QuickTime

Firefox to block Silverlight and Java -- but not Flash

To improve security and cut crashes, Firefox will block plug-ins including Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Reader, Apple's QuickTime and Oracle's Java, Mozilla said.

Only the newest version of Adobe Systems' Flash Player will be run by default, said Michael Coates, Mozilla's director of security assurance, in a blog post yesterday.

Plug-ins extend a browser's ability to run software or handle different media and file formats, but that extra ability opens new avenues for attack. They've been a staple of Web development for years, but browser makers are working hard to reproduce their abilities directly with Web … Read more

Perian plug-in for QuickTime to be discontinued

The development team of the Perian plug-in for QuickTime has announced today that it will no longer be making future versions of the plug-in.

The Perian project began over six years ago, and the plug-in has been a simple and straightforward way to add extensive media support to OS X without juggling multiple media players.

Commonly referred to as the Swiss Army Knife for QuickTime, the Perian plug-in included a number of the codecs required to view most video formats available via the Web and was the answer for many who were trying to find a way to view obscure, … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed in by our readers. This week readers wrote in with questions on restoring a missing Mail application in OS X, photos in iPhoto not uploading to Facebook, fixing a non-booting iMac without the installation DVD, and movie files requiring QuickTime 7 to run. We continually answer e-mail questions, and though we present a few answers here, we welcome alternative approaches and views from readers and encourage you to post your suggestions in the comments.

Question: Restoring a missing Mail application on OS X MacFixIt reader "Randel" asks:… Read more

Apple releases printer driver and QuickTime 7.7 updates

Apple has released driver updates to supply additional support for printer and scanner devices from HP, Samsung, and Brother. These updates are for OS X 10.6 and include all the printer drivers supported on OS X from the respective companies. Apple uses its Common Unix Printing System (CUPS) in OS X, that uses generic driver sets that are enhanced to support specific features and functions of individual printer models, so as new models come out Apple can more easily tweak drivers to work with them. The latest printer drivers can be found at the following locations:

HP Printer Drivers v.2.7 for Mac OS X v10.6… Read more

MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which we answer questions e-mailed from our readers. This week we have questions on extending wireless networks with AirPort Express devices, new Macs not booting to a retail upgrade DVD for Snow Leopard, QuickTime not able to play some media files, and changing from the less secure WEP wireless security scheme to WPA or WPA2.

Question: Extending wireless networks with an AirPort express

MacFixIt reader "Mark" asks:

How can I get my Airport Express to act as a bridge (extend my Wi-Fi signal)? I only have a 2Wire (WEP password) router, and … Read more

Performance issues in Safari could be related to third-party add-ons

Safari may experience performance issues, including quitting unexpectedly, running slowly, an inability to download files properly, and other unexpected problems. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms when running Safari, follow these simple steps to help restore Safari's full capabilities.… Read more

Import or playback issues in iMovie '09

Users may experience issues in iMovie '09 when attempting to import or play back video. Though iMovie '09 supports many formats, there are many it does not, which could lead to the aforementioned issues. To solve the issue, you may need to convert the incompatible file using QuickTime Pro.… Read more

Apple releases QuickTime 7.6.6 update for Snow Leopard

While Apple's QuickTime focus has shifted to the new QuickTime X technologies, Apple still provides QuickTime 7 as an optional install so people can use features such as authenticated streaming video, QTVR and other interactive QuickTime content in Snow Leopard. Apple today has released a small update for the older QuickTime player.… Read more

Perian 1.2.1 updated, fixes crashes

The third-party video codec pack for QuickTime "Perian" has been updated to version 1.2.1, which adds support for more codecs and fix a number of bugs that caused crashes. The application is a popular plugin for QuickTime that allows many non-standard and obscure codecs to be played in Apple's default media player.… Read more