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July 10th, 2025 13:11
Dell G15 5530 - Freezing when watching videos on my Dell laptop that I bought last month
I have a Dell G15 5530 laptop with 32GB Ram, i7-13650HX, RTX 4060, Windows 11 Pro. Randomly while I am watching videos on it, with YouTube on Chrome or videos on VLC or MPV, it freezes and nothing I can do works. It stays on the screen it was on, and key presses or mouse movements seem to do nothing. Sometimes the sound bugs out and a noise is produced, but sometimes it is quiet.
I have never encountered this problem when I am not watching a video ( I have played games for multiple hours with no issues so far), although freezing has happened when the video had stopped playing and while I was going through the comment section. This seems to happen completely randomly and there have been days with no problems and days where it freezes multiple times.
I have updated all of the drivers for Nvidia and Intel, BIOS and Windows are up to date. I have tried switching apps from Intel igpu to nvidia gpu and back, tried turning off Variable Refresh rate and Hardware accelerated GPU scheduling. Nothing seems to work and I am all out of ideas. What should I do?
DELL-Jesse L
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July 11th, 2025 05:22
Freezing video playback in VLC or MPV on your Dell laptop can be frustrating, but several potential causes and solutions can address it.
General troubleshooting steps (VLC & MPV)
Update VLC/MPV: Ensure you're using the latest version of your chosen media player. Updates often include bug fixes and performance improvements that can address playback issues.
Update graphics drivers: Outdated or corrupted display drivers are a common cause of video playback problems. Check the Dell support website for the latest graphics drivers specific to your laptop model and install them.
Check for Windows Updates: Ensure your Windows operating system is fully updated, as system updates can sometimes resolve underlying compatibility issues.
Verify video file integrity: If only specific videos are causing problems, they might be corrupted or incomplete. Try playing the video in another player or on another device, or re-download the file.
Monitor system resources: High-resolution videos, like 4K, can be demanding on your CPU and GPU. Use Task Manager (press Ctrl + Shift + Esc) to monitor CPU and GPU usage and temperature. If either is consistently high, it might indicate insufficient system resources or overheating.
Disable unnecessary background processes: Close other applications running in the background to free up system resources for video playback.
VLC-specific solutions
Increase cache values: VLC preloads video data into RAM for smooth playback. Increasing the cache value can help with larger or higher-resolution videos.
Open VLC and navigate to Tools > Preferences.
In the bottom-left, select "All" under "Show settings".
Go to Input/Codecs > Advanced.
Change the "File caching (ms)" value to 1000 or above.
Click Save and restart VLC.
Disable Hardware-Accelerated Decoding: While hardware decoding can boost performance, sometimes it can cause playback issues with certain drivers or files.
Open VLC and navigate to Tools > Preferences.
In the bottom-left, select "All" under "Show settings".
Go to Input/Codecs > Video Codecs > FFmpeg.
Set "Hardware decoding" to "Disable".
Click Save and restart VLC.
Switch video output module: Experiment with different video output modules in VLC.
Open VLC and navigate to Tools > Preferences.
In the bottom-left, select "All" under "Show settings".
Click on "Video".
Try selecting a different "Output module" (e.g., Direct3D11 Video Acceleration or DirectX DirectDraw).
Click Save and restart VLC.
Adjust FFmpeg settings: In some cases, adjusting the FFmpeg loop filter settings can help.
Open VLC and navigate to Tools > Preferences.
In the bottom-left, select "All" under "Show settings".
Go to Input/Codecs > Video Codecs > FFmpeg.
Change "Skip the loop filter for H.264 decoding" to "All".
Click Save and restart VLC.
MPV-specific solutions
Enable/Disable hardware decoding: MPV's hardware decoding can be toggled using the --hwdec=API option. Try enabling or disabling it to see if it resolves the issue.
Experiment with different hardware decoder options: If you have multiple GPUs (e.g., integrated and dedicated), try different hardware decoder options like nvdec-copy for NVIDIA or vaapi-copy for VAAPI based GPUs.
Advanced troubleshooting
Check for overheating: High temperatures can cause performance issues, including video freezes. Monitor your Dell laptop's CPU and GPU temperatures using tools like HWMonitor or Dell SupportAssist. If overheating is detected, try cleaning the vents, using a cooling pad, or applying new thermal paste.
Consider video repair software: If you suspect the video file is corrupt and none of the other troubleshooting steps work, consider using video repair software like Stellar Repair for Video to fix any corruption in the file.
By systematically working through these troubleshooting steps, you should be able to identify and resolve the cause of your video freezing issues on your Dell laptop while using VLC or MPV.
To receive assistance from Dell chat support, they need to verify the warranty status and ownership. Then you must troubleshoot with them. Click the "Get Help Now" icon on the right to start a live chat session. If already out of warranty, click here for the Dell out of warranty offering.