If you have tried editing HD formats, like MPEG-4 (.mp4), or AVCHD (.mts, m2ts), you know it isn't easy, particularly on a slow computer.  If you're lucky enough to have a video editor that supports those formats, playback is very slow and jerky, and moving to a precise edit point is difficult.  This is because it requires lots of computing power to decode those formats on the fly, as you do when you're editing.

The beauty of converting to Windows Media Video (.wmv) is that you can edit it on any version of Windows with any computer that has a reasonable amount of power -- even many laptops -- without experiencing these difficulties.  Once you have used the procedure detailed in this video, you can be set up with a template specific to any camcorder you have.  You can convert all your video in a batch, and edit movies of superb video and audio quality.

Alert user texas123 pointed out that a new version of Microsoft Expression Encoder has become available -- Expression Encoder 4.  I downloaded it, from this link:

http://www.microsoft.com/expression/try-it/Default.aspx

Use the button on the bottom left to get the free version.

They have done some functional separation that some might consider a simplification of the user interface (I don't), but apart from that this version is functionally almost exactly the same as Expression Encoder 3, so you can still use it in precisely the same way as the video describes.  It might be worth picking up Expression Encoder 4 just for the likelihood that you will pick up some bug fixes.

I guess I'm missing something here.   In your two minute video above it says there is a step by step instructions for Microsoft  Expression Encoder.  where is it?
thank you!

Hopefully I will be shooting some more aerial photos with my RC airplane.  I've had a few misshaps lately but I'm ready to fly again with the flip mino.  See some of my misshaps here

http://www.youtube.com/user/coincarver

Coincarver, there are two versions of the video -- a preview that you see if you're not logged in, and a 15+ min. full-length version comes up if you are logged in.

I'm not sure why, but it took a bloody long time to load when I just played it.  (You can watch it load... There's a progress bar that gradually turns black from left to right.) I'm on a shared server, and it may mean that someone else on the server is hogging the bandwidth.  I'll see if I can get that fixed.

I noticed that the video was uploaded as an .MP4, which should work, but is bigger and slower to load than the .FLV videos I usually use. I'm currently uploading a replacement file. Check back in a few minutes...

I only get the 2 minute version even when I'm logged in

I haven't been able to figure out the answer. To get you the information you need, I've seen you the video via DropSend -- a service for sending large files. I'm sending the MP4 version, even though it's longer, because I think it likely that that will easier for you to view than the .FLV version.

We have no high speed internet where we live so I am forced to use Hughes net.  Hughes net allows you 200 megs of usage a day then you are cut off for 24 hours.  It really sucks.  They do let you use all you want between the hours of 2:00am and 6:00am so that is when I can watch or better yet dounload a fifteen minute video to watch over and over if needed.  I stayed up till 2:00 to watch the video but I could not locate it again,

I downloaded Any Video Converter and converted a couple of HD videos to WMV.  These videos will not open up in Windows Movie Maker version 6.  I can't find anything that works  except Format Factory and convert to AVI with the video encode set to MPEG2.  But then I lose the HD.  Any recomendations.

I just downloaded thestepby step video and watched it. Very easy to follow video.  It's after 3;00am so I'llwait until later to try converting.  Thanks for your help

If you're able to get through it once, it's very easy to use after that because of the templates, and it really does a superb job.

Not so good.  I went ahead and converted one of my videos that was 1.43 GiB (13 minutes long) before going to bed (couldn't wait).  When I got up 4 1/2 hours later it was still working.  Ten minutes later it was done.  I opened Movie Maker up and draged the new converted WMV into Movie Maker and it would not work (same as the dozens of other conversions I've done with other conversion programs)

I wouldn't be surprised by the 4.5 hours -- re-rendering hi-def is slow, and 13 minutes is pretty long.

I was already suspicious about AnyVideoConverter not working. Things are starting to point to your Windows Movie Maker.

Do you have any other editor to try?

If you run MediaInfo on the new .WMV file, what information does it give you? (I think you can even print the information to a file, if you need to.)

Can you watch the converted video in Windows Media Player?

Yes, I have been able to watch all the files I have convertd on WMP.

Something else I've noticed. I have filmed dozzens of video with a small keychain camera on my planes (I always have one on my planes along with a still or video camera.  I take that video (AVI file) and edit in Movie Maker then I convert it to an MP4 file for my Epson P-4000 viewer.  It always worked until about June.  Since then after I convert the files to MP4, none of them will work in my Epson viewer, yet they will all still play in WMP,  I think this is linked with my current problem but do not know what to do about it.  Is there any settings in Movie Maker that might have been changed

I don't have any other editor except Vegas Movie Studeo Platnum 9.0 but I have found that program over my head.  Here is the Mediainfo of the converted file from Expression Encoder.  I copied and pasted below.  By the way,  I put in 15000 for the bit rate.  Is that right or shoul it have been 1500?

General           : C:\Users\MIKE\Desktop\MIKES-PC 11-18-2010 3.18.51 AM\11-14-10 r3.wmv
Format            : Windows Media at 13.7 Mbps
Length            : 1.26 GiB for 13mn 10s 639ms

Video #0          : VC-1 at 15.0 Mbps
Aspect            : 1280 x 720 (1.778) at 59.940 fps

Audio #0          : WMA at 402 Kbps
Infos             : 2 channels, 44.1 KHz
Language          : en-us

A .WMV file that plays in Windows Media Player, created by a Windows program, that won't load in Windows Movie Maker... I'm running out of ideas about how that would happen.

You can actually do some simple editing in Expression, like splitting a piece of video into multiple pieces, trimming unwanted material from those pieces, and then re-rendering as a single file. If you start with the .WMV file you just created, the rendering time will be very fast.

I like the ability to take snap shots in FlipShare with the flip videos.  Can I use other videos like from my GoPro HD camera and others and bring them into FlipShare to get still shots.  I tried and it wan't take them.  I tried converting the movies to mp4, avi and wmv files.

I just checked to make sure the import feature in FlipShare is still working. It's working for me. I import .wmv files, but they have to meet the requirements. I hate to point you at Expression Encoder again, but it's the best way to get your files into the right format. For example, you can't import files captured at 29.97 frames per second without first converting them to 30 fps.

Here are the parameters that worked for me:

I tried what you said but it still would not go into FlipShare.  This is the mediainfo of my raw GoPro camera (it is 59.94 fps)

General           : C:\Users\MIKE\Mikes Airplane videos\GoPro videos\December\12-04-10.MP4
Format            : MPEG-4 at 15.2 Mbps
Length            : 1 021 MiB for 9mn 21s 861ms

Video #0          : AVC at 15.1 Mbps
Aspect            : 1280 x 720 (1.778) at 59.940 fps

Audio #0          : AAC at 128 Kbps
Infos             : 2 channels, 48.0 KHz
Language          : en

This is what I put in Expression

CBR 1 pass

Frame rate 30

 Bitrate 15200 (not sure on this one)

Size Mode - Source

Here are a couple of new RC flights with the Flip Mino

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9f0OUsu7Cw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOe5xjuvAuw

That video bitrate may be too high. Use something closer to 5000. Also, the audio settings definitely matter. Try copying all of my prescribed settings, video and audio.

I'll try to get around to posting your latest RC flights...