locally stored video autometic pause and play problem

[problem12pblm]

HP Support Report: Automatic Play/Pause Issue During Video Playback

Subject: Repeated Automatic Play/Pause Toggling in Firefox and Local Video Players on HP Envy x360 14-fa0xxx

Dear HP Support Team,

I am experiencing a persistent and unusual video playback problem on my HP Envy x360 2-in-1 laptop. Videos automatically pause and resume repeatedly without any manual input. The problem initially occurred in Firefox while watching online videos, but I later discovered that the same behavior also occurs when playing locally stored video files in multiple media players.

I have already performed several troubleshooting steps, but the issue remains unresolved. I would appreciate your assistance in identifying the root cause and finding a permanent solution.

1. Laptop and System Information

• Laptop Model: HP Envy x360 2-in-1 Laptop 14-fa0xxx

• Operating System: Windows 11 Home Single Language, 64-bit

• Windows Build: 26300

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 8640HS

• Graphics: AMD Radeon 760M / AMD Radeon Graphics

• Installed RAM: 16 GB

• DirectX Version: DirectX 12

• Graphics Driver Version: 32.0.13074.2001

• Graphics Driver Date: October 2, 2025

• Driver Model: WDDM 3.2

• BIOS Version: F.05

I checked the system using DirectX Diagnostic Tool (DxDiag), which reported “No problems found.”

2. How the Problem First Appeared in Firefox

Initially, while watching YouTube and Facebook videos in Mozilla Firefox, video playback would automatically pause and resume repeatedly without me pressing any key or clicking the player.

I tried several Firefox troubleshooting steps, including:

• Starting Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode.

• Disabling extensions.

• Disabling hardware acceleration.

• Clearing the browser cache.

• Testing video playback on different websites.

These steps did not resolve the problem.

The Firefox-specific workaround that worked

I opened Firefox's advanced configuration page by entering about:config in the address bar and changed this preference:

media.hardwaremediakeys.enabled

I set its value to:

false

After changing this setting, the automatic Play/Pause problem stopped in Firefox.

However, this only resolved the issue in Firefox. It did not eliminate the underlying problem across other applications.

3. The Same Problem Occurs With Locally Stored Videos

After the Firefox issue was resolved, I played a locally stored video file using Any DVD & Office App.

I noticed exactly the same automatic Play/Pause behavior.

I then installed and tested VLC Media Player, but the problem continued there as well. The issue is therefore not limited to YouTube, Facebook, Firefox, or online video playback.

The important observation is that the actual Play/Pause state changes automatically. This is not simply video buffering, freezing, or stuttering.

The behavior looks like this:

Video playing → automatically pauses → automatically resumes → repeats

It happens without intentional input from me.

I also tested Windows Media Player, and the same behavior persisted.

4. Troubleshooting Already Performed

I have tried the following steps:

Firefox and browser troubleshooting

1. Tested Firefox in Troubleshoot Mode.

2. Disabled extensions.

3. Disabled Firefox hardware acceleration.

4. Cleared the browser cache.

5. Tested different video websites.

6. Changed media.hardwaremediakeys.enabled to false, which resolved the issue in Firefox only.

Video player troubleshooting
7. Tested Any DVD & Office App with a locally stored video.
8. Installed and tested VLC Media Player.
9. Disabled hardware-accelerated decoding in VLC and tested again. The issue persisted.
10. Tested Windows Media Player, with the same result.

Keyboard and input troubleshooting
11. Tested the laptop's built-in keyboard.
12. Tested with an external keyboard. The problem persisted.
13. Disconnected external USB devices and tested again.
14. Disabled Bluetooth and tested again.
15. Disabled the “HID-compliant Consumer Control Device” in Device Manager. The problem persisted.

Windows troubleshooting
16. Booted into Windows Safe Mode and tested video playback. The problem still occurred.
17. Checked graphics information using DxDiag, which reported no problems.

Despite these tests, the issue remains unresolved.

5. My Current Understanding of the Problem

The fact that changing media.hardwaremediakeys.enabled to false stops the problem in Firefox suggests that Firefox was responding to a media-control event that it would otherwise handle.

However, because the same behavior continues in local video players, disabling that Firefox preference does not remove the underlying issue.

I suspect that an unintended Play/Pause command may be generated or transmitted by a Windows input component, HID device, keyboard controller, firmware component, or another system-level media-control mechanism.

This is only a hypothesis. I have not yet identified the actual source of the command.

The problem also persists in Safe Mode and when VLC hardware-accelerated decoding is disabled, which makes an ordinary third-party application or a simple GPU video-decoding issue less likely, although these possibilities have not been conclusively ruled out.

6. Assistance Requested From HP Support

Could you please help me investigate the following?

1. Identify the root cause: Could a keyboard controller, embedded controller (EC), HID input device, HP-specific hotkey component, system firmware, or driver be generating repeated Play/Pause commands?

2. Recommend model-specific diagnostics: Which HP hardware diagnostics or Windows troubleshooting tools can identify the source of these unexpected media-control events?

3. Check firmware and driver compatibility: Please confirm the latest recommended BIOS, AMD chipset, graphics, keyboard/input, and other relevant drivers for my exact HP Envy x360 14-fa0xxx model.

4. Recommend a permanent solution: Since the problem occurs across multiple applications, persists in Safe Mode, and is not resolved by disabling VLC hardware acceleration or the Consumer Control HID device, I would prefer to identify the actual cause rather than continue changing unrelated settings or reinstalling applications.

5. Advise whether hardware inspection is necessary: If this behavior could be caused by the built-in keyboard controller, embedded controller, or another hardware input component, please advise how to test it safely.

I have not yet completed an AutoHotkey media-key interception test or a Linux Live USB input-event test, so the exact source of the Play/Pause command is still unknown.

I can provide screenshots of my system information, DxDiag results, and a video recording demonstrating the automatic Play/Pause behavior if required.

Thank you for your assistance. I would appreciate a systematic diagnosis and a reliable, permanent solution.

Best regards,
HP Envy x360 14-fa0xxx user

[Mr_RadhaTech]

I suspect either the Spacebar or the F4 Play/Pause media key is intermittently sending input.  Check if these keys are stuck or not working properly. 

[problem12pblm]

i did that but it did not work.

[Mr_RadhaTech]

If you’re comfortable doing so, create a Linux live USB (e.g., Ubuntu) and boot from it without installing Linux. There are many YouTube videos explaining this process, so you can follow one if needed. Once you’re in Linux, play video for a while and check whether issue remains or get fixed.