Free MP4 Player or MP4 to WMV convertor?

[A31]

Does anybody on here know of a free MP4 Player (a program that allows you to play MP4 files) or a program that allows you to convert MP4 to WMV or MPG or similar... even if it is just trialware, I only need to convert one file!!

I have RealPlayer Converter, but to convert MP4 to WMV on RP Converter, I need h.264 Encoding which is only available in RealPlayer SP Plus which you have to pay for.

Thanks
A31

[Marin85]

Any of the VLC, KMPlayer, k-lite codec pack or CCCR + MPC/WMP (all free) can play the file without any problems. Quicktime may also do the job. MP4 is actually a nice format (container), so if I was you, I wouldn´t bother converting it to anything (unless you want to be able to play the file on some pocket gadget).

Hope this helps,

Marin

[A31]

Thanks for the quick reply!!

I will download the K-Lite Codec!!

[A31]

Well, I tried the K-lite Codecs and KM Player, but nothing is ever going to play my MP4, I think...

the MP4 is from BBC iPlayer Desktop, which may be why it isn't playing.

At lease I got another nice, free media player though!
A31

[Marin85]

Uhm, you don´t need k-lite codec pack with the KMPlayer because the latter uses its owns. In fact, there might arise software conflicts under Windows Vista or Windows 7. If you want to go with the K-lite Mega Codec Pack, then use it with Windows Media Player or Media Player Classic (the latter comes within the bundle of K-lite Mega Codec Pack, the installation process is customizable). Alternatively, you could use VLC, which also uses its own codecs, so there is no need to install the codec pack, if you decide for the VLC player.

Is your problem that the players cannot recognize the format/file (very unlikely) or is it rather like that there aren´t enough resources (mostly cpu-wise) to play the video file? On older hardware, h264 encoded videos can cause real hiccups... It is important to know whether the problem is software-related (codecs) or hardware-related (lack of raw computational power). The first one is completely solvable, while the second one only partly (depending on the actual hardware) by software means. What is the hardware you are trying to play the video file on and what OS? Also, can you provide any specifications on the video file (right click on the file -> details tab) (if there are any).

A side note: I should have mentioned in my first post that KMPlayer is not very user-friendly. There is no help file and the interface can be quite irritating (I do find it so).

Marin

[emeraldgirl08]

Try VLC.

It's got a totally bland interface but it has all it's own codecs.

I use it and it works fine. The path you chose with the KLite is geared towards advanced users. I'm sure you'll notice when you peruse through the KLite menus. VLC just works. It does have advanced settings and even has a converter of some sort. I haven't tried it yet b/c for audio needs I use Audacity on my Linux dual boot.

Cheers

[Marin85]

VLC is a great general player, but unfortunately, when it comes to h264, it is not always very good at it, especially on older hardware. While K-lite codec pack offers tons of advanced options, there is actually little, if any, required to make it work. What is more, it eats noticeably less cpu than VLC as far as high definition videos are concerned.

[A31]

I have VLC Media Player 1.0.5 (latest stable release), and it shows how long the clip is (1hr 16min) and the little bar moves along, but there is no sound or video. Here is a picture of my VLC attempting to play the file:
http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww30 ... ms/vlc.jpg
So as you can see, the bar is moving and the timer is working, but there is no (like I said above) sound or video of any sort, it's just like that, for the whole length of the clip.

What is the hardware you are trying to play the video file on and what OS?

HP dx2200MT with 2.0GB DDR2 RAM, 3.0GHz Pentium 4HT processor, two very large SATA hard drives (total space is equal to 720GB) and Windows XP Professional SP3 (it did have Vista Ultimate SP2 64-bit, but I moved back to XP Pro). It also has an NVIDIA GeForce 6200 graphics card with 256MB video graphics (in case this helps!!) - it's the second most powerful computer in the house.

Is your problem that the players cannot recognize the format/file (very unlikely)

The problem is that the players (VLC, KM and Windows Media Player) cannot actually play the file. Because the file is from BBC iPlayer, it may have restrictions to prevent copying etc. When you download from BBC iPlayer, it downloads and installs a program called 'iPlayer Desktop' which is like a media player that plays the video you just downloaded, it sores the video on your hard drive in MP4 format, but I think that it has restrictions as to how it will play, ie - it will only work with iPlayer Desktop which is like a media player (like VLC etc) but you can only play the video for 7 days after it has been downloaded your hard drive.

It does have advanced settings and even has a converter of some sort

I never knew that VLC had a converter!!
I have used VLC for a long time, starting from when I got my Camcorder (Sony DCR-SR35E), and the videos were in a format that Media Player wouldn't recognise, so I got VLC and it played the videos fine... and I've used it ever since. But it won't play this MP4 that I have becuase I think that the actual file itself has restrictions on it.
Cheers,
A31