H264 Player Vlc

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Zee Palmer

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Aug 3, 2024, 4:45:53 PM8/3/24

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To use VLC media player to play H.264 encoded files from CCTV cameras or DVR/NVR security system, you need to update VLC to the latest version or convert H264 video to MP4. In this post, we will recommend the best VLC player settings to make it able to play H264 files. We will also mention some tips to help you if you encounter some trouble in this process.

Simply put, an H.264 file is a video file encoded with H.264 compression, which can provide high quality videos in relatively lower bitrates. Due to a high compression rate, H.264 codec is widely used in the AVCHD camcorders, HDTV, Blu-ray, and HD DVD.

By default, Windows Media Player doesn't support the playback of H.264 files. However, you can install third-party codec packs like K-Lite Codec Pack or use alternative media players like VLC Media Player that natively support H.264 encoding.

"I am trying to download some security camera DVR footage for work and I downloaded the file but I am having a hard time finding a player to play it. The DVR downloaded it to an .h264 file. I have no idea what kind of file this is nor have I ever heard a video file like this before."

Can't play H.264 files? Don't worry. Here we're going to introduce 5 free H.264 player software to help you play raw .h264/.264 extension files from CCTV camera as well as other H.264-encoded MP4, MKV, MOV, and other video files from GoPro, DJI, iPhone, camcorder, Android, etc. Also, some other methods are introduced to solve H.264/AVC file not playing issue.

This H.264 player builds in numerous customizable controls, fully supports Multi-track video/audio and subtitles, TrueColor System, compatible with almost all multimedia formats and owns fast launch speed. It is guaranteed to deliver the highest quality viewing and listening experience.

Besides playing (H.264/AVC) videos and audios, 5KPlayer is also able to play DVD and radio, download videos/films songs from 1000+ online video websites, and turn your Mac and Windows as AirPlay sender and AirPlay receiver. All features are free to use!

As an open-source media player that has nearly 4 billion users, it is another powerful H.264 file player for H.264 file and other videos playback. VLC is the first and only media player that can handle nearly all media files besides H.264/AVC videos on almost all platforms. You can play local files, discs, webcams, streams in MP4, MKV, MOV, H.264, HEVC, WebM, MP3, etc. on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Chrome OS, etc. easily.

What makes VLC media player popular is not just because of the media playback ability, but also the hidden features like video conversion, online video download, IPTV streaming, DLNA cast, Chromecast, add subtitles, video recording, etc. functions.

The main cause resulting H.264 file not playing in VLC is the improper settings in VLC. Also, unsupported video container can lead to the playback error. You can upgrade your VLC media player or convert H.264 to VLC-supported formats like H.264 to MP4 to let VLC play H.264 videos easily.

DivX Player is mainly designed to play DivX, AVI, MKV, MP4, H.264/AVC and HEVC/H.265 videos up to 4K smoothly and in high quality. DivX Player incorporates DirectX Video Acceleration (DXVA) and Intel Quick Sync Video to use the media hardware for decoding videos so the high resolution video playback is still very smooth. In specific, DXVA is used for playback of MPEG-4/ASP and H.264/AVC contents and Intel Quick Sync Video is used for conversion of H.264/AVC video and playback of H.265/HEVC video. Obviously, the hardware accelerated technologies built in this H.264 player make it easy to play any H.264 4K videos without issue.

If you upgrade to Pro version, you can get AC3 surround sound and DTS audio to have theater-effect experience at home. Also, the Pro version lets you play videos directly from Google Drive and Dropbox up in HEVC 10-bit.

Windows Media Player is the default media player for PC using Windows operating system and was once released for Mac. It can play videos, audio tracks and images. With the release of Windows Media Player 12[1], you can also use it to play H.264 files on Windows 10/8/7 directly.

