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Whether you download videos from the Internet or receive video files from other people, the chances of encountering MKV files are high. To play MKV files, one of the most common players is the VLC media player. However, when you use VLC to play MKV videos, you will always encounter problems: Sound problems, video delay and camera shake, no picture… This article contains detailed instructions on how to solve MKV problems with VLC playback. Below you will find some tips on how to play MKV perfectly in VLC without any problems.
Based on our multiple tests and comments from some people in the VLC forum, we have found 4 possible solutions to VLC MKV playback problems.
Change the Settings
If the skipped MKV file is read from a local hard drive, select the “All” settings at the bottom of the dialog to display all options, then navigate to Input / Codecs -> Access Modules -> File.
The cache value here is expressed in milliseconds, so set the setting to 1000 buffers for one second (default is 600 or 0.6 seconds). The problem with this too large option is that if you want to manually jump to a new location in the file, the delay is longer while the contents are buffered again.
Install the Latest Version of the VLC Media Player
It turns out that one of the most common causes of this particular error when playing MKV files with the VLC media player is a bug that affected versions of VLC released around 2012. If you are using a very outdated VLC client, fixing it could be as simple as uninstalling your current version of VLC and installing the latest version from the official website.
Note: Remember that the VLC automatic update feature is known to fail quite often. So do not discard this potential fix simply because the application did not ask you to update.
Several concerned users have confirmed that uninstalling their current version of VLC via the Programs and Files menus and installing the latest version from the official download page finally allowed them to fix the “Oops: VLC’s media player just crashed”.
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Disable Hardware Decoding
Some users resolve the fidgeting of VLC playback of mkv files by disabling hardware decoding. Normally you want hardware acceleration of the decoding process, but in some cases it may conflict with your drivers and is worth trying.
Enabling DirectX Video Acceleration (DVXA) 2.0
If this issue occurs on a newer PC configuration that runs on a fairly dedicated GPU but with a lower-level CPU, changing the default hardware acceleration to Direct Video Acceleration (DVXA) 2.0 may be the method that finally solves the constant VLC crashes when playing .MKV files.
This could be effective because DirectX video acceleration allows certain CPU-intensive tasks (iDCT, motion compensation, deinterlacing, etc.) that could cause stuttering, freezing or general instability to be transferred to the GPU.
If you are using a small CPU, this process can transfer heavy rendering tasks to the GPU, allowing your system to handle MKV file playback much more efficiently.
Find an Alternative to VLC Player
If you still can’t play an MKV file with VLC, the only solution is to find another video player. The Media Player Classic is a compact media player that serves as an alternative to the VLC player for Microsoft Windows. For Mac users, you can try the MXplayer.
Convert MKV to the most user-friendly VLC format
Since MKV is not well supported by the VLC media player, an ultimate solution is to convert MKV to VLC’s most user-friendly format.
https://forum.videolan.org/viewtopic.php?t=145357
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CCNA, Web Developer, PC Troubleshooter
I am a computer enthusiast and a practicing IT Professional. I have years of experience behind me in computer programming, hardware troubleshooting and repair. I specialise in Web Development and Database Design. I also have a CCNA certification for Network Design and Troubleshooting.