files and folders outside of the Flip Video Program, please copy them to a different location on your computer.

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Problem:   After connecting the camcorder to my computer, nothing happened, and I could not find the camcorder or FLIPVIDEO icon that would indicate it's connected. What should I do?

Solution:   If you cannot find the FLIPVIDEO icon on your computer, your computer may not be recognizing the camcorder. First, ensure that you are inserting your camcorder into a high-powered USB port, as your Flip Video camcorder needs electrical power in order to run in its connected mode. Some USB ports are low-powered or are not powered at all (e.g. the USB port on a Macintosh keyboard is not powered), so you should try another USB port on your computer if this is the case.

Secondly, ensure that your camcorder is turned OFF before connecting it to your computer. Then, after inserting the camcorder's connector arm into the USB port on your computer, you should hear a small beep from the camcorder as it turns on in its connected mode. You should also see the word "Connected" on the camcorder's display screen when the camcorder is properly connected.

If you do not hear a beep or see "Connected" on the display screen, then your camcorder may be experiencing a problem with that specific USB port on your computer. Try to use a different USB port with your camcorder. If no USB ports on your computer work with the camcorder, ensure that other USB devices work with your computer -- try to connect a different device to your USB ports, such as an iPod or a standard digital camera.

If other devices work with your USB ports, but your camcorder still does not work, you may be experiencing a problem with the USB connector arm on your camcorder. If this is the case, please contact Flip Video Support at http://support.theflip.com/.

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