How to enable VSFilter.dll (DirectVobSub) on .mp4 files

Question

How do I configure VSFilter.dll to show subtitles on .MP4 files in Windows Media Player, etc?

I think VSFilter is the easiest way to watch videos with subtitles in Windows Media Player in all versions of Windows. Just download the 32-bit version of VSFilter and run C:\Windows\System32\regsvr.exe VSFilter.dll. VSFilter works right away with .AVI (Xvid) files and with all subtitle formats (.SUB, .SRT, .SSA), but not .MP4 files.

I know there are many alternative media players, but none of them are as simple as downloading a small .DLL and running regsvr.exe.

Is it possible to watch .MP4 videos with subtitles in Windows Media Player?

Solution

Windows 7 and 8's native MP4 support is based on Media Foundation instead of on DirectShow. Since VSFilter is DirectShow-only, it doesn't work for MP4 on these OSes. The Local Subtitles for WMP plug-in should work for MP4, so I suggest that you give that a try.

On Vista and lower, MP4 files should always be decoded by DirectShow, so VSFilter should still work fine there.

Comments

[William C]

Right now 8, but I would like to know how to do it in XP, 7 and Vista for friends. I don't know which version of WMP; let's presume it's the latest one supported by the OS.