Windows Media video files not viewable on some websites - any workarounds?

[pepita]

Disclaimer: I know no one here can do anything about the choices of video format or system compatibility by individual websites, but I'm just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and if there's any solutions...

Problem: I have both the latest Windows Media Player and Flip4Mac components installed, and yet there are websites where I can't view video clips - one very annoying example is the Channel 4 News (UK) website. They used to have simple links to the video files before and it worked (files opened in the Player), now when there's a "watch the report" link, you click, a popup window appears but no video in it and no error message or warning or anything. This happens both in Safari and Firefox.

(Another example is videos on MTV websites, and Yahoo, I think).

Why is this? shouldn't video clips in WM format work independently of the OS?

Can anyone here please check if they get the same problem or is it just me?

Before I contact the websites people I just want to make sure that it's not my system.

TIA!

 

[HiRez]

I went to that UK site and clicked on a video. It did pop up a small window with a "Missing component" error message. However, it did say "Windows MEdia Player may be able to play this file, would you like to try?", I said yes, it launched WMP and the video played. So I guess try installing WMP, maybe some things don't works witht he Flip4Mac plugin yet. Strange you didn't get the error message I did though.

 

[cwedl]

I went to that UK site and clicked on a video. It did pop up a small window with a "Missing component" error message. However, it did say "Windows MEdia Player may be able to play this file, would you like to try?", I said yes, it launched WMP and the video played. So I guess try installing WMP, maybe some things don't works witht he Flip4Mac plugin yet. Strange you didn't get the error message I did though.

Yeah that happens all the time, vlc player really should think about creating an internet plugin!

 

[pepita]

HiRez, thanks! I was going to be very angry if they'd done it on purpose to all Mac users

I figured out what the problem was: Flip4Mac. For some reason it doesn't work with this particular streaming video (thought it worked with others on other sites...) and it also prevents Windows Media Player from taking over when it fails. Very annoying.

So I just uninstalled it.

Now I finally see the video, in the popup window, without even getting warnings about having to open it separately in WMP like you got. Strange.

I'll send a note to the Flip4Mac people about this...

 

[pepita]

ps - there's no need to uninstall Flip4Mac, you just need to disable the plugin in its panel in the System Preferences

 

[flyfish29]

No problem playing it here! Played in window without any errors.

What is flip4Mac?

 

[cseeman]

Flip4Mac Plays Windows Media Video in Quicktime. Microsoft had dropped Mac development of Windows Media Player. They are linking to Flip4Mac which is, of course, doing more development.