Topic: Crashes when playing audio [Solved] (Read 5987 times)

mesue · « **on:** December 12, 2013, 07:51:08 pm »

I upgraded from MC17 to MC19 several weeks ago when it was on sale. I have not used it to play anything until today--I'm in the middle of a project, and every time I double click an audio file to play it, the music starts playing through my speakers, but MC immediately hangs. Please help.

JimH · « **Reply #1 on:** December 12, 2013, 07:52:50 pm »

Probably an audio settings problem. The wiki has info that might help.

mesue · « **Reply #2 on:** December 12, 2013, 08:30:15 pm »

Any hints? I'm looking here but the screen shot doesn't even look like version 19.
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Audio_Setup

mesue · « **Reply #3 on:** December 13, 2013, 02:39:51 pm »

I can't make sense of the wiki and I can't figure out how to apply my version 17 settings to version 19 since the audio setting screens are all different.

mojave · « **Reply #4 on:** December 13, 2013, 02:48:47 pm »

Since the support is user based it sometimes takes a little while. You can first make sure you've installed the latest build from the top of this subforum.

Check your audio device in Tools > Options > Audio > Audio Device and let us know what it is. The way a device is listed has changed in V19 vs V17.

mesue · « **Reply #5 on:** December 13, 2013, 03:38:06 pm »

Default Audio Device [Direct Sound]
Check for updates says I have the latest.

Thanks.

glynor · « **Reply #6 on:** December 13, 2013, 04:05:08 pm »

A couple more questions...

What kind of sound device are you using? Just the onboard audio on your computer?
What Operating System do you have?

Also, I should note...

The screenshot from the Wiki here:

That's in Windows, not in MC. It does say that (perhaps somewhat obliquely):

Quote

Begin by verifying that Windows recognizes your sound card. If Windows cannot use the device, Media Center will not work.

In Control Panel > Sound, play test tones to ensure that you can hear them.

It means in the Windows Control Panel.

The other screenshot on that page is of MC's DSP, and it does now look a little different (they've simplified it somewhat), but it is pretty much the same.

glynor · « **Reply #7 on:** December 13, 2013, 04:08:50 pm »

Also, since it might take me a while to come back to this, if the answer to this:

Quote from: glynor on December 13, 2013, 04:05:08 pm

Just the onboard audio on your computer?

Is Yes (your speakers are just plugged into the headphone output directly attached to your computer's motherboard or laptop), then the answer to your trouble is almost certainly that you have a broken sound driver installed. If you can tell us what kind of audio device it is (ask if you don't know how to find out), we can tell you where to get an updated driver, probably.

Lastly, I'll note...

Quote from: mesue on December 13, 2013, 02:39:51 pm

I have been a customer for years, recommended MC often over those years, and this is is the level of support I get? Pitiful!

Your original question didn't provide any actionable information that any tech could use to make a diagnosis. We need a LOT more information on what you have and what you've tried before we can help. The more detail you provide, the faster and more accurate the responses will be.

Shorter: If you don't bother to provide detail, we don't either.

mesue · « **Reply #8 on:** December 13, 2013, 04:12:26 pm »

Windows 7, using onboard audio which is SoundMAX drivers.

Yes, I meant the screen shot below that, under "Output Format" in the wiki is the one that looks different in ver 17 vs. 19.

I updated to the version in the forum, but it still freezes when I play anything. What happens is the audio starts to play, but MC19 does not show any indication that it is playing in the top of the window where you usually see the play progress. Then if I click in the window, the cursor turns to the spinning sircle and Windows tells me the program has crashed and asks if I want to close it. When I close it, the audio stops.

glynor · « **Reply #9 on:** December 13, 2013, 04:13:44 pm »

Quote from: mesue on December 13, 2013, 04:12:26 pm

Windows 7, using onboard audio which is SoundMAX drivers.

Is that a laptop?

What kind?

glynor · « **Reply #10 on:** December 13, 2013, 04:16:34 pm »

Some other things it could be:

* Hard drive trouble (corruption or permissions issues preventing write access to the database).
* Other physical problems (broken sound device, memory, or CPU).
* A bad visualization plugin.

The third one might be worth checking. Do you have any third-party visualizers installed at all?

JimH · « **Reply #11 on:** December 13, 2013, 04:18:48 pm »

Make sure you get sound from Windows Control Panel/Sounds, as glynor said.

Try Direct Sound first.

The Wiki has several audio topics and it's not clear what you've tried.

glynor · « **Reply #12 on:** December 13, 2013, 04:27:59 pm »

ADI's SoundMax audio devices are a nightmare. There's no direct support from the vendor, unfortunately.

It'll help to know the exact make and model of the computer.

