Video Causing Computer to Freeze

[Ownaholic]

Hey everybody!

I'm having a weird problem that started about a month or two ago, but has become a daily occurrence, and now is even happening moments after I play any video.

Basically, whenever I play any type of video (using ANY media player, any website, etc), the video on my computer will completely freeze and glitch out on me, causing the screen to get weird matrix-like lines on it, and distorts the colors of whatever is on screen.
Sometimes when this happens, I can still hear the audio playing in the background like there is nothing wrong at all. Other times, even the audio bugs out. And, on very very rare occasions, the computer is able to fix itself after a brief moment.
But 90% of the time I have to do a forced restart, because nothing else fixes it.

I have two pictures here of my computer screen:
http://www.clevernoob.com/images/photo.JPG
http://www.clevernoob.com/images/photo2.JPG

My graphics card is an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560, and my driver number is 296.10.
I have no installed any new hardware recently.

I have run multiple different anti virus software full scans, MANY times, and I have not caught anything.

NOTE: This is a screenshot of my computer monitor while watching a Mass Effect 3 video that I have taken with my Hauppauge HD PVR. I was NOT playing Mass Effect 3, or any other game. This problem happens regardless of what video I watch, where I watch it, etc.

[mgh]

Could be something as simple as the cable going bad.

[davexnet]

Possibly the driver version. Try reverting to an older WHQL driver.

[Hoser Rob]

I'd try a support forum specifically for nvidia, and I'd lean towards the driver as a problem. If it was the cable I don't see how the screen would work at all. But you can get cables cheap in the right place ... not a computer store ... and it's a good idea to have spares anyway.

[neomaine]

If this is happening during or after playing video, I'm leaning towards a heat problem. You could be losing the heatsink and/or fan on the card. I'm not familiar with Nvidia but thats not pertinient.

Could even be a loose card. Try a simple unseat/reseat of the card - and check the hs/fan while you have the cover off - and see if that works.