Snarl Extension for MPC-HC bridges Media Player Classic Home Cinema and the Snarl notification system to display on-screen popups for track changes, playback status, and volume adjustments. Because both pieces of software rely on a legacy Windows API and local network loopbacks to communicate, configuration mismatches are common.
The most frequent issues with the Snarl MPC-HC extension and how to resolve them are detailed below. 🛠️ Common Issues and Solutions 1. Notifications Do Not Appear (Connection Timeout)
The extension fails to push popups if MPC-HC’s built-in web server is disabled or configured to the wrong port.
The Fix: Open MPC-HC and navigate to View > Options > Player > Web Interface. Ensure “Listen on port” is checked. Verify the port matches the port specified in your Snarl extension configuration (the default is usually 13579).
Localhost Lock: Make sure “Allow access from localhost only” is checked for security, as Snarl runs locally. 2. Windows Firewall Blocks the Alerts
Because the Snarl extension transmits data across local network sockets, Windows Defender or third-party firewalls often flag and block the traffic.
The Fix: Open the Windows Control Panel and head to Firewall Settings. Add an inbound and outbound rule allowing traffic on your chosen MPC-HC port (13579) or explicitly whitelist the mpc-hc.exe and snarl.exe executables. 3. Delayed or “Frozen” On-Screen Popups
If notifications queue up or linger too long on your screen when skipping through a playlist, the API request pool is lagging.
The Fix: Open your Snarl application preferences (not MPC-HC). Under the Applications or Extensions tab, locate MPC-HC. Lower the notification “Display Timeout” or “Duration” to 2 or 3 seconds. Enable the option to “Overwrite existing notifications” so old popups disappear instantly when a new track plays. 4. Extension Crashes on Media Changes
If the extension throws errors or crashes when switching between video and audio formats, it is usually a strict format parsing issue within the extension’s script.
The Fix: Prevent MPC-HC from outputting complex data strings to the web interface. In MPC-HC, go to Options > Advanced and ensure parameters related to strict Title/Web-interface formatting are left at defaults. Alternatively, try updating to the latest fork of MPC-HC on GitHub which features modernized web-server stability. 5. “Application Not Registered” Error
Snarl fails to display anything because it hasn’t registered MPC-HC as a valid notification source.
The Fix: Close both programs. Launch Snarl first, then open MPC-HC and play a file. If registration fails automatically, open the Snarl settings, head to Apps, and manually use the “Register New Application” tool to point directly to the extension’s .dll or script file. 📋 Diagnostic Checklist
If you are still experiencing issues, verify the following configuration path: Navigate to View > Options > Playback inside MPC-HC. Confirm your audio/video renderers are functional.
Ensure Snarl is running in the Windows System Tray before starting playback. If you would like to troubleshoot further, tell me: What error message (if any) pops up? Which version of Windows are you running?
Is it failing on all media files or just specific ones (like MKV or MP4)? Snarl extension Windows Media Player – SourceForge
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