Watching a movie with Windows Media Player

I was sent to a site to watch a short movie. When using Mozilla I received a message that I needed Windows Media Player v.9. I checked and found I have Windows Media Player v9+.
I then went to the site with IE and the movie played. What's the story here? Why didn't the movie play with Mozilla with WMP v.9 already on my machine? Is there someway to tell Mozilla to use it?

 

Ramona
In this link
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=38518&highlight=windows+media

what do you mean to check in Tools/options/File types that wmp 9 has been set as the default player?

I don't have tools/options/file types

 

OK, I went to Explorer and found tools/options/File types and found Windows media player with the possibility of two options--
Play or Open
Play was in bold and seems to be the default because default was greyed out.
I selected open and made it the default but it still does not work.
I noticed the path to the WM player goes to a prefetch directory. Maybe that is the problem?

 

Ramona,
When you are in Explorer->file types->wmv and you have play in bold and hit advanced, what do you get for the path to WM player?

 

Mine is "C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe" /prefetch:7 /Play "%L ".

Can you post a link to the file? I'll go there and see if I can play it.

 

ackerberg,

This is what I show in WMP9 File Types | Play:
"C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe" /Play "%L "

In aboutlugins is WMP9 listed, and enabled for all file types?

Also check your Registry to ensure that Mozilla is included. Don't worry if you have none of the other entries. Mozilla is the one you are looking for:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\ShimInclusionList\MOZILLA.EXE]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\ShimInclusionList\PHOENIX.EXE]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\ShimInclusionList\MOZILLAFIREBIRD.EXE]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\ShimInclusionList\FIREFOX.EXE]

It could be that the site you are accessing has IE proprietary code...

Ramona

 

The Canadian radio gives this info for Mozilla users . The registry patch is absolutely necessary.
I never had a problem playing external links or embedded players, since then.

 

Westside,

I didn't use the Registry patch for WMP 9 and I have no problems using CBC Radio One. In fact, I am listening to the Toronto station now...

Ramona

 

Ramona,
the patch will do nothing more than adding the ShimExclusionList item. I, actually, had to adding the item, manually, to the Registry. I don't recall when I had to do this, but it was only once, and I had to add to add kmeleon.exe, which was not listed. Now this a while ago. I went through several Mozilla updates, as well as update to WMP10.
So, I should modify, my statement about the patch. Nevessary it is not, but surely convenient.

 

Westside,

O.K., I thought perhaps you were talking about something else, actually I had the ActiveX thing on my mind, feeble as it is !

Yes, THAT Registry patch is what I posted... If Ackerberg doesn't have Mozilla listed in the shimInclusionList, then he can add the patch, absolutely!

Ramona

 

Hi Bill,
This is the link to the movie.

http://garsten.neptune.com/

Please let me know if you can see it with your WMP. Thanks.

 

OK, the path to WMP seems OK and I added the lines to the Registry, which were missing. When I try to play the movie I still get the message that I need to download WMP9.
Do not know what to do next.

 

I also have the same as you. Insists I do not have WMP9. I do have the Shiminclusionlist in the registry. I'll work on it tomorrow.

 

Ackerberg, and Bill,

FWIW, I'm getting the same results as the two of you. When I look at the Page Source, the code is beyond my expertise...


Ramona

 

In doubt, send a tech support request, which I did.
I asked them if they really meant that having WMP10, I have to "upgrade" to 9.
I don't expect an answer, at best until next Monday, but let's see what happens.

 

Westside,

That's good, and so did I, so hopefully we'll receive some sort of reply early next week.

Ramona

 

I watched the movie in IE and then saved it to my desktop. It is a *.wmv format. So the problem must be in making the connection with Mozilla, for some reason the format is not revealed and Mozilla is unable to handle it. Those tricky people at MS

 

I looked at the page source and understand very little.

However, in the "detect browser section ", everything is mentioned except Firefox. Mozilla up thru ver 1.5, Netscape, Opera, and MSN along with some I never heard of.

Anyone tried the site with Mozilla or Netscape. Westside, I remember you have many versions installed.

I sent them a note also....

 

Bill and Ackerberg,

Mystery solved! I use "Enough is Enough" which basically disables IE. I tried the link in IE, just to see what would happen, and the reason we can't view it in Netscape, Mozilla, and Firefox, is that it requires ActiveX. Definitly proprietary IE coding for the page. Shame on the web author!

Ramona

 

Ramona,
I don't know if you solved the mystery, but I tried NS7.2, which has the Active X plugin (same as FF, by the way), for Windows Media player. That plugin may not work for any other Active X, but it has worked with several streaming sites, and .wmv files are included.
But, today, in NS7.2 I am getting a page which I did not get yesterday. It says that I don't have javascript turned on, which is news to me and my computer.
They also include a list of supported browsers.
And, then I tried my faithful User Agent Switcher. I set it to NS7.1, which I no longer have. This time the page did not go through the javascript plugin baloney. It flatly told me that it did not support the browser. Then, I tried IE6, and I was allowed in, all the way like yesterday, just to be told that I needed WMP9.
I tried NS4.8, and the effect was the same as faking the UA as IE6. I tried to see if I could right click, and save, but I got Flash settings, which I allowed, to no avail. Firefox1.01 was also ok. Only the Netscapes7.1 and 7.2 were banned. But each fake UA was consistently telling me that WMP9 was needed.
And, finally, I got an automated reply from MediaOne: "Thank you for you contacting Neptune. We take your input very seriously
and will look into your comments and if required get back to you. "

And, finally, when all fails check IE (it is always the last thing I check).
And, what do you know? It did not work either. It started with a Flash check, and I flunked because my version did not meet requirements.
So, I am pretty sure that if you roll back to Flash 6, and WMP 9, things would work.
I am satisfied that I did this check, and I guess they may need another input, or "go backwards, men and women! "
This made my day.