Flash videos: video hangs at start, audio runs normally

[Kari]

Hi geeks.

For sometime now, can't say exactly when it started, all Flash videos have a strange startup delay. Videos buffer fast, no complaints, audio starts immediately but the video hangs there up to 7 - 8 seconds showing the first frame and then after this delay, jumps forward to catch the audio and finally plays normally.

I have difficulties to describe this, lets try with other words: I start for example a YouTube video. Audio of the video starts immediately, totally normally, but for the first 7 or 8 seconds the video only shows a still image of the first frame, totally frozen, then jumps to same time spot where audio currently is going and from that point I can watch videos normally. I lose nothing of the audio but visually I am not able to see those first seconds of the video.

When finally both audio and video streams are normal and running, if I switch to / from full screen, the same happens again although the video is frozen only 2 to 4 seconds (audio runs normally), delay being not as long as when video is started.

I have latest Flash installed, the laptop in question is the one told in my system specs. The issue is only when streaming Flash videos; disabling Flash for instance in IE11 and using HTML5 player instead, all videos (even YouTube) work as they should, both audio and video starting immediately.

Any ideas and suggestions welcome.

Kari

 

[CountMike]

Adobe Flash just got updated to v14, did you update to it ?
Did you try playing with Video hardware acceleration settings ?
To check if it has something to do with your video card/drivers, download that flash video and play it locally.

 

[Kari]

I updated Flash just yesterday, no change.

 

[Slartybart]

Try deleting the Flash cache (CPL > Flash Player > Advanced > Browser and Data Settings)

There's also the Global Settings Panel
https://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplayer/help/settings_manager.html

The Global settings override the local settings.

 

[Kari]

Try deleting the Flash cache (CPL > Flash Player > Advanced > Browser and Data Settings)

I will try that. Thanks for the tip.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi Kari,
I believe the best way to deal with flash in either 7 or 8 can't test this yet but is to leave flash disabled until you find you have to use flash,
As you stated ie11 works with videos without flash
So it could be you'll need to wait for Adobe to fix the issue or Googletube to fix the issue ?

Most likely switching to software rendering in ie11 might help or switching off graphics acceleration in flash player,
Alt+TO in ie11 Advanced. Check the top option,
Cheers.

 

[Kari]

As you stated ie11 works with videos without flash
So it could be you'll need to wait for Adobe to fix the issue or Googletube to fix the issue ?

I need Flash for one site, my favorite News site from my native Finland. For an ex-pat it's important to stay in touch with "home country", for me it means a Finnish PBS broadcaster and their News. For reasons unknown to me, this otherwise quite modern site still requires Flash, as can be seen in this screenshot:

​

(Message in Finnish but you can see it clearly.)

​

Kari

 

[A Guy]

Welcome to Eight Forums Mike

Kari, Does this occur in all browsers? Perhaps try it in Safe Mode with Networking. If it works fine there, try a Clean Start and see if there is a conflict. A Guy

 

[Kari]

I have three browsers installed, IE11, Maxthon and Opera. Delay occurs in all brosers, also in Safe Mode although in Safe Mode it is not as long, lasting about two or three seconds.

Clean start resulted nothing.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
If the site you posted the pic of is having the same delay post a direct link to it and the vid and I'll test in win-7 and ie10 to see if the same issue happens to me
Cheers.

 

[Kari]

Here's the link to that exact news story I used as image example previously. When I play the video, the audio starts immediately without whatsoever issues but video (picture) is frozen.

Myllykosken paperitehtaan lakkautus tekee yhä kipeää | Uutiset | Tv | Areena | yle.fi

 

[ThrashZone]

Thanks,
The video had no delay on my end,
You might have a conflict with flash and the html5 add-on ?
Try removing the html5 add-on and test the issue,
Cheers.
For the record I don't believe you really need it because ie10-11 have those abilities built in

 

[Kari]

I do not have any HTML5 add-on, it's built in in IE11 which I mainly use. When you disable Flash, HTML5 kicks in automatically.

 

[ThrashZone]

That's interesting this is what I'm referring to,
http://www.youtube.com/html5
This isn't what you have ?

 

[ThrashZone]

Sorry to double post,
If you visit the previous link I just posted does this page look exactly the same ?

View attachment 45133

 

[Kari]

That's interesting this is what I'm referring to,
http://www.youtube.com/html5
This isn't what you have ?

No, at least in Windows 8.1, IE11 plays both Flash and HTML5 videos straight out of the box. I have not installed any players for IE11, nor have I opted for any player or stream type.

I have grown to like IE11 and it is slowly taking over, replacing my previous favorite browser Maxthon with I still use side by side with IE11. As I like the HTML5 more than Flash (is it just in my eyes but even the video quality looks better?), I have usually the Shockwave Flash Object add-on disabled in IE, which forces it to use HTML5.

An example. Flash disabled:

​

Here I am watching the most recent News from that Finnish PBS broadcaster, IE11 & HTML5. No delays, both video and audio start immediately:

​

Enabling Flash and clicking the same link in my Finnish IPTV subscription interface, IE automatically uses Flash player instead of HTML5. Audio starts immediately, picture (video) freezes for several seconds, then jumps forward to catch audio stream and from there no issues:

​

I have tried everything suggested here, only thing that has worked at least a bit was Bill's idea to try in Safe Mode. However, as the freezing issue occurred also there although a bit shorter, and as using Safe Mode for daily browsing is not so good idea, this does not help me.

 

[ThrashZone]

Thanks,
Well I do notice you have java 7 enabled and others disabled any difference with that add-on disabled ?
Cheers.

 

[Kari]

I noticed the same, I always have Java totally disabled but somehow that one was enabled, my fault of course. It's disabled now.

To put it in the same way than surprisingly many newbies post about their issues:

I have never installed Java but somehow after I watched a video and made Windows Updates, it is now installed. Why can't Microsoft make it so that this does not happen!

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
You have quite a few morphs of it too ?

The Java developers toolbox is the only one I've ever seen popup out of the blue,
But usually what happens first is a popup message saying this/ the site wants to use java of some nature,
I don't view this as a good thing to happen,
Most the time it happens on questionable sites

After which a full reset of ie I feel is in order and search and destroy mission to get rid of it/ scan fest,
Then just monitor add-ons as usual for me anyway,
Some people need it I personally do not,
Like to see some of the other add-ons if you have the time
Safe mode would kill all of them and a host of startup and services, "like you didn't already know that"
Cheers.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi Kari,
I now can test the site and did,
There was a slight buffering but the audio never started until the video started so there wasn't any delay except for the entire video,
But this was also using F5 to refresh
Before I didn't have flash enabled out of habit,
F5 and the video played right a way,
I do have my flash site storage to ask for new site so that was the only delay on approval it started right away,
Cheers.