Audio codec problem?

[Yousuf Khan]

I've been experiencing some audio problems recently on one my systems.
The problem only occurs on Windows video files (AVI, WMV, MPG, etc.),
but not on Quicktime video files (MOV). I've tried several different
media players, from the default Windows Media Player, to Media Player
Classic, RealPlayer, Nero Showtime, and various other media players
lying around that were packaged with various things.

The symptoms are always the same. The video plays, but the audio doesn't
after the first time. So for example, you can play any video file with
its video & audio the first time after reboot, but when you try playing
it a second time (or playing any other video file for that matter), the
audio doesn't play anymore. Windows Media Player starts and exits
saying, "You're running low on memory, quit other programs and try
again", followed by the "Close" button. Yeah, right I have 1GB of RAM,
and 3.5GB of swap! Media Player Classic just aborts completely.
RealPlayer plays the video, but there's no sound. Other media players do
the same sort of thing too.

Now, I think it's an audio codec problem because Quicktime player plays
its own files without problems, since it has its own native codecs
built-in. Also audio files aren't affected if you play them through
Winamp, which also has its own internal MP3 codec. But try to play the
same MP3's through Windows Media Player, and no sound comes out, because
it's using the default system codec.

I'm not sure if this is related but the problems seem to have started
after a recent Microsoft major patch update. I was thinking maybe the
update to WMP 11 was causing it, so I uninstalled it and reverted back
to WMP 10, but that didn't cure it. I've also updated the soundcard
drivers (Hercules GameSurround Fortissimo III 7.1) to the latest
available, but that didn't do anything. Windows XP SP2, of course.

How would I go about debugging the codec? Changing default codecs, etc.?

Yousuf Khan

 

[Alexander Grigoriev]

When this stuff happens, are you able to play uncompressed WAV files? Any
audio (not video) files?

Does Sound Recorder work (it's using low-level Win32 multimedia API, as
opposed to WMP that uses DirectSound)? Try uncompressed, as well as ADPCM
compressed files in it.

I would guess it's WMP11 screwup, not cured by uninstall. If you switch to
different user, does Windows occasionally refuse you do so?

Does playback recover when you do logoff/logon (without restart)?

 

[Yousuf Khan]

When this stuff happens, are you able to play uncompressed WAV files? Any
audio (not video) files?

I haven't tried WAV files in particular, but there was one AVI file with
uncompressed PCM audio in it, which also would not play anymore.

As I mentioned previously, I have tried playing MP3 files in WMP, but
they wouldn't play. But those same MP3's play fine in Winamp.

Does Sound Recorder work (it's using low-level Win32 multimedia API, as
opposed to WMP that uses DirectSound)? Try uncompressed, as well as ADPCM
compressed files in it.

Use Sound Recorder to playback files?

I would guess it's WMP11 screwup, not cured by uninstall. If you switch to
different user, does Windows occasionally refuse you do so?

Does playback recover when you do logoff/logon (without restart)?

I haven't tried that.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Franc Zabkar]

I've been experiencing some audio problems recently on one my systems.
The problem only occurs on Windows video files (AVI, WMV, MPG, etc.),
but not on Quicktime video files (MOV). I've tried several different
media players, from the default Windows Media Player, to Media Player
Classic, RealPlayer, Nero Showtime, and various other media players
lying around that were packaged with various things.

Try a software group.

- Franc Zabkar

 

[Alexander Grigoriev]

Use Sound Recorder to playback files?

SoundRecorder allows to open (File->Open...) and play a wav file. Because of
very old design, it will load the whole file into memory. I remember in
Windows 3.1, the whole system would get stuck when I tried to load a
particularly big file.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

Try a software group.

These are the most appropriate groups.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Yousuf Khan]

SoundRecorder allows to open (File->Open...) and play a wav file. Because of
very old design, it will load the whole file into memory. I remember in
Windows 3.1, the whole system would get stuck when I tried to load a
particularly big file.

