# Windows media player crashing



## spartanrob (Oct 29, 2004)

After successfully transferring from tivo to my windows media center desktop, i double click on the copied show, media player launches, then crashes. When I transfer the show to my laptop running XP home, no issues.

Anyone?


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## nedbush (Feb 9, 2002)

spartanrob said:


> After successfully transferring from tivo to my windows media center desktop, i double click on the copied show, media player launches, then crashes. When I transfer the show to my laptop running XP home, no issues.
> 
> Anyone?


No idea what is causing it, but I have a similar problem. Used to be able to play tivo files on my laptop (Windows XP Professional) and my desktop system (Windows Media Center 2005). All of a sudden started getting crashes when I try to play them on my laptop. If I copy them to my desktop, they play fine.

Tried re-installing TiVo desktop, switching codecs, and upgrading to Windows Media Player 11. No luck so far.


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## worachj (Oct 14, 2006)

This may help.

When you try to use Windows Media Player 11, the program does not start, or some UI elements are blank
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/925704/en-us

Using Codecs
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/faq/codec.mspx

We recommend that you use caution when installing codecs that aren't listed on WMPlugins.com or Microsoft.com, such as the DivXNetworks Nimo or Tsunami codec packs. Incompatibilities are known to exist with some of the components in these codec packs that can cause serious playback issues in the Player and other players, lead to system corruption, and make it difficult for Microsoft Support to diagnose and troubleshoot playback issues. For these reasons, we strongly discourage you from installing these codec packs, and recommend that you remove them if you have installed them and are having problems with the Player.


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## cmf (Jan 24, 2005)

The only change I've made to my system related to this problem (which I'm also having) is upgrading to WMP11, so I suspect that's the culprit (or some interaction between it and some driver/codec that WMP10 tolerated just fine).

Fortunately, Pocket DVD Studio still opens up the .tivo files just fine, so one could theoretically transcode them to XviD if one weren't as subservient to MS DRM as I am. ;-)


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## nedbush (Feb 9, 2002)

I don't think WMP11 is/was the problem in my case, since I was running WMP10 when I started to have this problem. I tried upgrading from WMP10 to WMP11 in hopes that it might fix the problem, but neither that nor reinstalling TiVo desktop helped.


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## hyachts (Jan 4, 2005)

Just to add to this, WMP 11 crashes on both my PCs when trying to play tivo files. The desktop is just XP SP2, the laptop is MCE. The laptop crashes with no error message, the desktop throws a "encountered a problem and needs to close" error. Haven't had a chance to really troubleshoot yet (just discovered the problem before work today) but after a quick search I didn't see any definitive answers to the problem here. I have compatible MPEG-2 codecs on both machines. 

I was just going to roll back my WMP version but it sounds like that hasn't worked for everybody. What's a recommendation for a reliable player? Windows Media Classic? I haven't heard or seen much reference to that recently.


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

hyachts said:


> Just to add to this, WMP 11 crashes on both my PCs when trying to play tivo files. The desktop is just XP SP2, the laptop is MCE. The laptop crashes with no error message, the desktop throws a "encountered a problem and needs to close" error. Haven't had a chance to really troubleshoot yet (just discovered the problem before work today) but after a quick search I didn't see any definitive answers to the problem here. I have compatible MPEG-2 codecs on both machines.
> 
> I was just going to roll back my WMP version but it sounds like that hasn't worked for everybody. What's a recommendation for a reliable player? Windows Media Classic? I haven't heard or seen much reference to that recently.


While playing a video (that eventually crashes), look at properties in WMP and see what audio and video codecs are being used. This may be useful information.

Unless the Windows web sites linked in a previous post give you some relief, I suspect you have a codec problem. It's not just what codecs are installed but how they are selected by Windows Direct Show for playback, which depends on a "merit" value assigned to them.

Wouldn't hurt to update your DirectX 9c -- it's free and quick, just search in Windows support. (Direct Show playback is part of this.)