But, I'm guessing it is a borked sound driver. It should work in Direct Sound mode...

mesue · « **Reply #13 on:** December 13, 2013, 05:38:12 pm »

It is not a laptop. It's a custom built desktop PC with Asus P5K-E motherboard. I did a check for updated audio drivers through device manager and it says they are up to date. I do get sound through the control panel and everything works fine in MC17 as well as other audio programs. I thought to apply the same settings as MC17 to MC19, but those screens are different and there are too many options I do not understand.

All I have done is install MC19, restore my library from MC17, and nothing else, so I doubt there are any visualizations plugins unless they carry over in a library restore...?

JimH · « **Reply #14 on:** December 13, 2013, 05:42:27 pm »

Quote from: mesue on December 13, 2013, 05:38:12 pm

It is not a laptop. It's a custom built desktop PC with Asus P5K-E motherboard. I did a check for updated audio drivers through device manager and it says they are up to date.

Uninstall the sound device driver and let Windows install it again.

MrC · « **Reply #15 on:** December 13, 2013, 05:47:36 pm »

JimH might be about to say this in his post... DON'T USE WINDOWS UPDATE for device drivers. It is terrible. I repeat, TERRIBLE.

Go to the vendor's site (either chip or board) and use their drivers.

JimH · « **Reply #16 on:** December 13, 2013, 06:15:49 pm »

In a case like this, I would even try Windows update.

Installing the drivers from the disc that came with the motherboard would also be on my list.

mesue · « **Reply #17 on:** December 14, 2013, 02:41:12 pm »

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I uninstalled the sound driver and let Windows reinstall. Then I downloaded the driver from the ASUS web site and let it uninstall and reinstall. So far, nothing has changed. It still hangs as soon as I start playing audio. What now?
Here is a link to my Log files if that helps: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19045970/JRiver%20Log%202013-12-14%2015-28-48.zip

glynor · « **Reply #18 on:** December 14, 2013, 02:58:36 pm »

Okay, then it sounds like it isn't (probably) the Audio device driver. Can you confirm that the device works from the Windows Sound Control Panel tester properly?

mesue · « **Reply #19 on:** December 14, 2013, 03:04:06 pm »

Quote from: glynor on December 14, 2013, 02:58:36 pm

Okay, then it sounds like it isn't (probably) the Audio device driver. Can you confirm that the device works from the Windows Sound Control Panel tester properly?

Yes, I get sounds from control panel sounds tester. I get normal windows sounds. I get audio from Windows Movie Maker, Windows Media Player, iTunes, Firefox, and even JRMC17. In fact, I get sound from JRMC19 as well, but it hangs as soon as it plays audio.

glynor · « **Reply #20 on:** December 14, 2013, 03:36:20 pm »

Ok. Then it is something else, probably.

Does MC hang if you DON'T play anything? If you just open it and leavi it idle for a while?

JimH · « **Reply #21 on:** December 14, 2013, 03:39:13 pm »

Are you using the latest build?
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=85889.0

glynor · « **Reply #22 on:** December 14, 2013, 04:00:01 pm »

Yeah, I think she already said she updated above.

glynor · « **Reply #23 on:** December 14, 2013, 04:05:09 pm »

I'd also like you to test trying to tag one of the files. I don't think this is likely to be the culprit, as it would crash or hang when you STOP playback (or when it advances to the next track), but it is worth checking.

Try this:

1. Open up a view where you can see any audio file that causes the issue (which sounds like all of them).
2. Open the Tag Action Window.
3. Click the little options button in the upper-left corner of the Tag Action Window and choose Also Show > [Number Plays].
4. Now the Tag Action Window will list Number of Plays in the list of available tags down at the bottom.
5. Select any of the audio files, and change the [Number Plays] field in some way (make it one higher or lower, you can change it back after if you want).
6. Hit enter after you change it and see if the change "sticks" or if you get any errors or hangs then.

Report what happens back here.

mesue · « **Reply #24 on:** December 14, 2013, 04:37:35 pm »

I have left it open for days on end. I just hadn't used it to to play anything until the other day. (Most of my listening is on Squeezebox devices. I use MC more for file management.) I have done ripping and tagging with no problem. In fact, I just ripped a CD today and that was fine. I also tagged an audiobook which I had ripped in iTunes previously. I have also done a lot of tagging of downloaded music since I got version 19.

Glynor - I did your test for changing the number of plays and it worked fine. No hang, and the field was changed.

Latest build- yes, updated last night.

glynor · « **Reply #25 on:** December 14, 2013, 05:57:10 pm »

Great. Thanks for the additional information.

Then, it seems like it is something that is happening when it tries to launch the "display" window (either Fullscreen, in the Action Window, or in Playing Now, depending on how you have it set up), that's crashing or making it hang. I'm really thinking it is a Visualization (or similar) thing. I've seen this before when I had a broken installation of SoundSpectrum plugins.

Do you have anything like that installed? Did you previously (with MC17 or whatever)?

If so, uninstall them. Uninstalling and reinstalling might be all it takes.

