Help with windows media player?

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kalnovitch

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#108768 5-Sep-2012 12:25

Hoping someone can help me out here, without confusing an already confused watcher....

Watching anything on windows media player, the words are out of sync with peoples mouths, while this can be mildly annoying, it is infuriating if the words and mouths are wayyyyy out of sync. Any ideas on how to fix

robjg63

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#681750 5-Sep-2012 12:49

I find that happens only on certain sorts of files - cant recall - might be mp4 files.

I installed a codec pack at some point and assumed it was something to do with one of the codecs.

If you have installed some codecs you could try removing them.

Possibly not all that helpful to you - but if you install VLC media player and use that the audio/video will be fine.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

kalnovitch

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#681773 5-Sep-2012 13:21

Thanks very much Rob, seems to have done the trick for me. Codec? will it work if I do a search for codec, and how will I know, if I find any, which to get rid of?

PhillyG

42 posts

Geek
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#681778 5-Sep-2012 13:28

I had this problem. My issue was the divx codec. Removed it and problem went away, only the next problem being I couldn't play MKV files. I installed the shark007 codec pack and have not had any sync issues or any video it wouldn't play.

reven

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#681781 5-Sep-2012 13:29

a quick google came up with this to remove codecs

http://www.videohelp.com/tools/DXMan

you could just look in "programs and features" (if on vista/7, or add/remove programs in xp) and look for "Codec", xvid, divx, mpeg, aac, ac3, klite, shark007 in there.

you could also download vlc player, which is an alternative media player, which should work a lot better (freeware, very very very very popular, and good software)

robjg63

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#682163 6-Sep-2012 09:55

kalnovitch: Thanks very much Rob, seems to have done the trick for me. Codec? will it work if I do a search for codec, and how will I know, if I find any, which to get rid of?

What the people above have said is a good place to start looking.
I am usually a bit lazy and just look for something like the cccp codec pack (http://cccp-project.net/)

Its normally pretty good and has codecs to playback nearly everything you are ever likely to come across.

I am not suggesting that the cccp codec pack has a problem - rather I have probably downloaded/installed something else that stuffed it up.

... Actually now I read what you wrote are you asking what a Codec is?
OK - just in case....
All video files are encoded (coded) in certain ways. To play them back they have to be decoded. (Codec is short for coder/decoder)So roughly mp4 files and avi files will not be coded the same way. So if you try and play back a file that your media player doesnt know about, if you are lucky it will recognise the code required and try and get it and install it for you. If it doesnt then you have to go and look for a codec to install.

If the codec isnt too good you may get the sort of problem you describe.

What people like about VLC is that it has the built in ability to play back nearly everything without needing to install codecs. In fact I dont think it supports any third party codecs.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

kiwijunglist

2983 posts

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#683288 9-Sep-2012 03:08

Installing more codecs may make it worse. I suggest using a media player that uses it's own internal filters, this way you don't have to bother fixing your codec mess.

I suggest you install either MPC-HC or VLC (or both). They are both stand alone players media players and do not include external codec packs, so will not affect your other media players etc.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

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ryanja

52 posts

Master Geek

#692320 27-Sep-2012 15:23

Do you use the live TV portion of Windows Media Center? If not, I suggest switching to XBMC. It has played 99.99% of the media I've tossed at it, is very quick, and is much more customisable. It's one of the best open source (and completely free!) programs I've ever used.