Kodak Zi8 HD Pocket Video Camera
Here’s some simple steps to teach fool Movie Maker and make your life simpler!
- First, you want to go to “Folder Options”. In XP/Vista/Win7, this is found in the Control Panel -> Folder Options.
- Open Folder Options and we want to either CHECK “show extensions for known file types” or UNCHECK “hide extensions for known file types”. (Basically we want to be able to see the extensions for all files, but wording will depend on your OS) and Click OKAY to confirm this change.
- Now we need some codecs, which are like language files for PCs, that will let Windows Movie Maker have less trouble with this file when we get done pulling the wool over its eyes, so we need to download (free) K-Lite Mega Codec Pack. Select the “Standard” installation, then select Mirror 1 or 2 (doesn’t matter which) and on the page that opens, find the Download button.
- Once K-Lite is downloaded, install it, you can accept all its defaults, both before and after the required reboot. Just let it do its thing. When in doubt, click okay.
- Now, navigate to your .mov file. Right click it, select rename, and carefully remove the .mov and type in .mp4 (Hit enter or click away to make it stay/confirm it)
- Now open Windows Movie Maker and re-attempt your import. It should work flawlessly. On the off chance it does not, pick up a copy of Microsoft.s (free) Windows LIVE Movie Maker which should solve the problem.
I look forward to seeing all of your awesome videos! This workaround should work for any .mov file not just those from the Kodak.
(PS: The links at the top of this post are affiliate links, if this post or this blog has helped you out, using them is a great way to tell me thank you!)
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{ 43 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the information Kimberly.
I have a Flip and am thinking of upgrading
to the Flip HD because it is time I begin
shooting some video!
Now I am not so sure which camera to buy?
Cheers
Steve
.-= Steve Hachey´s last blog ..Lego Lesson With My 4 Year Old….. =-.
Hopefully you have been cranking out the vids Steve!
I got the Kodak Zi8 for my birthday and love it to death, especially having the microphone jac which is fantastic for severe outside background noise and higher quality audio for inside.
I have followed Kim’s well laid out instructions above – and am now editing my MOV turned MP4 files on movie maker – brilliant stuff girly … Love your work
.-= Jodie´s last blog ..Extra Income Ideas – Help A Local Business With Your Internet Marketing Knowledge … =-.
WORKED PERFECT FOR ME!!!! Thanks Kimberly!!
.-= Krista Abbott´s last blog ..AVATAR – Through the Eyes of an Entrepreneur =-.
Yay! Glad you got it working! Hopefully now if anyone else has the issue they won’t have to hunt.
I got to say though, the whole issue does make me have a hard time recommending that camera to non-mac users. Its a great camera but having to futz with that file format every single time would get on my nerves rapidly.
This is the first time I have heard about this little camcorder. Thanks for this post though, if ever I’ll decide to buy this, I’ll definitely use the steps you gave out.
This guy made an awesome video using the Kodak Zi8 that sold me on this *awesome* little camera.
If you were struggling to figure out which camera to get – this video should put your thoughts to rest:
http://www.skillcasting.com/why-i-recommend-the-kodak-zi8/
Hope that helps you too.
.-= M´s last blog .. =-.
Thanks for the great info M, that is a useful video indeed.
Thanks for the tip. You saved me hours of work.
CB
Glad it worked for you Christopher, thanks for letting me know! I really appreciate the feedback!
Kimberly
where do i go from folder options. my computer is a windows xp so it should work shouldnt it?
Yes, It should work in windows xp:
By default, file extensions for known types are hidden in WinXP. However, you can change this setting to make them shown for files in a certain folder or for all files on your hard disk.
To show the file extensions, first open any folder on your hard drive, such as “My Computer” or “My Documents.” Then select “Folder Options…” from the Tools menu.
In the Folder Options window that opens, click the View tab. This will show the file and folder view settings.
Under Advanced settings is “Hide extensions for known file types.” If this option is checked, uncheck the checkbox and click Apply or OK. This setting affects all folders on the PC, so unchecking this will make file extensions appear visible in all folders.
Later, if you decide to hide file extensions again, you can re-check the box again and click OK to revert back to the previous settings.
Thank you so much. This has helped no end! xD
I have the black Flip Ultra HD and it’s awsome. The only issue I had was it would not charge.
Hi Kimberly, Thank you so much for blogging this method of file trickery. The software that came with the Zi8 is horable. Not having to use a convertor save’s time and quality of my video’s…
Regards, David
Sounds great, but MP4 is not supported by Windows Movie Maker for XP either. Supported files types are listed here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308464
I have Windows 7, and this works perfectly! Converting the files over to .wmv is not acceptable because it compresses the videos and cuts down the file size tremendously. This method, however, works like a charm. Thanks for the tip.
kodak is known for pictures and now they are making noise on video
will check it locally…
I like its portability.
.-= Helen@XP drivers´s last blog ..CD drive or DVD drive is missing in Windows Vista =-.
