People can't play my .wmv

Sean Arenas wrote on 1/5/2009, 9:16 AM
I use my Sony HDR camera to record a 1 hour video.

I copy the video to my hard drive using HandyCam Utility, and then export it to a .wmv using Picture Motion Browser. I then FTP it to my server, and someone at my work downloads the file. No one at work can play the file - their Windows Media Player tells them that they do not have the correct Codec installed.

So, I open the original file (not the .wmv, but the original HD file) into Sony Vegas and export it to a .wmv. I upload this new file to the ftp server, and they download it at work, and again no one can play it - it says they are missing Codecs.

They have tried it on several computers with several versions of WIndows Media Player (7, 9, and 10) and can't get it to play.

What can I do to produce this video so that it can be viewed easily?

I would produce it as .mpg, but it's a 1 hour 15 minute presentation and would be over 4gb in size.

Comments

Sean Arenas wrote on 1/5/2009, 9:32 AM
One of our techs loaded the file on to a notebook and presses Play in Windows Media Player.

It starts to play the first couple of seconds, then stops with the error:
Windows Media Player encountered a problem while playing the file. For additional assistance, click Web Help.

Web Help leads to:
Error message C00D11B1,
Cannot play the file
It complains about sound devices in this message.
Sean Arenas wrote on 1/5/2009, 9:35 AM
I loaded the file onto my work computer and tried to play it, I get this message:
Windows Media Player cannot play the file. The Player might not support the file type or might not support the codec that was used to compress the file.

When I click Web Help, I get:
Windows Media Player Error Message Help

You've encountered error message C00D1199 while using Windows Media Player. The following information might help you troubleshoot the issue.

Cannot play the file

Windows Media Player cannot play the file. You might encounter this error message for one of the following reasons:

The file type is not supported by the Player. For a list of file types (formats) that are supported by Windows Media Player, see the table on supported file types in this topic.

The file type is supported by the Player, but the file was compressed by using a codec that is not supported by the Player.

Your sound card or sound controller is not configured properly. Try changing the audio output device associated with the Player.

To change the audio output device

The file type is supported, but you are trying to play it in a way that is not supported by the Player. For example, you might have tried to drag a DVD file with a .vob extension from a DVD to the Windows Media Player icon. Or you might have tried to open a .vob file by clicking Open on the File menu.

You are trying to play one part of a multipart file. Use a newsreader or other program to combine the files, and then try again.
richard-amirault wrote on 1/5/2009, 2:20 PM
I would produce it as .mpg, but it's a 1 hour 15 minute presentation and would be over 4gb in size.

There is more than one type of mpg file. If you export to a mpg1 file (VCD compliant) it will be *considerably* smaller than a mpg2 (DVD compliant) file.

Other options include Quicktime, and Real Player which both have variable options for saving the file ... many of which are even smaller than mpg1 files.
Chienworks wrote on 1/5/2009, 3:17 PM
It's not even really the file type that matters so much as the bitrate. You an make an enormously huge .wmv file if you want to. DivX and AVC/.mp4 are other nice choices too.
abelenky wrote on 1/5/2009, 3:53 PM
Can you provide some details both about the source-material and the output?
What format is the source-material in?
What is the resolution of the original material and output?
What is the frame-rate and the bit-rate?
What is the finished file size?

If you don't consider the finished file confidential, could you post the link so the rest of us can take a look at it?
Sean Arenas wrote on 1/6/2009, 7:12 AM
I figured it out - I think I uploaded it to the ftp site using the wrong format (either binary or ASCII). That must be it, because I copied it from my hard drive to a flash card and brought it in, and it plays fine on my computer.

Now I'll copy it to the network and see how other people can play it.