Windows 7 Media Player playback issue

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glcaan99

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I'm running into an issue with Windows Media Player in Windows 7 with MPEG-2 files I created from a Sony camcorder (with Picture Package). Had played them without any issues at all in Windows Media Player in Windows XP. On Windows 7 video plays correctly initially, but then stops well before the end of the file. If I try to scan ahead (say, halfway through the file), the playback slows way down, and the audio is garbled. This occurs on every file I recorded in this manner.

I downloaded VLC player and was able to play back the files without any issue, but would prefer to continue to use Media Player. Any suggestions would be appreciated- thanks!
 
Solution
Did you have one of the 3rd party DVD/MPG2 decoders installed in Windows XP, like PowerDVD or Cineplay? I thought version 12 handled DVDs from the get-go, but maybe not.

Ya, I understand your frustration, which is why I eventually moved over to VLC. I think it was due to an issue exactly like this.

glcaan99

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Thanks for the info. Microsoft's site had some comments about codec packs causing various issues- is it straightforward to uninstall this codec pack if I did run into issues? (Or is that not a real concern?)
 

brandoncatz

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Sorry, but I strictly use VLC since it plays any and everything, so I can't give any info based on experience with this particular codec pack. Considering the description and good reviews of this product, I would venture a guess and say that you should be good. If not, I would imagine, but can not guarantee, that like most programs there is an uninstaller and it would be listed in add/remove programs if you decide that it is causing issues or did not help. I would start there, and then try the K-Lite codec pack or FFDShow if the first doesn't work for you. Let me know how it goes.
 

glcaan99

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Installed the codec pack and experimented with some of the settings, and I wasn't able to fix the issues. (The ffdshow configuration tool has the decoder disabled for MPEG2 files by default, but I changed that setting to libavcodec and libmpeg2, with no change to the results). Still encountering the same issue when I scan forward in the file.

Another interesting observation- Windows Live Movie Maker can play the same clips without any issue whatsoever- no skipping or audio issues when scanning forward. I would have guessed Movie Maker would use the same codecs as Media Player....I'm a bit stumped on this one...
 

glcaan99

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I'm starting to think I should use VLC. It's mostly that I wonder why files that played without issue with WMP on Windows XP should now have issues playing on Windows 7. It's more of an annoyance than a real issue- I have been pretty impressed with how VLC handles different file formats.
 

brandoncatz

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Did you have one of the 3rd party DVD/MPG2 decoders installed in Windows XP, like PowerDVD or Cineplay? I thought version 12 handled DVDs from the get-go, but maybe not.

Ya, I understand your frustration, which is why I eventually moved over to VLC. I think it was due to an issue exactly like this.
 
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