Windows 7 movie maker, has black screen but has audio

Anonymous
2013-04-16T05:33:22+00:00

I have windows 7 movie maker and the preview screen is black, I can here audio but can't see anything. How do I fix this?

Windows for home | Other | Music, photos, and video

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Anonymous
2013-04-16T16:20:01+00:00

The most common causes of black video (only audio) are:

  1. Not having the correct video codec to decode the video file.  This can happen with certain file types. While it might be possible to remedy this by figuring out what exact codec the file needs and then getting that installed on your system, this can be fraught with peril.  My recommendation in these cases is to convert the source video file to a supported file type (preferably .wmv).  I've used Freemake Video Converter for this task, but feel free to research your options.
  2. Having an outdated video graphics driver.  The solution for this is to run dxdiag and go to the Display tab.  Find out the make/model of your graphics card along with the installed driver version.  Then go to the manufacturer's website and find and install an update.  Alternatively, you may have to go to your PC manufacturer's website to get a graphics driver update, if they prevent you from installing driver updates directly.

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  1. Anonymous
    2013-05-07T21:48:58+00:00

    Hi James,

    Thanks for participating on this thread. I would like to request log files of your Movie Maker for further investigation. For the instructions, kindly refer to my message on the private message area. You need to sign in to Microsoft Community to see Private Messages button in line with All Replies.

    Regards,

    Richard

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  2. Anonymous
    2013-05-07T17:54:54+00:00

    Thanks very much for the feedback, but for your info, I followed your instructions exactly as you described before writing my last post, but to no avail. Everything is configured correctly. There are no issues with drivers. I have now tried this out on a second system and still no luck.

    I'm a little dubious about the codec explanation. I agree there is a codec for viewing and a codec for editing, but the codec for previewing the video inside MovieMaker should be exactly the same codec for viewing the video in the MediaPlayer. It is the codec used for translating the file (or stream) data into visual and audio information. For editing and recording one would normally require an alternative codec for doing exactly the reverse. Codecs are normally installed as a library (or a plug-in depending on the platform) and can be shared by all applications that are running on the same operating system.

    If the MovieMaker is not using the same codec as MediaPlayer to preview or review videos, then this reflects very badly on MovieMaker. No software reusability. What-you-see-is-what-you-get no longer applies to serious users. An engineer might regard the software design as flawed.

    I don't believe that this is the case. I believe that MovieMaker does use the same codec for previewing and reviewing, but I think more likely there some faulty configuration or a software bug that is causing this issue that I am seeing.

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  3. Anonymous
    2013-05-06T20:15:24+00:00

    There is a difference between being able to decode video in your Media Player (for playback) and decoding video in Movie Maker (for editing). It's not a given that a file that decodes in your media player will also then edit fine in Movie Maker.

    My suggestion would be to check your graphics driver using the steps in #2.  If that doesn't remedy the situation, convert the file as noted in #1 above.

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  4. Anonymous
    2013-05-06T19:51:19+00:00

    I have the same problem, but I don't believe it's a problem with the codec. I have an HD MP4 video from my mobile phone. I can view the file without any problems with the video player, which implies that I have the correct codec installed. It's only when I load the same file into MovieMaker that I can't see the film in the viewer. Most likely there's some sort of software bug in Movie Maker.

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