Playback issues

Read the rest of the FAQ. There may be a topic related to the file type that you are trying to play. Here is a list of general tips:

• Click on the shortcut called "Reset to recommended settings" in the start menu.
• Load the file in the MediaInfo or GSpot Codec Information Appliance tools. Those usually can give you some useful information.
• If it is a RealMedia file (.ra .rm .ram .rmvb) then you need to install Real Alternative or the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack.
• Test the file in Media Player Classic. For two reasons:
  1) It is better able to play certain files than other players.
  2) It shows more helpful error messages.

If all fails, then try the VideoLAN player. This player doesn't use DirectShow filters to play files, but it's own plugins. It should be able to play almost anything.

The solution is to disable the User Account Control (UAC) functionality of Vista.

If you are not able to play any AVI files at all, then the AVI source filter of Windows is probably broken. You can fix it by executing the following command:
Start -> Run -> regsvr32 quartz.dll

If the problem only occurs with some AVI files, then those files are probably (partially) broken. Either use a tool that can fix the files, or use a different AVI splitter. If you use Media Player Classic then enable the internal AVI splitter. You can do that in Options -> Internal Filters -> Source Filters. If you use another player, then install Gabest AVI splitter, which is a standalone version of the internal splitter in MPC. This splitter is able to handle most broken AVI files.

There are two types of MPEG video, MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. The most common one of these two that is used in .mpg/.mpeg files is MPEG-1. Windows should support playback of MPEG-1 video without the need to install any additional codecs or filters. MPEG-2 is the video format that is used on DVDs and SVCD discs. To play MPEG-2 you need to install a MPEG-2 decoder. The K-Lite Codec Pack has several decoders from which you can choose. You can use the GSpot tool to find out which type of MPEG video a file contains.

There are also two different MPEG container formats. A container is simply a wrapper for holding audio and video. The most common one is MPEG Program Stream (PS). Windows contains a filter to read this container format. The other one is MPEG Transport Stream (TS). K-Lite contains a source filter for that format.

A general solution that you can try when having problems with MPEG files is to use Media Player Classic and to enable its internal MPEG filters. You can do that in MPC Options -> Internal Filters. The filters that you should enable are "MPEG PS/TS/PVA" and "MPEG-2 Video".

If an MPEG file fails to play, it is usually related the the source filters (aka splitters) that are installed. You should try enabling or disabling the following items with the Codec Tweak Tool:

• MPEG TS splitter (Haali)
• MPEG PS splitter (Haali)
• MPEG splitter (Gabest)

WinAVI sometimes breaks the AVI source filter of Windows. You can fix the filter by executing the following command:

Start -> Run -> regsvr32 quartz.dll

Enable the internal AVI splitter in Media Player Classic. That is better able to handle incomplete files than the default AVI source filter that is part of Windows.

Media Player Classic -> Options -> Internal Filters -> Source Filters

Early versions of CoreAVC have trouble decoding H.264 video when the video is stored in the AVI container. Updating CoreAVC to the latest version should solve this problem.

Another solution for playing these files is to enable H.264 decoding in ffdshow. Go to ffdshow video decoder configuration. At the 'codecs' page, set H.264 to 'libavcodec'.

If you are using Media Player Classic Homecinema, then you should also disable the internal DXVA H.264 decoder. You can do that in: MPC Options -> Internal Filters.

Enable the internal AVI splitter in Media Player Classic. That is better able to handle those files than the default AVI source filter that is part of Windows.

Media Player Classic -> Options -> Internal Filters -> Source Filters

For other players you need to install Gabest AVI splitter.

This problem should only occur in combination with old versions of CoreAVC. So make sure you are using the latest version. Another solution for playing these files correctly is to enable H.264 decoding in ffdshow. Go to ffdshow video decoder configuration. At the 'codecs' page, set H.264 to 'libavcodec'.

This means that you are using a player that doesn't contain a stream switcher. If you play a file that contains multiple audio/video/subtitle streams, then your player is trying to play them all instead of just one of them.

Solutions:

• Use a player with a built-in stream switcher. For example Media Player Classic.
• Use a source filter that contains a built-in stream switcher. For example Haali Media Splitter contains that functionality. The K-Lite Codec Pack uses Haali by default for .mp4, .mkv and .ogm files. If you also want to use it for .avi files, then you need to manually select it during installation of the codec pack. You can also change the preferred AVI splitter with the Codec Tweak Tool.
• Use the audio stream switching functionality of ffdshow. Take the following steps to activate it:
  (1) Go to ffdshow audio decoder configuration. Enable the checkbox on the "Stream switcher" page.
  (2) On the "Tray, dialog & paths" page, enable "Add tray icon menu to player's stream/languages menu". This will allow you to select the desired audio stream from within the player.
  (3) The audio stream switching will only work if ffdshow is decoding the audio. So on the "Codecs" page enable those audio format(s) that your file contains.

ReClock might solve your problem.

Video playback can require a lot of processing power, certainly when the video has a high resolution (720p/1080p/1080i). Some video formats, such as H.264, are very complex to decode.

