Files needed to display video are not installed

Eshezo

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Files needed to display video are not installed

#1

Post by Eshezo » Tue Oct 22, 2013 6:47 am

Hi all, I'm really hoping someone can help with this.....

I have a PC in my lounge which streams movies from my server, recently WMC suddenly came up with "Files needed to display video are not installed", this really annoyed me because it was working fine.

After looking for hours to find a solution I just thought I would , format and reinstall windows 7.

After this, the same error but when I first ran WMC I had a message saying "TV and video may not work as expected because the video card does not meet the minimum memory requirement of 64 MB of video RAM".

I run (and have for about year) on the Intel i5 2500k CPU and use the onboard graphics, I don't believe that the on board graphics is not powerful enough because I was using it very well for a year.

Moving on I tried just the sample video that you get when you install Windows 7 and that doesn't even play.

Windows Media Player is fine and plays everything as does DivX and any other player I try, including straight streaming from the web....

Just WMC that won't play video......this really annoys me because I use a set up with "MyMovies" to manage the media and I have over 1400 movies that are catalogued to work with WMC.

I can post any info on the system required but just need some help.

rgds Esh

barnabas1969

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#2

Post by barnabas1969 » Tue Oct 22, 2013 12:42 pm

And, now I'll ask you the same questions I asked on Seven Forums:

Have you recently installed newer video drivers?

Have you recently replaced the video monitor/TV?

Have you recently installed a new A/V Receiver (with HDMI switching) or an HDMI switch?

Is your PC connected to the monitor/TV via HDMI? Is there an A/V Receiver connected by HDMI?

Eshezo

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#3

Post by Eshezo » Tue Oct 22, 2013 1:53 pm

Hi Barnabas, thanks...sorry I didn't answer on the other forum because you suggested moving it to here.

No new video drivers, there was one updated version available which I tried but made no difference so I rolled it back again.

TV is the same as when it was working, no change.

No new receiver or HDMI switch.

PC is connected straight to the TV with an HDMI lead and works fine, ie I can open Sky in a web browser and play a movie or I can play video fine in Windows Media Player on the TV.

As I mentioned it really is a WMC problem because everything else is working and WMC was but just decided to start coming up with this.

Cheers

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holidayboy

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#4

Post by holidayboy » Tue Oct 22, 2013 1:56 pm

What 3rd party codecs are installed?

Are you running x64 Windows? If so, try using the x64 version of Media Player to play the files (located under C:\Program Files rather than Program Files (x86) ).

What happens if you copy a file to the local hard drive and play it back from there?
Rob.

TGB.tv - the one stop shop for the more discerning Media Center user.

jaimeknapp

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#5

Post by jaimeknapp » Tue Oct 22, 2013 3:05 pm

Have you checked your audio device "Exclusive Mode" settings? If I recall correctly, they both need to be de-selected on the default device.

blueiedgod

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#6

Post by blueiedgod » Tue Oct 22, 2013 4:58 pm

Sometimes, when the video card driver fails, Windows reverts to default, generic VGA driver. See if that has happened.

Also, have you run DCA? It feeds off WEI, so make sure you run WEI before running DCA.

Sometimes, when there is audio/video sync error detected, WMC will throw the same error.

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Cyterio

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#7

Post by Cyterio » Sat Nov 09, 2013 11:45 pm

I had a similar issue. Somehow my permissions on my folders got changed and wasnt allowing Media Center to play any media located within them or record tv to them. Media Center was able to see the files, just not able to do anything with the files. A quick permission change fixed everything.

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#8

Post by TetterkeT » Fri Nov 15, 2013 6:20 pm

I recently had this problem and I tried EVERYTHING suggested on this thread (as well as others), but nothing worked. It turned out my HDD was failing. I replaced the drive and I haven't had the problem since. Run your drive's diagnostic tools and check for any errors. Good luck!

