Won't Play MKV Files

[emacee1701]

I have attempted to play MKV (Matroska) video files in WinAmp. Nothing happens. WinAmp is set as the default program. MKV is listed as a supported file type. The file name appears in WinAmp when I click on the file or use WinAmp's file menu. The file does not start playing on its own and nothing happens when I click on the Play button. I have tried several different MKV files. These files do play OK in VLC media player but not in WinAmp.

-A List of Plugins - No additional plugins
-PC or Motherboard make/model - eMachines ET-1831-07
-CPU & RAM Pent Dual Core CPU E5400 @ 2.7 GHz 4.0 Gb RAM
-Sound card or chip RealTek Hi Definition Audio
-Videocard Nvidia GeForce 7050
-Windows OS (including Service Pack, eg. WinXP sp2) Win 7 Premium 64 bit
-DirectX version (start > run > dxdiag)
-Winamp version 5.601
-Confirmation of the Winamp installation type Pro

[CJ_Man]

See http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=327101

Hopefully you already have the required codecs installed in Windows.

[DJ Egg]

You shouldn't need any extra external codecs if you're using a Pro-registered version of Winamp.

These are the instructions for the non-Pro (free) version of Winamp:
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=155680#mkv

For Winamp Pro, you should be able to keep the Nullsoft MKV Demuxer (in_mkv.dll) and not need to use the in_dshow method as described in the FAQ link above.

When you right-click on the MKV file in the Winamp Playlist and select 'View File Info', what does it say the audio & video codecs are?
(you might need to resize the column to see the full Codec Name/ID)

Winamp Pro info for MKV
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....d=315355#video

Winamp Pro natively supports the following audio & video codecs inside an MKV container:

in_mkv supports:
video: h.264 (avc), h.263*, mp4v2, theora
(mpeg-1 & 2 not supported)
audio: mp3, aac, ac3*, dca/dts*,vorbis

*Requires extra (h.263, ac3, dca) decoders from the Winamp Essentials pack to be installed!

[emacee1701]

Here is the codec info:

Video V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Audio A_AC3

DJ Egg: Yes, I do have the Pro version. But the file info does not look like what you listed.

I did a search on "MKV" on the Winamp plug-ins site and got no results.
Since my earlier message, I've gotten Service Pack 1 for Windows 7 Premium 64 bit. Problem still occurs.

I tried CJ-Man's tweak to the Directshow filter list and got the following error message when I tried to play an MKV file:
HAALI MEDIA SPLITTER - Error: Can't open file. Class not registered.
Since I downloaded these MKV files, I've also been getting the same error message in Picasa (Google's photo organizer and viewing program) when I open the program and it loads my image library. I've gone back to the default setting.

I downloaded and installed Winamp Essentials and that seems to have solved the problem. The MKV files now play. (Strange that Winamp lists MKV as a supported file type when I needed an optional set of plug-ins to play them.)

Anyway, thanks guys, for your help.

[DJ Egg]

You just needed to install the AC3 decoder from the Essential Pack.

You could've unchecked everything else in the EP installer options, if you wanted, except for AC3 Decoder, Extra FLV Decoder (H.263) & ALAC Decoder.

We're not licensed to natively support those codecs.
The license from Dolby for AC3 costs a fortune.
H.263 (the video codec used in most YouTube FLV/MP4 videos) is an unknown quantity. We still aren't sure if our MPEG-4 license covers it.
ALAC is a proprietary Apple format.
For legal reasons, we can't include those codecs in the Winamp distribution, so we put them in the EP instead.

For Winamp Pro, you DON'T need Haali Splitter or ANY other external 3rd-party splitter/filter/decoder!

[CJ_Man]

Originally Posted by DJ Egg

For Winamp Pro, you DON'T need Haali Splitter or ANY other external 3rd-party splitter/filter/decoder!

Believe me I'd love for Winamp to be my one-and-only media player, that's why I paid for the Pro version. But the video side, especially the h.264 decoding, just isn't up to it.

Play a high bitrate 720p MKV or MP4 in Winamp Pro with the inbuilt codecs and you get obvious jittery motion in fast action sequences while the CPU is running around 30% on my notebook. maybe I'm more sensitive to it, but once the "jitter" is noticed it's obvious and annoying.

