Access to Internet resources on computer devices and a variety of modern gadgets is determined by the need to operate a particular browser, and the choice of browser is predetermined solely by the wishes and preferences of the user. To obtain information of interest on the World Wide Web, regardless of its class, just enter a query in a search engine and get the result. From the technical point of view, such simplicity is caused by a multitude of processes, tasks and conditions that are invisible to the standard consumer, however, signaling their existence with certain errors and failures when a software malfunction occurs in the browser functionality. In this article, we’ll tell you about an error that doesn’t allow viewing video objects in the browser directly, informing you that the browser does not support the MIME type, consider the causes of the problem and possible solutions.
How to fix mime format playback error by browser.
What is the MIME parameter
In order to understand the causes of the error and the options for eliminating it, you need to understand what the MIME format is, what is its feature, which will allow you to understand the reasons for the impossibility of operating the browser without difficulty.
MIME is a software tool that is a scheme for the playback, transmission and type of materials of different categories. The MIME type is a specific directive indicating the nature of the content, which authorizes the browser to recognize and decrypt files used for encoding various structural elements.
Since video and media content is data that has different structural types, certain sites, if the MIME parameter is incorrect, it shows that the file is not supported by the browser, and therefore is not available for viewing. Let us consider in detail the reasons that can provoke a precedent, depending on which the problem solving problem with content reproduction varies.
Causes of the problem
The essence of the error, which lies in the pop-up of the window "MIME format is not supported", is expressed in the problematic browser to identify the data of a particular site. The problem most often occurs when a user attempts to download media content, or to view any file item in active mode, where the format of the specified type is used for playing and decoding. Often the factor that triggered a precedent when a video in a supported MIME format cannot be played is obsolescence, technical and software, browser utilities, extensions and coding elements. In turn, obsolescence, as the cause of the failure, is implied in terms of the browser’s inability to decipher the specific codecs used on most popular sites for decoding. For this criterion of functionality, Media Player from Windows is responsible, together with the H264 plugin.
Often, the cause of an error in playing files in a supported MIME format is a preliminary update of the browser, forced or automatic, using outdated technical resources, as well as downloading programs executed by developers with system errors. It is worth noting that such failures occur not only on pirated and obscure sites, but also on popular resources: the cause in such situations are server problems, which are often promptly eliminated by developers.
The cause of the error can also be high-level anti-virus protection installed on a computer device. The precedent is explained by the principle of downloading files that support the conditioned format: by default, resources of this type are subject to automatic launch, which is perceived by defensive utilities as questionable and dangerous for software content. Accordingly, after the anti-virus application perceives data as malicious, their operational blocking follows. This problem is often faced by users who use Firefox as a browser, however, the problem may also arise on other browsers using the specified content playback technology. Most rarely, such precedents are encountered by consumers using Google Chrome as a web resource. We provide further step by step instructions on what to do if the MIME format is not supported by Firefox, or by another browser that uses the same technology.
"MIME format not found": what to do
The first and easiest method to try to fix the error is to change the format of the video content being opened from HTLM5 to Flash. This possibility is not supported by all sites, however, where there is a switching option, the result can be achieved by simply pressing the manipulator on the video, then selecting the “Open video” item in the drop-down list and confirming the change of the playback type. If this option has failed, further actions should be carried out in the following order:
- Try to open the video file in a different browser.
- Try to solve the problem by successively restarting the browser and computer device.
- Clean up the browser from the accumulated "garbage" in the form of a history of visits and cached items. This can be done both manually and through special utilities.
- Temporarily disable antivirus application.
- Upgrade your browser to the latest variation.
- Update Adobe Flash, or install, if it is missing. Additionally, you will need to download and install the Microsoft Media Feature Pack on your PC, and you should choose a utility variation that synchronizes with the OS version installed on the computer device.
- Check for a regular Media Player, and update it when needed, or install it if it is missing. The absence of the default player may be on unlicensed OS. As an alternative, some specialists are considering an attempt to replace the regular player with VLC, the installation of which can help eliminate the error.
In a situation where simple, presented to the review options did not produce results, the user, when opening the content and then contemplates the statement “MIME video is not supported”, should go to the cardinal method of troubleshooting, by interfering with the operation of the IIS software included in Windows as element to unlock the capabilities of web servers. Instructions for working with a conditioned dispatcher are as follows:
- Through the “Control Panel”, go to the “Administration” task category, and then open the “IIS Manager” tab.
- The user will open a list of tasks to be performed by the dispatcher, among which it is necessary to find and select a line called “MIME Types”, and in the right column of the window confirm the action “Add”.
- After the executed manipulations the window with extensions and MIME types will open. In the list, you will need to select the webm and mp4 extensions, with the video / webm and video / mp4 parameters indicated in the “Type” column, respectively.
- It remains only to save the data by confirming the action with the command “OK”, with the subsequent restarting of the PC, in order for the changes to take effect.
Sometimes there is no IIS manager in the “Administration” task list, which necessitates its inclusion before making the described changes. To do this, go to the "Programs and System Components" directory via the "Control Panel", select the "Enable or disable components" item in the left column of the window that opens. The user will open a list of all the programs and utilities available on the PC, among which you will need to find and select, by ticking, the “IIS Services” item, confirming the directive with the “OK” key. After the performed manipulations, the dispatcher will automatically appear in the “Administration” directory, which will allow adding extensions and types using the described method.
Summarizing
Often, the issue of reproducing data that uses the MIME transfer type to produce files is solved through an elementary update of the utilities, even without the need to interfere with the IIS settings. If all the options for eliminating errors listed in the article did not produce results, then, most likely, the problematic lies in the site itself, namely in the system errors in its programming by the developers. Such a situation implies a solution only by contacting the developers through a conditional website, or by operating another browser.