Is the MPEG-4 plugin really needed for importing .asf clips?

[ICELED]

Yes it exports in MPEG2 and .AVI

Just this-afternoon I've downloaded a trial copy of Sony Vegas Movie Studio 4 on my W2K PC and it works flawlessly with the .ASF files! I have to say all the operations are slick and smooth and apart from making DVDs (disabled on the trial version) it does seem to offer an excellent alternative.