Play the same video in WMP12 on the same machine and it flows like smoke with virtually no CPU usage at all.

Clearly there's no support for DXVA, but that's not the whole problem. Bypassing Winamp's codecs and going straight to ffdshow doesn't invoke DXVA either, but it does at least give smooth motion.

Unfortunately the video playback side of Winamp still needs to improve before it can serve as the only media player one needs.

[DJ Egg]

Hmm, I don't get jittery playback with HD MP4/MKV.
Though for sure, the native support for those formats is relatively new,
and there's definitely plenty of room for further improvement.

[repapips2004]

Originally Posted by CJ_Man

Believe me I'd love for Winamp to be my one-and-only media player, that's why I paid for the Pro version. But the video side, especially the h.264 decoding, just isn't up to it.

Play a high bitrate 720p MKV or MP4 in Winamp Pro with the inbuilt codecs and you get obvious jittery motion in fast action sequences while the CPU is running around 30% on my notebook. maybe I'm more sensitive to it, but once the "jitter" is noticed it's obvious and annoying.

Play the same video in WMP12 on the same machine and it flows like smoke with virtually no CPU usage at all.

Clearly there's no support for DXVA, but that's not the whole problem. Bypassing Winamp's codecs and going straight to ffdshow doesn't invoke DXVA either, but it does at least give smooth motion.

Unfortunately the video playback side of Winamp still needs to improve before it can serve as the only media player one needs.

Hmm its not about the DXVA or a codec's issues. You have that jittery motion on screen because winamp in default settings disabled "vsync", to enable it go to...

Options > Preferences > Video

Then "tick" Synchronize video to screen refresh rate

That option is "off" by default.

[CJ_Man]

Originally Posted by repapips2004

You have that jittery motion on screen because winamp in default settings disabled "vsync", to enable it go to...

Nope, I've re-tested this wih the latest version of Pro and that setting (which I had checked anyway) makes no difference at all.

[goodbabywell]

Just google search Step by step guide on how to play MKV, HD MKV files on PS3/Xbox 360/iPad/iPhone/Samsung/Android/QuickTime/Zune/PowerPoint/BlackBerry/Nokia and more.

you will find a simple solution

[drag0nwind]

Hello There,

New Pro user here, I'm having this same issue with playing an .mkv file.

Not sure if it's using the same codec as above and I don't really have other .mkv files to test with right now, but I went to preferences, MKV is in the DirectShow decoder list, but playing it does nothing.

I installed that Essential pack, not sure if I needed it, but, didn't help. Should I reinstall, or keep the Essential pack? Running XP Pro with SP3, btw.

Rightclicking on it, view file info shows: Info (nothing) Currently used filters (nothing) and in the filename is: x264, AC3.

Is there something else I need? Is this one just not supported? I share the sentiment that I'd like WinampPro to be my go-to media player.

Anyway, all help would be appreciated.. satisfied either way, been using Winamp free for like 12 years or something.. lol.

Take Care.


Aaron

[runner57]

The latest version of Winamp supports mp4, but the picture quality is terrible when playing higher res mp4. Even smaller files dvd size do not play well. No problems with VLC player though, very good picture quality.
I wish winamp would do something about it, because I use its library, which reads metadata of mp4 files. VLC player does not have much of a library.
It seems the development of winamp has come to a standstill, because most forum posts are old.

[DrO]

Originally Posted by runner57

because most forum posts are old.

Winamp's over 15 years old and the posts on this forum go back 12 (almost 13) years so there is going to be a lot of "old" posts.

-daz

[Aminifu]

Originally Posted by runner57

It seems the development of winamp has come to a standstill, because most forum posts are old.

The development has not stopped.

It is still a fact of life, that a single 'do everything well' app does not exist. Appreciate Winamp for what it currently does well, use other apps for things it currently doesn't. Keep posting your issues, but also keep hope alive for the future.

