Solved YouTube (and other) videos not playing (Windows 11 arm, Vivaldi x64)

Eruzo

With Vivaldi x64 on Windows 11 ARM (Surface Pro X).

I'm having problems playing videos in the Vivaldi browser. Going to YouTube I can click a video. I get the frame where the video is supposed to be, but after some repeated loading spinners (probably advertisement 1, 2 and then video) the frame remains empty.

I tried to reproduce this on a standalone Vivaldi, but unfortunately that crashes as soon as I try to go to youtube.com.

Not being able to play video is not limited to YouTube. Am I the only one with this problem?

(Video works fine in Edge)

Eruzo

Interesting thing today. Either the Vivaldi team fixed the issues (but I don't think so, looking at the release notes), or Microsoft improved things on their end.

I got a firmware/diver update from MS and looking at the release notes saw:

Improves graphics stability and performance.
Improves stability and performance in Windows 11.
Surface_Pro_X_SQ2_processor

Thinking it might help I started Vivaldi again and tried the video test page. This time I did get sound on the videos.

(General problems starting Vivaldi with often crashes are still there, but I already have a bug report for that)

Pathduck

@eruzo Hi, problems with specifically YT videos could be caused by ad/tracker blockers. So try disabling any of those you're running for the domain, including Vivaldi's built-in blocker.

Please try the troubleshooting steps:
https://help.vivaldi.com/desktop/troubleshoot/troubleshooting-issues/

Are you able to play these videos, and if not which ones do not play?
https://tekeye.uk/html/html5-video-test-page

When trying to play a video, open the URL (paste in adr.bar):
vivaldi:/media-internals
Select the site/video you're trying to play, then scroll down and look for errors/warnings.

Since you're on Win11, I'm assuming Windows N edition is not the issue.

Do videos work in other browsers on your system?

Eruzo

@Pathduck Hi, Thanks for your reply. I tested the url (https://tekeye.uk/html/html5-video-test-page) both in the normal Vivaldi install as in a stand-alone install.

Both of them fail at all tests except test 7 and 8. Since both 7 and 8 have their sound turned off it looks as if it is sound related. If I start playing test 7 or 8 and press the unmute button the video stops playing. The media-internals shows warnings and errors related to sound. This seems to confirm sound might be the problem.

As for YouTube, I don't have any add blockers (enabled). I don't have any plugins installed either.

Only other browser on the system is Edge where I do not have problems.

dimensions	"432x243"
duration	15.758
error	"audio render error"
event	"kPause"
info	"Selected PassThroughVideoDecoder for video decoding, config: codec: h264, profile: h264 main, level: not available, alpha_mode: is_opaque, coded size: [432,240], visible rect: [0,0,432,240], natural size: [432,243], has extra data: true, encryption scheme: Unencrypted, rotation: 0°, flipped: 0, color space: {primaries:BT709, transfer:BT709, matrix:BT709, range:DERIVED}"
kAudioDecoderName	"PassThroughAudioDecoder"
kFrameTitle	"HTML5 Video Test Page | Tek Eye"
kFrameUrl	"https://tekeye.uk/html/html5-video-test-page"
kIsAudioDecryptingDemuxerStream	false
kIsPlatformAudioDecoder	false
kIsPlatformVideoDecoder	false
kIsRangeHeaderSupported	true
kIsSingleOrigin	true
kIsStreaming	false
kIsVideoDecryptingDemuxerStream	false
kRendererName	"RendererImpl"
kResolution	"432x243"
kTextTracks	[]
kTotalBytes	"0x2fea1b"
kVideoDecoderName	"PassThroughVideoDecoder"
origin_url	"https://tekeye.uk/"
pipeline_buffering_state	{"for_suspended_start":false,"state":"BUFFERING_HAVE_ENOUGH"}
pipeline_error	"AUDIO_RENDERER_ERROR"
pipeline_state	"kStopped"
player_id	4
render_id	13
url	"https://tekeye.uk/html/images/Joren_Falls_Izu_Jap.mp4"
warning	"Failed to reconcile encoded audio times with decoded output."

Pathduck

@eruzo Yeah, looks like audio render problems. Might be a bug specific to ARM, or something on your system not working properly. Vivaldi relies a lot more on system-installed codecs/renderers than Edge for instance.

You don't have any codec packs installed? Codec packs are evil and will fsck up your audio/video playback if you're not careful.

Since you've tested in a clean standalone install there shouldn't be anything else interfering. Make sure to collect as much information on your system as possible, maybe also including what codecs are installed if you're able to, then report the bug to the Vivaldi bug tracker.

Please read:

carefully and report the bug to Vivaldi bugtracker

Here's an article on some useful tools to check what codecs are installed, the Nirsoft tool is good:
https://www.raymond.cc/blog/checking-installed-audio-and-video-codecs-on-your-computer/

I think good old msinfo will also list this, but only the Windows-installed ones.

You can also use Autoruns to check installed codecs, if you find any not installed under C:\Windows it's most likely 3rd-party and could cause problems.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns

dude99

probably this bug: https://forum.vivaldi.net/post/550833

bug reported VB-86201

Eruzo

I Just read the forum post. The audio setting in the stand-alone (and my normal) install is already set to "Play all audio", so it seems different.

As for codecs, Autoruns shows only one:
vidc.cvid File not found: iccvid.dll

Looking that one up I found troubleshoot-installed-codecs-windows-7. While it is not for my Windows version, there is a note saying it is only installed on x32 by default, so could be correct it is not there. (Does supprise me it is in the registry then).

