I've read a dozen or more threads... They are all from different dates and times, and many of the methods in the existing threads are outdated, or completely contradict each other!  I have a feeling I've screwed my install up with all the experimenting I've done tonight .

I can not get .mp4 video files to play inside media center.  I downloaded and installed the latest version of CCCP (complete community codec pack), and got several registry entries that were suppose to associate mp4 files to media center.... some made media center load when I clicked on the file - but I kept getting a "could not play file, unknown error occurred." message......

I installed a plug (from somewhere?) specifically for mp4, m4a and several other formats - I cant remember... supposedly specifically for WMP and MCE - but that didn't work either.

Then I reinstalled CCCP again, and I was able to get the mp4 video files to play in zoom player, which installed with cccp package...... but I could not get the mp4 video files to play in mce.  So I searched TGB again, and found a post by one of our leaders.... Richard A. Miller who posts THIS THREAD with a  long registry entry to properly associate  mp4 and many other file types correctly with mce... Now,  the mp4's will not load in MCE or WMP... The association icon is a WMP icon, not a MCE icon - and the files play in ZOOM player but with NO AUDIO.

I need some DIRECT answers to these questions.... forgive the tone of voice, but I'm frustrated and upset.
Can MCE play .mp4 video files directly from inside MCE?  WITH AUDIO?
Was installing CCCP a mistake?
I assumed after installing CCCP,  I would be able to play mp4 video files, as well as quicktime .mov files too.  Among other video file types?  Was I wrong?
If the playing of mp4 files IS possible in MCE - Can someone please give me detailed instructions how?  I follow instructions well, but the results from searching the board brought up some posts from several years ago, from which many of the links are now dead - the versions listed are long since updated and/or expired...etc...
I need some direct help ------------ please.

Here is one of the sample video's I wanted to play... the one that started it all!!!

http://img1.gsmarena.com/i/reviewsimg/n93cam/video/gsmarena_n93_001.mp4

Yeah, its a sample video taken with a new cell phone (nokia n93) - the phone I want!  All I wanted to do was see it on the big screen tv, to see if their "dvd quality" video claim was even close....

umm, yeah this video is a little odd.  It looks like an old microsoft mpeg4 v2 codec file but its not in an asf wrapper.  I'm playing with the file now to figure out whats up with it.

I'm not putting quicktime on this machine but have you tried playing it in that? 

Quicktime? no...but I was able to play that file --- let me explain. What I did install so far was the CCCP pack... Matroksa codec (which told me to install the cccp pack because the author didnt have time to fool with his original pack anymore), the wmp/mce m4a plugin setting thingy.... none of these allowed the mp4 video file to play in mce. 

Then while searching TGB, I found THIS THREAD about HD apple mp4 videos, which is where I found the matroksa (or whatever) pack... and the first mp4 video association registry addition in this post. which was this:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\MediaPlayer\Player\Extensions\.mp4]
"Permissions"=dword:00000020

I added this to the registry by selecting everything from the registry heading down, copying it to the clipboard, created a text file, pasted the content - saved the text file as MP4.REG and double clicked it... imported it into the registry and at this point, after the CCCP install, and this registry addition - I could "see" the mp4 files in the my videos list inside mce, but not play the mp4 video files in MCE - I still got the unknown error message... I could play the mp4 videos in zoom player which was installed with the cccp pack - but not in mce.

Then I installed the m4a-plugin-tagreader thingy from here: http://www.softpointer.com/WMPTagSupport.htm which I get from this post

I Still couldn't play the mp4 files inside mce... then I added the 14 registry settings in Richards post (here)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mpg]
@="mpgfile"
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/mpg"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.avi]
@="avifile"
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/avi"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mpeg]
@="mpegfile"
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/mpeg"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mp4]
@="mp4file"
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/mp4"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mov]
@="mov_auto_file"
"Content Type"="video/mov"
"PerceivedType"="video"

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.divx]
@="divxFile"
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/dvix

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.movie]
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/movie

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.qti]
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/qti

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.qtif]
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/qtif

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.r1m]
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/rlm

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.r3t]
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/r3t

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.rec]
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/rec

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.rpm]
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/rpm

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.ogm]
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/x-ogm"

I did it the same way, made a text file, copied the entry's from the WINDOWS REGISTRY EDITOR VERSION 5.00 header down, pasted, saved the text file and renamed the .txt to VIDEO.REG then double clicked it to import into registry... and now I can't play the mp4's with sound period. not in mce or zoom. Plus, all the extentions have WMP icons now, not MCE icons. Obviously I did something wrong - I know Richard's syntax is good - I must have imported this wrong???? I DUNNO

I did way too much ---way too fast.... too many additions at once, and now everything freaked out....

But in closing, at one point - I had that mp4 and many of the HD apple trailer mp4's (which downloaded using that program linked above) playing in Zoom player, with audio - no problem. Just not in MCE.  And now in MCE - I can't get the mp4 files to play... I got 1 of the trailers to play, but it plays about 1 frame a minute - and no audio. Even in zoom player....Somethings very wrong...

I might have fixed it?  So far, so good... I guess we'll see.

I found THIS THREAD and added this to the registry, and re-install the CCCP.... Doing this allowed me to see the files in my videos and play them!! WITH AUDIO!!!  I'm even getting the Dolby 5.1 (I think) ... I know I'm getting surround sound for sure - Those apple hd trailers have excellent sound.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.ogg]
"PerceivedType"="audio"
"Content Type"="audio/x-ogg"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.ogm]
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/x-ogg"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.m2v]
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/mpeg"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mka]
"PerceivedType"="audio"
"Content Type"="audio/x-matroska"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mkv]
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/x-matroska"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.mp4]
"PerceivedType"="video"
"Content Type"="video/mp4"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Multimedia\WMPlayer\Extensions\.ogg]
"Runtime"=dword:00000007
"Permissions"=dword:0000000f
"UserApprovedOwning"="yes"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Multimedia\WMPlayer\Extensions\.ogm]
"Runtime"=dword:00000007
"Permissions"=dword:0000000f
"UserApprovedOwning"="yes"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Multimedia\WMPlayer\Extensions\.m2v]
"Runtime"=dword:00000007
"Permissions"=dword:0000000f
"UserApprovedOwning"="yes"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Multimedia\WMPlayer\Extensions\.mka]
"Runtime"=dword:00000007
"Permissions"=dword:0000000f
"UserApprovedOwning"="yes"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Multimedia\WMPlayer\Extensions\.mkv]
"Runtime"=dword:00000007
"Permissions"=dword:0000000f
"UserApprovedOwning"="yes"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Multimedia\WMPlayer\Extensions\.mp4]
"Runtime"=dword:00000007
"Permissions"=dword:0000000f
"UserApprovedOwning"="yes"

I personally convert them to wmv-hd but thats using commerical software on another machine.  :)

looking for overscan mce registry settings led me to this post... but its not even close to what im looking for. but I may be able to help this old post.

I get mp4 files to play in mce by downloading the quicktime alternative. It lets you play quicktime files in ms media player.

When installing deselect the install media player 6x. Install the rest. Once done right click the mp4 file and select the Open with. Select media player to always open this type of file.

And there you have it. And if by chance mce still complains just rename the mp4 extension to mov and it will work fine as well.

Now on to my search...

I had the same problem when I used MCE - Did all the dowloads , etc

 

Found If I renamed the extension to .avi from .mp4 after doing all the reg hacks etc, it worked fine.

 

Cheers

 

Mark