This may be a dup of #1063965 but I wanted to provide my hardware profile.
When viewing videos or listening to audio using either Firefox or Chrome, the audio can get very choppy. This does not happen all of the time. Normally a reboot will fix it for a little while. While it is happening, the application that has the audio playing flashes on and off of the screen on the Applications tab of the Sound Settings. See attached video.
ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
Package: alsa-base 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-18.29-generic 3.5.7
Uname: Linux 3.5.0-18-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu6
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
/dev/snd/controlC0: chris 2195 F.... pulseaudio
Date: Thu Nov 15 10:31:56 2012
InstallationDate: Installed on 2011-11-09 (371 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release amd64 (20111012)
MarkForUpload: True
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
TERM=xterm
PATH=(custom, no user)
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: alsa-driver
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to quantal on 2012-10-22 (23 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 02/24/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 1.0.18
dmi.board.name: 0FM586
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.chassis.version: OEM
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvr1.0.18:bd02/24/2009:svnDellInc.:pnInspiron530:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0FM586:rvr:cvnDellInc.:ct3:cvrOEM:
dmi.product.name: Inspiron 530
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.
This release of Ubuntu is no longer receiving maintenance updates. If this is still an issue on a maintained version of Ubuntu please let us know.