[RK48]

hey guys
I'm having almost exactly the same problem.
My winamp pro only plays some .mkv files. I tried to play little manhattan.mkv but nothing happens even after clicking the play button. But it plays another .mkv file perectly.
the file which doesn't play has information:

video codec name-V_MPeg4/ISO/avc

audio codec name-A_AAC

the file which does play shows:


video codec name- v_mpeg4/iso/avc
audio codec name- a_aac

the only difference is that the file which doesn't play has subtitles but not so the other one

please tell me how to fix this in winamp. i have v5.64 PRO.
I already played them both in VLC, Totem and Km player.
THNX

[Batter Pudding]

@RK48 - have you read the sticky about getting MKV to work? So many different video types can be packed into an MKV container. Worth checking the notes in this thread first.

http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=155680

If that doesn't work, any chance of posting a (legal) link to a legally downloadable file (we can't help with pirated \ copyright stuff here as we get a slap)

[RK48]

hey I just joined here a few days ago cut me some slack.
BTW its not working but a crappy version of the audio can be heard. Nothing to SEE

[Batter Pudding]

Eh? Not sure which bit you got upset at. But we really can't help you without more details as to your setup or what the video is.

We need a list of plugins which is easy to get hold of by using the Winamp Info Tool:
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....161361#plugins

And if you read the post I mentioned above then there are steps in there to help you to get it to work.

[DJ Egg]

An MKV file with AVC/H.264 video and AAC audio should play ok by default with Winamp Pro.
We still don't support subtitles, so those should be ignored...

The Info Tool log might show us something with your config or installation that's affecting the issue.

Other than that, yes, we would need a sample file to see if it's an issue with our MKV demuxer or H264/AAC decoders.

zippyshare.com is a good place to upload files (be sure to zip it up first)... though it has a 200mb limit...

[RK48]

But the file is 349 MB.
I downloaded the info tool and This is what I get( I did what was said in the link batter Dude posted so no in_mkv.dll):

[DrO]

re-download and re-run the Winamp installer (as you're on an older build of v5.64 - the current one is build 3418) and ensure you select Matroska MKV as one of the video formats to support on the choose components page. as it's likely most of the issue is due to the plug-in (in_mkv) not being present and Winamp is then trying to do what it can to play the file(s) and so fails or it gets passed to in_dshow / something else.

[RK48]

It's not working. I upgraded and did what you asked but no good. No Video No sound.
I downloaded the files which does and doesn't work, from pirate bay cause not many things are available in India v_v .
And like I said it works on other players. what to do now?

[DJ Egg]

So is Nullsoft Matroska Demuxer (in_mkv.dll) now listed under Winamp > Prefs (Ctrl+P) > Plug-ins > Input?
It was missing in your Info Tool log....

Also make sure MKV isn't in the DirectShow Decoder extension list.
Prefs > Plugins > Input > in_dshow > config
If it's there, remove MKV from the extension list.

[RK48]

Yeah it is. Here's the info log after reinstallation

<<<<< General Information >>>>>

Installed Windows Version: Windows 7 Ultimate (32 Bit)
Installed DirectX Version: DirectX 11, DirectX 9.0c (4.09.00.0904)
Installed Internet Explorer Version: 8.0.7600.16385 (32-Bit)
Installed Winamp Version: 5.6.4.3418
Winamp Installation Type: Winamp Pro Version
Installed Winamp Backup Tool Version: Winamp Backup Tool is not present on the system
Installed Sonic Burning Engine Version: 4.28.6.0
Installed Gracenote CDDB/MusicID Version: 2.6.206.205
Currently Used Skin: Bento
Currently Used Language Pack: None
Currently Used Output Plug-in: Nullsoft DirectSound Output [out_ds.dll]
Currently Used Visualization Plug-in: MilkDrop 2 [vis_milk2.dll]
Currently Used DSP Plug-in: None
Currently Used Encoding Plug-in: None
Currently Used File Type Icon Library: None
Currently Used Tray Control Icon Pack: None

