Mp43

[frustrated]

I have downloaded a movie and I get sound only, I realize (now) that it means I don't have the codec to play the movie. It's codec is listed as MP43. I downloaded K-Lite Codec Pack but it hasn't made a difference. Is there something I should be doing? or not doing?

[Shinigami_[R.I.P.]]

Try opening it in WMP and it should DL the codec automatically.
Or
Try http://www.moviecodec.com/codecdownload/

[frustrated]

okay, your suggestion sounds great, however I am a newbie (or stupid, pick one) and don't know how to "opening it in WMP and it should DL the codec automatically.

[Shinigami_[R.I.P.]]

Use Windows Media Player to open the movie and when it asks for you to download something, click yes and the movie should play.

[Switeck]

If you have an AVI file that's encoded using the Microsoft MP43 codec, you cannot watch it legally... Microsoft doesn't liscence a decompressor for it.

Windows Media Player (ANY VERSION... almost...) won't play MP43 AVI files and can't download the appropriate codec to do so because Microsoft has removed support of it and has attacked people who offers it online.

The author of VirtualDub was threatened with lawsuits for supporting ASF and MP43 in VirtualDub:
http://www.advogato.org/article/101.html

Here's another example of Microsoft's actions:

From: "zachd" <[email protected]>
Newsgroups:
microsoft.public.multimedia.windows.mediaplayer,microsoft.public.win95.multimedia,
microsoft.public.windowsmedia.technologies,microsoft.public.windowsmedia.technologies.beta

Sent: Saturday, October 16, 1999 9:25 AM
Subject: Re: MPEG4 codec in AVIs

> Just so everybody&#39;s on the same page, that KB is completely broken. Thanks
> for pointing it out - it will be pulled and replaced with correct data.
>
> Anyways, here&#39;s the correct text on the usage of the Microsoft MPEG4 codec
> within AVI files:
> ====
... [parts removed]
> Q: Can I use Microsoft Mpeg4 v3 to create AVI files?
> A: Going forward, Microsoft will only support MPEG4 v3 with Windows Media
> files.
> ===
>
> Playback of AVI files using MPEG4 v1 or v2 will work as of now using the
> Windows Media Player (it will require codec download but will work).
> Playback of AVI files using MPEG4 v3 will not work.
>
> --Zach

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...b;en-us;Q279242
Error Message When You Try to Play an .avi File with Windows Media Player (Q279242)

At the VERY BOTTOM it says:

MORE INFORMATION
....
Microsoft does not support playing .avi files that were created by using the MPEG4 version 3 codec.

Last Reviewed: 1/9/2003


So not only are you not allowed to create NEW AVI files with MP43 codec, you&#39;re not allowed to EDIT or CONVERT MP43 AVI files, AND you&#39;re not allowed to even PLAY BACK existing MP43 AVI files.

Microsoft made it illegal to use old Microsoft software that they previously made free for download [to legal microsoft windows 9x and later users] from their website.

It was interfering with their attempt to take over the multimedia market on computers...
[didn&#39;t help them tho that they did...]

Here&#39;s the &#39;illegal&#39; old microsoft DLL that can decode AVIs in MP43 format:
http://www.moviecodec.com/download/mpegfix.zip

Do us ALL a favor if you use it -- DON&#39;T make anything new using it, use Divx v5, XVid, the REAL MPEG-4 format, or even Mpeg-1/2&#33;
...and you might want to convert it over to a newer format in case the &#39;workaround&#39; using the old DLL quits working with some minor windows patch.