Strange video playback issues, no clue why

[Geo___]

Hello guys,

Intel i7 - 6700k + Intel HD Graphics 530. No external graphics card. I have been experiencing random stutter/lag while watching high quality videos, mostly 4K @ 30fps or 60fps. Both YouTube and downloaded on the computer. I know that my CPU can handle this without a sweat, so I'm kind of worried as to what's going on.

I'm using Windows 10 64 Bit, latest build. Latest drivers, latest BIOS. I barely have any apps installed on the machine. Only the ones I can't do without. 16 gigs of ram @ 2400mhz (factory clocked), SSD. No overheating, I'm constantly monitoring temperatures, they're flawless. Games always run fine, no stutter there. No CPU overclock, everything is running at stock speeds and voltages. Power Options @ High Performance.

So I tried like 5 media players and 5 browsers.. the only difference is, that if I play a 4k/60fps video in MPC-HC, it will play almost perfectly, with small stutters here and there, whereas if I use VLC it would be way worse.

Watching the same videos in YouTube, I actually find them running a tad better there, no clue why. There's still the occasional stutter, but when I download and play the same video in MPC-HC, it would lag worse (sometimes) that it does online.

Here's 2 bizarre facts -
1. (Example) If I play Video "1" from my PC once and it stutters/lags on the 30th second, if I rewind it at the same spot - there will be no stutter, but it might stutter later on.

2. This one is really mind-boggling. My logic was, if there's stutter/lag, it's probably the FPS going up and down. Well here's the interesting part. I got a frame monitoring program and guess what? I'm watching a video that's 60 fps, the program reports live that it's 60 fps, and I can STILL see it stuttering randomly, EVEN though frames don't change. What the hell?

Videos to consider (I don't quite understand the frame drops I'm getting - why would I have them if my CPU is powerful enough and my connection speed is fast enough?) -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fC53l3jGAc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iSFM-T-F_0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNJdPyoqt8U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXZ3qWAvbVs

YouTube - practically the same thing as watching them on my PC. My connection speed is ~80mbits so it can't be that. I tried disabling hardware acceleration in Chrome and videos started looking like a slideshow. So that didn't help.

Sometimes I get dropped frames in YouTube, but even if I don't - I can still see videos stuttering here and there. Also, I want to mention that the audio never suffers from this, only the picture.

I've tested with a dozen videos, and I can definitely say that it's not the videos' fault, since the first play may be perfect, but the second play will stutter at some point. Absolutely random.

I don't know what to think, honestly. I know that the CPU does all the decoding of the videos, the iGPU has no play.
Is my CPU broken? Is there a problem with the software? I don't know anymore. Everything else runs fine on my machine.

Sorry for the long post, I hope that I was clear enough and someone can chime in and help me out.

Thanks in advance!

 

[maikutech]

Which browser are you using, also do you have the official adobe flash player installed, how many tabs do you have open in your browser while watching videos ?

https://www.adobe.com/shockwave/welcome/

http://www.codecguide.com/download_kl.htm

Use the full codec pack from k-lite and reboot the machine once its done.
Also much as people love their intel chips too much, most people will get a secondary card for gaming or work.
I suggest you look into one before summer time starts up soon.

 

[smorizio]

few things one with flash player make sure it updated and under drive storage set it to max for youtube and or web sites with video. it let the video buffer onto your hard drive. also youtube and other browsers are going away from java and flash player to html5. make sure you have for firefox the html5 player ad on installed. with the onboard video chipset make sure in the bios you have the video ram set to max setting. if not it may be set to 256 or 512k.

 

[Geo___]

Which browser are you using, also do you have the official adobe flash player installed, how many tabs do you have open in your browser while watching videos ?

https://www.adobe.com/shockwave/welcome/

http://www.codecguide.com/download_kl.htm

Use the full codec pack from k-lite and reboot the machine once its done.
Also much as people love their intel chips too much, most people will get a secondary card for gaming or work.
I suggest you look into one before summer time starts up soon.

Hello and thanks for the reply!

