wmv file compatibility on Apple devices

I am wondering whether wmv is compatible for Apple related devices, like MacBook, MacAir, iPad or iPhone? Compatible I mean whether end user could play wmv file using MacBook, MacAir, iPad or iPhone? If not, any changes I need to make (if there is any free software which could enable wmv playback on such devices without development efforts, it will be great)? Appreciate if any related technical documents could be provided for developer perspective (i.e. how to support wmv on such Apple devices, like some SDK or something).

thanks in advance, George

George2

Posted 2010-11-19T14:39:41.153

Reputation: 4 239

Answers

check this out :

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/windows-media-player/wmcomponents

alevenso

Posted 2010-11-19T14:39:41.153

Reputation: 95

Thanks alevenso! I am wondering whether FlipForMac provides any API for development? What I want to do is to develop a simple wmv player on iPhone or iPad, not sure whether FlipForMac provides any development API that I can use. – George2 – 2010-11-21T11:10:09.023

Apple's products do never support WMV on their own, e.g. no iTunes support, no iPhone support either, and so on. VLC does play WMV files, so do Microsoft's own FlipForMac components.

slhck

Posted 2010-11-19T14:39:41.153

Reputation: 182 472

Thanks slhck! I am wondering whether FlipForMac provides any API for development? What I want to do is to develop a simple wmv player on iPhone or iPad, not sure whether FlipForMac provides any development API that I can use. – George2 – 2010-11-21T11:09:33.220

1If I judge Microsoft right, they will never allow that. VLC though plays WMA/WMV files, so there's gotta be some source code to decode that.. – slhck – 2010-11-21T16:40:30.867

Thanks. What I want to do it to develop some player to play wmv file, probably based on what Microsoft is doing for FlipForMac, any ideas about how to implement? – George2 – 2010-11-22T03:28:06.297

1Well, no, apart from looking at other solutions like VLC, you have to check with Microsoft. You can't probably just implement a player for their proprietary formats. – slhck – 2010-11-22T12:39:46.577

Thanks slhck, sorry I have not made myself understood. I do not want to parse wmv format on Apple device from scratch. What I want to do is a simple wrapper around VLC -- for example, if VLC provides a play API, my simple player just call that API. I am wondering whether VLC or other products provides such level of API (play, stop, pause), etc? – George2 – 2010-11-22T15:54:16.297

1Phew, I have to admit that I really don't know. The problem is that you need to write in Objective C, and VLC is some other language. – slhck – 2010-11-22T16:18:15.153

Thanks slhck. Could you point me to some related documents? I am a beginner of this area. – George2 – 2010-11-23T06:25:48.727