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Supports a wide variety of codecs
- Media Player supports a wide variety of codecs. Most are included out of the box; some additional codecs can be installed from the Microsoft Store.
support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/codecs-in-media-player-d5c2cdcd-83a2-4805-abb0-c6888138e456
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Codecs allow you to play different formats of audio and video files. Media Player supports a wide variety of codecs. Most are included out of the box; some additional codecs can be installed from the Microsoft Store.
- File types supported by Windows Media Player - Microsoft Support
This article lists the multimedia file types that are...
- Codecs FAQ - Microsoft Support
Windows Media Player includes some of the most popular...
- File types supported by Windows Media Player - Microsoft Support
- Overview
- Windows Media formats (.asf, .wma, .wmv, .wm)
- Windows Media Metafiles (.asx, .wax, .wvx, .wmx, .wpl)
- Microsoft Digital Video Recording (.dvr-ms)
- Windows Media Download Package (.wmd)
- Audio Visual Interleave (.avi)
- Moving Pictures Experts Group (.mpg, .mpeg, .m1v, .mp2, .mp3, .mpa, .mpe, .mpv2, .m3u)
- Musical Instrument Digital Interface (.mid, .midi, .rmi)
- Audio Interchange File Format ( .aif, .aifc, .aiff)
- Sun Microsystems and NeXT (.au, .snd)
This article lists the multimedia file types that are supported by Windows Media Player 12. (How to determine your version of Windows Media Player).
Note: Additional file formats might be supported if you install new codecs in Windows. For more information, see Codecs: frequently asked questions.
•Windows Media formats (.asf, .wma, .wmv, .wm)
•Windows Media Metafiles (.asx, .wax, .wvx, .wmx, wpl)
•Microsoft Digital Video Recording (.dvr-ms)
•Windows Media Download Package (.wmd)
Advanced Systems Format (.asf) The Advanced Systems Format (ASF) is the preferred Windows Media file format. With Windows Media Player, if the appropriate codecs are installed on your computer, you can play audio content, video content, or both, that is compressed with a wide variety of codecs and that is stored in an .asf file. Additionally, you can stream audio and video content with Windows Media Services, or you can package that content with Windows Media Rights Manager.
ASF is an extensible file format that stores synchronized multimedia data. It supports data delivery over a wide variety of networks and protocols. It is also suitable for local playback. ASF supports advanced multimedia capabilities including extensible media types, component download, scalable media types, author-specified stream prioritization, multiple language support, and extensive bibliographic capabilities that include document and content management.
Typically, ASF files that contain audio content that is compressed with the Windows Media Audio (WMA) codec use the .wma extension. Similarly, ASF files that contain audio content, video content, or both, that is compressed with Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Windows Media Video (WMV) codecs use the .wmv extension. Finally, content that is compressed with any other codec use the generic .asf extension. For more information about ASF, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
Advanced Systems Format (ASF) Files
Windows Media Audio (.wma) Windows Media Audio (.wma) files are Advanced Systems Format (.asf) files that include audio that is compressed with the Windows Media Audio (WMA) codec. By using a separate extension, users can install multiple players on their computer and associate certain players with the .wma extension for playback of audio-only sources.
Windows Media Video (.wmv, .wm) Windows Media Video (.wmv) files are Advanced Systems Format (.asf) files that include audio, video, or both compressed with Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Windows Media Video (WMV) codecs. By using a separate extension, you can install multiple players on your computer and associate certain players with the .wmv extension for playback of audio and video sources.
Advanced Stream Redirector (.asx) Advanced Stream Redirector (.asx) files, also known as Windows Media Metafiles, are text files that provide information about a file stream and its presentation. ASX files go beyond the simple task of defining playlists to provide Windows Media Player with information about how to present particular media items of the playlist.
Windows Media Metafiles are based on XML syntax and can be encoded in either ANSI or UNICODE (UTF-8) format. They are made up of various elements with their associated tags and attributes. Each element in a Windows Media metafile defines a particular setting or action in Windows Media Player.
ASX files can point to any media file type that Windows Media Player recognizes and supports.
For more information about Windows Media Metafiles, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
Windows Media Metafiles
Windows Media Audio Redirector (.wax) Windows Media Audio Redirector (.wax) files are Windows Media Metafiles that reference Windows Media Audio (.wma) files.
In Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, Microsoft introduced the *.dvr-ms file format for storing recorded TV content. Similar to *.asf files, *.dvr-ms file enhancements permit key Personal Video Recorder (PVR) functionality, including time-shifting, live pause, and simultaneous record and playback. Video contained in a *.dvr-ms file is encoded as MPEG-2 video stream, and the audio contained in the *.dvr-ms file is encoded as MPEG-1 Layer II audio stream.