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#9

Post by richard1980 » Sat Nov 16, 2013 4:04 am

jaimeknapp wrote:Have you checked your audio device "Exclusive Mode" settings? If I recall correctly, they both need to be de-selected on the default device.
No. Doing that will disable bitstreaming. But you are correct that audio settings should be checked...incorrect audio settings will throw the same error. I believe barnabas posted in another thread some time ago that you need to make sure Windows and WMC aren't set to output the same way, as it creates a conflict. I believe you want Windows set to 2-channel and WMC set to 5.1.

barnabas1969

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#10

Post by barnabas1969 » Sat Nov 16, 2013 12:46 pm

richard1980 wrote:No. Doing that will disable bitstreaming. But you are correct that audio settings should be checked...incorrect audio settings will throw the same error. I believe barnabas posted in another thread some time ago that you need to make sure Windows and WMC aren't set to output the same way, as it creates a conflict. I believe you want Windows set to 2-channel and WMC set to 5.1.
:thumbup:

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#11

Post by dkindig » Mon Dec 30, 2013 2:03 am

barnabas1969 wrote:
richard1980 wrote:No. Doing that will disable bitstreaming. But you are correct that audio settings should be checked...incorrect audio settings will throw the same error. I believe barnabas posted in another thread some time ago that you need to make sure Windows and WMC aren't set to output the same way, as it creates a conflict. I believe you want Windows set to 2-channel and WMC set to 5.1.
:thumbup:
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! barnabas1969 and richard1980!

This solved my problem with the video error and also corrected the problem I originally had where the audio wouldn't bitstream properly. Was chasing down the bitstreaming problem and I guess I was too thorough, set both Windows and WMC to 5.1 and all of a sudden, no movies would play. Found this solution and voila, video played again AND bitstreaming worked as it should.

Same as original poster, WMP and DVD players worked fine, just couldn't play a movie in WMC.

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#12

Post by Husaberger » Mon Dec 30, 2013 3:05 am

Tried to use optical out on PC. Since then have not been able to view video via WMC. Still records and can still view with WMP.
Have checked audio setting as mentioned in other posts with same error but no luck. Can anyone help?

[Moderator note: topic merged; please search before posting]

HTBruceM

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#13

Post by HTBruceM » Thu Sep 17, 2015 8:10 pm

Old thread I know... but I keep running into this problem "now and then". Most recently while trying to implement a workaround for other issues. I leave my HTPC on all the time, and I tried to reboot the HTPC in the middle of every night on a schedule. It is connected via HDMI to a Denon receiver, and the output HDMI of the Denon drives a Sony TV. What I discovered is this...

When the PC reboots while the TV and/or Denon are OFF, there is something that happens in the video/audio stack that enables a different profile that causes this error (missing files). It was very repeatable. If the Denon is OFF while rebooting the HTPC, get this error when WMC automatically starts up upon reboot. If you push through the popup (hit OK), Media Center comes up but it won't play live TV or recordings ("Video Error Files needed to display video are not installed..."). BTW, when it's in this state, WMC removes the "setup your display" menu option. When in this mode, if you then close WMC and restart it while the Denon/TV are ON, everything works.

I found a setting inside the Denon receiver menu under Video-HDMI Setup called "HDMI Control". For me this had been set to OFF. Because I use a programmable remote to do all my input and power control I figured I didn't need any HDMI CEC stuff going on. But... when I changed this to ON the problem goes away completely. I can then reboot the HTPC while the Denon/TV are both "off". I think this setting in the Denon has a side effect; having it ON means the HDMI circuitry is up and ON all the time, which changes something during WMC startup to full screen. It is able to recognize a valid HDMI endpoint device and this prevents the dreaded "video error" problem.

I don't believe this replaces the "exclusive mode unchecked" fix in the Windows audio playback devices; I just think it's yet another thing that can cause the same end result issue.

So, to sum up.... If your HTPC's HDMI output goes to a receiver and you sometimes run into this issue, try enabling HDMI Control in your receiver (or the equivalent functionality).

