Puta knows his stuff, so if he doesn't think it's a Media Player problem, he's probably right.
If it is though, think very carefully before upgrading to version 9. Some people love it. Some (myself included) hate it.
Upgrading's easy. Downgrading is much more difficult and sometimes impossible. I'd say stick with version 7.1 for now. Puta would probably advise the upgrade to version 9. It's your decision, but always remember to look before you leap. You can't always go back.
Finally, anyone know what happened to version 8? There doesn't seem to have been one. There is intelligent life on Earth, but I'm only visiting.