Interestingly, after I tried to open some of the standard Windows *.wav
files in c:\winnt\media, nothing came through, and then I looked at the
Device Manager and now there is a big yellow bang on the device driver
known as "Microsoft Kernel Wave Audio Mixer", which is
c:\winnt\system32\drivers\kmixer.sys. Now no sound will come out, even
from Winamp and Quicktime. Will try reboot again now.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Yousuf Khan]

Interestingly, after I tried to open some of the standard Windows *.wav
files in c:\winnt\media, nothing came through, and then I looked at the
Device Manager and now there is a big yellow bang on the device driver
known as "Microsoft Kernel Wave Audio Mixer", which is
c:\winnt\system32\drivers\kmixer.sys. Now no sound will come out, even
from Winamp and Quicktime. Will try reboot again now.

Okay, after rebooting, I tried again with the Sound Recorder and now it
works again. So all of the *.wav files played in Sound Recorder, and
tried them under WMP as well, and they played there too.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Yousuf Khan]

Okay, after rebooting, I tried again with the Sound Recorder and now it
works again. So all of the *.wav files played in Sound Recorder, and
tried them under WMP as well, and they played there too.

I'm starting to think that this is a DirectSound problem, because doing
some experiments in Winamp, you have the choice of output plugins in
there. There are two included drivers, a DirectSound one, and a Wave-Out
one. The player doesn't play if DirectSound is selected, but Wave-Out is
fine. Maybe I should reinstall DirectX?

Yousuf Khan

 

[Franc Zabkar]

These are the most appropriate groups.

Yousuf Khan

You have posted a *software* question to *hardware* groups. As such it
is off-topic and in violation of accepted Usenet practice. Even though
you are a regular (major) contributor to c.s.i.p.h.c, that still
doesn't entitle you to special privileges.

- Franc Zabkar

 

[daytripper]

You have posted a *software* question to *hardware* groups. As such it
is off-topic and in violation of accepted Usenet practice. Even though
you are a regular (major) contributor to c.s.i.p.h.c, that still
doesn't entitle you to special privileges.

- Franc Zabkar

Settle down, Francis...

 

[The Lone Gunman]

: On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 00:27:51 -0400, Yousuf Khan
<snip>

::: Try a software group.
::
::
:: These are the most appropriate groups.
::
:: Yousuf Khan
:
: You have posted a *software* question to *hardware* groups. As
: such it is off-topic and in violation of accepted Usenet
: practice. Even though you are a regular (major) contributor to
: c.s.i.p.h.c, that still doesn't entitle you to special
: privileges.

Lighten up, Frank. It's ok to think and talk "outside the box" here once in
a while. And in case you haven't noticed, this NG isn't exactly overflowing
with traffic lately, eh? Besides, I personally find exchanges like this
interesting for educational value....might help me (or someone else) solve a
related problem in the future. So LIGHTEN UP, dude!

 

[Yousuf Khan]

You have posted a *software* question to *hardware* groups. As such it
is off-topic and in violation of accepted Usenet practice. Even though
you are a regular (major) contributor to c.s.i.p.h.c, that still
doesn't entitle you to special privileges.

- Franc Zabkar

This is the most appropriate place to ask these questions, period.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Joe Pfeiffer]

This is the most appropriate place to ask these questions, period.

Since it was crossposted to three different groups, that can't be true
of all of them!

 

[Franc Zabkar]

Settle down, Francis...

<sigh>

Franc is my full name. It is not an English name, therefore there is
no English derivative. As I find it hard to believe that your remark
was intended as a petty schoolyard taunt, I'll just attribute it to
your anglocentric ignorance (although I know you are not of anglosaxon
background).

To put it in familiar terms, think of Franz as in Franz Liszt, Franz
Kafka, Franz Schubert. My name is pronounced the same, at least in my
country of origin.

Here endeth the lesson.

- Franc Zabkar

 

[The Lone Gunman]

: On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:03:04 -0500, daytripper
: <[email protected]> put finger to keyboard and
: composed:
<snip>

:: Settle down, Francis...
:
: <sigh>
:
: Franc is my full name. It is not an English name, therefore
: there is no English derivative. As I find it hard to believe
: that your remark was intended as a petty schoolyard taunt,
: I'll just attribute it to your anglocentric ignorance
: (although I know you are not of anglosaxon background).
:
: To put it in familiar terms, think of Franz as in Franz Liszt,
: Franz Kafka, Franz Schubert. My name is pronounced the same,
: at least in my country of origin.
:
: Here endeth the lesson.
:

That pretty much explains "the attitude." You're of Germanic decent? I
have lot's of German friends...spend a lot of time there doing business.
One thing I know of Germans: Their refusal to think "outside the box."
They gotta live by a set of rules which simply can't be bent....seen it a
million times. Your behavior is oh SO typical, Frank (even if you're not
German, you're sure acting like one). Like I said before, lighten up a bit,
dude!!