Some tips to lower the CPU usage are:

• Use a more efficient decoder (if any exists). For H.264 video some fast decoders are mentioned further down below.
• Enable the "Pre-buffer subpictures" option in the DirectVobSub subtitle filter. That lowers CPU usage a bit. Animated subtitles (such as found in some anime videos) may not display correctly with this option enabled, but such subtitles are very rare.
• Disable the display of subtitles.
• Disable resizing, and also any other post-processing filters that you might have enabled in ffdshow.
• If you have forced ffdshow to always output RGB32, then allow it output in the YV12 and YUY2 colorspaces.
• Use the Overlay Mixer renderer. This video renderer uses a bit less CPU cycles than other renderers.
• Don't play the video full screen. That leads to resizing.
• Close other programs that are also running on your computer that use a lot of CPU cycles. For example P2P programs.
• For H.264 video, you could enable the skip deblocking option in ffdshow. You can find that option on the Codecs page in ffdshow video decoder configuration. It is located near the bottom of the window when you select H.264. Be aware that enabling this option leads to reduced video quality. In some cases it has only a minimal impact on quality, but sometimes it can lead to significant blocking and other decoding artifacts. We do not recommend enabling it.

If the video that you are playing contains H.264 video, then you could try using another decoder. The codec pack by default uses ffdshow for decoding H.264 video. This is a free and open-source decoder. Other decoders exist that have better performance as ffdshow. They should give you smoother playback, specially if you have a dual-core or quad-core processor.

Alternative H.264 decoders are:

• CoreAVC. This decoder is unfortunately not available for free.
• DivX H.264 decoder. This decoder is available for free as part of the DivX Bundle. Tip: disable everything in the bundle except the H.264 decoder.
• ffmpeg-mt. This is an experimental multi-threaded version of the libavcodec decoding library, which is used by ffdshow. You can select ffmpeg-mt as decoder in ffdshow video decoder configuration.
• MPC DXVA H.264 decoder. This is an internal decoder of Media Player Classic Homecinema. It uses your graphics card to perform most of the decoding process, resulting is a very low CPU usage. You can enable this decoder though: MPC Options -> Internal Filters. Note: this decoder has some specific requirements.

This is sometimes caused by buggy graphics drivers. If you are using Windows Vista, then make sure that you are using recent drivers. You can download the latest drivers on the website of the manufacturer of your graphics card or chip. That is in most cases ATi, NVIDIA, or Intel.

Another cause for stuttering can be high CPU usage. Read the topic with tips on how to lower the CPU usage.

If the problem only occurs with certain AVI files, then read this FAQ entry.

If the problem only occurs with certain MOV files, then read this FAQ entry.

A typical cause for this problem is high CPU usage. The video can't be decoded fast enough to keep up with the audio. Read the topic with tips on how to lower the CPU usage.

A typical cause for this problem is high CPU usage. The video can't be decoded fast enough and as a result frames get dropped. Read the topic with tips on how to lower the CPU usage.

This can be a result of certain graphics card settings. Try changing the following settings in your graphics card control panel:

- Set FSAA to 'Let the application decide'
- Disable anisotopic filtering (AF)
- Disable antialiasing

This is a common problem that is usually caused by playing 5.1 channel audio on stereo speakers. As a result only two channels are send to your speakers. This means that the center channel, which usually contains the dialogs, is not outputted to your speakers.

Solutions:

• Use the Codec Tweak Tool to configure your speaker settings. This will make sure that the audio decoders that are included in the pack downmix (or upmix) the decoded audio to the appropriate number of speakers.
• If you are using AC3Filter to decode AC3 or DTS audio, then try the "Boost voice/dialog volume" tweak that is available in the Codec Tweak Tool. You can also manually perform this tweak in AC3Filter settings by adjusting the gain for the Voice audio channel.
• If you are using ffdshow to decode the audio, then go to "ffdshow audio configuration". Enable 'Volume' in the left panel. On the Volume page you can find a slider to adjust the general volume level. Alternatively you can enable Normalization, which will automatically adjust the volume level.
• Another method in ffdshow is to enable 'Voice control' on the 'Mixer' page. That gives the center channel a 3dB boost. There you can also find a slider to further increase the volume of the Voice audio channel.

See above.

Disable the "[AC3Filter] Boost voice/dialog volume" tweak during installation of the codec pack.

It is also possible to manually disable this tweak. Go to AC3Filter options. On the 'Mixer' tab, set the 'Voice' slider to value 0.

Enable the internal MPEG PS/TS/PVA source filter in Media Player Classic.

Media Player Classic -> Options -> Internal Filters -> Source Filters

Use Haali MP4 splitter instead of Gabest MP4 splitter.

Go to AC3Filter settings. On the System tab, disable PCM.

Go to AC3Filter settings. On the System tab, disable PCM.

The MainConcept MPEG decoder may freeze the player when the Overlay Mixer renderer is used.

Solutions:

• Click on the "Reset to recommended settings" shortcut in the start menu.
• Or import this registry script:
  
  REGEDIT4
  
  [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MainConcept\DirectShow\MPEGVideoDecoder]
  "AllowReordering"=dword:00000000
• Or change the video renderer in Media Player Classic:
  Options -> Playback -> Output -> DirectShow Video
  

Videos belonging to games from Blizzard contain DivX video, but with a different FourCC, namely "BLZ0".

