Seamless(ish) integration of MP4s into Windows?

[lapse]

Hi there.

I'm having a go at trying to make Windows be more friendly to MP4 files. I've got Quicktime and iTunes to play them. But this is a slow computer so the playback is no good, compared to when I get them to play using DirectShow filters.

As I'm sure you've encountered, "normal" players like WMP won't recognise that they are video files unless you insist on going to the "all files" option...etc. I find Windows itself is also very stubborn...one thing in particular is that ease-of-use of "common video tasks" disappears with MP4s, i.e. clicking "Play all" will result in an error saying "unable to find a playable file."( I find it especially annoying annoying because it makes it hard to get a playlist of music videos, clips, or whatever going.)

So does anyone knows of registry hacks, or anything else that can reconcile the MP4 files and WMP/Windows? :D

[check]

Setting the percieved video type of MP4 to video should help. I cannot recall the registry keys required to do this, but the CCCP can do it on install.

EDIT: to qualify what it will do, it *should* help with the explorer play all, it won't help with WMPs open dialog (afaik that's hard coded), and it should make mp4/mkv/ogm work more like video files in general on windows, and especially so on windows media centre.

[lapse]

CCCP didn't fix the explorer issue. So I have tried to change the perceivedtype. I made a hackjob of editing a reg script I found which was made to integrate OGM/OGG files into Windows and came up with this:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Multimedia\WMPlayer\Extensions\.mp4]
"Extension.Handler"="mp4file"
"MediaType.Description"="mp4 Format video"
"MediaType.DescriptionID"="9925"
"MediaType.Icon"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\WINDOW~2\\wmplayer.exe,-120"
"Extension.MIME"="video/mp4"
"ReplaceApps"="wmplayer.exe|mplayer2.exe|amovie.ocx"
"MCIHandler"="MPEGVideo"
"AlreadyRegistered"="yes"
"Runtime"=dword:00000007
"Permissions"=dword:0000000f
"PerceivedType"="video"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Multimedia\WMPlayer\Groups\video\mp4]
@="mp4 video file (mp4)"
"FriendlyTypeName"="@C:\\WINDOWS\\inf\\unregmp2.exe,-10002"
"Extensions"=".mp4"
"MIME Types"="video/mp4"
"Description"="Includes files with .mp4 extensions."
"DescriptionFriendlyName"="@C:\\WINDOWS\\inf\\unregmp2.exe,-10020"


[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Multimedia\WMPlayer\MIME Types\video/mp4]
@="mp4 Format video"
"Extensions.CommaSep"="mp4"
"Extensions.SpaceSep"=".mp4"
"Extension.Key"=".mp4"
"CLSID"="{02391F44-2767-4E6A-A484-9B47B506F3A4}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\wmplayer.exe\SupportedTypes]
".mp4"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{CE3FB1D1-02AE-4a5f-A6E9-D9F1B4073E6C}\SupportedTypes]
".mp4"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{F1B9284F-E9DC-4e68-9D7E-42362A59F0FD}\SupportedTypes]
".mp4"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MIME\Database\Content Type\video/mp4]
"Extension"=".mp4"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\MLS]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\MLS\Extensions]
"mp4"="video"



I didn't get it to work. I notice however (whether by default or by using the original Ogg reg file) WMP recognises .divx and .ogm files in the drop down menu:
http://xs414.xs.to/xs414/07154/openwith.JPG

And explorer recognises them as video in common tasks (it will let me "Play all"!). So anyone know how to make this happen to MP4s? Hmm.

[unskinnyboy]

OK, try this - in the Registry navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\Extensions\Descriptions

and add a new String Value with the value set to the next incremental number (say 9 is the highest number there currently, your new one would be 10) and set the Data as 'MP4 Files (*.mp4)'.

Now go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\Extensions\MUIDescriptions, and create a new String Value with Data 'MP4 Files'.

Lastly go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\Extensions\Types and create a new String Value with Data '*.mp4'.

Now try the Open dialog box of WMPlayer. Note that the above paths are for WMP 9 series (which I have). If your version is any different, just poke around and find the appropriate paths yourself.

[lapse]

Cool thanks. That managed to make the MP4s appear in the drop-down menu.

While I was tinkering around with the registry I discovered how to make explorer recognise them as video too:

So if anyone else is interested:

1. do what unskinnyboy says to do.

2. Then you need to navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mp4.

3.a) Change the (Default) String Value data to mp4file
b) Make a new String Value and name it Content Type.
c) Modify the data to video/mp4
d) Check that the PerceivedType String Value is video

you should end up with this: http://xs414.xs.to/xs414/07155/reg.JPG

[Zero1]

You might wanna check this out:
http://aflux.deltaanime.net/Zero1/MP4/MP4-install108.reg

(save target as, and double click to add to registry)

I wrote it some time ago for myself, but made it available because I found that some people liked what it did.

What it does is:
a) Associates MP4 files to WMP
b) Adds explorer context menus (Add to WMP list/now playing)
c) Gives MP4 files the icon used by WMP for MPG files.
d) Adds a file filter to WMP in the open file dialog.

And this is what it looks like
http://img374.imageshack.us/img374/8391/untitled1zv8.th.png (http://img374.imageshack.us/my.php?image=untitled1zv8.png)

Basically MP4 files will act just like AVI files do (or as near as dammit)

I did write some useful info on my forum, which I had to take offline due to spam recently. If you need any more information I'll see what I can do.