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#14

Post by philipt95148 » Fri Sep 18, 2015 2:08 am

Hi,

I currently have this problem and really hope you can help me.
In your setup, the HDMI goes to the receiver first and then HDMI to TV, correct?

My setup is HDMI from the HTPC goes to the TV first, then Optical link from TV output to the Receiver.
I leave the Receiver off most of the time, only on when I play a movie and want 5.1
I just watch Recorded TV on TV with stereo.

I built my HTPC from components in 2013, installed Win 7 Home Premium, and it worked out of the box.
Around Nov 2014, I started having SVCHOST.EXE taking 100% resources, slowing the system down with the fan running high.
AV and Spyware scans showed no infection, so I reinstalled Win 7 fresh and things were normal again. Two, three weeks ago I have SVCHOST.EXE back, and reinstalled Win 7 again, after AV and Spyware scans, except this time I have the error message.

I tried the fix with stereo 2 channels HTPC to TV and then TV to Receiver on 5.1 it did not solve the problem.
I have updated all the drivers.

Nothing changed in my system, no new hardware, nothing was removed and reattached which might have upset something. The only thing that caused me to reinstall Win 7 is the SVCHOST.EXE issue.

I am at a loss as to how to solve this. WMC still works and still records program on schedule, but when I click on the recorded materials to watch, WMC just flickers and nothing else. If I go to select a tv program to watch LIVE, I get the error message.
I can watch recorded TV on Windows Media Player, so it seems the video card is still working but WMC is corrupt somewhere even after a fresh install of the OS.

Could it be that I still have a legacy register error somewhere in the system caused when I stopped SVCHOST.EXE manually?
I also set the system not to install updates as it tends to upset my comskip program, so the video error is really not caused by updates.

Main components are:
- intel G620 chip
- ASRock H77M Motherboard
- infiniTV 4 cable card

Can you think of anything else?
Really need your help here.
Thanks

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newfiend

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#15

Post by newfiend » Sun Sep 20, 2015 2:04 am

To answer the first question regarding HDMI connections...
It will depend on your AVR receiver but you would Run the HDMI out of the HTPC to the HDMI Input on the AVR Receiver then another HDMI cable from the AVR Receiver Output to the TV HDMI Input.
Does your AVR support Audio Return Channel? Some HDMI ports on TV's and AVR's have what's called Audio Return Channel. A quick google search will explain how this works.

The way HDMI works (or is supposed to work) is the Audio and Video signal are BOTH carried over the HDMI cable to the next component in the chain be that a AVR or a TV etc.

Have you tried (or do you have the option to) run the HDMI cable from HTPC > AVR Input and HDMI Output on AVR to HDMI input on TV? Why limit the audio capability during TV playback? If you only want Stereo during TV you could change a setting on the AVR I guess but I always leave mine at 5.1.

HDMI is a finicky thing. You end up battling HDCP frequently if it's not configured correctly.

The "Files needed to display video are not installed" error that pops up is most likely a Audio error and NOT a Video Codec error.
This commonly pops up when using HDMI with WMC.
To work around this error what we used to do was set Windows audio to Stereo.
Open Control Panel > Sound
Select the HDMI connection coming out of the HTPC in the list.
Click the Configure button.
Select 2.0 Stereo. Not 5.1.
You can test and save the settings.
Then Open WMC
Select Tasks/Settings
General > Windows Media Center Setup > Configure your Speakers. ( I may have these slightly wrong I'm going off memory but look for Speaker configuration settings )
once in there run through the setup screens and select the HDMI connection for audio then 5.1 for surround sound in WMC.
For some reason if you have both Windows and WMC set to 5.1 and use HDMI the Files needed to display video are not installed error will pop up. Setting Windows to 2.0 and WMC to 5.1 works around the error and gets you 5.1 when watching TV and Movies in WMC.

The only other option that used to work was disabling navigation sounds within WMC.

