I would welcome any useful comments by better-versed or more-experienced users.
Your topic and observations are somewhat unspecific making it a bit difficult to address the rather wide range of possible comments that could be made.
What is the best way to get .wmv files to play on my MacBook Pro, running OS X (Mountain Lion) v.10.8.3?
What is your definition of "best?" Some people like the VLC Player. Others want the content to open and play in the QT X, QT 7, or Flip Player. There is even a small group who prefer watch their videos using QuickLook. Only you can decide which of these (or another) option is the "best" for you.
I just downloaded the free Windows Media Components v. 3.2 from the Microsoft website, which I have seen referred to as Flip4Mac (although that may be the name that is given to the Flip Player). This software is supposed to add something to QuickTime (I have QuickTime Player v. 10.2), so that you can play .wmv files with it.
The original use of the Flip4Mac componets was to allow users to play WMV or WMA media in the QT 7 Player. Introduction of QT X complicated matters since it is much less "open" than QT 7. Most serious QT users install both QT X and the QT 7 players to maximize playback options or, where possible, use either player for the playback of files handled by both. Unfortunately, many people refuse to transcode legacy compression file formats that may frequently only play in QT 7 while newer file compression formats are better/only supported by the QT X Player.
EXAMPLE: On my system, WMV files play better in the QT X player since it does not have to "pre-expand" data for playback. On the other hand, if I open the same file in the QT 7 player, you see the data being cached to the player in the progress bar in a maner similar to viewing a "fast start" online video cache to the player. (See image below) Thus, you can see one difference in the way WMV data is supported using the Flip4Mac component and different players.
QT 7 Player
The Windows Media Components software came with what is described as a new application, called Flip Player.
This is a separate, independent media player. You could just as easily install the VLC player if you prefer using it. However, one thing I do like about the Flip Player, is that it does not show that annoying WMV icon in my display screen area as it does with both QT 7 and QT X players do. (See above and below)
QT X Player
Flip Player
When I used it for the first time, I was not satisfied with the results. One .wmv file played for me, but the player (not sure if I was using Flip Player or QuickTime) wouldn't show a normal-size window in which to watch the moving picture. Instead, there were two windows on my computer screen--one tiny window (the same size as the file's icon) showed a moving picture. And a larger window (about 3" x 5") showed not a moving picture but a static image. The audio track seemed to play normally. I tried to play another .wmv file, and this time I got a bigger window (about 4" x 6", I think) where I should have been seeing the movie, but I only saw a static image. I heard the audio track okay, but when I tried to stop the movie, the audio kept playing until the end of the "video" file.
Here is where it is really difficult to know for sure what is going on. There could be many different types of playback problems and I am not even sure how your are viewing the content. For instance, Finder icons do play content via QuickLook and can't be resized. However, QuickLook, can also transfer playback from the icon display a larger display which can only be resized to full-screen unlike like QT 7, QT X, Flip, VLC, etc. player displays which can be resized to 1/2x, 1x, 2x, full-screen, or to any intermediate size. At this point I suspect you may never have opened the file in the Flip Player. Next time, take a look at the menu bar (next to the apple icon) to see which app or system is actually playing the file. (E.g., QuickLook is listed as "Finder" in the menu bar while all media player apps will be identified by their respective name.)
I think I want to do a complete uninstall of Windows Media Components and Flip Player and try something else. I think there are some free players for the Mac that can handle .wmv files. One is called "VLC media player" and another is called "MPlayer."
That, of course, is personal decision. However, it sould be pointed out that the file settings/characteristics itself should also be considered. You have not indicated the encoded dimensions of the file, its playback data rate, the video card being used (some laptops come/came with multiple performance cards), the number/type of CPU(s), or clocking speed. For instance, if video playback requirements exceed the capability of the platform/player, then most players begin skipping frames. The farther it falls behind, the greater the number of fames skipped. My personal openion is that you should perform a more exhaustive series of tests here. However, I should also add that I rarely view Windows Media since my content is specifically targeting iTunes managed TV and mobile device playback.