<<<<< Registered File Extensions >>>>>

AVI
CDA
MPG
MPEG
M2V
AVI
FLAC
FLV
MID
MIDI
RMI
KAR
MIZ
MKV
WEBM
MOD
MDZ
NST
STM
STZ
S3M
S3Z
IT
ITZ
XM
XMZ
MTM
ULT
669
FAR
AMF
OKT
PTM
MP3
MP2
MP1
AAC
VLB
M4A
MP4
M4V
NSV
NSA
SWF
OGG
OGA
AIFF
AIF
AU
AVR
CAF
HTK
IFF
MAT
PAF
PVF
RAW
RF64
SD2
SDS
SF
VOC
W64
WAV
WVE
XI
WMA
WMV
ASF
M3U
M3U8
PLS
B4S
XSPF
WPL
ASX


<<<<< Installed Winamp Input Plug-ins >>>>>

in_avi.dll(*)
Version: 0.72 | Size: 68 KB

in_cdda.dll(*)
Version: 3.94 | Size: 101 KB

in_dshow.dll(*)
Version: 1.1 | Size: 72 KB

in_flac.dll(*)
Version: 3.0.2 | Size: 68 KB

in_flv.dll(*)
Version: 1.42 | Size: 43 KB

in_linein.dll(*)
Version: 3.15 | Size: 8 KB

in_midi.dll(*)
Version: 3.52 | Size: 108 KB

in_mkv.dll(*)
Version: 0.81 | Size: 49 KB

in_mod.dll(*)
Version: 2.92 | Size: 161 KB

in_mp3.dll(*)
Version: 4.99.4 | Size: 288 KB

in_mp4.dll(*)
Version: 2.62 | Size: 54 KB

in_nsv.dll(*)
Version: 1.73 | Size: 74 KB

in_swf.dll(*)
Version: 1.12 | Size: 24 KB

in_vorbis.dll(*)
Version: 1.73 | Size: 250 KB

in_wave.dll(*)
Version: 3.22 | Size: 24 KB

in_wm.dll(*)
Version: 3.74 | Size: 308 KB


<<<<< Installed Winamp Output Plug-ins >>>>>

out_disk.dll(*)
Version: 2.15 | Size: 23 KB

out_ds.dll(*)
Version: 2.62 | Size: 52 KB

out_wave.dll(*)
Version: 2.14 | Size: 19 KB


<<<<< Installed Winamp Vizualization Plug-ins >>>>>

vis_avs.dll(*)
Version: 2.8.2 | Size: 452 KB

vis_milk2.dll(*)
Version: 2.25.3 | Size: 427 KB

vis_nsfs.dll(*)
Version: 2.13 | Size: 35 KB

[DJ Egg]

Hmm, ok....

If you can't get this 350mb sample file to us, then can we see a Media Info log for it?
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=161361#video

As I said, the only reason why an MKV file with h.264 video and aac audio wouldn't play in Winamp Pro is if there's some problem we're not aware of with either: the mkv demuxer (in_mkv) or the h264.w5s or aacdec.w5s decoders... or if there's a problem with the actual video file (eg. corruption, bad download, or wrong file extension - e.g. if it's an .mp4 file with the wrong .mkv extension).

[Batter Pudding]

Is the Essentials Pack also required here? Going by the Plugins Sticky it is mentioned as required for MKV yet I do not see it installed above.

Linky to Essentials Pack
http://www.winamp.com/plugin/winamp-...k-v5-64/150126

[DJ Egg]

It's needed with release versions if the video content is H263 or the audio content is AC3 or DCA/DTS

But according to RK48, the container & file extension is MKV, the video content is H264 and the audio content is AAC LC,
all of which are supported by default in Winamp Pro 5.64

[RK48]

@DJ Egg
Hmm. I don't quite understand what u mean by the link. But there is a program called mediainfo which gives u info bout the video and such. is that what u meant?
@ Batter Pudding
I already had installed EP before reinstallation. so There's not much sense doing it again.

forgot to mention this, Thank u for all ur suggestions Hopefully it will work soon ^_^

[DJ Egg]

Yes, MediaInfo, that's the one.
The log generated by it will confirm the container format and the audio & video codecs.

e.g. If it says: Container = Matroska, then the .mkv file extension is correct.

or if it says: Container = MPEG-4, then the file extension needs to be .mp4 not .mkv

[Batter Pudding]

http://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo

[RK48]

here. it says its matroska

[DJ Egg]

Thanks. I've managed to get hold of the file... for test purposes...
and it's as you say, it doesn't play in Winamp, but plays ok in VLC, MPC, etc.

