Question Media Player stutters and general volume issues, Windows 10

[Ohcomeonalready]

Quick history - I stuck with Windows 7 as long as possible but my machine recently died (motherboard). I have a Windows 10 machine purchased about 3 years ago, for gaming, which I never bothered using because I deeply dislike Windows 10.

Still do.

So now I'm forced to use this Windows 10 thing.

I believe it's all up to date, as it seems to update it's updated updates every time I turn it on, which is one of the many reasons I so deeply despise Windows 10.

I notice when I download a video and play on Windows Media Player the sound pauses for a moment now and then. It's not random, because I can go back to the same spot and it pauses again, at the same place.

I tried opening in Movavi video editor and the exact same clip plays OK, without the skipping, so it's not the file that's damaged.

I also seem to spend an excessive amount of time playing with the volume control, as many Youtube videos or files on my system seem to be wildly different volumes? Quite often I have the media player and the system both at 100% just to try and hear something clearly, at other times I have to grab the mouse to quickly turn the volume down - only to have to turn it back up again later.

I never had any of these issues with Windows 7, using the same speakers and cables.

Is this just because Windows 10 is garbage and Media Player doesn't work properly anymore, or is there some chance I could fix this thing, before I put my fist through it?

Thanks!

Edit: Just tried "Movies and TV", which does the exact same thing. Let me try with VLC... same problem.

Seems the only media player I have that actually plays properly is my video editor?

 

[Etrius vanRandr]

Don't use WMP. It's trash.

Personally I still use WinAmp. It really whips the llama's ass.

Hell even old versions of iTunes (2007-ish) are better than WMP.

VLC and AIMP are also good.

AIMP

AIMP : Free Audio Player : Официальный сайт программы

www.aimp.ru

Winamp

What's next! Winamp builds the tools that allow artists to manage their music and their revenue. And develops the player that offers the perfect experience.

www.winamp.com

VLC: Official site - Free multimedia solutions for all OS! - VideoLAN

www.videolan.org

 

[rgd1101]

full system spec? include brand and model of the psu
if this is a laptop, what the exact model?

 

[Etrius vanRandr]

full system spec? include brand and model of the psu
if this is a laptop, what the exact model?

PSU is least likely candidate.

There are a multitude of problems which can cause stutter.

The first is high CPU, but as you and I have discussed earlier, high CPU is almost never the cause.

The second is slow reads, meaning a program can't get audio data from the drive fast enough. However, most media players load audio into memory before playing, so this is not the problem. A failing hard drive can also cause bad reads, similar to slow reads.

The third possible cause is corrupted audio. We won't know more until OP speaks more.

The fourth issue is the program itself. Windows Media Player has always been bad.

The fifth issue is bad audio drivers.

Playing audio is not an intensive task and wouldn't load a power supply enough to cause problems.

Judging by our last interaction and now this, it seems like you're just making random guesses and asking random, inane questions.

Until OP gives us more detail on the problem, making informed and educated guesses rather than taking stabs in the dark is much more productive.

 

[rgd1101]

so by not asking the question?

I guess, unlike you, I need detail and not assuming anything.

 

[Etrius vanRandr]

so by not asking the question?

You ask the right questions. None of which were yours.

I believe it's all up to date, as it seems to update it's updated updates every time I turn it on, which is one of the many reasons I so deeply despise Windows 10.

You can disable Windows Update using WUB from Sordum.org. I've had Windows Update disabled for the last 3 years and no problems.

I notice when I download a video and play on Windows Media Player the sound pauses for a moment now and then. It's not random, because I can go back to the same spot and it pauses again, at the same place.

That seems like the file is corrupt, if it's the same spot over and over. Does it occur in the same exact spot after restarting the machine? If not, then your RAM might be bad.

I also seem to spend an excessive amount of time playing with the volume control, as many Youtube videos or files on my system seem to be wildly different volumes?

Check the Audio Control Panel and make sure Volume Leveling is off. It it is, turn it off and see if that fixes the leveling issue. YouTube is the worst for volume leveling, check out Forgotten Weapons' videos or Daily Dose of Internet. Intros are either quiet and rest is loud, or other way around.

only to have to turn it back up again later.

Honestly, with YouTube, that's pretty normal.

Is this just because Windows 10 is garbage and Media Player doesn't work properly anymore,

Yes.

Edit: Just tried "Movies and TV", which does the exact same thing. Let me try with VLC... same problem.

That points to a corrupt file somewhere. Could be driver, codec, or the media file itself.

Try running sfc/scannow in an admin command prompt.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...em-files-79aa86cb-ca52-166a-92a3-966e85d4094e

Seems the only media player I have that actually plays properly is my video editor?

What editor are you using?

 

[Ohcomeonalready]

I don't seem to find a Winamp in 64bit that isn't a beta... VLC has the same stuttering problem. Let me try AIMP... Mmm, overkill and seems to be audio-only?

