Is Window Media player supposed to open avi files?

[Tomoyo]

I umm... have an .avi file that I would like to play, but whenever I try to play it in Windows Media Player (also tried Real), the video part of the file doesn't work properly and Windows Media Player recognizes it as an audio file. I have the latest version of WMP, so I don't really know what wrong. Could it be a corruption in the .avi file itself?

 

[Paalikles]

It might be. Are you able to get another copy of the file?

could it be that you need a codec for it to run?

 

[Zwelgje]

Don't know what the exact problem is with you but WMP should play avi. Have you tried to play another avi with your WMP and does that work? If so, your avi probably is corrupted or WMP needs a plugin to be able to play the avi. Somewhere there's an option that you should check within WMP to allow WMP to connect to the internet to download plugins. Hope this is of any help.

 

[ummmm........]

Probably best to just go ahead and download another, uh, nature film.

 

[GenMarshall]

By default (IE if you dont have any other media players that can play an *.avi file) Windows Media Player plays any *.avi files.

@Tomoyo - What version of Windows Media Player do you have?

 

[Mise]

Do you have the codecs?

 

[Dell19]

It'll almost certainly be the codecs. I do have one song that media player refuses to play but all other audio players will play it.

 

[Tomoyo]

Well, considering it said something about the codec, it probably is. Are there any other players that can play *.avi files?

I have WMP 10.

 

[nonconformist]

What's a codec?

 

[Chairman Meow]

What's a codec?

codec stands for coder/decoder... it basically decodes the video so it can be played.

 

[Tomoyo]

Oh, and I forgot to ask: How does one obtain said codecs?

 

[Mise]

If you don't have the codecs, no player will play it. You'll either need to google the codec name, or let WMP find it on the internet. I'm not really up on codecs, but I'm sure you could just google "common codec pack" and download the common ones off a decent site that doesn't look like a p0rn/warez site.

 

[Tomoyo]

I downloaded it by following the links from WMP, and it's working!

 

[Thrawn]

In the future, if you get something which won't play like that, try GSpot. It tells you what codecs a file needs among other things. A quick search on google is then all you need to get them.

 

[nonconformist]

codec stands for coder/decoder... it basically decodes the video so it can be played.

Danke Schoen .

Man, I was between quantum states on that

 

[Jeratain]

If you are too lazy to try GSpot, just download the Defiler Pak (do a Google for it). That includes all necessary codecs to run just about any video file, and it includes ffdshow :yeah

 

[steviejay]

I've got a big problem with codecs at the moment. for some strange and mystical reason I have a video (a rather large video) that will run perfectly...... with no sound, I mean come on!!

 

[Woody]

I've got a big problem with codecs at the moment. for some strange and mystical reason I have a video (a rather large video) that will run perfectly...... with no sound, I mean come on!!

Not unusual at all, video and audio use different codecs. Having one doesnt mean you will have the other. I suggest getting that GSpot program, it will tell you what codec you need for both the video and audio part of your avi file.