H.264 (MTS) videos freeze in WMP 12? Fresh install

Question

I posted a question earlier (Win 7 - computer locks up when dragging large video files in explorer or closing them in WMP?) but it seems that the issue isn't with the codecs. By "freezing", I mean the system completely locks up, as if I have a piece of hardware failing.

So far I have:

• Reinstalled the OS (x86 => x64)
• Upgraded the RAM (3GB to 8GB)
• Replaced the HDD

I was having this exact same issue before I upgraded the items above. GPU is ATI 2600XT. I do not have the issue on any other computers (all Win 7).

Still, even with a fresh install, videos randomly freeze in WMP 12. Sometimes they play fine, and sometimes they freeze. Sometimes even dragging a MTS (thumbnail preview) file around, it freezes.

Any ideas? Thanks.

EDIT: To add, VLC seems to do just fine. However, still curious to why it freezes in WMP 12.

Answer 1

VLC comes with its own built-in codecs. So if it does not show the problem, this means that you have a codec problem.

The problem can have two causes :

1. You do not have any good codec installed
2. A good codec is installed, but WMP consistently picks another bad one

The utility I like best for determining codec problems is GSpot. Although the last release dates from 2007, I like its ability to start a playback and report on which codecs were used.

If you think that you have installed a bad codec, you could use InstalledCodec to disable it as a test.

For a good codec pack, I usually recommend K-Lite Codec Pack. It is unique in that its installation tests for codec conflicts and even asks whether to repair the problems. But install it only after you have used GSpot to analyze the problem.

Answer 2

Turned out to be bad video drivers.

Answer 3

There are MANY known issues with bearer stream being a different bitrate than container. I have a sneaking suspicion this is the case. For example, there is still 0-day in gstreamer ffmpeg plugin for the mkv container. I know, I have it. I think it may be a container issue as opposed to a codec issue. Just my thoughts. HarryMC is 100% correct in his statement though. I just thought I should put the note out there.