Divx Media Player Faq
For answers to some common questions about using Windows Media Player, see the following topics. Play an audio or video file: frequently asked questions.
Get answers to common questions about the Xbox Media Player app for Xbox One.
Find answers to common questions about codecs and DVD decoders in Windows Media Player.
Download the latest version of the DivX codec and DivX player, which is needed to play DivX videos. We offer free downloads for both Windows and Mac users.
The DivX FAQ is intended to answer common questions about the DivX codec
and provide helpful information and tips on fixing common problems.
The DivX FAQ may not be published at any other website without
permission. Duplication of links or content is strictly prohibited.
It is written and maintained by the webmaster of
1.2 Finding the latest version of the DivX FAQ
The latest version of the DivX FAQ will always be available at
1.3 I m still having problems after reading the DivX FAQ
First of all, browse through the FAQ to make sure that your problem isn t
already covered. In particular we recommend reading section 4.1,
which describes the most common reasons why DivX movies won t play. If you still
aren t able to find the solution to your problem, try asking in the
2.1 Software needed to play DivX movies in Windows
In order to play DivX movies you need to install the DivX codec, DirectX
and a media player which supports the codec. We recommend using
Windows Media Player 6.4 or higher to play DivX movies. For
information how to install the DivX codec, goto the DivX codec section.
2.2 Hardware requirements to play DivX movies
All that is needed is a fast enough computer. We don t know the exact
minimum requirements, but anything less than a Pentium 300MHz running
Windows 9X/NT/2000/XP is likely to encounter problems with skipping.
For AMD K6/K6-2 computers we have found that the minimum requirements
are higher and we recommend at least an AMD K6-2 400MHz for proper
2.3 Lowering image quality to reduce skipping
If your computer isn t fast enough to play DivX movies it is possible
to change the image quality. Goto the File menu in Windows Media Player
and select Properties make sure that you have a DivX movie loaded
or the Properties option will be disabled. Then click the Advanced tab
and select the DivX MPEG-4 DVD Video Decompressor, then click
Properties. A new window with a slider which ranges from CPU to DVD Video
will be displayed. If you move the slider to the left your computer will
compromise some of the image quality, but instead you will get less
skipping. If you move the slider to the right your computer will display
the DivX movie at full quality, but it will be slower to decode and might
start to skip. We recommend users to not change this setting unless
they are having playback problems.
Please note that the above instructions only work in Windows Media Player v6.4.
If your system has a newer version of Windows Media Player installed you can
still access the older version to make the needed changes. Simply goto the
Start menu in Windows, select Run and enter mplayer2 in the box.
Then click the OK button to start Windows Media Player v6.4.
2.4 Lowering image resolution to reduce skipping
If you re having problems with skipping you can also try lowering your
desktop resolution to 640x480 and see if it helps.
2.5 Using older DivX codec to reduce skipping
If you re trying to play older DivX movies that were created using the
DivX codec v3.11 alpha and you run into problems with skipping you can try
and uninstall the latest version of the DivX codec and reinstall the
instead. Even though the latest version of the DivX codec is fully backwards
compatible with the original DivX codec it isn t as optimized for playback
of older DivX movies, so the original version of the codec is faster.
This solution should be combined with the ones described in
3.1 DivX codec installation problem: INF file not found
All files in divx_3.11alpha.zip
need to be unzipped before it is possible to begin the installation
of the DivX codec. Otherwise the installation program won t find the
needed DivX.inf file. Instead of double clicking Register_DivX.exe in
files to a directory and then right click on the file DivX.inf and choose
3.2 DivX codec installation problem: Installation disk missing
If you get an error message asking you for the DivX ;- MPEG-4 Video Codec
Install Disk you need to do the following. When the error message appears,
click on the Browse button and goto the directory where you unzipped the
DivX codec files. Then simply select the file which is missing and click the
OK button to continue the installation.
3.3 DivX codec installation problem: Installation failed
The most common reason for getting this error message is because you
are trying to install the DivX codec in Windows NT/2K. The problem is
that you don t have administrator privileges. The installation program
needs to be able to create some files in the windows system directories
as well as update the system registry. Make sure you have these privileges
or contact someone who has them to get help.
