Wma Codec For Windows Media Player

Windows Media Format Runtime. This package installs all the codecs and runtimes that are required for playing the various Windows Media formats, such as. wmv and. wma.

  • This codec will allow you to rip files in an mp3 format and also burn them.
  • Windows Media Player fires up Internet Explorer or your default Internet browser and connects to a Web site that specifically identifies the missing codec.
  • Open Windows Media Player and click the arrow button located underneath the Library icon. Scroll down and click More Options. Navigate to the tab labeled Player.
  • Media Player Codec Pack. The Media Player Codec Pack is a simple to install package of codecs/filters/splitters used for playing back music and movie.
How to Install a New Codec in Windows Media Player wma codec for windows media player wma codec for windows media player wma codec for windows media player

Many media codecs are included in Windows Vista, but as technology changes daily, it is important to know how to install new codecs for the Windows Media Player. Codecs are important in the Windows Media Player world because you need a codec to translate different kinds of media files into data that WMP can understand.

A codec short for coder-decoder or compressor-decompressor is a small program that converts data from one form to another.

Unfortunately, filename extensions don t tell the whole codec story. For example, WMA files can have a WMA 7, WMA 9.2 or WMA 10 format. It s up to Windows Media Player or Winamp, which also plays WMA files to look inside the file and decide which format was used to create the file. After the determination has been made, WMP or Winamp hauls in the right codec to decipher the file. You don t need to lift a finger.

Sometimes, though, Windows Media Player doesn t have the correct codec on hand to play a particular file. For example, AVI is a popular file format that can be created using a particular kind of video-encoding technique called DivX. Although DivX files are gaining in popularity, Windows Media Player still doesn t include its codec. So, in order to play a file using this format, you need to install a new codec.

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When you try to play a media file that WMP doesn t understand, WMP helps you find the codec. In this case, WMP can t find the codec necessary to play The Cabinet of Dr Caligari_xvid-belos.avi, so it shows this message.

Windows Media Player fires up Internet Explorer or your default Internet browser and connects to a Web site that specifically identifies the missing codec. It needs the Xvid MPEG-4 Xvid codec.

The WMPlugins Web site which is owned by Microsoft gives you a link to the Xvid codec.

In this case, we click the Xvid Codec Download Site link to find the missing codec. Microsoft shows a disclaimer that Microsoft is helping you leave a Microsoft site and that the site you re going to the one with the codec isn t associated with Microsoft.

WMPlugins transports you to the download site.

Internet Explorer goes through the usual file download routine.

You may have to click through some scary-looking dialog boxes saying that the publisher couldn t be verified and allowing the installer to run. Eventually, you get to the codec s setup wizard or something similar.

If it tells you to close all other applications, click the red X to exit the umpteen Internet Explorer windows.

Ultimately, the codec is installed.

This time, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari_xvid-belos.avi plays like a champ.

A codec compresses or decompresses media files such as songs or videos. Windows Media Player and other apps use codecs to play and create media files.

Download the Player Get Windows Media Player for your version of Windows or learn how to play Windows Media files on your Mac.