Otherwise... Do you have any video files (simple AVIs or WMVs or whatever) that you can try? I'd like to see if video works, but something specific to Audio playback (like a visualizer or Track Info plugin, one of those things) is broken, or if all playback is broken.

And, lastly, this is a bit voodoo (but it could possibly fix a stuck plugin like that), but you can try:

1. Make a Library backup. Go to File > Library > Backup Library. Save the ZIP file somewhere you can find it in case you need it.

2. Uninstall MC19 completely. When it asks, preserve both the Registry entries and the Library.

3. Reboot. Don't skip this step because you are lazy.

4. In Windows Explorer, go to:
C:\Program Files (x86)\J River\ (for 64-bit Windows)
C:\Program Files\J River\ (for 32-bit Windows)

And move or delete the Media Center 19 folder if it is still there. If you haven't done anything fancy like customize skins and whatnot, you can just delete it.

5. Now, reinstall MC using the installer for the latest build.

6. It will come back up with your settings and library fully intact. See if that fixes it.

If so, hooray!

If not, then we're going to try again, but slightly different.

1. Uninstall Media Center again. But this time, check the box that says "Remove all Media Center registry entries."

2. Reboot. Again, don't skip it.

3. You shouldn't have to clear out the folder this time, so skip that part.

4. Reinstall using the latest build. This time, it will have reset all of your settings back to the defaults, but preserved your Library. Don't worry, we can restore your settings using the backup if this doesn't work, which is why I had you make that at the beginning.

5. Try it again.

Come back here either way and let me know what happened.

JimH · « **Reply #26 on:** December 14, 2013, 06:21:07 pm »

Quote from: glynor on December 14, 2013, 04:00:01 pm

Yeah, I think she already said she updated above.

I don't see it.

Sue,
What version are you using? Did you try the one I linked to?

glynor · « **Reply #27 on:** December 14, 2013, 07:22:54 pm »

Quote from: JimH on December 14, 2013, 06:21:07 pm

I don't see it.

Here:

Quote from: mesue on December 13, 2013, 04:12:26 pm

I updated to the version in the forum, but it still freezes when I play anything.

And, then since your more recent question, she confirmed again here:

Quote from: mesue on December 14, 2013, 04:37:35 pm

Latest build- yes, updated last night.

And, also...

Quote from: JimH on December 14, 2013, 06:21:07 pm

What version are you using?

I was craftier than you gave me credit for, Jim. I wanted to see if her Library was read-only on disk or something, but I also had her try to change [Number Plays] on a file because both (a) that's what MC does when you play a file, and if a play failure happens for some reason, it'll increment the counter and (b) because until this:

Quote from: JimH on December 11, 2013, 09:34:17 am

19.0.90 (12/9/2013)

4. Changed: The "Number Plays" field is now editable.

You couldn't edit the standard [Number Plays] field. MC had that field read-only until 19.0.90, and you couldn't edit it. If she'd come back and said "it won't let me" then I would have known she was on an older version. But, she came back and said that [Number Plays] editing worked, and so she must be on the most current build.

JimH · « **Reply #28 on:** December 14, 2013, 07:50:33 pm »

The version number would be helpful.

I freely admit that you excel in the craftiness dept. I cherish my position in the taciturn dept.

mesue · « **Reply #29 on:** December 14, 2013, 08:19:24 pm »

I have 19.0.91
Glynor, I will try your suggestions from reply #25 tomorrow. I'm used up for today. But as far as I know, I have no vidualizations installed because I never used them. How would I check if I do?

glynor · « **Reply #30 on:** December 14, 2013, 08:32:59 pm »

Try the video first, if you can.

mesue · « **Reply #31 on:** December 16, 2013, 12:22:42 pm »

Videos play fine. I tried a MOV and WMV. I didn't get a chance to do do the uninstall yet,

glynor · « **Reply #32 on:** December 16, 2013, 05:37:41 pm »

That's very good news that video plays fine.

That eliminates a bunch of possible issues.

I bet the uninstall will fix it.

DoubtingThomas · « **Reply #33 on:** December 16, 2013, 05:46:24 pm »

Quote from: glynor on December 14, 2013, 05:57:10 pm

3. Reboot. Don't skip this step because you are lazy.

Yes Dad...

glynor · « **Reply #34 on:** December 18, 2013, 10:42:29 am »

Before you try anything else, try updating to the latest build (just out today). They fixed a crashing bug with some built in visualizers, which sounds like a likely culprit:

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=85898.0

mesue · « **Reply #35 on:** December 18, 2013, 05:50:07 pm »

Quote from: glynor on December 18, 2013, 10:42:29 am

Before you try anything else, try updating to the latest build (just out today). They fixed a crashing bug with some built in visualizers, which sounds like a likely culprit:

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=85898.0

That did not change anything but the uninstall/reboot/reinstall without removing registry entries did fix it. Hooray! And thanks for everyone's help!

INTERACT FORUM

Author Topic: Crashes when playing audio [Solved] (Read 5987 times)