Issues playing HD video.

I'm having major problems playing HD video. This includes my own home videos (1440 x 1080 / 29 fps) and dual-layer DVDs. I can't use WM Player because it's useless, the picture looks like a moving oil-painting. I can't use VLC player because the audio cuts out every few seconds when I play either HD video files or a dual-layer DVD. I can't use GOM Player because the audio lags severely when I play HD video files and it squeezes my wide-screen videos into a square for some reason (it's okay with dual-layer DVDs though, thankfully). I can't use KM Player because it just won't start, no matter how many times I reinstall it.

My drivers are up to date.

What's going on here?!

EDIT: The GOM Player audio lag is caused by the software playing the video at several times normal speed, but not speeding up the audio. I hate computers...

Thanks, Lee.

WMP is still just terrible for me. The video plays smoothly, but it's ruined by the lousy quality. I've tried tweaking the settings but the picture quality is consistently awful. You mention a Codec Package. Where would I be able to download that?

Thanks! I had a go, downloaded a codec package from here: Windows 7 Codecs Pack for Windows Media Player WMP12 and Media Center

I don't see any difference in the performance, I'm afraid. Is there a specific codec package that you'd recommend for improved performance? All I want is to get rid of the awful blurry oil-painting effect.

try BSPlayer

Thanks, Evil Nemesis, BSPlayer is good, it plays my M2TS files perfectly, but unfortunately it seems to have a problem with AVI files: it only plays the audio not the video.

install shark codecs, then try the files with media player classic home cinema, I'm sure they'll work

If hes tried all those players and still having problems I'm guessing its something else amiss. no?

Thanks for the tip Lee and Evil Nemesis. I installed Shark007's codec packaged, and it seems to've helped Windows Media Player. I think it has, anyway. My latest batch of videos are M2TS files, and I tried to play them on GOM Player (video fast / audio at normal speed, resulting in horrific mismatch) and BS Player (horrible interlacing, completely unwatchable) and VLC Player (pretty nasty interlacing, then the video ground to a halt, stuck on the one frame about 30 seconds in, and the audio kept going), but after installing the Shark codecs, the M2TS files play just fine on Windows Media Player, and I think the quality is improved. The real test will be whether WMP can play dual-layer DVDs without any problems. We shall see!