Audio has issues with Windows Media Player but not in Virtualdub or SoundForge.

I'm including RAP since I imagine you've run into audio issues with
Windows. I'm having an oddball problem I've never encountered before.
Running XP Pro SP3, I find that when I play video with Windows Media
Player there's static & popping in the audio. The same video plays
fine in Virtualdub and with SoundForge.

I tried uninstalling WMP and reinstalling, seemed to work at first but
then developed the same issue.

It used to work fine on this Windows install, the issue seems to have
cropped up recently. What's the difference between how VirtualDub and
SoundForge accesses/plays video audio and how WMP plays it?

This is the first time I've run into this. I had some problems with
DRM wmv video that I initially thought was the fault of the file, but
now I sense the bug is in the system.

I'd like to solve this without doing an O/S reinstall. Any input will
be appreciated.

muzician21 wrote:
I'm including RAP since I imagine you've run into audio issues with
Windows. I'm having an oddball problem I've never encountered before.
Running XP Pro SP3, I find that when I play video with Windows Media
Player there's static& popping in the audio. The same video plays
fine in Virtualdub and with SoundForge.

I tried uninstalling WMP and reinstalling, seemed to work at first but
then developed the same issue.

It used to work fine on this Windows install, the issue seems to have
cropped up recently. What's the difference between how VirtualDub and
SoundForge accesses/plays video audio and how WMP plays it?

This is the first time I've run into this. I had some problems with
DRM wmv video that I initially thought was the fault of the file, but
now I sense the bug is in the system.

I'd like to solve this without doing an O/S reinstall. Any input will
be appreciated.


I have all but dropped WMP in favor of Media Player Classic Home Cinema.
This is mainly because there seems to be nothing
that Classic will not decode, and without installing reams of codecs.

http://mpc-hc.sourceforge.net/

--
Les Cargill

muzician21 wrote in news:e5a19271-7954-4e24-82f8-
:

I'm including RAP since I imagine you've run into audio issues with
Windows. I'm having an oddball problem I've never encountered before.
Running XP Pro SP3, I find that when I play video with Windows Media
Player there's static & popping in the audio. The same video plays
fine in Virtualdub and with SoundForge.

I tried uninstalling WMP and reinstalling, seemed to work at first but
then developed the same issue.

It used to work fine on this Windows install, the issue seems to have
cropped up recently. What's the difference between how VirtualDub and
SoundForge accesses/plays video audio and how WMP plays it?

This is the first time I've run into this. I had some problems with
DRM wmv video that I initially thought was the fault of the file, but
now I sense the bug is in the system.

I'd like to solve this without doing an O/S reinstall. Any input will
be appreciated.

I can't address your specific issue. I've never seen WMP play
incorrectly. IME, it either works or not.

The usual culprit in static and popping is a disagreement over data
rates (sample size and rate) If, for instance, you're playing a track
sampled at 48K, but your audio card will only accept 44.1K, the software
must convert in real time. If it doesn't convert, the sound either
doesn't play at all (most common) or it sputters and skips. If the
software can't convert fast enough it will also sputter and skip, just
not so much.

In the case of WMP, I find that it's such a hog of system resources and
so nosy about DRM that it's better to just retire it for something
simpler like Media Player Classic.

muzician21 wrote:
I'm including RAP since I imagine you've run into audio issues with
Windows. I'm having an oddball problem I've never encountered before.
Running XP Pro SP3, I find that when I play video with Windows Media
Player there's static & popping in the audio. The same video plays
fine in Virtualdub and with SoundForge.

I tried uninstalling WMP and reinstalling, seemed to work at first but
then developed the same issue.

It used to work fine on this Windows install, the issue seems to have
cropped up recently. What's the difference between how VirtualDub and
SoundForge accesses/plays video audio and how WMP plays it?

This is the first time I've run into this. I had some problems with
DRM wmv video that I initially thought was the fault of the file, but
now I sense the bug is in the system.

I'd like to solve this without doing an O/S reinstall. Any input will
be appreciated.

