diff --git a/examples/dump_video.c b/examples/dump_video.c
index 9b4b401b5232d2e975327952ebf64da51c0c94dc..a596cb9404dd754dea2437aa71a01d5a7084d686 100644
--- a/examples/dump_video.c
+++ b/examples/dump_video.c
@@ -77,8 +77,8 @@ ogg_stream_state  vo;
 ogg_stream_state  to;
 th_info           ti;
 th_comment        tc;
-th_setup_info    *ts;
-th_dec_ctx       *td;
+th_setup_info    *ts=NULL;
+th_dec_ctx       *td=NULL;
 
 int              theora_p=0;
 int              theora_processing_headers;
diff --git a/examples/player_example.c b/examples/player_example.c
index 913692e09e6edffc76acc805b4b674add331373c..18fbdd1f7f065984a1ff65b5ff25ff0423d0da4d 100644
--- a/examples/player_example.c
+++ b/examples/player_example.c
@@ -93,8 +93,8 @@ ogg_stream_state vo;
 ogg_stream_state to;
 th_info      ti;
 th_comment   tc;
-th_dec_ctx       *td;
-th_setup_info    *ts;
+th_dec_ctx       *td = NULL;
+th_setup_info    *ts = NULL;
 vorbis_info      vi;
 vorbis_dsp_state vd;
 vorbis_block     vb;
diff --git a/examples/png2theora.c b/examples/png2theora.c
index c740ad8043848738909c09b07135d7cedb9e5fff..7a8334cfd4345b64f438f622e4a3353d952d0238 100644
--- a/examples/png2theora.c
+++ b/examples/png2theora.c
@@ -63,10 +63,10 @@ static ogg_stream_state ogg_os;
 static ogg_packet op;
 static ogg_page og;
 
-static th_enc_ctx      *td;
+static th_enc_ctx      *td = NULL;
 static th_info          ti;
 
-static char *input_filter;
+static char *input_filter = NULL;
 
 const char *optstring = "o:hv:\4:\2:V:s:S:f:F:ck:d:\1\2\3\4\5\6";
 struct option options [] = {
diff --git a/examples/tiff2theora.c b/examples/tiff2theora.c
index 02978847a7735c87b5c7f3e99f6ef0cba0bc49e6..685f940e2aa34d23d3e692da5160dce0fa1ec34b 100644
--- a/examples/tiff2theora.c
+++ b/examples/tiff2theora.c
@@ -63,10 +63,10 @@ static ogg_stream_state ogg_os;
 static ogg_packet op;
 static ogg_page og;
 
-static th_enc_ctx      *td;
+static th_enc_ctx      *td = NULL;
 static th_info          ti;
 
-static char *input_filter;
+static char *input_filter = NULL;
 
 const char *optstring = "o:hv:\4:\2:V:s:S:f:F:ck:d:\1\2\3\4\5\6";
 struct option options [] = {