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hldan · Mar 5, 2004, 10:41 AM

Like most OSX users we have to use Microsoft's Windows Media Player but the problem is that Microsoft cripples it and I can't play media files on some places on the web that the Windows version will play. Very frustrating and unfair.
I stumbled across this app called "Mplayer". It's suppose to play several codecs. My question is how does it work? Will it default and play web content that is Windows Media Player specific? I am so upset that Microsoft purposly makes their Mac software almost useless knowing Mac Users don't have much other options.Any help greatly appreciated.

ryju · Mar 5, 2004, 11:04 AM

I use MPlayer OSX 2 and it rocks my world. Plays anything except realmedia, which sucks anyways.

angelmb · Mar 5, 2004, 11:11 AM

Indeed, MPlayer works so far better than vlc, at least for me and my PowerBook.

pat++ · Mar 5, 2004, 02:13 PM

MPlayer will play almost anything out there... except of course wmv which only Windows Media Player for OS X can decode

Millennium · Mar 5, 2004, 02:35 PM

I use MPlayer; it's a superb piece of software. Anything it can't get, I'm probably not interested in anyway.

-Q- · Mar 5, 2004, 02:41 PM

I've had more luck with vlc myself, but YMMV. It's a pretty versatile player from what I understand.

voodoo · Mar 5, 2004, 05:17 PM

Originally posted by -Q-:
I've had more luck with vlc myself, but YMMV. It's a pretty versatile player from what I understand.

Yeah I prefer VLC too, but MPlayer OS X 2 is pretty good too! Unfortunately it hasn't been updated for a year or something. It could use some more TLC.

hldan · Mar 5, 2004, 07:23 PM

I downloaded it and tried it out, seems cool but unfortunately doesn't support Windows Media 9 files. Also there's no default option to automatically play files that on the web that don't launch with the Mac versions of WMP9 or Quicktime or Real Player.
Don't quote me on that, someone always figures out a way.
Thanks for everyone's help.

Taipan · Mar 5, 2004, 07:46 PM

Hi!

MPlayer does play at least some versions of WindowsMedia as well as RealMedia files.

Millennium · Mar 6, 2004, 12:56 PM

Originally posted by Taipan:
Hi!

MPlayer does play at least some versions of WindowsMedia as well as RealMedia files.

That's true; it only plays files using very old versions of these codecs.

Reverse-engineering a codec is extremely difficult business, but it is much easier if the codec is based on a known standard. As luck would have it, early versions of Indeo, Vivo, RealVideo, and WMV were all based on some of these standards, and modern MPEG-4 codecs are of course based off of other standards. That makes these fairly easy to implement, if you know what standards to use. Most of the work is essentially already done for you.

Unfortunately, newer versions of RealVideo (G2 and higher), Indeo (v4 or v5; I can't remember which), and WMV (8 or higher, I think) are no longer based on these standards. This is why they are proving so hard to reverse-engineer, and consequently why neither VLC nor MPlayer can play them.