(Probably OT) Problems with Windows Media Player, Videolan etc.

[Graeme]

Apologies to those who have read this elsewhere.

I have a problem playing DVDs on my XP PC, in that the video is fine, but the sound is badly distorted - sort of sounds like someone with a stutter, but at very high speed.

This arises using any player on my PC, and any DVD, whether shop bought or home made. The problem does not occur when playing AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS files on my hard drive, or when playing an iso file. The problem only occurs after the files have been burned to DVD, but only on my PC.

No problems playing avi files, mp3s or any other audio files. The DVDs all play perfectly on other PCs and DVD players. Something is falling apart when the files are burned to DVD, but what?

[Adrian C]

Check DMA mode is enabled for your DVD drive?

[Graeme]

[Colin Wilson]

Does it have problems accessing ordinary data DVDs ?

DVD writers / players tend to have two different lasers for CD and DVD

- it's common for one to fail, but the other works normally.

It might be the first sign that the laser is on its' way out :-}

[dave]

Try/check recording "track/session/other at once" is set to "track" when you record. Also, try recording at say halfway down the max record rate.

[Laurence Payne]

Go into Device Manager and remove all your CD/DVD devices. Reboot and allow them to re-install.

Download and install the latest version of Xvid

's hard to imagine why the reader should cope with video but not audio, from the same disk. But a replacement unit is cheap and easy to install. Maybe you could borrow one from another computer to check.

[chris French]

In message , Graeme writes

summat up with the DVD drive? could you try a different one?

[Graeme]

In message , Laurence Payne writes

Indeed. Same awful audio whether the DVD is home made, or shop bought. DVDs made with the same drive on my PC play perfectly on other PCs or DVD players, so I don't think it is a burning problem.

Playing a data DVD was suggested, so I inserted my wife's Oblivion DVD. Didn't actually install the game, but played the intro music (.wav file) from the DVD. Terrible audio. Copied the .wav file from the DVD to my hard drive, and it played perfectly.

Yes, I'm beginning to think that it must be the DVD drive itself, which still burns perfectly, but will not read DVD audio.

Just been trying an ordinary, shop bought CD, through the same drive. Playing through Windows Media Player 11, audio is not perfect, but nothing like as bad as DVD audio. Same result using Videolan. Audio is stuttering slightly.

Same CD played with Winamp sounds perfect. Curiouser and curiouser.

[Adrian C]

Which soundcard / sound chipset is this? Some DVD sound stuttering problems on Google trace to Creative's products ...

In the midst of dim and distanct memory, I had that with an old PC running ATI's DVD playing software, and a Creative live PCI card. The diagnostics for the ATI software even contained a test on the stability of the soundcard's clock generator - and winced about the Creative card not quite being on target. I can't really remember what I did about it - perhaps the issue disapeared with a change of sound card ...

Other things could be excessive bus activity between graphics, optical drives, hard drive, sound card, network card etc. Try disabling the network card and see if that makes a difference. Are chipset drivers for the motherboard installed correctly (especially if not Intel)

Another thing that came up on google (read as: "I'm bored") was processor affinity issues. If ye have a dual core rig, maybe setting the DVD playing application to run with just one of the cores might fix it? This can be done in task manager.

[Graeme]

This is a cheapo Tesco Gateway sale item PC, running XP Media Edition, and the Gateway site describes it as :

Audio Integrated

Interface: Azalia 8.1 channels Model: Realtek ALC861

Video Integrated video

only change I have made since purchase is the addition of memory, from Crucial. The DVD audio just suddenly stopped working properly (long after I added extra memory).

Interestingly, the net book saga involved the purchase of an external DVD drive, with USB cable, for the net book. Just plugged it into my PC, and DVDs play perfectly, which means that the fault is with my internal DVD drive?

[Graeme]

In message , Graeme writes

Update. Been to the Gateway site, and downloaded the latest drivers, which have made no difference. DVDs play fine through the USB DVD drive, but not the internal DVD drive.

[Colin Wilson]

...per my original reply, IIRC :-}