3.4 DivX codec installation problem: Installer corrupted or incomplete
If you get the error message The installer you are trying to use is corrupted
or incomplete. when you try to install the DivX codec it s because there was
some problem during the downloading process that caused the installation file to
become corrupted or incomplete. To fix the problem you can either try to re-download
the installation file or if you re having general problems with downloading EXE files
from the web you can download the following alternative ZIP version instead:
Please note that you will need WinZIP
or some other software to decompress the installation file from the ZIP archive
before you can start the installation process.
3.5 DivX codec installation problem: Windows XP compatibility
If you try to install the DivX codec v3.11 alpha in Windows XP, you will
get a warning message stating that the software didn t pass the compatibility
test. Windows XP will also warn you that installing the software could cause
damage to your system. To our knowledge this warning is unfounded and installing
the DivX codec v3.11 alpha shouldn t cause any problems. We believe that the
real reason Windows XP is complaining about this is because the DivX codec
v3.11 alpha is a hacked/improved version of a Microsoft codec.
If you want to be on the safe side you should install the latest version of
the DivX codec instead, which is fully Windows XP compatible. It has been
completely rewritten from scratch and contains no Microsoft technology.
The only problem you might run into using the new DivX codec is that the
audio in some DivX movies will stop working. This can be easily fixed by
3.6 File progress window freezes
We ve had a few reports about this problem and we believe it has something
to do with Windows ME Millennium, since all people with the problem are
running this version of Windows. The avoid the progress window from freezing,
right click on the DivX.inf file and choose Install instead of running
4.1 DivX movies won t play and I don t know why
The most common reason that downloaded movies don t work is because the
download is incomplete. To find out if a movie is incomplete you should
and open the movie you are having problems playing. If the Stat field
for the file says that the file length is correct the file is complete.
If the Stat field for the file says that the file is truncated
the file is incomplete and you need to resume the download. For information
how to watch an incomplete movie, see section 4.2.
If the movie is complete and it still won t work it s probably because
you don t have the required video/audio codecs installed on your computer.
If you re having problems with the video you can find instructions how to determine
what video codec is required to play the movie in section 4.3.
If you re having problems with the audio you can find instructions how to
determine what audio codec is required to play the movie in section
If you ve got all the required codecs installed on your system and you still
can t play the movie it s possible that your installed codecs aren t
working properly. We ve provided a small DivX video
clip with no sound that can be used to test your installation of the DivX codec.
Download it and try to watch it, but make sure that it is complete
307200 bytes in size. If the small DivX video clip plays fine then
you can conclude that there is some problem with the movie you have
downloaded. If you experience the same errors/problems with the small
clip then your installed codec isn t working properly and you need
4.2 Incomplete DivX movies won t play in Windows Media Player
There is a program called DivFix which can be used to rebuild the
missing index part so that you can watch partially downloaded incomplete
DivX movies. The program can be downloaded from the Software section.
Just remember to strip the index before you resume the download or the
file will be completely corrupted and impossible to repair.
4.3 No picture, I get no video when playing DivX movies
This problem occurs when you try to watch a movie and the video player you
are using is unable to find the needed video codec. You might be able to listen
to the sound but no video is shown. Fortunately, there is an easy way to fix this
problem. All AVI files contain a FourCC code in the header of the file,
which can be used to identify the video codec required to play the movie.
To find out which video codec you re missing you should download GSpot
and open the movie you are having problems playing. The program will give you
information about what codecs are needed to play the movie and if you have them
installed on your computer. However, please note that even though GSpot might
say that you have compatible codecs installed this information isn t always correct.
To see which codec is actually used to decode the video, use the Render
option at the bottom of the program. If GSpot says Rendering failed or Partial failure
then you don t have any compatible video codec installed, so you need to
use the FourCC code to lookup the codec you need to download and install
If the video codec you need isn t listed above, check out
FourCC.org for a more complete list of codecs.
Please note that there doesn t exist any video codec that uses the FourCC code 0. If you ve
downloaded a movie with the FourCC code 0 it s either fake or corrupt and you won t be
4.4 No sound, I get no audio when playing DivX movies
First of all, you need to figure out if the problem is with the movie
you are trying to play or your system configuration. You can do this by
trying to play an MP3 or another movie and see if the sound works. If it
does you should keep on reading for more information how to fix the problem.
