Playing Google Videos In Windows Media Player
Turns out that Google Video’s downloads, called .gvi files, are just standard .avi files that have been altered to be unplayable in Windows Media Player. When you click in Google Video to download a video to Windows/Mac, you download a .gvp bookmark, which loads Google Video Player and downloads the appropriate .gvi file (opening the .gvp in a text editor will reveal the URL of the .gvi, if you don’t want to install the Video Player).
Despite being an .avi file, a very standard video format, Windows Media Player can’t play it because Google has included in the file a bogus fourcc code in the file that WMP chokes on. Take that same file, change the file extension from .gvi to .avi, and almost every other video player can handle it, but for technical reasons, Microsoft’s can’t play it. It is such a specific and pointless change that it almost seems like Google changed the header code specifically to screw Microsoft.
Not that Google has any reason to want to fight Microsoft, right?
All this info comes via Technology On Crack, which links to a few mostly free programs that will let you fix the fourcc code to run videos in whatever player you like, not just those Google isn’t in a war with. If you don’t want to have to convert the file every time, just download the excellent Media Player Classic software, which can run the .gvi files after you change the file extension.
Here’s the .gvi link, pulled from the .gvp in Notepad.
And here it is running in Media Player Classic:
(via Digg)
Bitacle Blog Search Archive - Playing Google Videos In Windows Media Player
[…] Turns out that Google Video’s downloads, called . […]
Trackback by bitacle.org | September 20, 2006
I only found out today that I can watch .gvi’s without any modification in Ubuntu using VLC. The .gvi’s were downloaded using Windows and I just haven’t tried using them again since I made the switch.
Comment by Jack | September 21, 2006
Playing Google Videos In Windows Media Player
Trackback by RollerOvers Journey® | September 22, 2006
Installing:
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2390/
it can download in more formats many videos from youtube, google video, …
Comment by Merlinox | September 22, 2006
There’s no such thing as “bogus fourcc”. All Google did was to use custom fourcc code, perfectly legitimate thing that any codec vendor does.
Comment by xxx | September 22, 2006
xxx: Google isn’t a codec vendor. It isn’t using a new codec. All it did was change the file name and fourcc code. Try to convince me there is any purpose in that, besides preventing the video from running in other players? It would be like if every .avi released by Microsoft was called .mvi and had a random fourcc, just so it didn’t play in competitor’s products.
Comment by Nathan Weinberg | September 22, 2006
So much for Google’s mantra “Do no Evil”. This is just the same sort of BS MSoft was accused of doing.
Comment by Alex | September 22, 2006
That’s pretty clever, but you could just download the flv (use a prog like ethanol to find the flv url and then just download it and watch)!
Comment by Watch TV | September 22, 2006
How Google Frig Their Videos So Windows Media Player Won’t Play Them
[link][more]
Trackback by Social Content Headline News | September 22, 2006
[…] » Playing Google Videos In Windows Media Player » InsideGoogle » part of the Blog News Channel Despite being an .avi file, a very standard video format, Windows Media Player can’t play it because Google has included in the file a bogus fourcc code in the file that WMP chokes on. Take that same file, change the file extension from .gvi to .avi, and almost every other video player can handle it, but for technical reasons, Microsoft’s can’t play it. It is such a specific and pointless change that it almost seems like Google changed the header code specifically to screw Microsoft. […]
Pingback by Link Right 2 » Blog Archive » Microsoft Lover Blames Google for Bugs in His Beloved Program. | September 22, 2006
you should not be using windows anything in the firsat place if you are worried about evil in the technology industry.
Comment by matt | September 22, 2006
I use linux and when I select the same download I get an .avi I also use firefox. I am wondering what browser you use or if the OS has something to do with what link you get.
Comment by paul | September 22, 2006
[…] » Playing Google Videos In Windows Media Player » InsideGoogle » part of the Blog News Channel […]
Pingback by TECH: Playing Google Videos In Windows Media Player « Reinke Faces Life | September 22, 2006
Who wants windows media player anyway? many ways to skin a cat. The WMP is so lousy its messed up all my settings never again.
Comment by Geekling | September 22, 2006
What is the bogus fourcc in the file? When I open the file using mplayerc it shows
biCompression: divx
Isn’t that valid fourcc for a DivX file?
