I am experiencing several issues I would like to address concerning UDP and the Windows Media Player ActiveX container.
Firstly, to address the UDP problems I am having, I would like to transmit a video file over UDP (unicast) to another machine. I use the «Create/Replace File.vi», «Read File.vi» and «Close File.vi» VI’s to access the video file. The data is then converted from a string to an unsigned byte array using the «string to byte array» function. The array is then indexed via a for-loop and then each element is fed into the «flatten to string» function which is then fed into data in of «UDP Write» function. The issue I am having with this is that I am unable to select the buffer size. Currently, the buffer size is simply the size of each element of the byte array. Is there a different vi that can replace the «string to byte array» function to enable buffer size selection? Can the «pos offset» input of the «Read File.vi» enable this somehow? The help file states that, «pos offset specifes how far from the location specified by pos mode to start reading or writing. You express pos offset in units of bytes. The default is 0.» If I were to use this, I would have to use «pos mode» of 2 which states «Current- The operation begins at the current location of the file mark plus pos offset«. Another option I was considering is whether to use a second for-loop and another array to store several values of one array into one element of the other array. I have been unsuccessful in finding any material regarding buffering UDP datagrams when the file size exceeds the maximum allowed packet size.
Secondly, I have been attempting to access Windows Media Player ActiveX containers, but have been unsuccesful in making WMP play streaming input. What I would like WMP to do, is to play the opened video file in real time as it is streaming both on the server AND client. On the server, I do not want to simply open and play the file that is being sent, but instead would like to wire the actual binary data that is being sent to «UDP Read.vi» to the WMP container, so that the data being sent over UDP is the data being displayed by WMP. Is this even possible with Windows Media player? On the client side, I would like to play WMP in real time as it the data is incoming, instead of saving the whole data to file and then reading it. From what I’ve found, WMP only allows a file to be opened from a location such as hard disk, url, or network machine. Is DirectShow a better alternative? Not sure how I would use that though. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and sorry for the long post.
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Guest
UDP streaming to Windows Media Player
Hi,
I’m streaming from VLC using UDP multicast and I know it is working as I can pick it up using a VLC client on another machine, how do I pick this up using Windows Media Player? i.e. what do I type in when I select «open URL»?
If this isn’t supported then how else can I multicast from VLC as a server and view using Windows Media Player 9 as client?
thanks
Phil
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markfm
- Big Cone-huna
- Posts: 1536
- Joined: 22 Feb 2004 17:42
Postby markfm » 25 Aug 2004 02:54
I haven’t heard of a working WMP multicast. What can be done is to use the mms point-to-point mechanism (there are several threads on this — do a search for the word mms).
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Guest
UDP streaming to Windows Media Player
Postby Guest » 25 Aug 2004 11:38
Hi,
yes, I’ve got that working but I’d really like to get multicast working, I want as little load on the network as possible.
cheers,
Phil
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spectredx
Postby spectredx » 25 Aug 2004 13:25
You can get it working using the moonlight products (UDP receiver and MPEG decoder) but I would still prefer to use VLC. (the moonlight products are not free but you can download a trial version)
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Guest
Postby Guest » 25 Aug 2004 13:46
I have 125,000 clients with Windows Media player 9 installed so getting this solution working would be considerably easier than installing moonlight, VLC or any other software on 125,000 client PC’s.
It would also take me 6 months to convince management they required yet another piece of software on an already flaky windows platform. By this time I would have lost the will to live.
cheers
Phil
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markfm
- Big Cone-huna
- Posts: 1536
- Joined: 22 Feb 2004 17:42
Postby markfm » 25 Aug 2004 13:59
Then you’ll need to pound on MS to accept an MPEG TS stream, else make offerings to the VLC gurus to seek a multicast UDP ASF option.
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Guest
Postby Guest » 25 Aug 2004 14:23
what would I then type into Media Player to connect to that stream?
cheers
Phil
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spectredx
Postby spectredx » 27 Aug 2004 13:26
The moonlight MPEG decoder has a TS demuxer in it.