Otherwise you have to figure out what s wrong with your system configuration.
It s important to understand that video and audio are two separate things, which
when combined make up movies. A movie consists of a video stream for the picture and
an audio stream for the sound. The DivX codec is what makes it possible to decode the
video stream, but it has nothing to do with decoding the audio stream. If the sound
in a movie isn t working you have to find out which audio codec is missing and
To find out which audio codec you re missing you should download GSpot
To see which codec is actually used to decode the audio, use the Render
then you don t have any compatible audio codec installed, so you need to
use audio codec name to lookup the codec you need to download and install
Please note that the new DivX codec doesn t include support for the DivX ;- Audio format, so you won t be
able to watch these movies with sound simply using the new DivX codec. The only way to watch these
movies with sound is either using the original DivX codec v3.11 alpha,
or by installing the DivX ;- audio
4.5 Picture freezes, but sound keeps going when playing DivX movies
The DivX movie that you are trying to play contains errors. Some of the
frames in the movie are invalid and when you try to play the movie the picture
freezes because of these errors. The sound is able to keep on playing since
it isn t as sensitive to small errors as the video. The invalid frames are
usually caused by resuming downloads. To fix the invalid frames you can
either try to download the movie again, but this won t help if your source
also has a corrupted movie. In that case the only way to fix the movie is
to load the movie into VirtualDub and manually edit/delete the invalid frames.
There exists a workaround called DivX AntiFreeze,
which once installed will avoid the permanent freezings during playback
in Windows Media Player. However, it does not fix the invalid frames in
4.6 Picture is green/distorted/corrupted when playing DivX movies
This problem usually occurs when you try to play a DivX movie that is
encoded with a newer version of the DivX codec than the one installed on
your system the codec installed on your system is outdated. If you
don t have the latest version of the DivX codec
installed already, make sure to upgrade before trying any of these suggestions.
If simply upgrading the DivX codec doesn t help, the problem is most likely
that another DirectShow filter which isn t fully compatible with DivX video is
overriding the DivX codec for playback. To find out which filter/codec is
actually being used to decode the movie you should download
and open the movie you are having problems playing. After loading the movie
into GSpot, use the Render option at the bottom of the program and look
at the value of the Video path. If the video path says DivX Decoder Filter
then the installed DivX codec is being used to decode the movie, so either
the codec is outdated or the file is damaged/corrupt. If the video path says
ffdshow MPEG-4 Video Decoder or anything else then you need to figure out
how to disable this filter/codec.
To disable the ffdshow MPEG-4 Video Decoder from decoding DivX videos, simply
goto the Start- Programs- ffdshow folder and select the Configuration option.
Then switch to the Codecs section and change the DivX setting from libavcodec
to either disabled or the DivX option. This should tell your computer to use
the installed DivX codec to decode DivX movies instead of FFDShow.
4.7 Picture is too dark when playing DivX movies
If the picture is too dark when playing DivX movies it is possible to
change the brightness/contrast settings. Goto the File menu in Windows
Media Player and select Properties make sure that you have a DivX movie
loaded or the Properties option will be disabled. Then click the Advanced
tab and select the DivX MPEG-4 DVD Video Decompressor, then click
Properties. A new window with a brightness
slider will be displayed. If you move the slider to the left the picture
will become darker. If you move the slider to the right the picture will
become brighter. Experiment a bit to find the value that works best for you.
4.8 Picture is upside-down or mirrored when playing DivX movies
If you don t already have the latest version of the DivX codec
installed, make sure to upgrade before trying any of these suggestions.
If the video still plays upside-down or mirrored after upgrading, it s likely that
you have some conflicting DirectShow filter s installed that are flipping the video.
The two most common filters that cause these type of problems are the Bicubic Resize
filter bicubic_resizer.ax and the G400 filter divxg400.ax. To check if any of
these filters are installed, simply look for the files in your C: Windows System32
directory on the drive where Windows is installed. If you find any of these filters
installed, simply goto the Start menu in Windows and select Run, then enter
regsvr32 /u filename.ax in the box and click the OK button to unregister the filter.