Let me know if any of this helps out.
Good Luck,
newfiend~

HTBruceM

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#16

Post by HTBruceM » Wed Sep 23, 2015 9:16 pm

newfiend wrote:To answer the first question regarding HDMI connections...
It will depend on your AVR receiver but you would Run the HDMI out of the HTPC to the HDMI Input on the AVR Receiver then another HDMI cable from the AVR Receiver Output to the TV HDMI Input.
Does your AVR support Audio Return Channel? Some HDMI ports on TV's and AVR's have what's called Audio Return Channel. A quick google search will explain how this works.

The way HDMI works (or is supposed to work) is the Audio and Video signal are BOTH carried over the HDMI cable to the next component in the chain be that a AVR or a TV etc.

Have you tried (or do you have the option to) run the HDMI cable from HTPC > AVR Input and HDMI Output on AVR to HDMI input on TV? Why limit the audio capability during TV playback? If you only want Stereo during TV you could change a setting on the AVR I guess but I always leave mine at 5.1.

HDMI is a finicky thing. You end up battling HDCP frequently if it's not configured correctly.

The "Files needed to display video are not installed" error that pops up is most likely a Audio error and NOT a Video Codec error.
This commonly pops up when using HDMI with WMC.
To work around this error what we used to do was set Windows audio to Stereo.
Open Control Panel > Sound
Select the HDMI connection coming out of the HTPC in the list.
Click the Configure button.
Select 2.0 Stereo. Not 5.1.
You can test and save the settings.
Then Open WMC
Select Tasks/Settings
General > Windows Media Center Setup > Configure your Speakers. ( I may have these slightly wrong I'm going off memory but look for Speaker configuration settings )
once in there run through the setup screens and select the HDMI connection for audio then 5.1 for surround sound in WMC.
For some reason if you have both Windows and WMC set to 5.1 and use HDMI the Files needed to display video are not installed error will pop up. Setting Windows to 2.0 and WMC to 5.1 works around the error and gets you 5.1 when watching TV and Movies in WMC.

The only other option that used to work was disabling navigation sounds within WMC.

Let me know if any of this helps out.
Good Luck,
newfiend~
More than one thing will cause the missing files or insufficient video memory dialog symptoms. As noted, if wmc starts up without a valid HDMI endpoint display present (ie TV and/or receiver are OFF) you can also run into this. Even when set audio settings in the system tray are set to stereo, and when wmc exclusive mode audio is off.

philipt95148

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#17

Post by philipt95148 » Thu Sep 24, 2015 11:10 pm

newfiend wrote:To answer the first question regarding HDMI connections...
It will depend on your AVR receiver but you would Run the HDMI out of the HTPC to the HDMI Input on the AVR Receiver then another HDMI cable from the AVR Receiver Output to the TV HDMI Input.
Does your AVR support Audio Return Channel? Some HDMI ports on TV's and AVR's have what's called Audio Return Channel. A quick google search will explain how this works.

The way HDMI works (or is supposed to work) is the Audio and Video signal are BOTH carried over the HDMI cable to the next component in the chain be that a AVR or a TV etc.

Have you tried (or do you have the option to) run the HDMI cable from HTPC > AVR Input and HDMI Output on AVR to HDMI input on TV? Why limit the audio capability during TV playback? If you only want Stereo during TV you could change a setting on the AVR I guess but I always leave mine at 5.1.

HDMI is a finicky thing. You end up battling HDCP frequently if it's not configured correctly.

The "Files needed to display video are not installed" error that pops up is most likely a Audio error and NOT a Video Codec error.
This commonly pops up when using HDMI with WMC.
To work around this error what we used to do was set Windows audio to Stereo.
Open Control Panel > Sound
Select the HDMI connection coming out of the HTPC in the list.
Click the Configure button.
Select 2.0 Stereo. Not 5.1.
You can test and save the settings.
Then Open WMC
Select Tasks/Settings
General > Windows Media Center Setup > Configure your Speakers. ( I may have these slightly wrong I'm going off memory but look for Speaker configuration settings )
once in there run through the setup screens and select the HDMI connection for audio then 5.1 for surround sound in WMC.
For some reason if you have both Windows and WMC set to 5.1 and use HDMI the Files needed to display video are not installed error will pop up. Setting Windows to 2.0 and WMC to 5.1 works around the error and gets you 5.1 when watching TV and Movies in WMC.

