Video players for .m4v files?

May 21, 2006 9:07 PM

Are there any video players aside from Quicktime and iTunes that will play an iTunes .m4v video file?

The iTunes player and the free version of Quicktime don't have any visual controls (contrast, brightness, etc.), and some things I've downloaded are too dark to watch without them. None of my other players works. Any ideas (including purchasing Quicktime if it has the controls I want)?

posted by goatdog to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

AnyTypeOfMovieOnAComputerFilter:
if it plays on a computer, VLC will play it
posted by hatsix at 9:15 PM on May 21, 2006

Response by poster: I should mention that I'm running XP.
posted by goatdog at 9:17 PM on May 21, 2006

You could use Quicktime Alternative (or another codec-based solution) and Windows Media Player.

In Windows Media Player 10, to adjust video settings:
Click Now Playing.
On the View menu, point to Enhancements, and then click Video Settings.
In the Enhancements pane, move the Hue, Saturation, Brightness, and Contrast sliders to the settings that you want to use.
posted by glibhamdreck at 9:37 PM on May 21, 2006

Install ffdshow, and you can play m4v files in any directshow media player (i.e. windows media player, bsplayer, zoom player etc.) It's a function of the codecs not the player.
posted by Rhomboid at 10:26 PM on May 21, 2006

I second hatsix's recommendation for VLC. It's probably the best video player out there, period.
posted by fvox13 at 4:08 AM on May 22, 2006

Yep. VLC.
posted by mcstayinskool at 7:54 AM on May 22, 2006

Quicktime Pro (the $30 upgrade) will allow you to use the brightness/contrast controls in Quicktime Player.
posted by andrewraff at 9:10 AM on May 22, 2006

Yeah, I personally prefer using Winamp (with ffdshow and haali media splitter installed) to play that (and most other) video formats.
posted by Jezztek at 11:44 AM on May 22, 2006