I'm using the latest Chrome, also using Chrome Canary (seems to fare a tad better, might be wrong). Also tried Firefox, Edge, IE, Opera - not much difference. I'm watching videos through HTML5, haven't tried Flash. 0 other tabs active while I'm watching the video.

I have the mega k lite codec pack, that's what I'm using for streaming on the PC itself.

I will install Flash to see if it makes any difference.

I'm getting a graphics card soon, but I don't see how this relates to my issue, aren't all videos completely decoded by my CPU? At least that's what everybody says. The CPU does all the work, as far a I know.

@smorizio - I will check BIOS for those things. Thanks!

Edit:

Flash player even worse.

 

[maikutech]

Yes the 6700k just like any other former chips before it with integrated video does this.
However to make it easier on the cpu and your whole computer in the long haul.
Use a dedicated graphics card to let "IT" do the processing for the video, let the cpu handle the desktop, os, gaming operations to it.

For the player part, tell us which version you have in chrome and opera.
If there is something with the flash player version, we can see about getting a stable version for it so it won't lag.
The link I provided if the checker says its not upto date go ahead and update it.
https://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/

When it ask you to close down the browser and do a reboot go ahead and do so it will reflect the changes upon restarting.
Also avoid the bloatware/crapware that adobe may throw in it.

 

[Geo___]

"Yes the 6700k just like any other former chips before it with integrated video does this."

What do you mean by this? Please, elaborate. Are you implying that every person who has the 6700k and uses the iGPU has stutter problems with high quality videos both online and on the computer itself?

I have the latest version of Chrome Canary. I tried with the latest Flash player in Mozilla, and the one built into Chrome - no luck.

Thanks again!

EDIT:

Look at this - http://postimg.org/image/mhp8yi95x/

Here's the video in question.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhFTsEYyFiA

It was randomly dropping frames throughout.
Why? CPU is powerful, internet speed is good. It has buffered enough.. god damned.

 

[maikutech]

"Yes the 6700k just like any other former chips before it with integrated video does this."


EDIT:

Look at this - http://postimg.org/image/mhp8yi95x/

Here's the video in question.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhFTsEYyFiA

It was randomly dropping frames throughout.
Why? CPU is powerful, internet speed is good. It has buffered enough.. god damned.

Well its not a hardware problem but it is chromes problem.
View this here first then go to the next link and try a different adobe plugin.

!. http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2539125/youtube-stutters-powerful-gpu.html
*Read the best selected answer and any post supporting that.*
2. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/flash%C2%AE-player-for-youtube/lajdkhdcndkniopfefocbgbkofflagpm?hl=en

After you do this open up task manager in windows, play the video in chrome.
Check how much cpu usage chrome is taking up, if its not up high it won't stutter,
I could view the video using my gtx750 all day long and not have it stutter.
If that doesn't work use firefox or opera browser if it does much better use it to watch videos and the other for web browsing or whatever you do.
This is why I recommend getting a video card.

 

[maikutech]

As mentioned go over to this place and ask them for assistance.
http://forum.videohelp.com/
If you want you may post back what they say, I or someone else will help figure out where the root issue is.

 

[Chorong Park]

I kind of have the same problem as the OP, but I don't watch youtube or use any other video players on the PC that is having issues. It is connected to a UHD TV with HDMI 2.0 and playing a 1080i ts video with PotPlayer 64-bit when the screen resolution is set to 3840x2160@60hz, sometimes the video would stutter a bit and continue perfectly fine. Rewinding the video would not reproduce the issue. It would also not show a drop frame like as OP said and is playing back at 60FPS + 60Hz. I personally think there's a kind of software bottleneck (I remember the problem would be worse if I use a 32-bit ver. of potplayer) or a loss of bandwidth of the HDMI signal between the GPU and the TV. I hope someone comes up with a solution soon as it is bothering me alot.

FYI: I have reinstalled Win 10 already and the problem still exists.

No overheating issues too.

2x Intel Xeon X5550
4x4GB 1333MHz DDR3
GTX 960
Crucial M4 128GB SSD

 

[maikutech]

You need to make make your own thread, stating your own problem there.