How do I play my camera’s MOV files?
QI would like to transfer videos recorded on my Panasonic Lumix DMC SZ3 camera to my Windows Vista computer, and play them back on that machine. However, I understand that the MOV files created by my camera are not supported. Is there a way around this? I have looked for converters on the web but they all appear very questionable and seem to alert my ESET Internet Security program. Kick van Hengel
AMOV files are not supported by Windows Media Player (WMP) 11, which is the default video player in Windows Vista. WMP 12, which comes with Windows 7 and later, will play back MOV files – but it’s not available for Vista.
So you’re right: MOV files will not play back on your Vista PC without additional software. To rectify this download and install a codec pack, such as the free K-lite Codec Pack Basic from www.snipca.com/25567: this will give WMP11 the information it needs to play MOV files. Just click one of the download links then double-click the .exe file and follow the prompts to work through the installation process.
However, you might be better off with VLC: this is a tried-andtrusted media player that’ll play just about any kind of media, so you won’t ever need to worry about installing additional codecs. It’s also a lot smaller, faster and smoother than WMP and, unlike WMP11 for Vista, it’ll continue to receive updates. It’s a free download from www. snipca.com/25569.