When everything is installed you need to type:
moonlight://224.x.x.x/udp
Currently some other threads also show some interesting progress/information about constructing a directshow filter which reads the MPEG TS streams from UDP.
(search for DirectShow/DirectX filter
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RamiG
unread,
Jan 18, 2010, 2:25:01 PM1/18/10
to
Hi All,
I am using Windows Media Player Version 11.0.5721.5268 and VLC version 1.0.3
I am trying to stream video over UDP between two media players, the
transmitter is VLC and the receiver is Windows Media Player.
To roll out networking problem I have installed VLC and Windows Media Player
on the same IP host and I use 127.0.0.1 or the IP address assigned to the
computer from my DHCP server.
Please send free to send your reply as well to ramig-at-comsysmobile-dot-com
I manage to do so when the receiver is VLC as well — so there is no
networking or firewall issue.
My question is: what is the address required to typed in «open URL» to set
Windows Media Player to «listen» on UDP port?
In CorePlayer [Windows Mobile, but the same concept] the command is
«udp://@:1234» for UDP port 1234.
Thanks in advance
RamiG
Neil Smith [MVP Digital Media]
unread,
Jan 22, 2010, 2:04:10 AM1/22/10
to
Set VLC to stream RTSP/RTP, then see if you can connect to the
rtsp://127.0.0.1:1234 address
There’s no protocol by the name of «udp», that’s a transport, so
probably CorePlayer implements that as a pseudo protocol. There’s also
no «@» as a valid IP address format, again you’d have to use a real IP
address, or hostname (your-pc-name, or use localhost or 127.0.0.1)
HTH
Cheers — Neil
————————————————
Digital Media MVP : 2004-2010
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com/mvpfaqs
RamiG
unread,
Jan 28, 2010, 9:51:01 PM1/28/10
to
Dear Neil,
Thanks for the time and effort, however it seems the proposed combination
does not work [nevertheless I never role out the possibility I did not set
things right]
I’m fully aware to the points you have raised regarding the propriety nature
of using UDP for video streaming and CorePlayer port assignment
I looked again into Windows Media Player and I’m puzzled — is it possible
that there is no option to stream video «VLC style» to other Windows Media
Player over the network?
Is there any other video streamer which stream video can stream video to
Windows Media Player over the network? [again — it seems that VLC does not
fit]
Thanks in advance
RamiG
> .
>
Neil Smith [MVP Digital Media]
unread,
Jan 28, 2010, 10:30:51 PM1/28/10
to
>Dear Neil,
>
>Thanks for the time and effort, however it seems the proposed combination
>does not work [nevertheless I never role out the possibility I did not set
>things right]
>
>I’m fully aware to the points you have raised regarding the propriety nature
>of using UDP for video streaming and CorePlayer port assignment
>
>I looked again into Windows Media Player and I’m puzzled — is it possible
>that there is no option to stream video «VLC style» to other Windows Media
>Player over the network?
>
>Is there any other video streamer which stream video can stream video to
>Windows Media Player over the network? [again — it seems that VLC does not
>fit]
Ah but you didn’t ask that — you started with your proposed solution :
> I am using Windows Media Player Version 11.0.5721.5268 and VLC version 1.0.3
> I am trying to stream video over UDP between two media players, the
> transmitter is VLC and the receiver is Windows Media Player.
WMP doesn’t stream using UDP (but HTTP over TCP) however remote
library sharing should meet those requirements.
In WMP11 you’re restricted to sharing over the local network, this was
relaxed in WMP12 and you can now access your media library over the
internet from authorised PCs (you’ll need a windows live account to
setup the authorisation step)
WMP11 Vista can share to vista, and receive content frmo shared XP
WMP11 libraries, however XP cannot receive content from other
libraries :
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/faq/sharing.mspx#q20:1
Q. What is media sharing?
A. Using Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 media sharing, you can
stream music, pictures, and video from your computer to devices that
are connected to your wired or wireless home network
Applies ToMicrosoft Windows Media Player 9 Series Windows Media Player 10
Important This article contains information that shows you how to help lower security settings or how to turn off security features on a computer. You can make these changes to work around a specific problem. Before you make these changes, we recommend that you evaluate the risks that are associated with implementing this workaround in your particular environment. If you implement this workaround, take any appropriate additional steps to help protect your system.
