Big problems with M4A after updating to Windows 11 22H2

Anonymous
2023-05-16T09:52:13+00:00

Dear colleagues, after updating Windows 11 to 22H2, there were significant problems with playing files purchased from iTunes in .m4a (AAC, ALAC) format. This problem has been fixed by a lot of people all over the world and is especially evident on the DJ forums. Problems are observed with the quality of playback, and with the volume and with a number of other parameters. This problem is detected on software that uses the built-in Windows 11 22H2 codecs (on earlier versions, the problem is not observed), Windows Media Player, RekordBox, Serato DJ Pro, etc. On players that use their own codecs (VLC, iTunes, JetAudio HD, etc.) there is no problem. When converting m4a to mp3, there are no problems. What it looks like: https://youtu.be/WqAA12pfWjg and https://youtu.be/um3QSTuLg6s Software vendors fix this issue after the 22H2 update as well, label it as a Microsoft issue and offer a workaround, such as converting the entire m4a database to other formats, which of course is completely unacceptable advice with a database of several thousand files. https://forums.pioneerdj.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/12212808237337-RekordBox-5-8-7-m4a-problems Does Microsoft acknowledge the existence of this problem and when is it planned to release an urgent fix, since. the problem has been observed for a very long time and prevents normal operation?

Thanks in advance!

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2024-03-27T00:42:35+00:00

I installed KB5035942 and unless I'm severely mistaken, the issue seems to be resolved.

Can anyone else confirm?

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-02-21T10:31:06+00:00

    You're right, but just not quite.

    Pete is certainly a great man, and has only respect for his participation and selfless help. But cynicism and poisonous jokes are not the same thing.

    1. On 2022-09-20, Windows 11 22H2 appeared on the public channel and it already contained the issue in question, i.e. it was essentially in the early testing stages of this build.

    And this is apparently not what the user wanted out of the box. Nor is it something that millions of users around the world should act as beta testers.

    1. The problem has been reported before, not only in this discussion, including through posts in the "Feedback Center". Microsoft's requirement to report a problem through the "Feedback Center" is completely inappropriate for most ordinary non-technical users, housewives simply do not know where to click, what section to select, how to correctly describe the problem, what data to create and attach. In addition, there are many other ways to contact the support team, which causes discrepancies.
    2. In the end, not only the problem was not detected at the early testing stage and the product was released with a bug in a very frequently used module, but it was possible to bring the problem to Microsoft only thanks to Pete's help, for which he is really thankful.
    3. But despite the fact that the problem has been reported, is finally being addressed, and was even promised to be finally resolved at the end of the month, did it appear on the list of known issues for Windows 11 22H2 or maybe Windows 11 23H2? No!

    Isn't that cynical?

    I.e. in essence, even knowing about the problem, Microsoft doesn't want to admit the mistake, the deliberate unfair competition it created with Apple formats and the willful harm to a huge number of artists and musicians around the world. Now that's cynicism! And this cynicism has been going on for years!

    I think, if you had a gigantic library of audio, constantly replenished, but in order to work with it, it would be necessary to convert it into a "good format", then meditation and Zen Buddhism would not help you much to restrain your emotions :-)

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  2. Anonymous
    2024-01-29T19:41:56+00:00

    Either I'm misunderstanding you, or you didn't see the post stating that the fix is not yet in Windows, and won't be until February. It's only currently in the Windows Insider Canary channel builds.

    Pete

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  3. Anonymous
    2024-01-27T16:07:08+00:00

    Please post your feedback hub link with your repro recording. I've said many times in this thread that videos are great, but they don't get us the detail we need to actually figure out the cause. Instructions are in this thread. I'm at the NAMM show on my phone so can't post screenshots or anything so please look back in this thread.

    It's possible the klite codec reads the flags in the iTunes files the same way we do.

    Pete

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-01-27T13:08:40+00:00

    Stephen, please go back and read my actual replies. It seems you may have skipped them. I didn't disregard this issue at all. I explained why posts on the internet don't actually report problems to us. Finally, I said a fix was on the way to be delivered in February.

    Pete

    Dear Pete,

    KLite Codec does not resolve the problem - this is how to reproduce :

    Window 11 Family, 23H2 / on AMD Rysen 7, 32 Go Ram | Lenovo Legion

    KLite Codec 18.0.5 Basic - Currently Latest version

    Rekordbox - 6.8.2 - Currently Latest version

    Ava Max Kings & Queen m4a / bought on iTunes @ 1:40

    The following video shows the problem..

    https://youtu.be/w76FviCTA04?si=bSeIQ9RxPpWEi_-_

    Thanks for your support

    Very Best Regards

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