Topic: Can't play movies [LAV Splitter error] (Read 13297 times)

conquerator2 · « **on:** April 01, 2014, 02:14:19 pm »

Hi guys,
I've purchased the MC18 some time ago amd them upgraded to MC19.
For some time I haven't used MC for movies, but solely for music.
Today though, I wanted to watch some through this lovely program but it just won't.

Every time I try to open a movie file I get this error message - Something went wrong with playback - "failed to download and install the "LAV Splitter" filter. Check your network connection and permissions"
Coincidentally, I also get an error message when I try to update the player to the latest version ["there was a problem checking for updates"] the main web window in the player loads up just fine though.

I tried all the recommended fixes - downloaded and extracted the LAV Splitter manually into the plugin folder, tried turning off the firewall and/or security program. Re-installed MC twice, manually downloaded the latest version [19.0.124] but nothing seems to help

If anyone could give me any advice I'd greatly appreciate it. I am stuck in a dead-end right now. Music files and pictures work perfectly.

Thanks!
Luke

[Hope this is the right subforum for it. If not, feel free to move this to the corresponding section.]

JimH · « **Reply #1 on:** April 01, 2014, 02:19:57 pm »

Welcome to the forum.

Your firewall or other security software could be blocking MC from downloading components.

conquerator2 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 01, 2014, 02:20:51 pm »

Thanks, but as I said, I tried disabling both.

glynor · « **Reply #3 on:** April 01, 2014, 02:23:55 pm »

Sounds like a permissions problem to me, probably on the %APPDATA% directory (since both the updates and the LAV install is failing, I'm thinking it can't write to its own %APPDATA% directory).

I'll try to post more detailed instructions later.

If you know where the %APPDATA% folder is, though, try:
1. Make a Library Backup!!!
2. Uninstall MC19 completely.
3. Delete the entire Media Center 19 folder in %APPDATA% (maybe make a copy elsewhere in case you need it).
4. Reboot!
5. Reinstall MC19.

conquerator2 · « **Reply #4 on:** April 01, 2014, 02:31:18 pm »

I am positive I do [appdata/roaming/JRiver]
I'll try that and be back to you.
Thank you.

JimH · « **Reply #5 on:** April 01, 2014, 02:43:11 pm »

Quote from: JimH on April 01, 2014, 02:19:57 pm

Welcome to the forum.

Your firewall or other security software could be blocking MC from downloading components.

We've seen some install problems that were only solved by uninstalling software, not just disabling it.

glynor · « **Reply #6 on:** April 01, 2014, 02:45:44 pm »

Quote from: JimH on April 01, 2014, 02:43:11 pm

We've seen some install problems that were only solved by uninstalling software, not just disabling it.

Yes, agreed. It certainly could be some kind of over-active firewall or security suite. We'll address that, I think, if the %APPDATA% thing doesn't work.

This could be it, though, especially if he did anything at any point "oddball" with restoring Windows on that machine. We've had a number of similar issues that turned out to be %APPDATA% permissions issues.

conquerator2 · « **Reply #7 on:** April 01, 2014, 02:56:57 pm »

Well did as instructed but no change.
- fully uninstalled MC
- deleted the whole JRiver file in appdata/roaming
- uninstalled Security Essentials
- disabled firewall completely
- restarted PC
- reinstalled MC

Still the same LAV Splitter error...

Sigh,

glynor · « **Reply #8 on:** April 01, 2014, 03:03:40 pm »

After downloading the LAV Filters, you should see:
C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 19\Plugins

This folder should contain two subfolders:

1. lav
2. madvr

(Containing those plugins.)

Try creating a file of some kind in that folder and see if you get an error. Also, this:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Troubleshooting_Disks

The updates are downloaded here:
C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 19\Install

Do you see these folders? Are they writable?

Is there ANYTHING else that might be blocking network connectivity on your machine? Anything funky about AppData on that machine (like did you redirect it via some funny mechanism, or anything like that)?

Neither Microsoft Security Essentials or the default Windows Firewall will cause problems like this, unless you've done some very weird stuff. If you have a third-party security suite, you might need to uninstall it completely (if it is totally broken and blocks applications from making simple HTTP web connections).

glynor · « **Reply #9 on:** April 01, 2014, 03:08:27 pm »

I should note...

Bob just upgraded the JRiver web server today, and at least one other user is seeing an odd website-related issue. It is possible that the downloader is currently broken, but that would be only since this morning.

I'll try to test ASAP for you to make sure.

conquerator2 · « **Reply #10 on:** April 01, 2014, 03:15:10 pm »

Ok, first things first.
- There's no madvr sub-folder [no idea where to get these]
- The lav folder contents were created manually by extracting this file there - http://files.jriver.com/dependencies/plugins/lav/lav_v37.zip
- Tried creating a file in the lav folder, no errors
- There's no install folder in there [the only additional plugins I've downloaded were the lav files, everything else is stock]
- No third party anti-virus software/suite, only Essentials and Firewall
- No appdata redirecting, never messed with that [using a Windows 7 premium]

So, what next?
Thanks a ton for the instructions btw!

glynor · « **Reply #11 on:** April 01, 2014, 03:24:13 pm »

Quote from: conquerator2 on April 01, 2014, 03:15:10 pm

Ok, first things first.
- There's no madvr sub-folder [no idea where to get these]
- The lav folder contents were created manually by extracting this file there - http://files.jriver.com/dependencies/plugins/lav/lav_v37.zip

But, you were supposed to delete the whole thing, so how is it there again?