To play such videos you need to use ffdshow for decoding DivX video. The regular DivX decoder won't work (unless you manually change the FourCC).

Go to ffdshow video decoder configuration. On the Codecs page, set DivX 4/5/6 and Generic MPEG-4 to libavcodec.

Not all .mov files are correctly playable with the standard DirectShow filters that are included in the pack.

Solutions for playing such problematic files:

• Use the Codec Tweak Tool to change the preferred splitter for .mov files. This can sometimes help.
• Use Media Player Classic. This player is able to use the QuickTime framework for playing .mov files.
• Install MediaLooks QT Source filter. This is a special DirectShow filter that uses the QuickTime framework for decoding. This filter is compatible with several DirectShow players, including Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center.
• Use VLC Player.

Note: the second and third solution require that QuickTime, QuickTime Alternative, or QT Lite is installed.

WMVHD files, typically created for playback on the XBOX360, can contain a 5.1 audio stream. If you play such a file on a computer that only has two speakers then you will only hear the sound from two of the six channels. This causes for example the voices (center channel) to be almost unhearable.

The solution is to downmix the 5.1 channels into 2 channels. There are two ways to do this. You can either use AC3Filter or ffdshow.

In ffdshow audio decoder configuration, go to the 'Codecs' page. Scroll down to the bottom of the list and set 'Uncompressed' to 'All supported'. Now go to the 'Mixer' page and set the speakers to '2/0 Stereo'. Also enable the checkbox in front of 'Mixer' to activate the mixer filter.

In AC3Filter options, go to the 'System' tab and enable 'PCM'. Configure the output setting to stereo speakers.

Disable Gabest AVI splitter using the Codec Tweak Tool. Or select the Microsoft AVI splitter during installation of the codec pack.

This problem only occurs for some people. Symptom is that the video freezes or goes black for a short while.

Disable Gabest AVI splitter using the Codec Tweak Tool. Or select the Microsoft AVI splitter during installation of the codec pack.

Updating your graphics driver to a recent version should fix this problem.

You need to install the Windows Media Format Runtimes. These are also included with Windows Media Player.

Windows XP/2003/Vista:
Windows Media Format Runtimes v11

Windows 98/ME/2000:
Windows Media Format runtimes v9

Additional codecs can be found here:
Windows Media Codecs

You need to install WMV9VCM.

That means that the file is DRM protected. DRM is a copyright protection method. You generally need to get (read: buy) a license to be able to play the file. Our advice: shift+delete.

Use Media Player Classic. It can handle RealMedia files better than other players.

Rename your file to .rmvb. If it already is a .rmvb file, then do the opposite, rename it to .rm. Media Player Classic will play .rmvb files using DirectShow and .rm files using the RealMedia engine. That's why renaming can make a difference.

This are high resolution videos in the H.264 format. Playing such files requires a lot of processing power. High CPU usage can cause various problems. Video will stutter, frames will be dropped, and audio goes out of sync.

Read the FAQ entry tips on how to lower the CPU usage.

This is caused by a bug in Windows Media Player. Simply renaming your .vob file to .mpg will make it playable in WMP.

Media Player Classic has no problems with playing .vob files.

Open the Control Panel and click on the Sound applet. Select your output device in the list that appears. It is usually called "Speakers". Right-click on the device and in the context menu click on Properties. Click on the Enhancements TAB. Enable "Disable all enhancements".

The AVI container is not fully compatible with all the features that a H.264 video stream can have. So when one puts H.264 in the AVI container, problems are to be expected in some cases.

The internal DXVA H.264 decoder of MPC-HC currently has problems decoding H.264 video inside AVI when the video frames are stored out of order. The video will stutter during playback.

The solution for this problem is to disable the internal DXVA H.264 decoder in Media Player Classic. Then a different H.264 decoder (such as ffdshow) will automatically get used.

MPC Options -> Internal Filters

See the FAQ entry above this one.

The solution is to disable the internal DXVA H.264 decoder in MPC.

This happens with .mov files that contain SVQ3 video, when the file is parsed by Haali Media Splitter. Frames are decoded in the wrong order.

Solutions:

• Select Gabest as the preferred splitter for .mov files. You can do this with the Codec Tweak Tool.
• Enable the internal MP4/MOV splitter in Media Player Classic.
  MPC Options -> Internal Filters
• Install QuickTime (or QTA or QT Lite). That way MPC will use the QuickTime framework for playing .mov files.

If you have stuttering problems with HD QuickTime files, which contain H.264 video, then you have a different problem. See this FAQ entry for tips on how to improve performance. If you are using Media Player Classic, then change the file extension from .mov file to .hdmov. That way it will use DirectShow instead of the (slow) QuickTime framework for decoding your file.

Matroska files have the ability to link several related files together. The delay is caused by Haali Media Splitter looking for linked files. This can result in a significant delay if there are many .mkv files in the same directory.

The solution is to disallow Haali Media Splitter to search for linked files.

Haali Media Splitter options -> Input -> set "Try to open linked files" to No.