If nothing else works try installing ffdshow a free codec package. You can always just uninstall it if it makes things worse. ffdshow has a very good reputation.

There are programs that allow you to adjust the "merit" of your codecs, if you want to really dig in, e.g., RadLight Filter Manager. There is the risk of making things worse so RadLight keeps a log of the changes you make so you can undo them later if necessary.


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## hyachts (Jan 4, 2005)

It won't even begin to play. WMP opens and then immediately closes. I suspected it was a codec problem - although having a codec that worked with older versions of WMP is hardly a "codec problem" when you get right down to it. Typical of Windows... Both of the machines have a codec that is listed as compatible by the Windows Decoder check utility. The one on the laptop is the Intervideo WinDVD codec that windows says is fully compatible and Tivo lists in their codec help. I can't recall which compatible codec is on the desktop but it is listed as compatible with the exception of the WMP 10 syncing functionality. 

This afternoon when I get home I'm going to first try going back to WMP 10 on one of the machines to see if I can just get the functionality back. I very rarely watch Tivo programs on my computers so this is more of a nuisance than anything. I was actually trying to play it to see if the aspect ratio was correct because when I stream them through Orb the aspect ratio is off. Orb reports files recently transferred to my laptop as 480x540 and they play tall and skinny. Older Tivo files on my other machine are read and streamed correctly by Orb (Orb reports their res as 480x360). As part of this I'm also going to transfer one of those older files to my laptop to see if it gets the same treatment by Orb.


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## hyachts (Jan 4, 2005)

Rolled back to WMP 10. No joy.
Installed ffdshow. No joy.
Installed Media Player Classic. No joy.

EDIT: I stand corrected. Media Player Classic plays the files once I put them through DSD. Silly me.

Sooo... They still don't play in WMP 10. Wish I knew what happened to make things go wrong.


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## hyachts (Jan 4, 2005)

So... I guess it was a codec issue? Bought TD Plus and WMP can play the files again.


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## hyachts (Jan 4, 2005)

Also upgraded to TD Plus on the machine I hadn't rolled back WMP on or done any other troubleshooting and... voila! Tivo playback. 

Looks like when you pay extra Tivo can deliver the goods.


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## jsinga (Nov 18, 2006)

Its direct show filter issue. I got mine to render in GrapEdit and play but I haven't figured out how to fix WMP yet.

JS


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## jsinga (Nov 18, 2006)

I finally got WMP11 to work. 
I had to install the TivoToGo Playback Filter. 
It supposedly can play tivo shows without Tivo Desktop. So other stuff I read says it just installs the Tivo Desktop direct show filters. If this is true somehow when Tivo Desktop is installed it is not setting up the direct show filters correctly. I'm pretty sure of this because at first GraphEdit couldn't render the tivo file. 
I know either Cyberlink or Interviedo Mpeg2 decoders will work. In fact, on my laptop the Interviedo does full screen 16:9 correctly and on my desktop the Cyberlink works. Get the Windows decoder checkup utility and see which ones you have. To change them you need to restart windows.
I still can't say exactly what the problem was. I tried a bunch of stuff but I don't know why it works.

JS


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## dlfl (Jul 6, 2006)

Yeah, I think I remember seeing somewhere in TiVo support website that basic DT does not install any new codecs (relying on you to already have an mpeg2 decoder that works) while DT Plus installs codecs.

Glad you both had good results -- typical codec experiences: you don't quite know what's going on but if you fumble around enough you usually solve it.


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## aprest (Mar 2, 2004)

hyachts said:


> Also upgraded to TD Plus on the machine I hadn't rolled back WMP on or done any other troubleshooting and... voila! Tivo playback.
> 
> Looks like when you pay extra Tivo can deliver the goods.


I had the same problem and did the same thing. It is plain wrong that we have to pay Tivo $25 to make Tivo Desktop work with out crashing Microsoft Media Player 11 even though we don't need or want the iPOD features of Tivo Desktop Plus. The download is exactly the same with the only difference being having paid $25 to get the activation code for the Plus version. Tivo needs to fix this problem!


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