Why Are My Videos Are Playing Back In Black & White On Pc?

[countrykid]

For some reason, videos taken using my digital camera or more recently my phone are now playing back in B&W or just a touch of colour when viewed on my laptop PC. It doesn't seem to matter what I open them with, Windows Media Player etc.

Can anyone suggest a solution. To my knowledge I haven't changed any settings - wouldn't know how to!!!!!

[Togo]

Do they show up in colour if you pause?

[Togo]

You could try this...

1. Open your Windows Media Player
2. Go to "Tools"
3. Click on "Options" under the "Tools" tab
4. Click on the "performance" tab
5. Click on the "Advanced" button
6. Un-check "Use Overlays"

[countrykid]

Thanks Togo. It remains in B&W if I pause. I opened Windows Media Player but cannot see anywhere that I can click on saying "Tools" or the cog wheel for settings. However, it is also in B&W if I open it via other media players

[fender62]

try this player
https://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.en-GB.html

[Buenchico]

Probably like Fender62, I wouldn't touch Windows Media Player with an infinite number of the proverbial bargepoles. VLC is vastly superior.

However your post mentioning that the problem persists irrespective of whichever media player you're using suggests that the fault isn't related to your choice of media player; it would seem far more likely that there's a problem with the video driver on your laptop. So try updating the driver. These instructions are for Windows 7 but it's much the same with other versions of Windows:
https://www.wikihow.com/Update-Your-Video-Card-Drivers-on-Windows-7

[countrykid]

Thanks Fender62 for your suggestion, and Buenchico for endorsing that. I'll certainly give that a try but like you say Buenchico, the problem probably lies within my laptop. I've checked via Device Manager for an update and it suggests I currently have the latest driver for the AMD Radeon HD8330 Video Card - version 15.201.1101 6/8/2015. My knowledge is limited, it just baffles me why all of a sudden it decides to display in B&W. I did a Google search and this problem has been experienced by a number of people over the years so at least it's not just me!!

[Buenchico]

The most common cause of colour drop-out on a laptop is a physical one, with a dodgy connection to the laptop's monitor. (It's usually where the lid and the base of the laptop are joined together, because that's the place where there's most wear and tear). However I'm baffled as to why such a problem would only show up when playing videos.

[countrykid]

Thanks Buenchico for your thoughts - always appreciated. I'll let you know if I find a solution. The laptop is a few years old now, and getting rather "slow" but functions ok in respect to the display, and playing Youtube etc