by Brian Fisher •
Whether you are encoding a piece of video, or you just want to play a video file, it's important to know what a codec is and how to use it. In this article, we'll be focusing mainly on the WMV codec for both Windows and Mac, which programs are compatible with it, and how to get around a few common difficulties often experienced by users.
In order to play WMV videos on various players or devices on Mac, you may need a video converting tool to convert your WMV videos to any video as needed. Here UniConverter is highly recommended. If you don't want to waste time in converting WMV video files, this video converter also supports to play WMV files directly with its built-in media player without need to install any other WMV codec.
To import your WMV files, please select the "Add Files" option, and then a pop-up window will appear for you to choose WMV videos. Alternatively, you can directly drag and drop your WMV videos to the WMV converter.
You can choose any format you want on the right side of the converter's window, such as MOV, MP4, etc. Choose any one you want from Video/Audio/Device/Editing tab and set it as the final output format. This WMV converter also supports to change encode settings like bitrate, frame rate, sample rate, quality, etc. For the need, just click the Setting icon beside to change the parameters.
After that, you can begin converting the WMV video to the format compatible with the player on your Mac by clicking the "Convert All" button at bottom right or "Convert" in each imported WMV video. Once it's done, you can play and watch it on any Mac computer.
In addition, this WMV converter is also a WMV player for Mac without need to install other WMV codec on Mac. Once you imported the WMV video to this converter, click the thumb icon in the video display bar to open the player window. If you don't want to convert the WMV files, you can enjoy them in the converter too.
One of the most powerful and popular WMV media players available for Mac. VLC is an open source utility which allows you to play almost any video codec you can think of, including WMVs. Reliable, stable, and fast, VLC is a great option for playing any media files on Mac. You can download it for free.
Similar to VLC, this program will handle WMVs alongside a number of other audio and video file formats. Incorporating some advanced interactive technologies such as multi-touch, MplayerX is consistently updated and a very good alternative to VLC. It's also free! Grab a copy, HERE.
Although the WMV codec was built for Windows PCs only, due to its popularity it is important to be able to play such files on a Mac computer as well. Luckily, a number of great options exist out there for doing just that. Let's take a look at a few of them:
Flip4Mac WMV Components for QuickTime
By installing Flip4Mac, you will equip your QuickTime installation with the ability to play WMV files. Furthermore, Flip4Mac also includes a decoder for WMA, which is an audio codec normally only playable through a Windows PC. What's great about Flip4Mac is that it provides Mac owners with the means to, not only play WMVs, but to also edit and encode them if they wish to distribute videos through that format. There are a number of editions available ranging from the basic Player option for $5.95 which only allows playback, up to the Studio Pro HD edition for $179 which provides the ability to encode WMV files in HD. You can buy Flip4Mac HERE.
The WMV codec is the Windows Media Video format. It is essentially an older video codec, but is still widely used today. It was developed to allow Windows users to play videos and to encode video files so that they were much smaller, while still preserving a level of quality. Its popularity has not waned, and it is possible to even find a WMV codec for Windows 7.
While the WMV format is older than most other widely used formats today – often considered a "legacy" format – it is still widely used. The reason for this is simply that it works, and still provides some advantages over even the most recent and innovative video codecs. Its size and ability to preserve a level of video fidelity mean that it isn't disappearing anytime soon. This has proven to be a problem for many users, especially on Mac computers, as they are not immediately compatible with the WMV codec.
Now, whether you are a Mac or Windows user, skip ahead to your relevant section for more information on using WMV files.
Even Windows can have problems playing WMV files at times. This is often due to corrupt or outdated software on your system. One of the best solutions for this is to click Start>All Programs>Accessories. Now, right-click on the Command Prompt and choose "Run as "Administrator". Once you've typed in your computer password, type sfc /scannow. This will update all of your Windows components and will hopefully rectify the problem.
This could be due to a bug or unforeseen software conflict. The best approach is to uninstall the player, reboot, and then try another media player. If this does not solve the problem, try VLC and use their support forums to find a solution.
You may have installed the WMA component without the WMV codec. Make sure to install the codec either on its own or through one of the media players listed above.
Some media players only allow you to play a WMV file back, but you need to purchase a premium version of the player in order to encode as well. VLC should give you the ability to encode and decode for free, but you will have to look at the documentation for your video editor to see if this will be compatible with it.
This is a common issue. Often it simply means that either the encoding process did not finish correctly, or there has been a file error if the video file was downloaded from another source. One way to correct this issue is to use a program called AsfBin, which you can download HERE. It will re-encode the video file hopefully removing the error.
It's remarkable how much staying power the WMV codec has had. Despite other more efficient codecs being released, it continues to be used by many on the internet as a quick, easy-to-use format which is strikes a great balance between file size and video quality. In fact, if you are looing for a WMV codec for Mac, UniConverter must be your best choice.
Brian Fisher
staff Editor