Using InstalledCodec and filtering on audio I get:

Fraunhofer IIS MPEG Layer-3 Codec	Driver - Audio 	No	5-6-2021 15:10:42	MPEG Layer-3 Audio Codec for MSACM	1, 9, 0, 0401	Fraunhofer Institut Integrierte Schaltungen IIS	MPEG Layer-3 Audio Codec for MSACM	151.552	C:\Windows\System32\l3codeca.acm		msacm.l3acm		l3codeca.acm	5-6-2021 15:10:42	5-6-2021 15:10:42	
msacm.imaadpcm	Driver - Audio 	No	11-1-2022 19:55:16	IMA ADPCM CODEC for MSACM	10.0.22000.184 (WinBuild.160101.0800)	Microsoft Corporation	Microsoft® Windows® Operating System	67.264	C:\WINDOWS\system32\imaadp32.acm		msacm.imaadpcm		imaadp32.acm	11-1-2022 19:55:16	11-1-2022 19:55:16	
msacm.msadpcm	Driver - Audio 	No	14-7-2021 18:15:00	Microsoft ADPCM CODEC for MSACM	10.0.22000.184 (WinBuild.160101.0800)	Microsoft Corporation	Microsoft® Windows® Operating System	69.824	C:\WINDOWS\system32\msadp32.acm		msacm.msadpcm		msadp32.acm	14-7-2021 18:15:00	14-7-2021 18:15:00	
msacm.msg711	Driver - Audio 	No	14-7-2021 18:15:00	Microsoft CCITT G.711 (A-Law and u-Law) CODEC for MSACM	10.0.22000.184 (WinBuild.160101.0800)	Microsoft Corporation	Microsoft® Windows® Operating System	49.160	C:\WINDOWS\system32\msg711.acm		msacm.msg711		msg711.acm	14-7-2021 18:15:00	14-7-2021 18:15:00	
msacm.msgsm610	Driver - Audio 	No	11-1-2022 19:55:16	Microsoft GSM 6.10 Audio CODEC for MSACM	10.0.22000.184 (WinBuild.160101.0800)	Microsoft Corporation	Microsoft® Windows® Operating System	83.792	C:\WINDOWS\system32\msgsm32.acm		msacm.msgsm610		msgsm32.acm	11-1-2022 19:55:16	11-1-2022 19:55:16

I haven't installed a lot audio/video wise. Only external program that I have installed is MPC-HC.

I'll report a bug for it. All the info I got with the links @Pathduck provided hopefully prove useful.

Pathduck

@eruzo Hi again - yes it's probably a good idea to report a bug with a lot of details. But audio/video issues are hairy to troubleshoot, so not sure what will come of it.

In practice this audio decoding issue means you can't play any video with audio using Vivaldi, so it might be an idea to do some more checking to see if you can identify the cause.

I notice in your log it uses "PassThroughAudioDecoder". I think (but not sure) that this means it uses your system installed codecs/filters. It tries to send the audio stream to your system for playback, but it fails. It's strange the video also breaks, it should in theory only disable audio if unable to play it back.

One thing to try:
In vivaldi://experiments/ enable the setting "Always use Chromium media demuxer" and restart the browser. Not sure if this helps as it doesn't seem that demuxing is the problem, but try.

Another thing is to try downloading the video files from the test page (use right-click), and try to play them back in Win Media Player or similar, something that uses DirectShow - but not VLC as it is bundled with "all" codecs anyway.

One tool I've used (rarely) for troubleshooting media playback is Graph Studio Next:
https://github.com/cplussharp/graph-studio-next

It creates a visualisation of what decoders/filters are used for playback, and allows you to test playback using your system codecs. Might be worth a try to see what's being used. If the theory is that something on your system causes the issue.

Eruzo

Experiments setting had no effect.

Downloaded file plays in Windows Media Player, Films and TV and MPC-HC.

I tried using graph-studio-next, but I either don't get the program (I guess I don't) or something is not working, or both. This could be a problem on the system, or the tool not working correctly on ARM.

Pathduck

@eruzo said in YouTube (and other) videos not playing (Windows 11 arm, Vivaldi x64):

I tried using graph-studio-next, but I either don't get the program (I guess I don't) or something is not working, or both.

You just open the program and you can drag a media file into the app, or use File > Open (Ctrl+o). You should end up with something like the image I posted. You can then click Start and it will attempt to play the media in an ActiveMovie window.

But if it works in WMP which also uses DirectShow I really don't know why the browser refuses to play it.

Eruzo

Then my attempt at using it was correct. But the result when open a file in it is just:

Pressing play in the tool does not yield any result (tried both x64 and win32).

Pathduck

@eruzo That might be a clue to something being wrong with media playback on your system, if it can't build a DirectShow graph. Strange still that it worked in WMP though, I thought it would also use DirectShow.

But maybe things have changed on Win11 and with ARM specifically.

Eruzo

Interesting thing today. Either the Vivaldi team fixed the issues (but I don't think so, looking at the release notes), or Microsoft improved things on their end.

I got a firmware/diver update from MS and looking at the release notes saw:

Improves graphics stability and performance.
Improves stability and performance in Windows 11.
Surface_Pro_X_SQ2_processor

Thinking it might help I started Vivaldi again and tried the video test page. This time I did get sound on the videos.

(General problems starting Vivaldi with often crashes are still there, but I already have a bug report for that)

DoctorG

@eruzo Congrats, your firmware update had fixed it.

Solved YouTube (and other) videos not playing (Windows 11 arm, Vivaldi x64)

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