Another way to possibly fix the problem is to goto the
Tools- Options- Performance- Advanced menu in Windows Media Player
and deselect the Use video mixing renderer option. While this option works
for some it doesn t solve the problem for everyone.
4.9 Picture and sound is having problems with skipping
The reason for this is most likely that your computer isn t fast enough
to play DivX movies. You can try lowering the image quality and resolution
as described in section 2.3 and 2.4.
You can also try to use an older version of the DivX codec as described
in section 2.5. If this doesn t fix the problem,
we recommend users to try BSPlayer, since it uses considerably less CPU and memory
than Windows Media Player. The program can be downloaded from the
4.10 Sound volume is too low when playing DivX movies
We ve found that the problem with really low volume in DivX movies is usually
caused by the movies using the AC3 audio codec. The default volume for the
AC3 codec is quite low, so raising the regular volume controls might not be
enough for some movies. To fix the problem, simply goto the Start menu in Windows,
select Settings and then the Control Panel. If you have the AC3 codec
installed on your system you should see the AC3 Filter listed there.
Simply open the AC3 Filter and from there you should be able to change the
Master volume, and even the volume of individual channels such as the
The word codec is short for compressor/decompressor. When you install a video
codec on your computer, what you really are doing is giving Windows Media Player
instructions how to compress/decompress movies in that file format. If the
needed codec is missing you will receive an error message that Windows Media Player
is unable to download an appropriate decompressor. For more information about
this problem, see section 6.1.
DivX is the name of a popular new video codec developed by
was developed enable users to play and create high-quality videos in a fast and
convenient way, while still maintaining the best quality possible. The DivX codec
is currently the most popular MPEG-4 based codec because of its quality, speed
and efficiency as well as the wide range of DVD players that support the DivX format.
To download and install the codec, goto the
Error messages Windows Media Player
6.1 Unable to download an appropriate decompressor
This error occurs when you try to watch a movie and Windows Media Player is
unable to find the needed video codec. You might be able to listen to the sound
but no video is shown. This either means that you haven t got the required video
codec installed or that the installed codec isn t working properly. To figure out
which video codec you need to install, see section 4.3.
6.2 Unable to render video: DIV3 decompressor not found
unable to find the needed video codec. In order to play the movie you need to
install the DivX codec which contains a DIV3 decompressor. For information how
to install the DivX codec, goto the DivX codec section.
6.3 Unable to render video: DIV4 decompressor not found
install the DivX codec which contains a DIV4 decompressor. For information how
6.4 Unable to render video: DIVX decompressor not found
install the DivX codec which contains a DIVX decompressor. For information how
6.5 Unable to render video: DX50 decompressor not found
install the DivX codec which contains a DX50 decompressor. For information how
6.6 Unable to render video: MP43 decompressor not found
install the SMR codec which contains a MP43 decompressor. You can download
the SMR codec from the Software section.
6.7 Unable to render video: XVID decompressor not found
install the XviD codec which contains a XVID decompressor. For information how
to install the XviD codec, goto the XviD codec section.
6.8 No combination of filters could be found to render the stream
This error occurs when you try to watch a movie and Windows Media Player
is unable to render the video stream. The DivX movie that you are trying
to play is either incomplete or corrupt and the DivX codec doesn t support
playback of incomplete DivX movies, so make sure that you have the whole file
before you try to watch it. For a possible workaround, see section 4.2.
6.9 The file format is invalid
detects that the file format is invalid. The DivX movie that you are trying
DivX FAQ
Enabling DivX Accelerated Options. The DivX Accelerated program vigorously tests and validates that a particular chipset is optimized for decoding and/or encoding of.
Free video software downloads to play stream DivX AVI DivX Plus HD MKV video. Find devices to play DivX video and Hollywood movies in DivX format.
DivX – Download DivX software (play AVI/MKV), play DivX video on TV
Check out these featured devices guaranteed to play DivX video.
Download movies to play on your computer or DivX device.
See what s hot in the world of DivX.
1.1 About the DivX FAQ. In order to play DivX movies you need to install the DivX codec, DirectX and a media player which supports the codec.
DivX Web Player. Stream 4K videos in your browser. DivX Web Player is a simple web browser extension that streams video in all the formats that matter, including HEVC.
