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.

In the Macintosh browsers, PluginDetect will look for Flip4Mac to play any windows media content. If Flip4Mac is present then PluginDetect will say that the Windows Media Player is installed. Version information is not revealed, since Flip4Mac is not a true Windows Media Player plugin (even though it is capable of playing the Windows media files).



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.



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