Hopefully we can determine the cause and come up with a solution....

[RK48]

no prob. please let us know when it's fixed.
And while you're at it, also include HD video support in winamp
Thanks

[Aspasa]

is there a fix for this yet?

I have a .webm file generated through Oracle's VBox SCreen Capture. Plays just fine in VLC Media Player.

Right clicking on the .webm in Winamp and selecting 'view file info' shows Dialog title as "MKV File Properties", Type "Video" and codec/codec ID as V_VP8

What to do?
How do I get .webm/MKV to play in Winamp?

[Batter Pudding]

I assume you have already followed the instructions above?

Any chance of sticking a short clip somewhere for use to check? (try wetransfer.com or other file sharing site and post the link here)

MKV is supported by Winamp and working in many cases, but not all MKVs are the same as MKV is only a box with a video inside it. And that video type can be many many different things....

[Aspasa]

Originally Posted by Batter Pudding

I assume you have already followed the instructions above?

well, i couldn't find 'essentials' anywhere - after a lot of looking - and it appears dated so, i skipped that. I did download and install AC3 and also stuck the ;MKV extension on the end of DirectShow DEcoder. All this and still no happy.

Originally Posted by Batter Pudding

Any chance of sticking a short clip somewhere for use to check?

http://northcoastcomputers.com/cdn/4batter.webm


- thanks for the quick response. Appreciated much.

[ryerman]

Originally Posted by Aspasa

is there a fix for this yet?

I have a .webm file generated through Oracle's VBox SCreen Capture. Plays just fine in VLC Media Player.

Right clicking on the .webm in Winamp and selecting 'view file info' shows Dialog title as "MKV File Properties", Type "Video" and codec/codec ID as V_VP8

What to do?
How do I get .webm/MKV to play in Winamp?

There is another current thread where a similar issue is being discussed. You may want to read the posts, staring with this one:
http://forums.winamp.com/showpost.ph...&postcount=210

[Batter Pudding]

Okay... you've confused me. I thought you were asking about a MKV file? The file you have supplied is very different. It is a *.webm file and I can't get it to play in anything on my PC. VLC or MPC. Both of those players just load up a single still image while the progress bar runs through.

And as a note in response to ryerman's link, I am testing with Winamp PRO here. And no CCCP packs on this PC. MKV video plays fine on this PC in all of my players, but this webm video still doesn't want to do anything.

MediaInfo gives details as follows:

code:
Format                                   : WebM

Format version                           : Version 2

File size                                : 1.03 MiB

Duration                                 : 5mn 47s

Overall bit rate                         : 25.0 Kbps

Writing application                      : vpxencV_VP8

Writing library                          : vpxencV_VP8



Video

ID                                       : 1

Format                                   : VP8

Codec ID                                 : V_VP8

Duration                                 : 5mn 47s

Bit rate                                 : 17.1 Kbps

Width                                    : 1 280 pixels

Height                                   : 720 pixels

Display aspect ratio                     : 16:9

Frame rate mode                          : Variable

Frame rate                               : 30.000 fps

Compression mode                         : Lossy

Bits/(Pixel*Frame)                       : 0.001

Stream size                              : 723 KiB (68%)

Language                                 : English

Default                                  : Yes

Forced                                   : No

[DrO]

the most recent file posted above having issues will not play as in_mkv cannot correctly handle playing of video only files. the plug-in could be made to work but with what's going on with Winamp there is not the time to re-work the plug-in to cope without audio. maybe in_dshow will work if the correct system codecs are present but I've not tried.

so simple answer is the file should play but the plug-in cannot cope with it not having audio.

[Batter Pudding]

Based on the Good Doctor's suggestion, I just did a quick test of adding "webm" to the list of file types for in_dshow. Made no difference - Winamp still doesn't like the file and just skips straight over it.

My VLC is the latest - doesn't like it. So one last try for you I'm gonna update my K-Lite codecs. Otherwise nothing wants to work for me - unless this is supposed to just be a single frozen image of two geese.