To play back unprotected *.dvr-ms files on Windows XP-based computers, you must have the following software and hardware components:
•Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) or later.
•The update that is documented in the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base must be installed on the computer:
For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
810243 DirectShow playback support for files recorded with Windows XP Media Center Edition
Windows Media Download (WMD) packages combine Windows Media Player skin borders, playlist information, and multimedia content in a single downloadable file that uses a .wmd extension. A .wmd package can include a whole album of music videos that also displays advertising in the form of graphical branding and links to an online music retailer Web site.
To download a .wmd package from a Web site, click the link to the package. When the package is downloaded to your computer, Windows Media Player automatically extracts the files that are contained in the package, adds the playlists in the package, adds the content to Media Library, displays the border skin in the
Now Playing pane of Windows Media Player (in full mode), and then plays the first item in the playlist. For more information about .wmd files, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
Creating a Windows Media Download Package (deprecated)
Audio Video Interleave (AVI) is a special case of Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF). AVI is defined by Microsoft. The .avi file format is the most common format for audio and video data on a computer.
Audio content or video content that is compressed with a wide variety of codecs can be stored in an .avi file and played in Windows Media Player, if the appropriate codecs are installed on the computer. Video codecs that are frequently used in .avi files include the following codecs:
•DivX codec
For more information, visit the following DivX Web site:
DivX
•Cinepak codec
The Moving Picture Experts Group develop the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) standards. These standards are an evolving set of standards for video and audio compression.
MPEG-1 (.mpeg, .mpg, .m1v) This standard permits the coding of progressive video at a transmission rate of about 1.5 million bits per second (bps). This file format was designed specifically for use with Video-CD and CD-i media. The most common implementations of the MPEG-1 standard provides a video resolution of 352x240 at 30 frames per second (fps). When you use this standard, you receive a video that is slightly lower-quality than typical VCR videos.
Files that use the .m1v extension typically are MPEG-1 elementary streams that contain only video information. Files that use .mpg or .mpeg extensions typically are MPEG-1 system streams that contain MPEG-1-encoded video and MPEG-1 Layer II (MP2)-encoded audio.
However, MPEG-1 system streams do not exclusively use the .mpg and .mpeg extensions. MPEG-2 program streams also frequently use .mpg and .mpeg file extensions, but they contain MPEG-2-encoded video. Because Microsoft Windows operating systems provide only an MPEG-1 video decoder, Windows Media Player cannot play MPEG-2 program streams without an additional MPEG-2 video decoder (also known as a DVD decoder pack) installed. For more information about purchasing DVD decoder packs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
Downloads for Windows
MPEG Audio Layer III (.mp3) This standard has also evolved from early MPEG work. It is an audio compression technology that is part of the MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 specifications. The Fraunhofer Institute developed MP3 in Germany in 1991. MP3 uses perceptual audio coding to compress CD-quality sound with almost the same fidelity.
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) is a standard protocol for the interchange of musical information between musical instruments, synthesizers, and computers. This standard defines the codes for a musical event that include the start of a note, its pitch, length, volume, and musical attributes, such as vibrato. It also defines codes for va...
Apple Computer developed the Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) audio file format. You can use this format to store high-quality sampled audio and musical instrument information.
Unix Audio (.au) files are UNIX-generated sound files.
A sound (.snd) file is an interchangeable sound file format that is used on Sun, NeXt, and Silicon Graphics computers. The file typically contains raw sound data that is followed by a text identifier.
Windows Media Player includes some of the most popular codecs, like MP3, Windows Media Audio, and Windows Media Video. However, it doesn't include the codecs required for Blu‑ray Disc files, FLAC files, or FLV files.
Nov 7, 2019 · Windows apps like Movies & TV and Windows Media Player allow the playback of certain types of video only. If you're struggling to play unsupported video formats, you'll need to use a third-party video player or codec or convert the file instead.
- Ben Stockton
- Author
Oct 31, 2010 · Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The Player might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file. You might encounter this error message for one of the following reasons:
Windows Media Player does not support the playback of the .mp4 file format. You can play back .mp4 media files in Windows Media Player when you install DirectShow-compatible MPEG-4 decoder packs. DirectShow-compatible MPEG-4 decoder packs include the Ligos LSX-MPEG Player and the EnvivioTV.
Sep 3, 2023 · While Windows Media Player includes support for popular codecs like MP3, WMA, and WMV, it doesn’t have in-built support for modern formats that include Blu-ray Disc files and some...
