# Solved: wmv files embedded in a website



## km2010 (Jul 23, 2010)

I have some .wmv videos that I want to post on my website. Is there a lightweight wmv viewer that I can embed in the site so users don't need to have Microsoft Windows Media Player installed on their desktop? We currently convert to .flv but have issues with this and would rather post the wmv files. But many of our users are corporate users with locked down desktops so cannot download viewers, activate ActiveX controls, etc.
thanks


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## lordsmurf (Apr 23, 2009)

That's the wrong format to use in 2010. Everything has gone H.264/FLV.


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## oksteve (Sep 14, 2008)

you might be interested in this product http://www.sothink.com/product/swftovideoconverter/index.htm I use it a lot for my sites


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## lordsmurf (Apr 23, 2009)

Just be aware that Sothink's quality is very subpar compared to Adobe, On2 and Sorenson products. And it's still FLV/On2, not FLV(MP4)/H.264.


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## tomdkat (May 6, 2006)

km2010 said:


> I have some .wmv videos that I want to post on my website. Is there a lightweight wmv viewer that I can embed in the site so users don't need to have Microsoft Windows Media Player installed on their desktop? We currently convert to .flv but have issues with this and would rather post the wmv files. But many of our users are corporate users with locked down desktops so cannot download viewers, activate ActiveX controls, etc.
> thanks


Try using the object tag, as described in this A List Apart article.

By choosing the right MIME type, the browser should load the correct media player based on what's installed on the system.

Peace...


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## grampybox (Jul 9, 2010)

Hi *km2010 *
I've finally found a question I can answer! 
*Start Here *
http://download.cnet.com/Switch-Plus-Audio-Converter/3000-2140_4-10327491.html?tag=mncol
This is the Switch Audio converter. It will convert your WMV files to FLV even after the 14 day trial period is over.

*Now for a Great video player.*
http://www.longtailvideo.com/players/
You will recognize this player from all over the internet! The flash player is easy to set up for your particular web site, & the site even has a wizard to help you get started.
You may want to spend some time at the site looking around. There is also support forums there for the players, and there is a free version.
*
Here is another option. *
You can upload your videos to You Tube, and then embed the player onto your page. The trade off is it will have the You Tube Logo on it.

I hope this will help you with some of the information you're looking for.
Grampy


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## helpful (Sep 18, 2009)

How about using *FFmpeg *to convert your video between the different formats

http://www.ffmpeg.org/

And use Html5 to embed the video on your site, you could use the flash plugin to fall back on if the browser does not support html5.

http://www.webmonkey.com/2010/05/embed-videos-in-your-web-pages-using-html5/


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## oksteve (Sep 14, 2008)

lordsmurf said:


> That's the wrong format to use in 2010. Everything has gone H.264/FLV.


Can you try not to be so patronising LS we see it so often,getting rather dull !

Not everyone is as uptodate as you would like.


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## oksteve (Sep 14, 2008)

congrats Grampybox ...when your right your right LOL


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## grampybox (Jul 9, 2010)

oksteve said:


> congrats Grampybox ...when your right your right LOL


Which Part?
I used the spellchecker in my browser LOL


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## oksteve (Sep 14, 2008)

LOL I meant knowing the answer to something,its a good feeling especially when we are surrounded by so many experts.
And BTW you never forget your first "Solved"


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## grampybox (Jul 9, 2010)

oksteve said:


> And BTW you never forget your first "Solved"


uh huh
Maybe km2010 will mark it as such, so I can get that feeling LOL 

Grampy


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## grampybox (Jul 9, 2010)

Oh Yeah about the Switch Audio Converter, I goofed up there. *Sorry* 
There is also the *Prism Video Converter* that is made by the same people and it does the videos just as the audio converter does. I doubt if the interface of either could be any simpler.
Here is that page's address
*http://download.cnet.com/1770-20_4-...ndows,Webware&filter=platform=Windows,Webware*
One nice thing about both are after the trial period, you can remove it & reinstall it again to get all the features back. But I didn't need to, as they still converted what I wanted afterward.
I keep a copy of both tucked away in my Downloads folder.
**Note**
Pay attention to the installation, as there are other apps by NCH Software that you may not want installed.
*IMOP* not a bad trade off for a freebie.

Grampy


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## lordsmurf (Apr 23, 2009)

Re-reading the first post,* I'd have to say nothing is possible here*.

Viewers require software on the end-user's computer. Aside from some next-gen browsers, you can't avoid that. And if an IT dept has some backwards draconian anti-install policy in place, then you're still stuck.

Sorry.


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## grampybox (Jul 9, 2010)

OK I'm Outta Here
Not getting involved with any flame throwing, I'm better than you, I know More, Bullcrap
Later


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## km2010 (Jul 23, 2010)

I've looked at a number of the wmv to flv converters on cnet. I also have a trial version of movavi's converter. I have wmv files that are typically around 50MB in size. When I convert them to h.263 or h.264, the flv files are typically 350MB plus. Do you know of any products that can convert to flv without increasing to such large files? if I use lower settings, the output file is typically the same size as the wmv but the quality of the video is extremely blurry. Any thoughts/experience related to wmv to flv conversion would be appreciated. thx


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## helpful (Sep 18, 2009)

Download Files Need:

Download win32 ffmpeg from here
Download setx from here

Install FFMPEG:

1) Open the ffmpeg 7zip archive using winrar or another compatible program
2) Extract the archive contents to C:\FFMPEG
3) CLOSE archive Program
4) Install the SetX utility that you have downloaded
5) Open a command prompt with a administrative privileges (help here)
6) xcopy /I C:\ffmpeg\presets\*.* C:\ffmpeg\presets\.ffmpeg
7) setx HOME C:\ffmpeg\presets /m
8) Encode to your hearts content!

Try this:


```
C:\ffmpeg\bin\ffmpeg.exe -i "INPUT_FILE" -vcodec libx264 -acodec aac -ab 128K -strict experimental -vpre slow -crf 25 -threads 0 "OUTPUT_FILE.flv"
```
for a complete list of parameters, look here

for some example look here


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## lordsmurf (Apr 23, 2009)

I use MainConcept Reference or Adobe Premiere Pro CS3/CS4 for FLV(H.264).
Those obviously cost a few dollars, but are pro solutions.

x264 is the only freeware I'd consider.


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## colinsp (Sep 5, 2007)

For all file format conversion, not just video, have a look at the free Format Factory here.


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## helpful (Sep 18, 2009)

Also, if you have access to an higher quality source before the re-code to the 50 MB wmv, you will achieve much better results encoding that instead to H.264.


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## km2010 (Jul 23, 2010)

thanks. I think i'm going to go with Adobe. I got an eval copy....it's expensive but seems to be working much better than any other conversion software I've looked at.


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## lordsmurf (Apr 23, 2009)

km2010 said:


> thanks. I think i'm going to go with Adobe. I got an eval copy....it's expensive but seems to be working much better than any other conversion software I've looked at.


Yep, professional software works better than that $30 junkware, or most freeware. :up:


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## aprillove20 (Aug 3, 2010)

Such as a good link information, I think he flash player is easy to set up for your particular web site.


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