Activate the Media Feature Pack on Windows 11

If our DTS broadcasting software will not start, or it starts and your webcam stays black, the edition of Windows is worth checking before anything else. If your copy is an N edition, this page is your answer.

The N and KN editions are sold without the built-in media components, which comes from a regulatory settlement rather than from a fault in your copy. The codecs DTS uses for webcam capture and playback are simply not in the system, so it has nothing to work with.

This affects the plugin only. Broadcasting from the browser uses the browser's own media handling and is untouched, so if you need to be on air today, ask the account owner to put "Streaming source" back to "In the browser (WebRTC)" and carry on while you sort the rest out at your own pace.

It is also an uncommon case. Beyond the N editions we see it mostly on corporate Windows images and on builds that were repackaged by somebody other than Microsoft, where the same components can be stripped out without the name saying so.

Check the edition first

1. Press Windows + I to open "Settings".
2. Go to "System" and then "About".
3. Read the edition under "Windows specifications".

An edition ending in N, "Windows 11 Pro N" for example, needs the Media Feature Pack.

If there is no N in the name, a stock Windows already has the components, so look elsewhere first. Alternative broadcasting technology covers what actually goes wrong with the plugin, including the case where the room keeps asking you to install software that is already running. The exception is a machine whose Windows was assembled by an IT department or by somebody other than Microsoft, since the components can be missing there too. Installing the pack does no harm if they are already present, so it is a fair thing to try once everything else is ruled out.

Add the Media Feature Pack

1. Press Windows + I to open "Settings".
2. Go to "Apps" and then "Optional features".
3. Under "Add an optional feature", click "View features".
4. Type Media Feature Pack in the search box and tick it in the results.
5. Click "Next" and then "Install".
6. Restart the computer, then start DTS.exe again.

To confirm the feature is there, go back to "Optional features", where "Media Feature Pack" should now appear in the installed list. Then run DTS.exe, go back to the webinar room, reload the page and press "Speak". If the picture comes up, the edition was your problem.

If DTS still will not run

Two Windows settings can hold the camera back even with the components in place, so start there if the program runs but the picture stays black. If DTS.exe will not open at all, go straight to the fresh copy below.

The camera permission is not a single switch. Open "Settings", go to "Privacy & security" and then "Camera". Check that "Camera access" is on, then look further down the same page for "Let desktop apps access your camera" and turn that on as well. The one at the bottom is what matters here, because DTS is a desktop program rather than a Store app, so granting the ones above it still leaves DTS with no picture.

The webcam driver may be out of date. Press Windows + X, choose "Device Manager", expand "Cameras" or "Imaging devices", right-click your webcam and choose "Update driver".

If neither helps, start the software again from a fresh copy. There is nothing to uninstall, because the Windows build of DTS is a ZIP archive holding the program itself rather than an installer. Delete the folder you unpacked and take the file again from the "Download" entry at the foot of the room menu, which is there for everyone in every room. If you own the account, the download button beside "Streaming source" in the webinar settings does the same job. Unpack it and run DTS.exe. Alternative broadcasting technology covers both routes.

Still stuck

Open the online chat and tell us your Windows edition, exactly as it reads under "Windows specifications", and what happens when you launch the software.

Frequently asked questions

I have a webinar today. Do I have to sort this out first?

No. This affects the plugin only, because broadcasting from the browser uses the browser's own media handling and is untouched. Ask the account owner to put "Streaming source" back to "In the browser (WebRTC)" and carry on, then deal with the Media Feature Pack at your own pace.

My Windows is not an N edition, so why is the webcam still black in DTS?

The components can be missing without the edition name saying so, which we see mostly on corporate Windows images and on builds repackaged by somebody other than Microsoft. On a stock Windows they are already there, so look elsewhere first, and Alternative broadcasting technology covers what actually goes wrong with the plugin. Installing the pack does no harm if the components are already present, so it is a fair thing to try once everything else is ruled out.

DTS runs but the picture stays black. What have I missed?

Probably the second camera switch. Open "Settings", go to "Privacy & security" and then "Camera", check that "Camera access" is on, then look further down the same page for "Let desktop apps access your camera" and turn that on as well. The lower one is what matters, because DTS is a desktop program rather than a Store app, so granting the ones above it still leaves DTS with no picture. If that is already set, update the webcam driver through "Device Manager", under "Cameras" or "Imaging devices".

How do I reinstall DTS if it will not open at all?

Delete the folder you unpacked and take the file again, because there is nothing to uninstall, since the Windows build of DTS is a ZIP archive holding the program itself rather than an installer. The file comes from the "Download" entry at the foot of the room menu, which is there for everyone in every room, and if you own the account the download button beside "Streaming source" in the webinar settings does the same job. Unpack it and run DTS.exe, and Alternative broadcasting technology covers both routes.

How do I confirm the Media Feature Pack actually installed?

Go back to "Optional features", where "Media Feature Pack" should now appear in the installed list. Restart the computer if you have not already, start DTS.exe again, then go back to the webinar room, reload the page and press "Speak". If the picture comes up, the edition was your problem.