Q: how do i open a media file with a .wmv extension on my iMac

To my knowledge you can't, not without buying something like Flip4Mac, which allows you to play .wmv files.  As it's a Windows Media file, you can't open it on a Mac without help, and that help usually costs $$$$$$$.

The maker and online vendor of retail Flip4Mac is this company,

the player used to be free, now costs; even for the base-version:

http://www.telestream.net/flip4mac/overview.htm

While there may be other options, in software, they too would cost.

Since I'm not using .wmv files, I've nothing to add in that direction.

VideoLAN VLC Player will open WMV files and dozens others.

http://www.videolan.org/

and it's free, no ads, no nonsense. It's very stable as well.

VLC is capable of opening .wmv files.  VLC can open just about anything.

VLC is only capable of opening some WMV files. 

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/features.php?cat=video

Hopefully VLC has improved their usefulness in regard to previous issues their product

caused me with permissions and privileges in OS X, because it assigned itself as system

wide default in my older OS X versions in three different (then current) Mac computers.

Somewhere I still have the offending versions of their earlier product, in archive, for use

with those older OS X systems now on vintage hardware. Along with Flip4Mac and other

media helper applications that could assist QuickTime in viewing various files.

Thank you for reminding me of VLC Player. I may consider it (again) if it isn't too invasive.

K Shaffer wrote:

 

Hopefully VLC has improved their usefulness in regard to previous issues their product

caused me with permissions and privileges in OS X, because it assigned itself as system

wide default in my older OS X versions in three different (then current) Mac computers.

 

Somewhere I still have the offending versions of their earlier product, in archive, for use

with those older OS X systems now on vintage hardware. Along with Flip4Mac and other

media helper applications that could assist QuickTime in viewing various files.

 

Thank you for reminding me of VLC Player. I may consider it (again) if it isn't too invasive.

VLC Player is amazing.  Seriously.  I've used it for years, both in Windows and on my MacBook.  You won't be sorry.  I'm not sure what you consider "invasive," but it doesn't do anything other than play video/audio.

It's my go to player on Mac and Windows, with the exception of a very outdated codec I made the mistake of using back in 2003 it opened everything I've ever thrown at it.

Flip4Mac is still free if you download it from their Downloads section instead of the main screen. Should allow you to play .wmv files in Quicktime or in Safari browsers

I've used Flip4Mac for years, and have never paid anything

http://dynamic.telestream.net/downloads/downloads.asp

There is one page for general download (same version) linked in three

places; they go to the content shown in this page hot link: Flip4Mac

Within the VLC forums some users were having issue with the player

for a time, if not using the latest OS X; those may now have been fixed.

My VLC issue years ago (Tiger 10.4.6. ~ Leopard 10.5.8, PPC + Intel)

was, almost anywhere in the system there had been an OS X default

player or other chosen software for any video player content, VLC icon

and launch capability was installed there as well. It was unacceptable.

So I got along without it. And still do...

Kind of like not caring if a web page uses Flash.

However I may see if the Flip4Mac extension for QuickTime still runs in base

form, free (as previous, by ignoring upgrade option) if I need .wmv viewing.

Says the basic version is $9.99 in their PDF instruction page from telestream:

http://www.telestream.net/download-files/flip4mac/3-3/rel_Flip4Mac_3.3.7.pdf

Thanks!

edited