How To Play Xvid And Avi Files With Vista Media Center
I’ve spent a lot of time this weekend finally setting up Windows Vista Media Center, and I suddenly realised that Vista Media Center won’t play Xvid and Avi files even if Windows Media Player will. If you want to add support for third party codecs including Xvid and Avi files in Vista Media Center then you need to install the Media Control Plugin For Windows Vista Media Center.
This plugin allows Windows Vista Media Center to utilize te FFDShow decoder, which needs to be installed seperately ((FFDShow rev 1108 recommended: download the last version from http://sourceforge.net/projects/ffdshow-tryout)). FFDShow adds support to Vista for MPEG-4 video formats like DivX, Xvid, H.264 and also alllows MP3, AAC, Dolby AC3, and OGG Vorbis audio files to be played back.
The Media Control Plugin for Windows Vista MCE also adds the following additional features:
- Switching embedded audio and subtitles streams while playing a video: works with AVI, OGM, MKV
- Switching between external subtitle files (.SRT, .SUB)
- Switching between FFDShow presets (audio & video)
- Setting and loading bookmarks inside a video with visualization of the pictures of the saved bookmarks
- Real fastforward (and rewind) exactly like in the TV module (with 3 different speeds)
- Switching and setting post-processing filters in FFDShow (video filters only)
- Separate application to assign keyboard/remote control shortcuts to the commands and the MCML pages of the plugin.
- Full remote control support (6 buttons are mapped by default, but this can be changed)
- Default mapping (works in full screen while watching a video, except the blue button that is always caught) :
- Fast forward / rewind buttons
- Blue button : loads the startup page of the plugin
- Red button : switches audio stream
- Green button : switches subtitle stream
- Yellow button : switches subtitle file
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Pingback by WinExtra » From the Pipeline – 6.22.08 on 24 June 2008:
[...] How To Play Xvid And Avi Files With Vista Media Center :: One Tip a Day – for those of you using the Vista version of Media Center this is a must have tip and one that I have socked away. [...]
Pingback by Vista Media Center | TheGreatCO.com on 11 June 2008:
[...] many many hours of digging I came across a blog entry that told me Vista Media Center didn’t use Media Player to play media like Windows XP Media [...]
Comment by Tony Williams on 14 May 2008:
Hi Clayburn - I would actually follow this post which has the best codec guide I’ve seen http://www.onetipaday.com/2008/05/04/guide-to-the-best-windows-codecs/
Comment by Clayburn on 13 May 2008:
Does Tony’s suggestion work instead, the Vista Codec pack? If I install that, can I then play AVIs via WMC on my Xbox?
If not, then how do I use this method?? I get the plugin working and the ffdshow icons show up in my taskbar. But it says ffdshow is inactive and I get a cannot play file error on my Xbox.
Comment by Tony Williams on 16 March 2008:
@cathy
The subtitles have to be added by the person who encoded the original file and that is done manually.
Comment by Cathy on 16 March 2008:
I am deaf and would like to view the subtitles/closed captioning. But I don’t understand most of what is posted because I am not an advanced computer user. Does anybody have any simple ways to view the subtitles/closed captioning on these free tv/movie sites? I would appreciate any help!
Comment by Tony Williams on 5 February 2008:
@Andy
I use what I think is a better way now. Uninstall the stuff above (sorry!) and try the vista codec packs:
Comment by Andy on 5 February 2008:
Hey, I followed the directions and downloaded ffdshow and media control and that worked great, But when i try to play movies on my xbox 360 on media center when you click on the movie to play it just freezes up. And on my computer it’ll play moves fine on media center.
Any help would be great
Thanks Andy