I jus' wanna double-click a file and play it; don't really need or want all this playlist and albums, artist stuff. It's just my own videos and recordings in folders.

*sigh. I miss old Winnie, the Win7 PC. She just worked, without all this... faff. So far AIMP is playing audio files OK, I think, though the interface is total overkill and fussy. Volume is WAY louder though, like it's no longer being held back by whatever is throttling the sound on WMP.

Thanks anyway.

To reply to the message just posted, it's a bespoke gaming rig, full-size. I didn't see 'PC' anywhere, only 'Laptop'? I used to build my own PCs about 20 years ago, today I have no idea about the specs. I don't even know where to look on Windows 10 to tell you. All just meaningless numbers to me now, so just paid the shop for everything that was one step down from top-of-the-range around 3 years ago. Ryzen, not Intel is about all I can tell you. The one thing I didn't splurge on was a sound card, so it's some Realtek thing built-in. It's a super powerful and stupidly expensive machine but I absolutely hate it.

I need a new machine anyway, so that I have a spare (self-employed), so hopefully that will work better than this POS.



Well I've managed to find control panel... but it's rubbish... where the heck is the device manager... "Audio Endpoint" and the driver is up to date, that's all this garbage tells me?

God I hate this machine

 

[Etrius vanRandr]

I don't seem to find a Winamp in 64bit that isn't a beta... VLC has the same stuttering problem.

Try looking for v5.8 Build 3660 (Oct 19 2018).

I jus' wanna double-click a file and play it; don't really need or want all this playlist and albums, artist stuff.

Try MPC-HC. It's mostly used for video but is capable of playing audio and includes codecs.

Home · MPC-HC

MPC-HC, the free, open source media player for Windows

mpc-hc.org

I don't even know where to look on Windows 10 to tell you.

Right click on the Taskbar and open Task Manager, and then navigate to the Performance tab. Each section is clickable and Task Manager will tell you what each component is.

The one thing I didn't splurge on was a sound card, so it's some Realtek thing built-in. It's a super powerful and stupidly expensive machine but I absolutely hate it.

Most built in audio is pretty good these days, but it might be a fault point. Sound cards these days are mostly unnecessary unless you do real audio work.

I need a new machine anyway, so that I have a spare (self-employed), so hopefully that will work better than this POS.

PEBCAK.

I used to use Windows 7 religiously. With all the BS disabled Win10 is "fine" for me. XBOX app still pisses me off as does Windows Defender.

Well I've managed to find control panel... but it's rubbish... where the heck is the device manager...

You'd hate Windows 11 even more

 

[Ohcomeonalready]

Hi Etrius, the video editor is 'Movavi', version 12.5.1

Yes, same spots the audio goes weird. The video plays OK but the sound stops.

I can open that performance monitor but it doesn't tell me what audio system it's using? RTX 2070 is the video card I believe... 4 hard drives... 16BG RAM... I don't see any audio data?

I'll give MPC a try.. I'm sure I used to use that actually..?

Thanks for the update blocker

 

[Etrius vanRandr]

Hi Etrius, the video editor is 'Movavi', version 12.5.1

I'm not familiar with it. Personally, I use Windows Movie Maker (2013) and Shotcut (an open source Adobe clone). It's possible that the program is using cached versions of the files that aren't corrupt. However, if one program correctly reads the files, then it could be that it has its own codecs and yours are corrupt.

If this is the case, it won't hurt to run sfc /scannow.

Yes, same spots the audio goes weird. The video plays OK but the sound stops.

Have you tried these exact files on a different device? I had some old songs that were corrupt that skipped half a second and made a weird hiccuping sound, and I used these files for years not realizing they were corrupted.

Thanks for the update blocker

Sordum.org has a lot of "make windows 10 less sh*t" tools.

Windows 10 Ultimate Tweaker can also help.

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/ultimate-windows-tweaker-4-windows-10

 

[Ohcomeonalready]

Yeah that's what I'm talking about, MPC is playing everything fine!

'Last updated in 2017' - but it works!

Thanks!

Oh, a reply, hang on... 'Make win 10 less sh*t tools' sounds perfect; I'll go sniff around, soon as I get some actual work done

Thanks y'all for putting up with a grumpy old man lol

 

[Etrius vanRandr]

Thanks y'all for putting up with a grumpy old man lol

Pfff, you're not grumpy, you're just experiencing Windows 10

 

[AlHuneke]

I have used various players, but have always been happy with WMP and use it just fine with Win 10. It is unwise to turn off Windows updates as these include security updates you need to protect you from various exploits that anti-virus won't catch. I did have some audio issue with Win10 early on (running on both an HP and Dell laptop that are pretty new). I did find that updates helped with these and all is now good. My last issue was very low headphone volume. I found, about 3 layers down, a separate master level for just the headphones. Problem solved. Run the microsoft and manufacturer unique updates. Avoid the "driver updater" programs as these are not always reliable.

BTW-I am now a fan of Win10. I dislike 11, however!! It needs more time to mature.