The only other option that used to work was disabling navigation sounds within WMC.

Let me know if any of this helps out.
Good Luck,
newfiend~
My Receiver is old and does not have HDMI input, which is why I do the Optical from TV to Receiver.
It has worked for 2 years since my first installation and only became an issue on my second fresh install to try solve a SVCHOST.EXE issue.

I think either I have a registry error somewhere in WMC that caused SVCHOST.EXE to run on WMC.
I will try to switch HDMI to another port, maybe the current one has an issue?

Thanks

philipt95148

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#18

Post by philipt95148 » Thu Sep 24, 2015 11:12 pm

More than one thing will cause the missing files or insufficient video memory dialog symptoms. As noted, if WMC starts up without a valid HDMI endpoint display present (ie TV and/or receiver are OFF) you can also run into this. Even when set audio settings in the system tray are set to stereo, and when WMC exclusive mode audio is off.[/quote]

It would be the first time for my system as it has worked with TV or Receiver Off.
Per my post, I only switch Receiver on when I want to watch a movie on 5.1, for the rest of the time I just watch Recorded TV on 2 channel on TV speakers.

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newfiend

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#19

Post by newfiend » Fri Sep 25, 2015 3:07 am

Have you checked the TV to see if any speaker settings have been (accidentally) changed.?
Wonder if something in the chain for audio you have setup got modified by accident (kids pressing the wrong buttons in menu's they shouldn't be it etc. since it worked before.)
It happens at my house sometimes and I have to fix it.
newfiend~

HTBruceM

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#20

Post by HTBruceM » Sat Sep 26, 2015 7:15 pm

philipt95148 wrote: It would be the first time for my system as it has worked with TV or Receiver Off.
Per my post, I only switch Receiver on when I want to watch a movie on 5.1, for the rest of the time I just watch Recorded TV on 2 channel on TV speakers.
I would start by checking that you have basic video/audio goodness from the PC to the display OUTSIDE of WMC. For example, check that you do have full resolution video (i.e. 1920x1080p) and good audio from the PC to your display. If you're not getting basic goodness there, then trying to troubleshoot in the WMC application is pointless. If all that is good, then move on to the WMC debug.

Since this is a new Win install, is there a chance that your PC power states are set to sleep and wake (or power ON in any way) while the TV is OFF?
In that case Windows doesn't see any display device or audio device when it comes up, and the default settings without a video monitor aren't compatible with WMC.
From the PC's perspective, the only audio and video output is through the HDMI. It probably knows nothing about the optical path from TV to receiver.

Experiment 1:
TV ON, power down the PC. Then turn off the TV. Wait a few more minutes and turn ON the PC. Wait for several minutes until you think it has fully booted up, then turn ON the TV.
Does the problem exist?

Experiment 2:
TV ON, power down the PC. Then turn off the TV. Wait a few minutes, then turn ON the TV. After 10sec or so, turn ON the PC. Watch it boot on the TV display.
Does the problem exist?

If problem exists after experiment 1 but not after experiment 2, then the problem is due to the HDMI endpoint (TV) not being present during boot up or wake from sleep. You might be able to work around this by either a) turning on HDMI-CEC in the TV for the HDMI input you're using, or b) prevent the PC from sleeping, and ensure the TV is always "up" and set to the correct HDMI input whenever the PC is booted.

BTW this assumes you've already gone through Windows Media Center setup menus to "setup your display" and audio after it has been booted up as in experiment 2.

One other note.. the initial concerns you had with svchost consuming 100% CPU... this can be a normal thing due to windows search indexing, windows defender doing scans, and numerous other normal activities that arise over time. The symptom may return again and could be completely normal. But yes, one of those reasons could be due to malware. If it returns, the link below shows how to determine which service is driving svchost to consume CPU resources.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... =windows-7

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