Problem with some MP4's on WMP

I'm experiencing strange behavior with Windows Media Player (Win7). I just mounted an iso consisting of mp4 files and when I attempt to play them I get the audio but not the video (all that I see is a music bar). I find this strange because I have other mp4 files that play very well (audio & video) on WMP.

Any suggestions would be appreciated...

Cruise

 

Hi Cruise,

That does seem strange - I suggest reinstalling Windows Media Player as follows:

1. Go to Start and in the search type "Turn Windows features On or Off".
2. Click on "Turn Windows features On or Off".
3. Browse to the Media Features and place a check mark in front of Windows Media Player.
4. Restart your PC.

If the problem still persists, you might try the VLC Media Player.

Regards,
Jo Ann

 

You did not mention the version number of WMP you are using or whether you are using a third party codec pack to play video files on WMP.

Only the WMP v12 can play mp4 files by default.

If you only hear audio from the mp4 files that means that the files have been encoded with a video codec that is not natively supported in WMP. You will either need to download an external codecs pack or use VLC media player that has all the codecs built-in.

You can use freeware software like MediaInfo to see what audio/video codecs are used to encode a particular file.

 

Thanks Jo Ann; I'm on assignment for a few days but will try reinstalling WMP when I return.

Cruise

 

Hi Raza,

My OS is Win7 so I believe my WMP is version 12. The weird thing (to my lay-knowledge on the subject) is that WMP plays the video of some of my mp4 files but not others!

Cruise

 

MP4 is a container, inside the container you will have an encoded video and encoded audio. WMP can play a mp4 file that is encoded with H264 or mpeg-4 AVC video codec and aac audio codec. So, the file you have is encoded with aac audio codec but the video codec probably is not H264. This is why you are only getting audio from WMP and no video. To find out what codec is being used inside your mp4 file use the software I linked in my previous post. Then you will either need to install that codec in WMP or use a different player that already has this codec.

 

Raza, thanks for the education - I'll follow-up when I get back home.