Playing Video in Windows Media Player
Solve playback issues, print video frames, and use encoding utilities to index video or to separate audio from video.
Answers refer to Windows Media Player 10, unless otherwise noted.
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Why can't I see the video when I'm playing a video file?
If you can hear the audio, but can't see the video in Windows Media Player, two scenarios are possible:
1. | You never see video. |
2. | You see video for a few seconds, but then it disappears or becomes discolored (for example, it turns purple or green). |
I never see video
If you're playing an AVI file, it's possible that the video codec required to decode and display the video is not installed on your computer. To determine which codec was used to create the file, do the following:
1. | Use a codec detection utility to determine the FourCC code of the file. |
2. | Look up that FourCC code on the FourCC for Video Compression Web page or in the codecs section of the FourCC Web site. |
After you determine which codec is required, you can then download the correct codec from the Internet. The Windows Media Player Multimedia File Formats Web page provides links to suppliers of some of the more frequently used video codecs for AVI files. However, keep in mind that some codecs can introduce instability with programs or your computer in general, so make sure that a codec is from a trustworthy source before downloading and installing it.
If you are playing Windows Media Video (WMV) files, but can't see the video, see the question, "Where can I get codecs for the Player?" in the Media Advice archive.
I see video, but only for a few seconds
If you find that video disappears or turns a different color, turn off video overlays by doing the following:
1. | In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Performance tab. |
2. | Click the Advanced button. |
3. | In the Video Acceleration area, clear the Use overlays check box. |
If the problem continues, try turning off the video mixing renderer (VMR) by clearing the Use video mixing renderer check box, located just above the Use overlays check box.
If you can restore the missing video by doing something like maximizing the Player or putting another window in front of it, there may be a problem with your video card driver. For more information about this issue, see the question, "Why does my video stop or disappear after a few seconds of playing?" in the Media Advice archive.
Why does my video flicker?
A variety of issues may cause video to flicker in Windows Media Player. To troubleshoot possible causes, do the following:
| • | Check for video-card driver updates from the maker of your video card. | ||||
| • | Check for Microsoft DirectX updates by scanning for updates on the Windows Update Web site. | ||||
| • | Try a different acceleration setting for your video hardware:
| ||||
| • | Microsoft NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing may cause video-performance problems with the Player. In this case, you will have to uninstall NetMeeting in order to improve Player performance. For more information, see NetMeeting Help. |
How can I print a video frame displayed in the Player?
The Player doesn't contain commands for capturing video frames (like it does for capturing DVD images). Instead, you must copy the screen contents in Windows by doing the following:
1. | Play the video in full-screen mode. For more information, see View a Video, DVD, or Visualization Using the Full Screen. |
2. | When the video frame that you want is displayed, press PRINT SCREEN on your keyboard. This copies the screen to the Clipboard in Windows. |
3. | Paste the captured screen into a document, or into a drawing tool such as Microsoft Paint. You can print the captured screen using the Print function in the document or drawing tool software. You may need to adjust the image dimensions so that it will print correctly. See the software documentation for more information. |
If the captured screen is black, you may need to turn off video overlays in the Player. For more information about turning off video overlays, see the first question.
For information about printing DVD images in the Player, see the question, "How do I capture a screen shot from a DVD?" in the Media Advice archive.
Why can't I fast forward, rewind, or seek in a WMV file?
You probably can’t perform these actions because the file isn't indexed. If you have access to the file and it isn't protected, you can quickly index the file yourself by using Windows Media File Editor, a utility that is available with Windows Media Encoder 9 Series.
To index a WMV file by using Windows Media File Editor, do the following:
1. | Open Windows Media File Editor. |
2. | On the File menu, click Open, and then select the file you want to index. |
3. | On the File menu, click Save and Index. |
Can I save the audio in a WMV file as a separate file?
Sure—just use Windows Media Stream Editor, which is installed with Windows Media Encoder 9 Series, to save a WMV file as a Windows Media Audio (WMA) file. For more information, see "Splitting streams into separate files" in Windows Media Stream Editor Help.
If you don't find the answer to your question in this column, be sure to check the Archive. Media Advice is not an official Microsoft Support channel. If you need immediate help for an urgent problem, we recommend that you visit Microsoft Help and Support.