Sound cuts out intermittently

Question

Sound cuts out intermittently

Andreas Tabert 0

Sound cuts out intermittently when watching a movie

Jonathan Giles 5 Reputation points

2026-11-06T13:25:38.49+00:00

Mine is doing this on any XBox I use and on the PC it lags (not an internet connection problem). This is beyond frustrating and shows us why digital only is a BAD idea. I thought we would trust MS with this, but oh well. I have over 4,000 videos on my account and now I'm worried they're just gong to say "Oh well, we're done".

2 answers

Your answer

Jonathan Giles 5 Reputation points

2026-11-06T13:25:38.49+00:00

Mine is doing this on any XBox I use and on the PC it lags (not an internet connection problem). This is beyond frustrating and shows us why digital only is a BAD idea. I thought we would trust MS with this, but oh well. I have over 4,000 videos on my account and now I'm worried they're just gong to say "Oh well, we're done".

Answer 1

For intermittent sound cutouts while watching a movie on Windows 11, use this order:

Check the selected output device.
- Select the Speakers icon on the taskbar.
- Select the arrow next to the volume slider.
- Confirm the movie audio is going to the correct device, such as the intended speakers or headphones.
Check hardware and volume controls.
- Make sure speaker or headphone cables are fully connected.
- If using USB audio, try a different USB port.
- Make sure the device is powered on and not muted.
- If headphones are plugged in, unplug them and test again.
Turn off audio enhancements.
- Go to Start > Settings > Sound.
- Under Output, select the audio device in use.
- In Advanced settings, set Audio enhancements to Off.
- Test the movie again.
Run the audio troubleshooter.
- Go to Start > Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters.
- In Audio, select Run.
Try a different audio format.
- Open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound.
- On the Playback tab, right-click the default device and select Properties.
- On the Advanced tab, change Default Format, select OK, and test audio.
Restart Windows audio services.
- Search for services and open it.
- Restart these services:
  - Windows Audio
  - Windows Audio Endpoint Builder
  - Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
Update or reinstall the audio driver.
- Open Device Manager.
- Expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- Right-click the audio device and select Update driver.
- Restart the PC.
- If the issue continues, uninstall the driver and reinstall it from the device manufacturer’s website.
If the device shows IDT High Definition Audio CODEC, try the manual driver switch.
- In Device Manager, expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- Right-click IDT High Definition Audio CODEC > Update driver.
- Select Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
- Select High Definition Audio Device and continue.

If the cutout happens only in one movie app while other system sounds work normally, that points to an app-specific audio issue rather than the whole Windows audio system.

References:

Answer 2

GsN5034 - IA 79,820 Independent Advisor

Hello,

Could you please let me know whether you are using Bluetooth speakers, wired speakers, or your laptop’s built-in speakers for audio output?
Does the speaker disconnect only while you are playing movies?
Does it work normally when you play music or watch online videos in a web browser?

Which application are you using to watch movies? Does restarting your PC restore the audio?

Andreas Tabert 0 Reputation points

2026-09-30T15:02:13.1933333+00:00

I'm using a JBL sound bar that's wired in. The only time I've experienced it cutting out is while streaming movies. It has worked normally when playing music. It cuts out when we watch movies on YouTube, BBC Documentary, Netflix, etc. It only cuts out for a few seconds at a time.
GsN5034 - IA 79,820 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-30T15:16:03.3+00:00
Hi,

Does your video buffer or pause when the audio breaks down?

If yes, this could be due to a network/streaming issue. You can download the movie file locally and test it out to see whether that works. This will help us to determine whether the issue might be with the network.

Meanwhile,

Try disabling the 'Audio enhancements' for your speaker device and see if it works without any interruption.

Press Windows + R, type mmsys.cpl, and click Ok.

Select your default audio output device in the Playback tab and click Properties.

In the Advanced or Enhancements tab, uncheck the 'Enable Audio enhancements' checkbox.

Click Apply and Ok.

Restart your PC and test your speakers while playing movies online.
Curt Kessler 0 Reputation points

2026-11-02T21:34:51.32+00:00

I have this exact same problem, but it appears on both the XBOX and PC for a season of some TV shows in all episodes. It will go silent (video continues to play) for 1-5 seconds, then come back. On the XBOX switched audio, sound still drops out in both two speaker config and surround, although the spots are in different places.

On the PC it drops out randomly during playback. On the XBOX, if I rewind and replay to try to hear the audio, it's blank in the exact same locations. I downloaded an episode on the PC for playback and that does not have the issue so it's some streaming thing, but that's a huge pain for a series and doesn't fix the XBOX issue where I want to watch in the living room. Only happens when streaming--but again it's on both PC and XBOX. Network is gig internet, and no other streaming services have the issue. Just this app on all platforms.

I know, it's my fault for trusting MS when I purchased these from the (now defunct) store but some of this was expensive, and TV shows don't have a 'movies anywhere' like service which is how I get around this for that content where available. I've since learned to never use MS for any consumer products, but I want my content.