If you are experiencing any problems with video playback such as:
- No video or Black screen
- Distorted video or
- Crashes whilst video is being played
- Show an error related to MFPlat.DLL
If you are using a version of Windows that doesn't include Windows Media Player (often known as "N" and "KN" Editions - right click on "This PC" in the Start menu or File Explorer and select "Properties" then check the version information) you will need to download and install the Media Feature Pack from the appropriate (depending on the version of Windows you're using) webpage below:
- Windows 10
Note that there are reports that after updating between Windows 10 versions any installed Media Features Pack is uninstalled and the Media Features Pack appropriate to the updated Windows 10 version needs to then be installed. - Windows 8.1
- Windows 8
- Windows 7
- Windows Vista or XP
If the problem persists, or you aren't using a "N" or "KN" edition of Windows), try the following:
- Start Hazard Perception
- On the main menu go to "Settings" and then "Video settings"
- Select "Original Size" or "Stretch to fit" as the video size (instead of "Automatic")
- Click on "OK"
- Try the videos again
If the problem persists... if you have an NVIDIA graphics card and the NVIDIA Optimus software installed, try the following:
- Exit Theory/Hazard Perception/Practical (if it is running).
- Right-click on your windows desktop
- Select "NVIDIA Control Panel" on the pop-up menu (NVIDIA Control Panel should also be on the "Start" menu too)
- In NVIDIA Control Panel, select "Manage 3D Settings" from the option in the left-hand panel (you may need to expand the "3D Settings" item if it is collapsed)
- In the right hand panel, select the "Program Settings" tab
- Under "Select a program to customise", select "Driving Test Success – Theory" in the drop down box.
If it is not present, then you’ll have to click on the "Add" button to select it. - Under "Select the preferred graphics processor for this program", select "Integrated Graphics" in the drop down box.
- Click on the Apply button to save the settings change.
- Repeat steps 6-8 for Hazard Perception/Practical (if applicable)
- Re-open Theory/Hazard Perception/Practical and the problem should be solved but if the issue persists repeat the above and select "NVIDIA graphics card" from the "Select the preferred graphics processor for this program" list instead of the "Integrated Graphics"
If you have Windows Media Player installed, are using a 2015 (or earlier) version of the software and still have problems after checking the above, try selecting "Compatibility Video Mode" in the Hazard Perception program as described below:
- Start the Hazard Perception software.
- Click the "Settings" menu item, shown highlighted below:
- Click the "Main settings" menu item:
- Click the "Select Video Mode" button item:
- On the Video Setup screen the buttons in the section highlighted by the green box on the image below play a test video in and select DirectX mode for video display - this is the default.
The buttons in the pink box play a test video in and select Compatibility mode for video display.
Click the "Play Test Video" buttons to confirm which modes correctly show a test video in the small black rectangle and then click the appropriate "Use XYZ Video Mode" button to select that mode and the "OK" button to apply your selection
DirectX9 Video Mode uses “video overlays” to provide the best performance, whereas Compatibility Video Mode does not. Compatibility Video Mode is designed for computers that suffer from video issues (such as inverted video, green video and black video) when using the DirectX9 Video Mode, the only downside being that it is slightly more processor intensive.
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