Use the program "GSpot", to check what CODEC is being requested for audio
in the movie.

http://gspot.headbands.com/v26x/GSpot270a.zip

Paul

"muzician21" wrote in message


I'm including RAP since I imagine you've run into audio
issues with Windows. I'm having an oddball problem I've
never encountered before. Running XP Pro SP3, I find that
when I play video with Windows Media Player there's
static & popping in the audio. The same video plays fine
in Virtualdub and with SoundForge.

I tried uninstalling WMP and reinstalling, seemed to work
at first but then developed the same issue.

It used to work fine on this Windows install, the issue
seems to have cropped up recently. What's the difference
between how VirtualDub and SoundForge accesses/plays
video audio and how WMP plays it?

Of all the responses you've received so far, the one from Soundhaspriority
is IMO right on. As he says in slightly different words:

Part of the design of Windows includes the OS maintenance of a shared
library of codecs (coder/decoders) for audio and video files. Thus, player
software itself may be relieved of the chore of providing the dozens of
codecs that can be required by the various media files that it processes.
The player software itself can maintain a private inventory of codecs that
it uses in preference to all or part of the shared system library of codecs.
On many occasions there is an overlap between the shared system library of
codecs and the various private libraries of codecs, whose resolution is up
to the system and the player software. This is semi-organized chaos!

It is quite possible that Virtualdub and Soundforge are decoding your video
files using their own private codec libraries, while it is expected that
Windows Media Player would use the main shared system codec libraries. The
shared system codec libraries are unfortunately exposed to being updated
from many sources, including the installation of an OS service pack. I would
expect the OS Service pack to send things backwards, technologically.

It is possible that one or more audio or video decoders that were
beneficially installed by various player and/or editing software that you
installed in the past, were overlaid by the latest OS Service Pack.

Installing a video card also has the potential to update audio and video
codecs. Some codecs have very similar overall functioning but may or may
not exploit hardware performance features such as higher-level CPU
instruction sets like MMX and SSE, or include codecs that exploit
specialized hardware that is part of a video card.

The whole business of decoding audio and video can be a bit of a nightmare
because the problem has signficantly grown since the original codec
infrastructure was designed.

One approach would be to try reinstalling any other audio playing or editing
software including Virtualdub and SoundForge. They were probably installed
after the previous OS service pack was installed and may have beneficially
overlaid some of the codecs that came with your PC. Re-installing your video
card may or may not help. DVD playing software such as EasyDVD includes is
own suite of codecs and reinstalling it may have a beneficial effect.

A quick shotgun approach might be to install a large scale collection of
encoders and decoders such as the "K-Lite Mega Codec Pack" which is a free
download and IME remarkably effective as a codec problem solver despite the
fact that it is more like using a shotgun to solve the problem, than to use
a rifle which would be my preference.

"Arny Krueger" put forth the notion
in...news:[email protected] s.com:

"muzician21" wrote in message


I'm including RAP since I imagine you've run into audio
issues with Windows. I'm having an oddball problem I've

-snippage-

A quick shotgun approach might be to install a large scale collection of
encoders and decoders such as the "K-Lite Mega Codec Pack" which is a
free
download and IME remarkably effective as a codec problem solver despite
the
fact that it is more like using a shotgun to solve the problem, than to
use
a rifle which would be my preference.



I'd try the XP Codec Pack first, as I've had some things go wonky in the
past using K-Lite (or some elements therein).

YMMV, of course,

david

"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...
It is quite possible that Virtualdub and Soundforge are decoding your
video
files using their own private codec libraries, while it is expected that
Windows Media Player would use the main shared system codec libraries.
...
One approach would be to try reinstalling any other audio playing or
editing
software including Virtualdub and SoundForge. They were probably installed
after the previous OS service pack was installed and may have beneficially
overlaid some of the codecs that came with your PC.

VirtualDub does not instal any codecs (shared or otherwise), and has no
private codec library. It uses the ACM (Audio Compression Manager) interface
to decode audio.

"Gavino" wrote in message

"Arny Krueger" wrote in message
...
It is quite possible that Virtualdub and Soundforge are
decoding your video files using their own private codec
libraries, while it is expected that Windows Media
Player would use the main shared system codec libraries.
...
One approach would be to try reinstalling any other
audio playing or editing software including Virtualdub
and SoundForge. They were probably installed after the
previous OS service pack was installed and may have
beneficially overlaid some of the codecs that came with
your PC.

