Windows Media Player Plugin Detector




The Plugin Version Is Not Always Revealed

For Internet Explorer, the PluginDetect script will detect Windows Media Player (WMP) 7 and higher. The script will report the exact version of the installed media player.

Things are a bit more complicated for the non-Explorer browsers on Windows (Firefox, Opera, Netscape, etc...). Up until recently, it was only possible for a script to determine whether WMP was installed or not installed for these browsers. There was no practical way to see the version of the WMP plugin. In 2007, however, Microsoft released the Windows Media Player Firefox Plugin. This new Firefox plugin allows PluginDetect to determine the exact WMP version that is installed.


Javascript Can Control the Windows Media Player

It is already well known that you can use javascript to interact with the WMP plugin. For example, you can script the plugin to start a movie clip, stop a movie clip, etc...

The main problem here is that you cannot script the plugin in all browsers and all platforms. You most likely will only be able to script the plugin in Internet Explorer and in browsers compatible with the WMP Firefox Plugin.

Fortunately PluginDetect can give you a quick and easy way to know when it is possible to script the plugin.
Whenever PluginDetect.getVersion('WindowsMediaPlayer') gives you a version then you can script the plugin. Stated another way, whenever PluginDetect.isMinVersion('WindowsMediaPlayer', '0') equals 1, then you can script the plugin.


3rd party plugins for Windows Media files

As a general rule, 3rd party plugins capable of playing Windows Media should not be recognized by PluginDetect as being a genuine Microsoft Windows Media Player (WMP) plugin. By this we mean that isMinVersion('WindowsMediaPlayer', '0') should be -1 when a 3rd party plugin is installed but the genuine WMP is not installed.

The one most notable exception to this rule is the Flip4Mac plugin. Flip4Mac is a 3rd party plugin for Macintosh that can play Windows Media content. Because Microsoft appears to officially endorse Flip4Mac, PluginDetect will treat this plugin as a genuine WMP. When the Flip4Mac plugin is detected by PluginDetect it will say that the WMP is installed. Version information is not revealed for Flip4Mac, however.

Note that some 3rd party plugins may try to fool PluginDetect into thinking that they are the genuine WMP. The most glaring example appears to be the Totem player under Linux. PluginDetect will correctly detect Totem as a 3rd party plugin and not as a genuine WMP plugin.


If you wish to detect the presence of either the genuine WMP plugin OR a 3rd party compatible player, you may try this:

var $$ = PluginDetect;     
var AnyPlayerForWindowsMedia = $$.isMinVersion('WindowsMediaPlayer', '0') >=0 || $$.hasMimeType("application/x-mplayer2") ? true : false;