Summary
This article discusses new behavior that a user may see in Microsoft Windows Media Player and in applications that are built by using the Microsoft Windows Media Format SDK. The new behavior may appear after the user installs Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). The new behavior affects networking playback through Windows Firewall. By default, Windows Firewall is enabled on Windows XP SP2. This article also discusses workarounds for the new behavior.
Symptoms
A client may not be able to connect to multicast streams or to other User Datagram Protocol (UDP) streams by using Microsoft Windows Media Player if the following are true:
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The client is running Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) or a later version.
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The client has Windows Firewall enabled.
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The user’s user account does not have administrator rights.
Cause
This behavior occurs because a new security feature of Windows Firewall does not allow incoming UDP traffic unless an administrator has configured Windows Firewall to allow it. This behavior also occurs in earlier versions of Windows if Windows Firewall is enabled. By default, Windows Firewall is enabled in Windows XP SP2 and later versions. Therefore, more users may experience this problem.
Note Windows Firewall is known as Internet Connection Firewall in earlier versions of Windows.
Workaround
Warning These workarounds may make your computer or your network more vulnerable to attack by malicious users or by malicious software such as viruses. We do not recommend these workaround but are providing this information so that you can implement these workarounds at your own discretion. Use these workarounds at your own risk.
To allow users who do not have administrator rights to receive UDP streams, use one of the following methods. The following sections discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of each method.
Add the application to the Windows Firewall exceptions list
An application on the Windows Firewall exceptions list is allowed to receive all incoming traffic. In many ways, this is the easiest method. However, it creates a vulnerability that may not be required. Therefore, this method is less secure than the other methods.
Important We do not recommend this method.
Specifically allow incoming traffic from the IP addresses of all servers that are running Windows Media Server and that stream to clients in the intranet
Administrators can configure Windows Firewall to allow incoming traffic from specific IP addresses. If your intranet does not contain many servers that are running Windows Media Server, or if you can easily specify a range of IP addresses, this is a good method to use. This way, you can add the application to the Windows Firewall exception list. However, you can allow it to receive incoming traffic only from the IP addresses that you specify.
Open the port or the ports that the incoming traffic must use for the specific application
You can configure Windows Firewall to allow UDP traffic only for specific ports. The protocol determines the ports to open.
Note This method may require that you change the Windows Media Player settings or the configuration settings on the server.
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Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) — In the default installation of Windows Media Player, RTSP protocol randomly chooses the incoming data ports. To specify the range of ports to use, the user can do the following:
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On the Tools menu, click Options.
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In the Options dialog box, click the Network tab.
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On the Network tab, select the Use ports check box, and then specify a range of ports to use.
If the Use ports check box is selected, RTSP will always use the ports in that range. Therefore, the administrator can enable RTSP (UDP) streaming by opening the specified ports in the firewall.
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Microsoft Media Server (MMS) — Like RTSP, MMS (UDP) uses a random port for incoming data. MMS will also use the ports that the Use ports option specifies. The administrator can enable MMS (UDP) streaming by opening the specified ports in the firewall.
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Multicast — For multicast streams, the port that the client receives streaming traffic through is configured on the server. This value is specified in the Microsoft NetShow channel (.nsc) file. The client has no direct way to know this port number before the port is used. The administrator for Windows Media Services can set the destination port by configuring the multicast publishing point. To do this, follow these steps:
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On the Properties tab of the publishing point, double-click the WMS Multicast Data Writer plug-in. This plug-in is located in the Multicast Streaming category.
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Configure the multicast properties such as the multicast address.
The network administrator can also open the specified port in the firewall.