Despite Microsoft has adopted Media Player to be the default Windows 11 media player to replace Windows Media Player and Groove Music, you can still use it on your Windows 11 PC. Windows Media Player 12 now can play nearly all popular file formats, including MP4, MOV, MKV, WMV, AVI, ASF, H.264, 3GP, WMA, ACVHD (.mts, .m2ts), WebM VP9, MP3, ALAC, AAC, DVD, etc. Even HEVC and AV1 formats are supported if the required HEVC Video Extension and AV1 Video Extension are pre-installed.

Like many other media players, it allows for local video playback, streaming playback, DLNA cast, and progressive downloads. Customizable settings are also prepared, such as fast forward, reverse, file markers, variable playback speed, etc. However, when playing H.264/AVC videos, Windows Media Player sometimes has difficulty in playing videos in 4K.

Step 2. After opening Windows Media Player, check if your H.264 file is in the video library or not. To import your H.264 video to Windows Media Player, just drag the video file over to the video library window and then release the button.

Besides fast and efficient file playback with subtitles, there are also advanced settings for adjusting bit rate and video resolutions. It can also be used as a video converter to convert some files. If needed, you can install a supported TV tuner and then use MediaPlayer Lite to play and record televisions. For slower machines with older CPUs, it is really a good option to play H.264 videos.

The H.264 players mentioned above are the top 5 in the list you can rely on to play H.264/AVC videos even up to 4K. As nothing is perfect, you may still have problem playing H.264 files in VLC or other H.264 players. To solve the error, you need to following method.

If your H.264 player is not that competent, you might try converting your H.264 files with the best video converter. Winxvideo AI is capable of converting raw .264, .h264, and H.264-encoded files, and more formats to MP4, MOV, and other formats for playing on PC, Mac, Android, iPhone, TV, YouTube, etc. It can read video recordings from surveillance cameras, digital cameras, action cameras, drones, mobiles, and those you download online, from lower resolution to 4K/8K videos. Making the most of GPU hardware acceleration, it processes video decoding and encoding at a superfast speed..

Winxvideo AI is a versatile tool bundled with video video editing, video compression, video recording (available on Mac only), and video downloading features that you can make use of to satisfy different purposes.

BTW, Winxvideo AI is the optimal but not the only way to solve H.264 file not playing issue. You can also download H.264 codec pack to beef up your H.264 player so as to play more H.264 files in 4K. Examples include K-Lite Codec Pack for Windows media player and x264 QuickTime Codec for Mac.

Matthew Palmer is a seasoned content creator with over 10 years of experience in Windows at large. He has been specialized in almost any technology with Windows OS and written thousands of new articles, covering everything from in-depth features of new laptops, latest GPU/CPU PC hardware, games, to software related. While digging into new techs, he continues enjoying painting and comics.

The package that fixed it for me on 16.04 is the gstreamer plugins bad.I got a message about Python-3.5 minimal wanting to install some MPEG-4 AAC plugin, which did not do anything. To fix:In a terminal type:

I think this is part of the package gstreamer-plugins-bad. If you search for this in Software Center it should show up. It might be that you have to activate the multiverse repository (start Software & Sources and tick the appropriate box for this).

I had the same problem with playing videos. Video player wanted to download mpeg - 4 acc decoder and h.264 decoder, but this hadn`t happened due to legal reasons (-if I understand correctly what was written in the window what appears after pc was trying to download mentioned programs).

After I unclicked Software & updates -> Ubuntu software -> "unclick" Software restricted by copyright or legal issues (multiverse) all start working again. (I mean that after this operation pc downloads what he needed and that it started working).

I am wondering if anyone can help me out. I am trying to download some security camera DVR footage for work and I downloaded the file but I am having a hard time finding a player to play it. The DVR downloaded it to an .h264 file. I have no idea what kind of file this is nor have I ever heard a video file like this before. I tried playing it in Windows media player, Quicktime, MPC-HC, VLC Media Player with no luck. I have also tried converting it with Any Video Converter. When I convert it to MPG it converts and I can sorta play it in Media player but it is very choppy and bad quality.