I have a .wmv file I uploaded to my website. When I click the link to the video, the video plays in Windows Media Player without any problems. However, on some systems when the user clicks the link, Windows Media Player gives them the error:
Window Media Player cannot play the file. The player might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file
All I did was copy the video to the server and store the URL in a database. Why are users getting this error? How can I fix it?
Best Answer
Every video format has a certain 'codec' that is needed to play it. A codec is like a key or a set of instructions on how to read that type of video format. MKVs, WMV, M4V, 3p2 (among many others) all have unique codecs. Although you are trying to play a WMV (Windows Media Video File) with Windows Media Player (WMP), it may not have the correct version of the codec or their copy of the codec may be corrupt. Also newer versions of WMP may use an updated codec that older versions do not. Try providing a link to the Windows site for that codec and instructing them to download an updated codec if they see the error.
A good place for more info is here (Microsoft Help Page)
The site to download the WMV codecs is here (Microsoft Download Center)
Note: you will have to go through a short validation step to verify your copy of windows is valid before downloading.