Windows Live Photo Gallery and Quicktime/MP4 File Problems
- Wed, 2008-01-02 16:03 — sjames
I really like the Live Photo Gallery software, but currently there is a problem with their Quicktime integration. Whenever I click on an MP4 file from my new camera, there is a long delay while Live Photo Gallery does something (attempts to build a thumbnail?) with it. It happens again if I click the same file again later, so if it is building a thumbnail then it is failing.
Microsoft KB article 944563 seems to have a temporary fix for this--a couple of batch files to disable/enable Quicktime support in Live Photo Gallery. Seems to work. Uninstalling Live Photo Gallery also works, if you don't need it. Hopefully they'll be able to actually fix the bug soon (though since they're using the Quicktime API, it might be Apple's responsibility).
Other people seem to have run in to this problem, and it seems to affect all filetypes that Quicktime would normally handle (.MOV, .MP4, .3GP, .M4V, etc):
- http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1226700
- http://www.techsupportforum.com/microsoft-support/windows-xp-support/201615-media-programs-spike-cpu-after-closing.html
- http://bonj.blogspot.com/2007/12/windows-live-photo-gallery.html
I'll update this thread if the problem is ever fixed.
Update: For those of you looking for a quick fix to get you by, try turning off the sidebar ("view->folder options" or "organize->folder and search options") and using a view that doesn't show you thumbnails. That should prevent the hangups (still doesn't give you the thumbnails though).
Comments
rename the WLXQuickTimeControlHost.exe
for WinXP: rename the WLXQuickTimeControlHost.exe to WLXQuickTimeControlHost.ex_ or whatever you like. Problem solved.
grxl
That's true, that'll work.
That's true, that'll work. Disables all the pretty thumbnails though.
Small Ways Around It
Hey there sjames. I've had the same problem, and have been monologuing my feeble study into fixing it, since the site on which I asked about it was not of help.
In detail, its here
Here's a few ways to slightly deminish, but not solve the problem, although while viewing the files in Windows, and not necessarily in Live Photo Gallery:
1. Change the association of the files to a player other than Quicktime. I used Media Player Classic. This seems to reduce the lag by a second or two (maybe).
2. If its copying and pasting you want to do, select more than one file at once, probably from the side, and since in this case a thumbnail would not even attempt to be created, you have no lag.
3. Again, since, in this case there would be no thumbnail, files of that sort that are on the desktop will suffer no extra lag.
I've also tried some of the stuff you've suggested (change view mode from 'thumbnail'; get rid of 'common tasks' toolbar), but I hope something that does not require any disabling will come along soon.
Thanks for your efforts, and I think I'm going to try the disabling of the Quicktime support for now.
pProjects
.MOV WLXQuickTimeControlHost Issue
Hi,
I think this is a general bug in WLXQuickTimeControlHost on XP.
I have also been experiencing this issue and ( as yet :-) ) am not using Live Photo Gallery. Whenever i open a folder containing a quicktime .MOV file, explorer freezes for a time relative to the file size, generally movies have been created by a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FC7.
This happens even if you change the default application in explorer for the type so i guess my next step is the registry and preventing thumbnail creation for .MOV.
OS is Windows XP Home SP2
Using a combination of seperate process per explorer window and Jabbing Kill Process each time WLXQuickTimeControlHost is launched...
Thanks.
Thanks for the info! When I'm back at work after this week I'll get a bug filed with your information. I'm sorry you're running into this and your information is golden to ensure we avoid this in the future.
Live Photo Gallery added QuickTime support, which is why Vista's Photo Gallery continues to work just fine. My advice would be to follow the KB to turn off QuickTime support since it's causing more harm than good for you.
Alllllso, if you're not tired of me and so motivated to dig around: I'd be curious if any Watson reports came up due to this (I'd be able to look in our report database). If you do a right-click on My Computer -> Manage -> Event Viewer -> Application and sort by Event and scroll to your 1001 events, do you find any matching Application Error / Application Hang reports around one of this mp4 thumbnail blow-outs? If so, I'd love to know the bucket # in the event because I can associate the bug w/ the bucket and debug any mini-dump information that might have been uploaded.
Thanks again.
== Eric
No problem
I did a little further digging at home this evening (you know, just for kicks).
I realized that having the task manager up and running to kill the wlxquicktimecontrolhost had become automatic for me. If I let the controlhost run, it will eventually finish (time seems linear based on file size) and display the thumbnail. Clicking away and then clicking on the same file (in details view) takes just as long. I think it is building the thumbnail for the "details view" in the task pane.
Live Gallery on my XP machine does successfully play my Quicktime movies (after the long delay building the thumbnails). I got it to work on Vista as well--had some settings wrong. On XP it does report that I may need to download a codec, but then takes me to the Quicktime 7.3.1 download page (which I already have installed).
Oddly, in all cases the thumbnails of my Sanyo videos are severely overexposed, sometimes completely blown out. I feel like this has something to do with the first frame that the Sanyo records always being black (perhaps QT is overcompensating the levels because of this)--that could be way off though.
No Watson reports that I could find.
If I switch to thumbnail view in Explorer (on XP), the WLXQuickTimeControlHost is launched once per QT file, and explorer does not respond until these processes finish (I usually kill it a bunch of times). Live Gallery does not block its process while waiting for the thumbnails.
Hmmm, guess thats enough for now. Thanks for your interest and your responses.
Which camera do you have?
Hi, Eric here. A mighty fine analysis.
I work on Live Photo Gallery and would like to know the make / model of the camera you're using, just so that we can see about tracking the same camera down and getting an internal reproduction of your MP4 issue.
It may not be our issue to fix, but it will help us make progress.
Thanks,
== Eric
Sanyo HD1a
Hey cool--My blog is now free tech support from the Live development team!
Details:
I have the Sanyo VPC-HD1a, Windows XP, latest Quicktime/Live Gallery that I can find.
I noticed today that my Vista machine at work is not affected and does generate Live Gallery-looking thumbnails for my videos. Both my XP machines at home are affected.
I think I have the latest Live Gallery from Windows Update (1308.1023). When I open the .MP4 files in Live Gallery they do not play (on my Vista machine--haven't tested XP).
G-Spot reports:
mp42: MP4 v2 [ISO 14496-14]
- isom: MP4 Base Media v1 [IS0 14496-12:2003]
Recommended Display Size: 1280 x 720
Codec: mp4v
Codec Status Undetermined
kbps: 9000
Let me know if you'd like a sample video file or any further details.
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