To be clear, you DO NOT NEED to manually download anything into that directory, and should not (especially not when it is broken). MC handles it all by itself.

conquerator2 · « **Reply #12 on:** April 01, 2014, 03:25:59 pm »

I did delete the whole thing but it was there again after re-installing MC [and manually installing the LAV filter again].
I did all the steps you mentioned after uninstalling MC and before rebooting the PC.
Also, still can't connect to the update server apparently.

glynor · « **Reply #13 on:** April 01, 2014, 03:29:18 pm »

Do not manually install the LAV filter.

conquerator2 · « **Reply #14 on:** April 01, 2014, 03:30:58 pm »

Ok... so do you want me to repeat all the steps again?
Anything I should be paying attention to?

glynor · « **Reply #15 on:** April 01, 2014, 03:31:48 pm »

Again, it is possible something is broken currently. I'll try to test for you shortly.

But, you should not need to (and do not) unpack ANYTHING into the JRiver app data folder manually.

Hendrik · « **Reply #16 on:** April 01, 2014, 03:37:58 pm »

The dependency download should be working. Its running on Amazon S3, not JRiver servers.

conquerator2 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 01, 2014, 03:39:42 pm »

I have MC installed on one more PC where everything works fine. It also run just fine on my older desktop.
I've recently bought a new PC [a few months back] and had to re-install everything again. I am positive I haven't tested movies on this new one yet.
It might be that something is jiffed with the Windows/this particular PC but its only one other program that's giving me trouble [a certain driver audio interface, but it works most of the time and I am not the only one.]
It's a MSI 990FXA-GD65 mobo, FX8350 processor. HD7950 card.

glynor · « **Reply #18 on:** April 01, 2014, 03:52:16 pm »

Quote from: Hendrik on April 01, 2014, 03:37:58 pm

The dependency download should be working. Its running on Amazon S3, not JRiver servers.

I just tested and it is broken here.

I think it might be served by S3, but redirected with a ~~Python~~ Perl script on the JRiver servers. I'm getting 403 Forbiddens whenever I try to use any of the http://www.musicex.com/cgi-bin/redirects/MC/v19/redirect.pl based redirects.

More info:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=88469.msg606618#msg606618

glynor · « **Reply #19 on:** April 01, 2014, 03:59:12 pm »

For conquerator2, if you really want to get it going before Bob is able to fix the broken on the JRiver servers, I've uploaded a copy of the needed files to my own site for you.

http://glynor.com/files/jriver/MC19.0.124-Plugins.zip

Download this, and extract the contents somewhere. Then copy everything out of the Plugins folder it makes into this folder:
C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\J River\Media Center 19\Plugins\

That should give you three folders, and a variety of files:
lav
madvr
mp3_encoder

These are all plain-defaults that would normally be auto-downloaded by MC when these features are used for the first time.

Make sure MC is closed when you do this, and be sure to be using the current build of MC19 from this forum (19.0.124). When you re-launch it, you should be all set.

conquerator2 · « **Reply #20 on:** April 01, 2014, 04:01:25 pm »

I'll do that right now. Hopefully it'll work.
Much thanks!

conquerator2 · « **Reply #21 on:** April 01, 2014, 04:07:05 pm »

I am still getting the same error... I don't get it.
Seems like MC just can't get anywhere and do anything online... I am really lost why this is.

Hendrik · « **Reply #22 on:** April 01, 2014, 04:19:34 pm »

MC remembers if it already downloaded the plugins. Just placing the files there won't prevent the download.

You'll have to wait a bit until Bob looks at the server issue.

glynor · « **Reply #23 on:** April 01, 2014, 04:20:02 pm »

Quote from: conquerator2 on April 01, 2014, 04:07:05 pm

I am still getting the same error... I don't get it.

To make sure:

1. You quit out of MC completely (including Library Server, if enabled, in the system tray).
2. Extracted the contents of my ZIP and copied those three folders into the folder in AppData. It should look like:

Assuming yes, then the last thing is...

What is Tools > Options > Video > General Video Settings > Video Mode set to?

The plugin set I made and zipped above is for Red October HQ. If you're using Standard, it probably won't work (as those are different downloads, and I don't have them).

EDIT: According to Hendrik (who would know), this probably won't work if MC hasn't successfully downloaded its own copy of the plugins in the past. It worked on my test, but of course, my copy had already gotten the filters via the normal mechanism.

glynor · « **Reply #24 on:** April 01, 2014, 04:20:23 pm »

Quote from: Hendrik on April 01, 2014, 04:19:34 pm

MC remembers if it already downloaded the plugins. Just placing the files there won't prevent the download.

You'll have to wait a bit until Bob looks at the server issue.