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Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) — Because HTTP is a TCP-based protocol, it is not affected by the problem that is discussed in the «Symptoms» section. HTTP streams can be accessed directly. HTTP streams can also be accessed through protocol rollover if neither RTSP nor MMS can open the required port.
Enable rollover to a TCP-based protocol on all Windows Media Server publishing points that stream to clients in the intranet
This method is more secure that the others because you do not have to change the configuration of Windows Firewall. However, TCP connections use more resources on the network and on the server than multicast traffic or UDP traffic. Therefore, this method may not be the best choice for your network, depending on the load on the server and the expected number of clients that must roll over.
More Information
Corporations frequently use multicast streams to broadcast live events across the local intranet. Multicast streams limit the network bandwidth that a broadcast uses because all clients connect to the same multicast stream.
Note Typically, multicast streams are not sent over the Internet because most network segments on the Internet are not multicast-enabled.
When a client tries to connect to a stream or to a multicast stream by using UDP protocol, the Windows Media Format SDK and Windows Media Player try to open the ports in Windows Firewall that are required to receive incoming UDP traffic for that stream. However, if the user is running the application by using a user account that does not have administrator rights, the ports are not opened because only administrators are allowed to change Windows Firewall settings.
If the multicast publishing point on the server that is running Windows Media Services is configured to allow rollover to unicast streaming, the client rolls over successfully and then connects to the stream by using a TCP-based protocol.
However, unicast streaming uses much more network resources and server resources than multicast streaming uses. Therefore, when multicast clients roll over to a unicast connection, more stress is added to the network and to the server. If many clients roll over to a unicast connection, the user experience may be decreased if insufficient resources are available to carry the increased load.
Similarly, a client that tries to connect to a unicast UDP stream rolls over to a TCP-based protocol if the client cannot connect to the stream. Depending on the version of the Windows Media Format SDK that the user has installed, the user may receive a Windows Security Alert dialog box from Windows Firewall. The message in the dialog box states that the application has been blocked from accepting connections from the Internet.
If you are an administrator of Windows Media Services, note that TCP connections use slightly more resources on the server than UDP connections use. Therefore, if many clients roll over from UDP protocol to a TCP-based protocol, the server may experience increased load issues.
The protocol that is used for streaming may depend on the URL and the settings on both the server and the client. The client also caches information about the protocol that was used the last time that the connection was made successfully. For later connections to a stream, the client may use this information to change the protocol that it tries first.
To determine the protocol that is being used for a stream, a user can click Statistics on the View menu and then note the protocol that is specified on the Advanced tab.
In the following examples, the user is using Windows Media Player and the following are true:
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The client is running Windows XP SP2 or a later version.
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The client has Windows Firewall enabled.
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The user’s user account does not have administrator rights.
Note Other applications that are based on the Windows Media Format SDK may experience the same behavior.
The client connects to a multicast URL, and rollover is enabled
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Windows Media Player 10 — Multicast rollover occurs. The client performs a unicast protocol rollover and then connects to the stream by using TCP.
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Windows Media Player 9 Series — The user receives a Windows Security Alert notification from Windows Firewall, and then rollover occurs. The client performs a unicast protocol rollover and then connects to the stream by using TCP. When the user receives the Windows Security Alert notification, the user may choose not to see the notification again for the current application.
The client connects to a multicast URL, and rollover is not enabled
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Windows Media Player 10 — The user receives an error message that Windows Media Player cannot connect to the server. The error message suggests that a firewall might be the cause of this problem.
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Windows Media Player 9 Series — The user receives a Windows Security Alert notification from Windows Firewall. Then, the user receives an error message from Windows Media Player. This error message states that the server is busy. When the user receives the Windows Security Alert notification, the user may choose not to see the notification again for the current application.
The client connects to a negotiated protocol URL
Many protocols try to negotiate automatically with the server for the most efficient way to exchange information. For example, both RTSP and MMS will try to stream content by using UDP. If that method does not succeed, RTSP and MMS will try to stream content by using TCP.
Some application settings may affect protocol rollover behavior. For example, the settings in Windows Media Services 9 Series Fast Start and Fast Cache may affect protocol rollover behavior. See the product documentation for protocol rollover behavior.