Thanks for these instructions. Works great on my Vista computer at home! Far easier than converting the mov files to avi in a conversion program.
Want to use the same process on XP computers at work. I see from your notes that this should be no problem.
The process would not work on my XP computers at work. Made the file extensions visible. Changed the extension to mp4. But Movie Maker would not recognise the file….any suggestion?
Currently I am using:
http://www.easy-video-converter.com/
to covert my zi8 videos to a format which Movie Maker will accept. Fortunately I am able to convert and keep the HD properties.
Try using this…Read full article visit http://www. kodak-converter.com/Kodak-zi8/convert-Kodak-zi8-to-Windows-movie-maker-Windows.html
Approved this but I broke the link. It’s an interesting converter application but the buy-now button routes to a different product. Very concerning. This might be a solution for those that cant get mine to work, but most are trying to avoid the loss of image quality that occurs during a conversion. One of the Zi8′s perks is its quality, if you lose that its just another boring camera!
Hi Kim,
I have a Kodak Z730, which does good video, but because of the .mov format, I couldn’t use the files with Movie Maker. That was then.
Thanks so much for the work around.
Best Regards.
Kim.
So what option do you recommend if someone HAS TO convert because they have XP such as myself. Is there a way to convert WITHOUT quality degradation?
Thanks
Joe
This rocks bro!! Thanks for the cookup’ hookup’ so i can get my vivid videos up and out on my site. =)…
hi, Kim,
this is suitable for the kodak newly-released Playtouch camcorder?
Thanks for your post
panama
I tried this but when i go back to import the video its not in the folder to be read by windows movie maker. whats wrong?
Great advice, but unfortunately doesn’t seem to work in XP…
Any suggestions on a lossless conversion tool for that?
Yup, your tips to read the .mov files by fooling the windows movie maker seem to be awesome and simple literally. Having the capability to fool and play with softwares, you have the potency to revolutionize the IT industry to transform in a better way. Loved your post. TY!
I downloaded a video from my Kodak Zi8 to my pictures and tried to send an email with this video as an attachment, but it said The file is to big. How do I make it smaller.
This is my first video i made. It is about 3 min long. I recorded it in 720.
Thank you
Perhaps your email server will only permit a maximum size for an attachment. One way around the problem would be to use a file splitter/joiner program to split the original file in to pieces and then send one piece at a time.
I encountered that problem when I downloaded couple of vids in my PC. I really wanted to watch it right away but to my frustration I wasn’t able to watch them.
I might consider doing all the tips you provide here.
By the way, does it work also to other camcorder brands?
Armil, the tip is specific only to the file types. So if the file type is a .mov file it will not matter what camera created it. Hope that helps!
Kimberly
Just a long shot……have you actually got a program installed on your computer which will run the .mov video? If so, run the program and then locate the video file and run it. Are you trying to run the video file by clicking on it in My Computer, if the video is not playing, I wonder if the file format is not linked to a default program.
Hey I have not been able to do it. I don’t see anything about folder options in the control panel. I am running windows 7.
Unique, it is likely that you have your control panel view in “Category” view. Near the upper right you will see “View By:” and a dropdown. Open the dropdown and select small or large icon. This puts it in the traditional view for the control panel. Now you should see Folder Options. I also run Win 7.
Kimberly
I read your instructions, but stopped when I got to the MP4 because Windows Media Player doesn’t play MP4, only MP3. What am I missing?
I have Windows XP Service Pack 3 and am trying to decide whether to buy the Kodac Zi8. I want to import it in Windows Movie Maker and play it in Windows Media Player as well as make DVD’s. Would appreciate your help.
Hey Patty, I wonder if this is because I run a supplemental codec pack as I have no difficulty with this. Try grabbing a copy of (free) K-Lite Mega Codec pack. You probably can get away with the smallest package that has all the codecs but doesn’t need the players. That’s likely the issue here although I don’t know that to be fact.
Kimberly
Simple, one button record, nothing fancy. Even if you grabbed the device right out of the box without touching anything, you would be able to record instantly — it’s too simple. It even acts like a USB mass storage drive, so even very obscure operating systems can retrieve data from it.
Hey Kim, I tried to import my MOV file and it says that it is not supported. I download the standard K-lite Codec pack and everything. I dont know what to do..
I also did rename the .mov to .mp4 and still says unsupported..
This procedure should work on XP, Vista, or Windows 7:
http://www.cardinalpeak.com/blog/?p=950
Hi Kim,
I followed the steps you recomended and I still can’t import the file into movie maker or the live version. When I rename the file I get a message saying changing may make the file unusable but I changed it anyway. The file does not show when I try to import ( I did change it to a .mp4) I had to manually select all file types for it to show even though I selected show all file extensions in the control panel. I’m very frustrated as I’ve tried several other suggestions and nothing seems to work. I am using Windows Vista home premium. Am I missing something here? Any help would be appreciated! Thank you Vanessa