This was very helpful! This problem has annoyed me for ages and I already had FFDshow installed for video so it was simple to sort out WMP to play 24bit this way. Many thanks!

Ta very much bra. It's bugged me too, I don't know why it took me this  long to sort it out. Hope i can get it to work ok.

There is an easier way to do this:

http://www.chrisnet.net/samples

Here is the DirectShow filter (.ax) that enables 24 bit audio from a legacy WAVE container:

http://www.chrisnet.net/samples/AudioTypeConvertSource.zip

The better way is setting "all supported " instead of "24-bit integer", cause 32 bit and 64 bit could be played also.

Guys,

This has been a great thread; thanks to you, I solved a persistent and annoying problem.

Cheers, and may the sun shine on your efforts.

The K-Lite Codec pack will also allow you to play 24-bit files through WMP. It uses the aforementioned ffdshow audio decoders...

As Gordon Currie already pointed out the problem is not Windows Media Player but the WAV container, more specificly the format block stored in the WAV container.

Windows Media Player *does* support multi-channel, 24/32-bit WAV files out of the box, but the format block must use the WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE header.  Why Microsoft decided to force this I'm not sure, I understand giving the option but it creates a lot of headaches by not supporting the legacy format.

That is why I wrote a DirectShow filter that gets inserted automatically when needed to translate from the WAVEFORMATEX format to the WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE format.  Don't worry, not a single bit of data is changed in any way, what comes in is what goes out.  Whether your sound card actually supports greater than 16-bits is a different issue but at least the files will play.

Get it here:

http://chrisnet.net/code.htm

Scroll down to Legacy HD Audio Filter

Thanks, mate - beautiful!

:)

Hmmm... I tried both the downloads offered above, but still can't play 24bit 44.1 wave files that are on a DVD sent to me by a friend in America. Is there possibly another issue here?

If you could reply also to my email address I'd be grateful: bren@brendan-power.com

Cheers,

Brendan

Just spent two hours upgrading WMP and searching thru M'soft crap help and all I got was a headache. This is amazing! Why can't Microsoft work this one out - it's their problem after all and the fact that millions of musicians now use 24bit as standard, (or higher) and probably use WMP for auditioning sounds, they should wake up and see what the world is really doing!

BIG THANKS, my headache is going already!!!

What clever guys at ffdshow - thanks to you guy too.

PS - if this fix doesn't work try DROPSOUND - here's one link, there's many - http://www.cdxtract.com/dropsound.php

this little prog (less than 100k) will play everything with no settings or adjustments - brill!

Thanks B. Marshall

Man it's been tough as a producer and WMP not able to hook a brotha up.  I've just ran into this problem though late in the game, Lol, as I've been more or less an MP3 type of guy.  Now errrbody wants that 24bit Wave Yo.  

  That little program is tight.  It audition the sounds and then it's out.  A&R's probably would love this program rather than having to listen to a clients entire song. Ha! haa!

 Thanks for all that gave of their time and efforts to help us all.  I appreciate it!

ESAD 3G  

Great!!

very usefull info!!

Rasmus

Great thanks..

very useful..

thanks again

Hi thanks a lot! Now I can get NIN's new album to play in glorius HD :)

Will the above tips allow 24 bit FLAC to play? My players (Foobar2000, VLC Media Player) play them at half speed...