Playback Error With MP4 HD Files

[JoshT561]

I have been experiencing an error message from Windows Media Player when attempting to skip ahead (fast forward) with MPEG-4 HD files that I am creating with VideoStudio Pro X5. After the new MP4 HD file is first created (this can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the length of the clip, which are between 15 and 40 minutes), I open the file to view it in Windows Media Player. It starts playing normally with no problems, but as soon as I click to skip ahead on the timeline bar, an error message displays stating "Windows Media Player encountered a problem while playing the file". In the last 10 attempts or so I have only been succesful in creating one MP4 HD file that allows skipping ahead... I am not doing anything differently (that I am aware of, at least) when I "get lucky" and manage to create a file that does not generate the error message, and after burning the last 9 hours on three more failed attempts I decided to check and see if anyone here has experienced this problem and hopefully found a solution.

Please help!

Thanks,
Josh

[Ken Berry]

Well, I and no doubt many other users have experienced such problems with WMP but the problem lies with it, rather than your videos. WMP is probably one of the weakest software players when it comes to HD video. So before panicking too much I suggest you do a Google search for a freeware player such as VLC Player, and see if the same thing occurs.

[canuck]

Have you tried playing with other players such as the free VLC player?

Seems to be a problem with WMP player which I never use since it has all sorts of problem that do not occur with other players.. Does the video play all the way through if you don't skip forward?

[JoshT561]

Thank you for the replies and recommendations!

Yes, the video does play all the way through if I do not skip ahead, but I am creating the videos for a website and am concerned that a problem with the files now could lead to a less than ideal user experience at some point with all the different browser options out there. Unfortunately I'm not technically gifted in this area.

I noticed that my Windows 7 OS had an update to install after posting last night. After the update I was able to create 2 videos in a row that did not have any problems at all. But just when I was thinking the update might have been the culprit, I just now produced another MP4 with the same problem. As a test to see if it might be someting within the content that I am trying to create, I actually created a trimmed down/shorter version of the same content... but the longer version was created fine last night without any problems while the shorter version, of the same content, just completed with the forward/skip error. It just seems strange that the problem appears to be random... I don't believe it actually is random, but I can't seem to isolate what the problem is or predict when it will occure.

Thanks again for the responses and ideas!

Best,
Josh

[Ken Berry]

All I can do is repeat Canuck's and my suggestion above that you try using another media player like VLC which is far less problematic with high def video than WMP...