Playing Video in Windows Media Player
Solve playback and performance problems that can occur while playing video files in Windows Media Player.
Answers refer to Windows Media Player 10, unless otherwise noted.
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How can I save video from the Internet?
When you click a link on a Web page to video content, either you access video data from a streaming media server or you access video data from a file stored on a Web server.
Streaming media server
You can't save video from a streaming media server. When you click a link to video on a streaming media server, streaming video data from a video file or a live video feed is downloaded to the cache of your Player and then rendered by the Player. Internet content providers stream video to allow your Player to begin rendering the data immediately instead of waiting for a video file to be downloaded. You can't access or save the cached information for the video stream.
Web server
You can save video from a Web server and then add it to your library. When you click a link to video on a Web server, the video file is downloaded to the cache for your Web browser (the Temporary Internet Files folder). As soon as a minimal amount of file data is downloaded to the cache, and if Windows Media Player is configured to play the video file format, the Player will begin playing the file even before it finishes downloading. For fast Internet connections, this process is nearly instantaneous (that is, it can appear to be a video stream). To save a video file from the Internet, right-click the link to the file, and then click Save Target As.
Note that if the Save Target As command doesn't appear on the menu when you right-click the link to the video, or if it does appear but the file to be saved has an .asx file name extension, this usually indicates that the video you are trying to save is a stream and not a file. For more information about the video file types that you can play in Windows Media Player, see the question, "What kinds of video files can I play in Windows Media Player?" in the Media Advice archive.
Why do video files on the Internet download to my computer rather than playing in the Player?
Windows Media Player isn't configured to play the video file format. When you click the link on the Web page to the video file, the file is downloaded to the cache for your Web browser, and then a Windows dialog box is displayed that allows you to select a program that can play the file type. To select Windows Media Player to play the downloaded video file, do the following:
1. | In the Windows dialog box, click Select the program from a list and then click the OK button. |
2. | In the Open With dialog box, click Windows Media Player. |
3. | If you always want the Player to play the video file type automatically (for example, you clicked a link to a Windows Media Video (WMV) file and you always want Windows Media Player to play .wmv files), click the Always use the selected program to open this kind of file check box. The next time you click a link to that file type on the Internet, the Player will begin playing the video file and the Windows dialog box will not be displayed. |
4. | Click the OK button. |
To configure the Player to be the default Player for all file types (and avoid encountering dialog boxes when clicking links to video on the Internet), see the question, "How do I make Windows Media Player my default Player?" in the Media Advice archive.
Why does my Web browser display a page of text when I click a link to video on the Internet?
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME) types, which allow for the exchange of different kinds of files on the Internet, must be configured on your Web browser and on the server. In most cases, MIME types are set automatically for your Web browser and the problem resides with the server. For more information, see article 288102, "MIME Type Settings for Windows Media Services," in the Microsoft Knowledge Base.
How do I rotate video that I have recorded with my digital camera in the Player?
You can rotate video clips in Windows Movie Maker by doing the following:
1. | Import the video clip into Windows Movie Maker. |
2. | Drag the imported video clip and drop it onto the timeline. |
3. | On the Tools menu, click Video Effects. |
4. | To rotate the video clip to the right, drag the Rotate 90 video effect and drop it onto the movie on the timeline. -or- To rotate the video clip to the left, drag the Rotate 270 video effect and drop it onto the movie on the timeline. |
5. | On the File menu, click Save Movie File and follow the instructions in the Save Movie Wizard. |
For detailed instructions, see Windows Movie Maker Help.
Note that you may need to adjust the pixel aspect ratio of your rotated video so that it looks normal during playback. See the next question for more information.
Why does my video appear distorted (stretched or skewed) in the Player?
If your video appears to be stretched or skewed, try adjusting the pixel aspect ratio in Windows Media Player 10 by doing the following:
1. | Begin playing the video file. |
2. | On the Tools menu, click Options. |
3. | On the Devices tab, click Display, and then click the Properties button. |
4. | Adjust the pixel aspect ratio by using the slider and/or spin box controls. |
5. | Click the Apply button. |
The video will begin playing from the beginning with the new pixel aspect ratio settings that you applied. Repeat this procedure until the video playback appears normal.
Why does my video stop or disappear after a few seconds of playing?
If the video stops or disappears during playback, and if you can only restore the video by maximizing Windows Media Player or putting another window in front of it, there may be a problem with your video card driver. Scan for updated drivers on the Windows Update Web site. If that doesn't solve the problem, try turning down (or turning off) video acceleration by doing the following:
1. | In Windows Media Player, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Performance tab. |
2. | In Video acceleration, move the slider to turn down or turn off video acceleration. |
Why is my video upside down?
If the video image is upside down, try increasing the video hardware acceleration. There are two video hardware acceleration settings—one in the Player, and one in the Windows operating system. You must change both settings.
To change the setting in the Player, on the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Performance tab. Move the Video acceleration slider to Full.
To change the setting in Windows, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Display, click the Settings tab, click Advanced, and then click the Troubleshoot tab. Move the Hardware acceleration slider to Full.
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.