Windows 10: I can't get MPEG movies files to play on Windows Media Player

Thank you for all of the quick responses. I don't know what codec is *Redface, I'm an end-user. *chuckle My default is WMP, but I have switched to Windows Movies, to see if it will work. I guess I will try the VLC unless someone can explain codec, and how it will make my WMP work.

TRS

 

The most convenient way is to use VLC Media Player which saves you the issue of proper codec as VLC can play almost all types of file formats.

As to codecs, you can install K-Lite codec pack to help your WMP which is restricted to play only a few file formats.

K-Lite Codec Pack 14.15 (Full)

Download K-Lite Codec Pack

Take your pick.

*** Bear in mind, WMP can no longer play DVDs. That capability has been removed by Microsoft. So, VLC is your choice of media player ***

 

It's an unfortunate side effect of MS removing DVD playback from WMP. it shouldn't of messed with the file playback but it did, only get sound in WMP now playing them. It didn't amuse me when this happened as we have loads of family videos captured in this format. I can concur VLC is the workaround. Thumbnails do not generate in explorer for these file types anymore either. The workaround is to use icaros to handle mpg or mpeg thumbnails

 

Codec: Codecs: frequently asked questions - Windows Help


Movie App: File formats for the Movies TV app - Windows Help -


VideoLan VLC is the best player, IMO
Streaming, Podcast, Radio, TV, capture, convert, download Youtube ...
Oh yeah, it plays almost every media type without thinking about anything.

 

VLC can download YouTube vids? I didn't realise that, that's cool. What file format does it download them in? Is that function easy to use. Might give me an excuse to uninstall real player / real times. It's horrible software but allows YouTube downloading which is the only reason I tolerate it!

 

Hi there
VLC works fine -- there's also loads of YouTube downloaders - simply google.

BTW for BBC stuff use a great app called get_iplayer. For radio command is get_iplayer --get --type=radio --pid = xxxxxxxx
and for TV command is get_iplayer --get --modes=best --subtitles --pid=xxxxxxxx

the PID is the 8 digit character n the URL when you use the standard BBC iPlayer in a browser. Search for the program you want and you'll see the PID in the url --often after episode=xxxxxxxx or similar. Copy the PID and paste into the get_iplayer command.

Google for the get_iplayer app. It's free and on both Linux and Windows. The radio streams are nice in 320 kb/s m4a format -- easily playable in VLC or any multi-media streaming application (PLEX, Logitech media server --Squeezebox --etc). The TV streams are in HD and in mp4 format with subtitles in .srt.

Forget BBC DAB Radio streams -- quality is HIDEOUS - the direct 320kb/s streams are a different order of magnitude in quality --especially noticeable if you ever listen to Classical Music with decent speakers.

Cheers
jimbo

 

Cheers Jimbo - I will look. Realtimes/realplayer is good in that pops up whilst watching a compatible vid in the browser. It even works with edge but it has bugs. I was just curious about VLC and it's convenient as I already have it installed. I'll check out the get iplayer, sounds interesting

 

Hi, does this act as a proxy- so people outside the UK can get what UK license payers are paying for?

 

Hi there

BBC Radio streams aren't "Geo limited" apart from some live football (Premier League) commentaries - in any case BBC Radio doesn't need license fee. Currently even in UK BBC iPlayer programs also don't need TV license even for UK residents -- although I think in Parliament that might change .

Currently no License required for iPlayer viewing. It's an annoyance for BBC funding but currently still 100% legal so long as you use a computer / phone / tablet to watch. If you watch on a TV then different rules --UK always makes things more complicated than they need be. IMO BBC funding would be solved at a stroke if they allowed anybody from outside the UK to access with a subscription -- but again this wretched "Geo-Blocking" attempts to make nonsense of the Global Internet --especially as most of us have fast Internet quite capable of streaming live even 4K quality movies etc. !!! In Iceland I easily get downloads via cable of around 280 Mb/s -- no probs with even 4K movies (what few there are !!).

You might need some type of VPN -- I suppose it depends on your ISP. However I have my own domains in .isl, .gg (Guernsey) and one in the USA for netflix. The .gg domain gets all the BBC stuff with no problem. I also know in Europe a lot of BBC stuff is available -- they even have most BBC channels on domestic cable TV systems in Brussels, Antwerp, The Hague, Rotterdam, Amsterdam etc.

Cheers
jimbo

 

Things will change.. but too slowly. As the BBC faces a funding crisis, and shoulders the burden of free licenses for the increasing number of elderly instead of the general taxpayer, those who do pay license fees will be doing so for another 11 years.

There will be a subscription introduced for iplayer, I don't know when. Clearly the days of detector vans roaming the streets (I never saw one) are of historic interest only (detecting signals from CRT TVs).

Nowadays many in the UK can watch TV without even buying one, of course, so no traceability that way either.