Using Windows Media Encoder
Fix problems with encoded source files, display images in your encoded content, learn encoder "failover" techniques, and increase the number of client connections to Windows Media Encoder.
Answers refer to Windows Media 9 Series software, unless otherwise noted.
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Why do I get error C00D002F when I try to encode my source content?
This error indicates that the source file that you're encoding is either invalid (not the correct file type) or corrupted.
First, verify that your source file is a valid file type. Windows Media Encoder can only encode source files with .asf, .avi, .bmp, .jpg, .mpg, .mp3, .wav, .wma, and .wmv file name extensions. In addition, sourcing from a file with a .mpg file name extension requires a compatible DVD decoder (sometimes known as an MPEG-2 decoder) on the encoding computer.
If your source file is a valid file type and you get this error message, use the Windows Media ASF Viewer 9 Series to inspect your source files for corrupted content and to possibly repair the file.
Why do I get a "missing codecs" error (C00D1B83) when I try to encode my source content?
When you installed Windows Media Encoder 9 Series, the latest Windows Media codec package was automatically installed. However, because you receive this error message, a third-party codec may have been used to compress your content, so you'll need to install that same codec to encode your content in Windows Media format.
Try to play back the content in Windows Media Player, and use the error message that it displays to help you identify the codec that you need. After you identify the missing codec, you can obtain it from the codec provider's Web site.
For more information about using the Player to determine which non-Microsoft codecs are missing, see the question, "The Player displays a "missing codec" error. What can I do?" in the Media Advice archive.
How do I display a banner image in the Player?
To display a banner image (along with a link to more information) while video is rendered in Windows Media Player, add an entry to a Windows Media metafile (a file with a .wvx file name extension) by doing the following:
1. | In a text editor such as Notepad, add the following basic code while substituting the example server, paths, and file names with the appropriate information:
<ASX version = "3.0"> In the previous code, the HREF attribute of the BANNER element has the value http://WebServerName/Images/Banner.bmp that refers to a banner image (194 pixels wide by 32 pixels high) that is stored on a Web server. The text contained in the ABSTRACT element displays as a ToolTip when the user hovers over the banner graphic. Finally, when a user clicks the banner graphic, the URL provided in the MOREINFO element opens in a Internet browser, such as Internet Explorer. In this example, one digital media file named Video.wmv, which is stored on a computer running Windows Media Services, plays back in the Player. |
2. | On the File menu, click Save, type a file name, type .wvx as the file name extension, and then click Save. |
3. | Copy the Windows Media metafile with the .wvx file name extension to your Web server. |
4. | In a Web page, provide a link to the Windows Media metafile. |
For complete information about creating Windows Media metafiles, see the Windows Media Player 10 SDK.
How do I display an image in the Player while video buffers?
To display an image while an upcoming video in the playlist is buffering in Windows Media Player, add an entry to a Windows Media metafile (a file with a .wvx file name extension) by doing the following:
1. | In a text editor such as Notepad, add the following basic code while substituting the example server name, paths, and file names with the appropriate information:
<ASX version="3.0"> The first ENTRY element contains a REF element that has a value for the HREF attribute that refers to the path and file name of the image to briefly display. In the previous code, the image displays for two seconds. The second ENTRY element contains a REF element that has a value for the HREF attribute that specifies the video to play back. The PARAM element with the ShowWhileBuffering attribute set to true specifies that the image displays while the next video file in the playlist is buffering in the Player. |
2. | On the File menu, click Save, type a file name, type .wvx as the file name extension, and then click Save. |
3. | Copy the Windows Media metafile with the .wvx file name extension to your Web server. |
4. | In a Web page, provide a link to the Windows Media metafile. |
For complete information about creating Windows Media metafiles, see the Windows Media Player 10 SDK.
I'm using a Windows Media server to stream live encoded content. What can I do if the connection between the server and encoder is interrupted?
If your stream is hosted on a server running Windows Media Services 9 Series, the publishing point (the address that users connect to in order to access the live stream) stops if the connection to the encoder is lost. After you fix the problem that stopped the connection, you can restart the publishing point manually or configure it to start automatically when the first client tries to connect to it. For more information see "To enable the Start publishing point when first client connects property" in Windows Media Services Help.
If you are "pushing" the stream from the encoder to the Windows Media server, you can provide a better user experience by creating a server-side playlist that handles failovers. A server-side playlist is a playlist script that runs on the server, typically from a publishing point. A failover playlist is a server-side playlist that is designed to switch to an alternate stream if an encoder connection is lost. Here's how to quickly create one:
1. | In a text editor such as Notepad, type the following script:
<?wsx version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> |
2. | Change MyEncodingComputer to the URL of your encoder, and add the port number of the stream. In the second line, enter the path (on the server) or URL of the alternate content. In this case, the playlist plays a JPEG image for ten seconds that displays information about the failure. |
3. | Save the file with a .wsx extension, for example, Failover.wsx. |
4. | Copy the file to the server, make it the source of your broadcast publishing point, and set the playlist to loop. |
5. | Start the encoder, and then start the publishing point. |
As long as the encoder is connected, the server plays the first item in the list, which is the live stream. If the connection is lost, the server jumps to the second item, in this case, Trouble.jpg, which plays for 10 seconds. After 10 seconds, the server loops back to the first item, and attempts to reconnect to the encoder. If the attempt is successful, the live stream plays again. If not, Trouble.jpg plays again, and the server will keep trying to connect to the live stream every 10 seconds.
If you are "pulling" the stream from the encoder to the Windows Media server, you can stream content from an alternate encoder or another content source after a specified period of time by using URL modifiers in the path to the primary encoder. When the Windows Media server detects that the encoder is no longer streaming data, it switches to an alternate content source (such as a backup encoder), if one is specified in the server-side playlist, after a specified timeout period. For example, you could modify the preceding script as follows:
<?wsx version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<smil>
<media src="http://MyEncodingComputer:8080?WMNoDataTimeout=1000"/>
<media src="http://MyBackupEncodingComputer:8081"/>
</smil>
If the connection is lost for more than 1 second, the server jumps to the second item, in this case, an encoder that is streaming the same content (MyBackupEncodingComputer) on another port. The alternate content source can also be an advertisement, a remote publishing point, a playlist, or a digital media file (or files). For more information about implementing encoder failover, see "Controlling encoder failover with URL modifiers" in Windows Media Services Help. Note that URL modifiers for encoder failover are available only if Windows Media Services 9 Series is running on the following editions of the operating system: Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition with Service Pack 1 (SP1); Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition with SP1; Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition with SP1; and x64-based versions of these operating systems.
For more information about playlists that run on a server, see the Playlist Reference Web page.
How can I allow more than five clients to connect to my encoder?
By default, up to five players or servers can connect directly to the encoder to play or host a live stream. You can increase the maximum number of direct client connections (up to 50) by editing the registry on the encoding computer.
With Windows Media Services 9 Series, you can easily host hundreds or thousands of connections, depending on the hardware that you are using and the bit rates of the content being streamed. So, if you want to stream to more than 50 clients, you should consider hosting the stream on a Windows Media server.
For more information about editing the registry value, see "To increase the maximum number of direct connections" in Windows Media Encoder Help. Keep in mind that the main reason for the connection limit on the encoder is that maintaining connections with clients uses system resources that the encoder requires for encoding the stream. Run Task Manager on your computer to see if CPU and memory usage are comfortably low; if usage is over 70%, lower the bit rate at which you are encoding, limit the number of concurrent user connections to the encoder, or upgrade to a computer with a higher processor speed and memory. For more information, see the Windows Media Distribution Web page.
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.