As the default media player for Windows, Windows Media Player has been popular and welcomed among the public for many years. Due to its user-friendly interface and lightweight using experience, Windows Media Player can be an instant video player in most cases. However, Windows Media Player is also limited in the comprehensive functions and features, such as it is not compatible with some uncommon digital videos or lacks customized features. Among these limitations, failure of playing M4V files in Windows Media Player has been encountered by many users. Have you ever been annoyed by such a problem? Today, let's talk about the topic on how to play M4V files in Windows Media Player.

Part 1: How to Play M4V Files on Windows Media Directly

Before us figuring out the solutions, we need to know about what M4V file really is. M4V is a standard video file format created by Apple. This format is for iPod, iPhone, and PlayStation Portable, and is based on MPEG-4 Encoding Second Edition. The video encoding uses H264 or H264/AVC, and the audio encoding uses AAC. With H264 HD encoding, it can achieve higher resolution (1080P or 4320P) in a smaller volume than traditional On2 VP6, H263, Divx, etc. The M4V format is also known as Apple's video podcast format. Here, another important point you should pay your attention to is whether the M4V file you have got is a common file or DRM protected file. Sometimes, some digital videos can be packed in the M4V files without any DRM protection. But in most cases, these M4V files downloaded from iTunes are all DRM protected. Next, we need to give out the two solutions based on various situations.

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Situation 1. How to play non-DRM protected M4V files in Windows Media Player

If the common M4V files are not protected by DRM, then you can play them directly with Windows Media Player. In common cases, Windows Media Player is compatible with M4V files. But since M4V files are encoded with the AC3 codec, the missing of damage of the AC3 codec within Windows Media Player may result in the failure of playing M4V files on Windows Media Player. So, if it is falling to this category, what you only need to do is to download the AC3 codec for M4V files and then import the downloaded AC3 codec to the computer and refresh Windows Media Player. You can select K-lite Mega codec pack for Windows Media Player for as the firm choice which contains the codec for nearly all video and audio formats. Download and install it on your computer, then your computer will automatically accept it and try to restart Windows Media player. Then, play the M4V files one more time.

Situation 2. How to play DRM protected M4V files in Windows Media Player

If you have downloaded the M4V files from the iTunes, then you will obtain the M4V files with DRM protection. In order to play them in Windows Media Player successfully, you have to remove the DRM protection first of all. Here you need to remove the DRM with a third-party program. Leawo Prof. DRM will be the one you can take a try. Leawo Prof.DRM can easily remove the DRM protection on any audio or video files downloaded from iTunes. Also, with it, you can also enjoy the 1: 1 input to output without quality losses. If you have a lot of DRM protected M4V files, then you can choose Leawo Prof. DRM first to remove the DRM and then try to play the new M4V files in Windows Media Player. If needed, you should also download the M4V codec and install it on your computer for successful playing.

Part 2: Use M4V to WMV Converter - Leawo Video Converter

Instead of downloading and converting M4V codec to your computer, another solution can be easier to get access. As an uncommon digital video format, M4V can’t be played smoothly or efficiently in Windows Media Player at times. However, WMV can be easily recognized and supported by Windows Media Player. Therefore, converting M4V to WMV can be another way out. By utilizing a third-party converting program, you can easily convert M4V to WMV with ease and accuracy. That is to seek help from Leawo Video Converter, a powerful and professional video converter. As one of the top video converter in recent years, Leawo Video Converter can be able to offer the exact solutions for the conversion among various digital video formats. It is capable of converting audios and video in more than 180 types from one to another, including converting M4V to WMV. Furthermore, it also supports iPhone, iPad and all portable devices video and audio conversion with 6X faster speed than other video converters. During the conversion process, you are also allowed to add SRT, ASS subtitles to the videos with fast speed. Next, you can refer to the following tutorial for more details.

Step 1: Download Leawo Video Converter and install it on your computer.

   

Step 2: Load the M4V video to Leawo Video Converter. You can click on the “Add Video” icon to import the file or just drag the M4V video directly to the main menu.

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Step 3: Confirm the output format. Here we are going to set WMV as the output format. Please open the drop-down box beside the green icon "Convert" on the main interface, and then choose "Change" button to enter the "Profile" panel where you can set the output video format. Find WMV format in the list on this panel. Select it and return to the main interface.

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Step 4: Set the output WMV video parameters. Click “Edit” on the main menu from the drop-down box. On the editing panel, you are allowed to set the “Video Codec”, “Bite Rates”, “Resolution”, “Frame Rate” and “Aspect Ratio”. Based on your own needs, you can set them respectively.

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Step 5: Start converting. Once all the settings have been done, you can simply click the big green icon "Convert" on the right top corner of the main interface to start converting M4V to WAV. But you have to confirm the "Save to" route before it starts converting. Finally, click "Convert" button and the conversion process will be completed in several minutes. When it is completed, you will obtain a new M4V video which is in now WAV format.

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Now, you can only play the converted M4V video in WMA format in Windows Media Player. Then you can easily find that the video can be smoothly played in this player.

Part 3: Best M4V Player for Windows and Mac

No matter you are running on Windows operating system or Mac OS operating system, instead of converting M4V to Windows Media Player compatible formats or downloading the required M4V codec for Windows Media Player, you can find a more effective method to solve the problem of failure of playing M4V files in Windows Media Player. What’s more, sometimes Windows Media Player may stop working suddenly. If you can obtain a media player that can perfectly support M4V files without downloading or installing M4V codec or any further format conversion, things can go in an easier way. Are there any M4V players for Windows and Mac. Actually, the M4V players that can be run on both Windows and Mac operating systems are very limited. Some of the M4V player can only be compatible with Windows system, or just with the Mac system. However, Leawo Blu-ray Player is one of the few which is excellent and powerful in playing all kinds of digital video formats and physical discs. Supporting more than 180 types of digital video formats, Leawo Blu-ray Player can easily play M4V files with ease and accuracy. As one of the top Blu-ray players, this program is also capable of playing Blu-ray discs as well as the 4K or ISO image files with excellent quality retained. You can obtain the personalized viewing experience with Blu-ray player as well. What’s more, it is totally free!

Part 4: How to Play M4V Files with Ease

If you have ever tried Leawo Blu-ray Player, you will be impressed by its comprehensive playing functions and viewing features. As an alternative of M4V file player of Windows Media Player, Leawo Blu-ray Player can be able to present the best audio and video quality with ease. For the details, please refer to the following steps.

Step 1: Download Leawo Blu-ray Player and install it on your computer.

Step 2: Locate M4V file on your computer and then import the M4V file to Leawo Blu-ray Player by clicking "Add File" on the top of the main interface. When you have loaded the M4V file to the program, you can see the video immediately in the list. For more further details, you can set them accordingly.

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Step 3: Set more video and audio parameter. Leawo Blu-ray Player can allow you to obtain more customized viewing experience. You can have a lot of related settings by entering the Blu-ray player setting panel. For example, you can set changes to Playback, File Associations, Audio Output, DVD Blu-ray, Subtitles, Snapshot and so on.

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