MediaPortal uses EVR with 3 input pins-> drops 50% of all frames on interlaced stuff

[krusty2die4]

TV-Server Version: TVE3
MediaPortal Version: 1.0.0.0RC2 & SVN19876
MediaPortal Skin: Indigo
Windows Version: Vistax64 HomeBasic SP1
CPU Type: AMD Athlon 64 x2 4850e 2x2.500MHz
HDD: 3xSamsung SpinPoint 500GB as a JBOD-Array
Memory: 2x1.000GB DDR2-800
Motherboard: Asus M3N78-EMH/HDMI
Video Card: Onboard mGPU GeForce 8200
Video Card Driver: 7.15.11.7519
Sound Card: onboard analog deactivated
Sound Card AC3: SPDIF Onboard Realtek
Sound Card Driver: Microsoft 6.0.6000.16386
1. TV Card: KNC1 TV-Station
1. TV Card Type: DVB-C
1. TV Card Driver: 1.9.10.414
2. TV Card:
2. TV Card Type:
2. TV Card Driver:
3. TV Card:
3. TV Card Type:
3. TV Card Driver:
4. TV Card:
4. TV Card Type:
4. TV Card Driver:
MPEG2 Video Codec: PowerDVD8
MPEG2 Audio Codec: DScaler5
h.264 Video Codec: PowerDVD8 h.264/AVC
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case: Origen ae X15e
Cooling: Scythe Shuriken
Power Supply:
Remote: MCE
TV: Samsung LE52F96
TV - HTPC Connection: HDMI 1.3a-cabel from Goldkabel


Hi, there. today I tried to solve my stutter- problems when playing interlaced TS-Files or watch H.264-TV.

The TS-files have Resolution 1920x1080 interlaced@25fps and 14,6Mbits bitrate (DVB-C Recordings)

If you watch Live TV or TS-Files in Resolution 1080p60, MP/EVR drops 50% of all frames (shift+1)
If you watch Live TV or TS-Files in 720p60, MP/EVR drops 15% of all frames
The more Resolution, the more frames are droped.

Filterchain at MP: TSReader/PowerDVD8 h.264/EVR - DXVA enabled and working, but dropped frames
Filterchain at Zoomplayer: Haali/PowerDVD8 h.264/EVR - DXVA enabled and working

The 2nd chain works with all external players i tested (ZoomPlayer/WM-Player/PowerDVD) with full DXVA at 1080p60. Main difference: I use Haali splitter.ax instead of TSReader. In MP of course there´s no way around TSReader.

Therefore first I thought it´s the TSreader, because other players using chain #2 do not cause problems at all. But then I produced a remote graph while MP was playing inlerlaced TS, replaced TSreader from the graph with Haali and still had that problem. Then I focused on EVR and noticed the 3 input-pins.



If you take a look at the attached Graphs, you see that MP opens 3 input pins at EVR. I retreived that graph as a remote graph while MP played the TS.

During testing I figured out that eventually the 2 not used pins cause EVR to drop frames:

I disconnected EVR from the chain, inserted a fresh EVR from Filter List and it comes with just 1 pin. That one works perfectly at 1080p60 and no frames are dropped on interlaced stuff

For comparison i deleted TSReader from the graph and replaced it with Haali and had the same (good) result. So it can´t be TSReader.

So the question is: Is that the reason why MP drops frames when using EVR or is it the mode which MP launches EVR in? And can I configure MP to not do so??

Also of interest:
-when i disable PwrDVD dxva in MP Config then there are no dropped frames at all and therefore rel. smooth playback...but of course bad software deinterlacing.
-when i play progressive material (i.e. mkv) MP also opens EVR with 3pins but has no droped frames and runs smooth..
-regardless the material MP always opens 3 pind in EVR- what for?
-no droped frames with MPEG-2 interlaced stuff, even though EVR comes here with 3Pins, too

Take a look at the attached graphs and thanks in advance

To avoid misunderstanding: I don´t use ffdshow ore CoreAVC and do not intend to do so-had enough experience with Software-Decoders. I want to stay with DXVA2.0/EVR, even more because other players then MP don´t cause issues (using 1Pin in EVR is the answer?!)

Graph1: Remote Graph from MP. Does not even show vid-therefore EVR reports no droped frames
Graph2: RemGraph changed-replaced 3pin-EVR with fresh one- runs smooth
Graph3: UserGraph with Haali/PowerDVD and EVR 1Pin- runs smooth

[tourettes]

Attached directshow helper DLL is only opening one pin on EVR side. Could you please test if its solving the stuttering / dropped frames issue you are seeing?

I'm pretty suprised if it does solve it as most likely MS woulndt have introduced such a bug, but who knows.

[krusty2die4]

Thanks for the quick reply. Didn´t have any effect, so my 3-Pin-Theory seems to be Bullsh**.