Ahh, bummer.

glynor · « **Reply #25 on:** April 01, 2014, 04:24:25 pm »

Quote from: conquerator2 on April 01, 2014, 04:07:05 pm

Seems like MC just can't get anywhere and do anything online... I am really lost why this is.

Bob upgraded the main JRiver web server to a new version of Debian today:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=88469.0

This was because I whined about the ancient version of MediaWiki they were running. Though, in my defense, I told him he didn't have to do it now and that there was no rush.

I'm sure he'll fix it soon. Sorry for the trouble.

conquerator2 · « **Reply #26 on:** April 01, 2014, 04:25:46 pm »

Everything is as in your pic.
I've also changed the mode to the HD now.
So there's nothing I can do atm?

glynor · « **Reply #27 on:** April 01, 2014, 04:28:07 pm »

Probably not right this second.

Hendrik... So, there's no way to use Red October HQ on a totally offline PC? That doesn't seem right. What if he disconnects from the Internet and uses the ones I provided?

conquerator2 · « **Reply #28 on:** April 01, 2014, 04:40:13 pm »

Did I really just choose the wrong day for an update?
I was under the impression that video codecs should be downloaded automatically but it probably has to do with not watching movies in a while...
Well, F me

Hopefully it's not a more serious issue.
Thanks again for the help and please keep me updated so I can test if it really isn't something more severe :]

glynor · « **Reply #29 on:** April 01, 2014, 04:44:10 pm »

Quote from: conquerator2 on April 01, 2014, 04:40:13 pm

Did I really just choose the wrong day for an update?

Yep. Sorry.

I bet it'll be fixed a little later today. Give it a few hours and check back (unless Hendrik has a suggested solution).

conquerator2 · « **Reply #30 on:** April 01, 2014, 04:48:11 pm »

K cool then.
It's almost midnight so it'll probably be resolved in the morning [I hope...]
I'll let myself be heard if there's any more problems.

Regardless, thanks a ton guys! What an awesome community around here. People ready to help within minutes is amazing, much appreciated.

Have a nice day everyone.

cron0sRXR8 · « **Reply #31 on:** April 01, 2014, 05:28:32 pm »

I think that may be have the same problem...
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=88476.0

is it a general bug for build 124?

glynor · « **Reply #32 on:** April 01, 2014, 05:59:27 pm »

Quote from: cron0sRXR8 on April 01, 2014, 05:28:32 pm

I think that may be have the same problem...
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=88476.0

Yes. That's the same issue. I replied in your thread.

It isn't a bug in MC itself, but a problem with a piece of JRiver's web server, which is breaking some of (but not all of) the online functionality in MC right now.

audioriver · « **Reply #33 on:** April 01, 2014, 06:15:19 pm »

Video playback depending on internet connection is definitively wrong, please consider changing this. It seems that madVR cannot be used in Custom mode either, currently. Even if it's installed separately on the PC I mean (in a non-MC folder).

JimH · « **Reply #34 on:** April 01, 2014, 06:20:34 pm »

Bob is working on it. Sorry for the problem.

JimH · « **Reply #35 on:** April 01, 2014, 06:21:58 pm »

Quote from: audioriver on April 01, 2014, 06:15:19 pm

Video playback depending on internet connection is definitively wrong, please consider changing this. It seems that madVR cannot be used in Custom mode either, currently. Even if it's installed separately on the PC I mean (in a non-MC folder).

Once you've installed MC and played a video, Internet connectivity is no longer an issue.

audioriver · « **Reply #36 on:** April 01, 2014, 06:27:25 pm »

Every time I saw "adding components" I knew this day would come.

LAV/madVR must be included in the installer. I understand this might be an extra security measure but if it's not, it makes no sense and can only cause problems.

bob · « **Reply #37 on:** April 01, 2014, 06:37:52 pm »

It's back now. Sorry for the inconvenience.

JimH · « **Reply #38 on:** April 01, 2014, 06:54:59 pm »

Thanks, Bob.

glynor · « **Reply #39 on:** April 01, 2014, 07:04:04 pm »

Quote from: audioriver on April 01, 2014, 06:30:44 pm

Of course, but that implies that connectivity was already available. If you've installed or even updated MC and there's no internet (or a server problem like now), video playback is gone.

It would only apply to a brand-new update, where LAV had changed, or if you tried to use the video functions of MC for the very first time this afternoon (as happened to the OP in this thread).

The whole point of Red October is that it solves the problem of managing, obtaining, configuring, and updating DirectShow filters for you. If it is unable (temporarily) to obtain these filters, then it would fail. Of course, you could always switch over to manually configured settings if you really wanted to, but... The whole point is that it does it for you. To do that, it needs to be able to get the files.

So, if you happen to have terrible luck and reinstall from scratch or use Video for the first-time ever on a day like today, or JRiver's servers go down forever (and they never issue an update to address the situation, in one last gasp of some kind, which I find extremely unlikely)... Then Red October wouldn't work anymore.

But, you can configure it manually, so.... I'm not sure what your point is here.

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Author Topic: Can't play movies [LAV Splitter error] (Read 13297 times)