DoIT Streaming Media Knowledgebase

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Streaming Media - Windows Media Playback on a Macintosh

This article explains some of the issues found with playing Windows Media content on a Macintosh.

What is Flip4Mac?

Flip4Mac is a Quicktime component that allows Windows Media content to be played from within Quicktime.

What issues have been found using Flip4Mac?

Based on repeated testing over the last two years, we have found that Flip4Mac is not as fully capable at handling streaming media. The current version (2.1) of Flip4Mac can handle basic streaming content, but with the following limitations:

• it cannot navigate in a stream (jump ahead)
• it cannot handle asx and server-side playlists and other advanced ASX features such as starttime and duration
• it is not compatible with multi-bitrate streams
• it does not have any scripting support
• it has no DRM support (nor does the old MS player)
• it does not support closed captioned content

What does this mean to me?

DoIT recommends users continue using the Windows Media Player client for handling streaming media content if any of the above limitations affect their use of Windows media content.

The original Microsoft Windows Media Player for Mac can be downloaded from the following link:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/mac/mp9/default.aspx

This player's feature set is roughly equivalent to Windows Media player 7. It does not support some multi-bitrate formats that were introduced with the Windows Media Encoder 9 series. The player also fails to handle content served from secure web pages. It does work with mulitcast content as well as captioned content, server side playlists and most asx file elements, all of which Flip4Mac cannot handle

The latest Flip4Mac client can be downloaded here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/wmcomponents.mspx

Flip4Mac remains under development. Check for updates frequently, although after several years of development without addressing the above listed features supported my the Microsoft player for Mac OS X, it is pretty obvious that this product will not become the new solution for Windows Media on the Mac. Microsoft introduced Silverlight in 2008 and now officially recommends to use Silverlight when publishing video that requires cross platform compatibility. This does not affect existing web content with Windows Media files, so above players will be required for the near future. It is possible to install both, the Microsoft Windows Media Player for Mac and Flip4Mac on the same system.