I replaced the dll, started MP, watched the killed frames, made a snapshot (see #1). Then remotely connected to the graph. Tried to replay it: Black screen (snap #2) and EVR claims rendering something.

Repeated that 3 times, then deleted EVR from chain and manually plugged it in via DS-Filterlist. Now perfect picture-> snap #3.

So it´s not the 2 unconnected pins- but what else? How come that a manually connected EVR does the job and a EVR connected by MP does not (and they have the same settings on the EVR settings tabs).

So MP does something when launching EVR that other players don´t do...any idea?





Snap #4 is kind of a Demo, how well DXVA2.0 runs on a Vista x64 system (with just 2 GB RAM and a small CPU)

No stutter / no dropped frames / perfect picture

File: Alien vs. Predator 2
Container: mkv
Video Core: x264
Audio Core: 2x DTS @~1.500kbps eng/ger
Video Codec: PowerDVD8 h.264/AVC
Audio Codec: Dscaler5
SurceRes: 1920x800 progressive
SourceFramerate:23.976 fps
~bitrate: 9,8 MB/s
ScreenRes: 2x 1920x1080@60Hz on 2 Monitors (Fullsceen Clone Mode on Samsung LE52F96 and Origen ae x15e TFT)

Take a glance at CPU-Load: That´s the reason I want to stay with EVR
And as you can see: Also no droped frames at all in zplayer...

[tourettes]

Most likely its the custom allocator code in our EVR implementation as you wont be using that when building a graph in GraphEdit.

[krusty2die4]

Originally Posted by tourettes

Most likely its the custom allocator code in our EVR implementation as you wont be using that when building a graph in GraphEdit.

understand...so that´s not the bug. Any other ideas why MP+EVR drops frames on interlaced h.264? I guess I´m out of ideas now...

[tourettes]

Originally Posted by krusty2die4

understand...so that´s not the bug. Any other ideas why MP+EVR drops frames on interlaced h.264? I guess I´m out of ideas now...

Most likely because of some bug in MP / EVR allocator. Is anyone else experiencing similar issue?

btw. you should be getting at least stuttering (on all software) when playing 25fps files on 60Hz display, nothing can prevent that.

[5Hundred]

There are a few threads running just now regarding stuttering on H264 playback which would suggest a general problem rather than something specific to Krusty2die4's setup.

[Jeditrav]

Originally Posted by tourettes

Most likely because of some bug in MP / EVR allocator. Is anyone else experiencing similar issue?

btw. you should be getting at least stuttering (on all software) when playing 25fps files on 60Hz display, nothing can prevent that.

Hi,

I was getting lots of dropped frames with PowerDVD codec/EVR/MediaPortal/Vista combo, though I seemed to be having issues with Hardware Acceleration not working properly (see this thread Vista Hardware Acceleration not working?). Not sure if related.
Currently reinstalling Vista (setting up to Dualboot with XP so I have a working MediaPortal to fall back on - should have done that when first installed Vista 'doh!' ) will report back when set up.

[CharlieMopps]

I started with WinXP SP2 using ffdshow and could watch mkvs but had occasional annoying stutter, and installed Vista64 Ultimate and PowerDVD8 only to get almost totally unplayable video. It literally crashed MP sometimes. I think there is something definitely wrong. The ONLY thing installed on my computer are Vista64, PowerDVD8, MediaPortal, and the Subtitle thing... mksplitter or whatever its called. Harware acc checked everywhere.

At one point Windows Media center launched right in the middle of me trying to start an MKV video. For the life of me, I can not imagine why this would happen. Expecially since WMC can not even play MKVs... Could MP be causing the launch of something in the background that is tying up CPU cycles?

[krusty2die4]

btw. you should be getting at least stuttering (on all software) when playing 25fps files on 60Hz display, nothing can prevent that.

I experimented with all possible refreshrates my Samsung supports in ScreenRes 1920x1080p:

23, 24, 25, 29, 30,50,59 and 60Hz

Although the theory says that i.e. a 23.976 progressive file is best played with 24, 48 or 72 Hz I experienced stutter @24Hz.

Interlaced 25Hz looks almost unnoticable better @ 50 Hz on zplayer or PowerDVD than @60Hz. At 25Hz it causes excessive flicker and stutter in all players.
But using 50Hz let MP´s Framekills drop from 50% to 35% with interlaced h.264/25fps-files- so you´re right with that.
35% is better than 50% kills, but still not smooth enough to watch...

For further testing i keep it @50Hz.

Originally Posted by 5Hundred

There are a few threads running just now regarding stuttering on H264 playback which would suggest a general problem rather than something specific to Krusty2die4's setup.

Noticed the other threads, too. But have only issues with MP playing back interlaced H.264 files with DXVA. Other players do the job with not 1 frame killed... see my posts above.

Originally Posted by tourettes

Most likely because of some bug in MP / EVR allocator. Is anyone else experiencing similar issue?

is there a way to log that for you?