TLG

 

[daytripper]

<sigh>

Franc is my full name. It is not an English name, therefore there is
no English derivative. As I find it hard to believe that your remark
was intended as a petty schoolyard taunt, I'll just attribute it to
your anglocentric ignorance (although I know you are not of anglosaxon
background).

To put it in familiar terms, think of Franz as in Franz Liszt, Franz
Kafka, Franz Schubert. My name is pronounced the same, at least in my
country of origin.

Here endeth the lesson.

- Franc Zabkar

<giggle> Yeah, ok.

Sorry, Franc - there was no intent to taunt or to mock your name in any
fashion. The line is from the movie "Stripes" and seemed appropriate. If your
name had been "Bill" I'd have delivered the same response.

And, fwiw, my ancestors formed the first Christian state - well before the
known existence of your Angles or Saxons.

Also, fwiw, claiming "anglocentric ignorance" of someone who might not have
known the etymology of your name seems inappropriate, as both the Angles and
the Saxons were of Germanic origin...

/daytripper (*That* endeth the lesson ;-)

 

[Yousuf Khan]

Since it was crossposted to three different groups, that can't be true
of all of them!

Two different groups.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Franc Zabkar]

: On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:03:04 -0500, daytripper
: <[email protected]> put finger to keyboard and
: composed:
<snip>

:: Settle down, Francis...
:
: <sigh>
:
: Franc is my full name. It is not an English name, therefore
: there is no English derivative. As I find it hard to believe
: that your remark was intended as a petty schoolyard taunt,
: I'll just attribute it to your anglocentric ignorance
: (although I know you are not of anglosaxon background).
:
: To put it in familiar terms, think of Franz as in Franz Liszt,
: Franz Kafka, Franz Schubert. My name is pronounced the same,
: at least in my country of origin.
:
: Here endeth the lesson.
:

That pretty much explains "the attitude." You're of Germanic decent?

Liszt was Hungarian, Kafka was Czech, Schubert was Austrian, and I'm
Slovenian. The only thing we have in common is that our countries were
once part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. My only connection to
Germany is via my parents and grandparents who spent WW2 in a
concentration camp as unwilling guests of Adolf. Despite this, none of
us bear any animosity toward Germans.

BTW, this is the *second* time that I have been taunted in this manner
in this group. The first time I let it go without comment. Obviously
that was a mistake.

I have lot's of German friends...spend a lot of time there doing business.
One thing I know of Germans: Their refusal to think "outside the box."
They gotta live by a set of rules which simply can't be bent....seen it a
million times. Your behavior is oh SO typical, Frank (even if you're not
German, you're sure acting like one). Like I said before, lighten up a bit,
dude!!

TLG

Maybe you missed it, but the OP is the one with the "attitude". All I
said in my initial statement was "try a software group". Twice now the
OP has basically said "screw you, I'll post my OT tripe wherever I
want, whenever I want". Maybe he really doesn't grasp the difference
between chips and codecs, but I don't think he is that ignorant.

- Franc Zabkar

 

[The Lone Gunman]

: On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:56:57 +0200, "The Lone Gunman"
: <[email protected]> put finger to keyboard and composed:

<snip for brevity>

: Maybe you missed it, but the OP is the one with the
: "attitude". All I said in my initial statement was "try a
: software group". Twice now the OP has basically said "screw
: you, I'll post my OT tripe wherever I want, whenever I want".
: Maybe he really doesn't grasp the difference between chips and
: codecs, but I don't think he is that ignorant.
:
: - Franc Zabkar

Ok Frank. I was being a little tongue-in-cheek with the "quit behaving like
a German" remark. But really, as I said before, with the number of posts in
this NG down to maybe one a day (or sometimes NONE), is it really such a big
deal that a software-related post is made? I mean, what gives? Sure,
Yousuf probably would get better replies in a s/w group, but I really think
this issue is "much ado about nothing." So for the last time, will you
**please** lighten up a bit?

/TLG (STILL looking out for all the .chips MIA's)