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Windows Media Player 10 — The client connects by using TCP.
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Windows Media Player 9 Series — Depending on the protocol that is specified in the URL, the user may or may not see a Windows Security Alert notification from Windows Firewall. The client connects by using TCP.
The client connects to a URL that specifies the UDP protocol
For example, the protocol specifies that the connection will use RTSPU or MMSU.
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Windows Media Player 10 — The user receives an error message that Windows Media Player could not connect to the server. The error message suggests that a firewall might be the cause of this problem.
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Windows Media Player 9 Series — The user receives a Windows Security Alert notification from Windows Firewall. Then, the user receives an error message that Windows Media Player could not connect to the server. The error message suggests that a firewall might be the cause of this problem.
References
For more information, see the product documentation.
For more information about specific configuration settings, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb877979.aspxFor more information about multicast streaming, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/server/server.aspxFor more information about protocol rollover, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa390673.aspx
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Fix buffering problems in WMP that cause videos to stutter and freeze
Updated on January 28, 2021
What to Know
- Switch to Library view and select Tools > Options > Performance. Select Buffer and set it to 10 seconds. Select Apply > OK.
- Disable UDP: Go to Options > Network and uncheck the RTSP/UDP setting. Select Apply > OK.
- Have internet issues? Go to Options > Player and turn on Connect to the Internet (Overrides Other Commands).
If you see choppy video playback or constant buffering while streaming video from websites, your Windows Media Player (WMP) installation might need a bit of tweaking. Instructions in this article apply to Windows Media Player 12 on Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7.
Perform an Internet Connection Speed Test
For this, you can use a free service such as SpeedTest.net to test just how fast your internet connection really is. Ideally, you’ll want your broadband/cable speed to be:
- 3 Mbps or higher for standard definition (SD) video streaming.
- 5 Mbps or higher to stream high-definition (HD) video (720p+).
Once you’ve done this test, look at the download speed result to see if your connection is fast enough to stream video. If you are getting at least 3 Mbps, hen tweaking Windows Media Player is the next step.
Tweaking Windows Media Player to Optimize Video Streaming Performance
In the following steps, we’ll show you which settings in WMP to adjust to improve playback when watching video streams from websites.
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Switch to library view mode if not already displayed.
You can hold down the CTRL key and press 1 to access Library view.
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Select Tools and choose Options.
If you don’t see the main menu bar at the top of WMP’s screen, it has probably been disabled. To toggle the menu display, hold down the CTRL key and press M. Alternatively, hold down the ALT key and press T to display the tools menu. You can then press the letter ‘O’ key to get to the settings menu.
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On the options screen, select the Performance tab.
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Select the radio button next to Buffer in the Network Buffering section.
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The default setting is 5 seconds. Type «10» in the box to increase it.
Using too much buffer time (step 4) can impact WMP and overall system performance, so it’s wise to change the buffer value in small increments until you’ve got satisfactory video streaming.
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Select the Apply button and then OK to finish.
Other Ways to Improve Video Streaming Playback
If you find that video playback still isn’t ideal, then there are further tweaks you can do to try and improve this. These are:
Disable UDP Protocol
Some home routers that use NAT don’t forward UDP packets correctly. This can result in buffer looping, freezing, etc. To combat this, you can disable UDP in Windows Media Player. To do this:
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Go to WMP’s Options menu and click the Network tab.
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In the protocols section, clear the RTSP/UDP setting.
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Select Apply and then OK to save.
Tweak WMP’s Connection to The Internet
If you are having streaming problems that seem to be related to your Internet connection, then try the following:
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Go to WMP’s options menu and select the Player tab.
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In the Player Settings section, make sure that the Connect to the Internet (Overrides Other Commands) option is enabled.
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Select Apply and then OK to finish.
Only enable this feature if you’re having Internet connection problems. This is because enabling this setting will keep certain WMP services connected to the Internet all the time, rather than just when WMP is used.
Thanks for letting us know!
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