.wmv files on a mac?

[Imola Ghost]

I've helped a friend get their new 27" iMac up and running. However she takes some online classes and all of the presentations and classes are .wmv files. I can't seem to get them to play on their mac?

I downloaded "Flip4Mac" but their still not playing.

Can someone recommend a way to play these files, hopefully free?

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

VLC should do it. Also try installing Perian.

If your friend complains that you have to install extra stuff on a Mac and it should "just work", remind him that WMV is an atrocious video format and should never have been invented in the first place

EDIT: Forgot, Perian doesn't do WMV. Still, it's worth installing.

 

[GGJstudios]

What can I download to play WMV files?
Need App to watch WMV files

 

[MisterMe]

I've helped a friend get their new 27" iMac up and running. However she takes some online classes and all of the presentations and classes are .wmv files. I can't seem to get them to play on their mac?

I downloaded "Flip4Mac" but their still not playing.

Can someone recommend a way to play these files, hopefully free?

if you installed Flip4Mac and your .wmv files still won't play, the files are probably WMV10, WMV11, or WMV12. Flip4Mac goes up only to unprotected WMV9. Nothing on the Mac plays WMV10, 11, or 12. Nothing on the Mac plays any version of DRMed WMV. VLC cannot play any version of WMV that Flip4Mac cannot play.

 

[iThinkergoiMac]

VLC cannot play any version of WMV that Flip4Mac cannot play.

Not true. I've had VLC play WMVs that Flip4Mac refused to play. Both were at the latest version as well. I don't know if the file was slightly corrupted and so F4M refused it but VLC squeaked it through or what.

It's worth a shot, if nothing else.

 

[MisterMe]

Not true. I've had VLC play WMVs that Flip4Mac refused to play. Both were at the latest version as well. I don't know if the file was slightly corrupted and so F4M refused it but VLC squeaked it through or what.

It's worth a shot, if nothing else.

Before making such a bold statement, you would do well to examine the formats of the videos that VLC was able to play. The fact that your installation of Flip4Mac had issues does not mean that everyone else had the same issues. The VideoLAN website clearly lists the following supported Windows Media Video formats and no others--WMV 3, WMV-9, and VC-1.

 

[Ray W]

If all else fails, try Windows Media Player. I had a file sent to me by a Windoze user which I couldn't get to play on anything else and WMP worked fine, cheers.

 

[MisterMe]

If all else fails, try Windows Media Player. I had a file sent to me by a Windoze user which I couldn't get to play on anything else and WMP worked fine, cheers.

What was the version of the video? If you played the video on a Windows computer, then that is one thing. However, the most recent version of Windows Media Player for the Mac is Windows Media Player 9.0. It dates back to 2003. It cannot play any version of WMV newer than WMV-9. It cannot play any version of DRMed WMV.

 

[Ray W]

You are right, MisterMe, it was version 9 and I don't have that .wmv file anymore to check its file version so, please Imola Ghost, ignore my suggestion, cheers and all the best with your search.