Comment by Ruchir Astavans | September 22, 2006
How google fooled microsoft
learn what google did to render its videos unplayable in windows media player
Trackback by www.techtagg.com - See Tech Taggers view on this story! | September 22, 2006
your page doesn’t seem to render well in IE. Are you against MSFT, too?
Comment by joe | September 22, 2006
You’ve got it backwards. That’s Microsoft plotting against Google by making it harder to play their videos.
Comment by Nick Thomas | September 23, 2006
the linux users unwittingly prove his point. on linux the file is not mangled, since no MS player exists. only ms clients are forced to d/l the altered file. therefore the behavior is targeted to a particular platform.
Comment by H.J. Wigglethorpe | September 23, 2006
[…] Something about this just makes me laugh. Apparently Google Video files (.gvi) are nothing more than repackaged .avi files which can not be played back in Windows Media Player. Turns out that Google Video’s downloads, called .gvi files, are just standard .avi files that have been altered to be unplayable in Windows Media Player. When you click in Google Video to download a video to Windows/Mac, you download a .gvp bookmark, which loads Google Video Player and downloads the appropriate .gvi file (opening the .gvp in a text editor will reveal the URL of the .gvi, if you don’t want to install the Video Player). […]
Pingback by UNEASYsilence » Google repackages .avi video files unplayable for WMP | September 23, 2006
I agree compleatly with Matt 22 Sep 2:41pm ditch it its the only way forward! Windows is a virus that leaks security, stuffs around and destroys your settings. There no safe way for your data useing Windows for Telly Tubbies.
Comment by Geekling | September 23, 2006
Nick: How do you figure? Every developer in the world tests out their products to see what it is compatible with, and Google surely knew that its files would not run in Windows Media Player. And Media Player has run this way for a long time, not in response to Google. Microsoft didn’t do anything, so you need to take your blind hatred of them elsewhere and find something real to pin on them.
Comment by Nathan Weinberg | September 24, 2006
The compression format is a different thing from the fourcc code, which is supposed to tip off the media player to the compression format. Some players, mostly Windows Media Player and some set top boxes, rely on the fourcc, while others parse the video itself to find out the real deal (and thus can play Google Videos).
DivX uses fourcc’s like: DIV3, DIV4, DIVX, DIV5, divx, DX50. Google Video’s fourcc code is “goog”.
Comment by Nathan Weinberg | September 24, 2006
Oh, and everyone using Linux who reports different results: Google Video delivers up a normal .avi file if you are using Linux, since there is no Google Video Player for Linux. For no useful reason, Google wants to lock Windows and Mac users into its player, even though it has the regular versions sitting there for Linux users. If Google was honest, it would let users choose the .avi or the .gvi.
Comment by Nathan Weinberg | September 24, 2006
I was looking for a program that would simplify the whole header modification thing. Didn’t want to be going through notepad or a hex editor every time I downloaded a video.
I came by the Naevius GVI converter and tried the demo… it’s a rip off program, it uses VirtualDub to actually do the converting, but from what I’ve read, it’s only about clipping that header. On top of that, Naevuis is charging $20 after the trial expiration… that’s crazy.
Anyways, then I found a program called GVideoFix. It seems to be doing the header clipping thing because it does the “converting” super quick and doesn’t use VirtualDub or anything like that.
Check it out at: http://www.jlrconcepts.com
Comment by Googlefied | November 5, 2006
[…] This is almost funny, but also almost evil. Tell me how you feel about the trick for playing google videos on Linux, even if you don’t use Linux it will be… enlightening. I thought those guys promised not to be evil, but this sounds spiteful to me. Isn’t “spiteful” a kind of evil? I took a look at the Seven Deadly Sins (traditional rather than scriptural, by the way) and it looks like at least two of them might be recognized here. […]
Pingback by Blogging Ottinger (tim) :: Playing Google Videos :: January :: 2007 | January 2, 2007
Want to Save Google Videos to your hard drive to play later?
Download Google Videos
Comment by paul | February 13, 2007
[…] Google too is evil, after all! Look here and here. Google adds a small header into Google Video files so they are unplayable on Windows Media Player forcing you to download their own Google Video Player which is far from a decent video player. […]
Pingback by Google too is evil, after all! « thoughts | August 1, 2007