???
I never suggested that codec recognition is slow.
I just stated, that the sound is missing at the begin of almost every WMV file.
You also stated, that it happens with other formats too.
I'll try a VLC beta as soon as I can.
You may not realize you did but you did!
In any event, the player time to open a codec is not relevant, what is relevant here is the codec time to open the converters and report it to the player and that you say WMP opens the file and plays without problem and in this case VLC is using the same codec. It is the codec that decides how and when to open the converters and lock the audio and video. However if the file is cut to close without allowing a moment for everything to gel and or lock, I have seen problems with almost every file type and almost every player even using the same codecs. The only resolve I know of, is during the editing and encoding process.