VirtualDub does not instal any codecs (shared or
otherwise), and has no private codec library. It uses the
ACM (Audio Compression Manager) interface to decode audio.


....which may explain why Virtualdub is not having any codec problems... ;-)

Il 30/03/2011 2.20, muzician21 ha scritto:
I'm including RAP since I imagine you've run into audio issues with
Windows. I'm having an oddball problem I've never encountered before.
Running XP Pro SP3, I find that when I play video with Windows Media
Player there's static& popping in the audio. The same video plays
fine in Virtualdub and with SoundForge.

I tried uninstalling WMP and reinstalling, seemed to work at first but
then developed the same issue.

It used to work fine on this Windows install, the issue seems to have
cropped up recently. What's the difference between how VirtualDub and
SoundForge accesses/plays video audio and how WMP plays it?

This is the first time I've run into this. I had some problems with
DRM wmv video that I initially thought was the fault of the file, but
now I sense the bug is in the system.

I'd like to solve this without doing an O/S reinstall. Any input will
be appreciated.
please be more precise...
which container? avi, wmv, mpg, mkv....
which audio codec used?
which codec are installed?

by the way virtualdub and soundforge are NOT players and may do not use
the same codecs as wmp does.
did you try vlc (a player with embedded codecs)?

if not already done, download and install this:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/...codec_pack.htm

alex

Il 30/03/2011 7.29, Paul ha scritto:
muzician21 wrote:
I'm including RAP since I imagine you've run into audio issues with
Windows. I'm having an oddball problem I've never encountered before.
Running XP Pro SP3, I find that when I play video with Windows Media
Player there's static & popping in the audio. The same video plays
fine in Virtualdub and with SoundForge.

I tried uninstalling WMP and reinstalling, seemed to work at first but
then developed the same issue.

It used to work fine on this Windows install, the issue seems to have
cropped up recently. What's the difference between how VirtualDub and
SoundForge accesses/plays video audio and how WMP plays it?

This is the first time I've run into this. I had some problems with
DRM wmv video that I initially thought was the fault of the file, but
now I sense the bug is in the system.

I'd like to solve this without doing an O/S reinstall. Any input will
be appreciated.

Use the program "GSpot", to check what CODEC is being requested for audio
in the movie.

http://gspot.headbands.com/v26x/GSpot270a.zip

Paul

or use the "file information" dialog in virtualdub...

On Mar 30, 8:08*am, "Arny Krueger" wrote:

A quick shotgun approach might be to install a large scale collection of
encoders and decoders such as the "K-Lite Mega Codec Pack" which is a free
download and IME remarkably effective as a codec problem solver despite the
fact that it is more like using a shotgun to solve the problem, than to use
a rifle which would be my preference.


The thing is, I've never had this problem before - in 98, 98SE, XP
Home, XP Media Center - which I understand is supposed to be plagued
with issues. It wasn't an issue on previous installs of this same XP
Pro disc that came with the machine. I've always found WMP to be
dependable. I've now done a fresh install with the same XP Pro disc
and it's doing it again.

What I'm finding is if I bring up WMP first thing after a reboot, it
appears to behave normally for a while. Plays .mp3, .wav,
DV .avi, .mpg. However, at some point it starts doing it
spontaneously. In fact I found it just did it playing through a
playlist of 44.1 16 bit .wav files. Played through about the first 3
okay, after transitioning to the 4th track, the problem developed.

I also find that if it's showing up in WMP it also shows up in Kmedia
player and in Pinnacle Studio but *not* in Vegas Pro 8, Virtualdub or
Soundforge.

On Apr 1, 9:17*am, muzician21 wrote:

What I'm finding is if I bring up WMP first thing after a reboot, it
appears to behave normally for a while. Plays .mp3, .wav,
DV .avi, .mpg. *However, at some point it starts doing it
spontaneously. In fact I found it just did it playing through a
playlist of 44.1 16 bit .wav files. Played through about the first 3
okay, after transitioning to the 4th track, the problem developed.

I also find that if it's showing up in WMP it also shows up in Kmedia
player and in Pinnacle Studio but *not* in Vegas Pro 8, Virtualdub or
Soundforge.


I'll try the same list of audio files in a fresh boot and using only
Kmedia player and see if it crops up.