What mpeg-2 and h.264 codec on Vista with X1250

arnebret · 2007-09-15, 21:58

I've got an ATI x1250 onboard chipset with hardware mpeg-2 decoder. Any codec i have used so far, just doesn't work properly. With software based like ffdshow, i have cpu loads of 40% (X2 3800) with the hardware ATI Avivo codec it's around 15%. Still in all codecs the picture is ok, but motion is still a huge problem. Everything gets blurry with sports or other quick panning movements. Also, when compared to the regular picture from a set-top box it seems there is less color depth, but this is probably just a simple setting.

What codec works best with an x1250 on Vista? Should i use post-processing of the tv channel? And: what codec works best for h.264 streams?

Really interested in what other people have found to get a crisp and clear picture on their MP-driven HTPC (although the codec is not directly mp-related).

NEI · 2007-09-22, 14:35

I have almost the same setup and use Cyberlink for h.264 and ffdshow for mpeg2. How did you get ATI Avivo working? Which codec? I never saw a difference when trying to enable Avivio...

Paranoid Delusion · 2007-09-22, 19:43

Hi Guy's

What are you outputting to makes a big difference, and HOW connection wise, if you supply a bit more info to your setup, we can point you in the right direction, as not everything is down to CPU\Codec.

Thanks

arnebret · 2007-09-23, 22:38

I'm outputting to a TV with VGA (hdmi is possible) on a native resolution for the tv-screen. Windows looks perfect on the screen, really crisp and sharp. Of coure, there is some upscaling and other stuff going on, but this will also happen when playing a DVD. DVD's work fine, it's just tv that seems to be of lower quality compared to a regular settop box. I am almost 90% sure it's down to just the codec, as using different codecs makes a huge difference. I am just wondering, if a cheap settop box can handle it, why can't pc's give the exact same result, codec wise.

how i got the ati codec working: look for avivo mpeg codec on the internet, i think you might find it as a regular download. Compared to any other codec, this one really works best for me so far. cpu-load is down to 10-15%, no frames dropped, but still semi-fast pan and tilt shots result in ghosting, fading and other such stuff you really could live without.

Spragleknas · 2007-09-25, 21:20

What refresh rate are you using?
Should be 50 Hz for PAL material or 60 Hz otherwise.

Also: I like CoreAVC for HD material.

Lotsofjazz · 2008-01-31, 08:58

I am so confused about these refresh rates.

I have a JVC 32S60 LCD which runs at 60Hz when at 720P HDMI, 30Hz at 1060i
HD TV Content is 720P PAL, so 50Hz
On the HDMI I have set the video card (ATI X1250) on 720P60hz, the only refresh rate that allows me to overscan so it fits my screen, when forcing 50Hz picture quality is a little distorted (not much though) but does not make any difference in the tearing problem, on 60Hz it looks better.

Ok, I Use Cyberlink for H264
ffdshow for Mpeg2
Exclusive VMR9 ON, as well as the other VMR9 options checked ON in mediaportal
Hardware accelleration for Mpeg2 and H264 ON

This is the setting I get the least tearing, but still present in quick scene movements, Discovery HD, some programms stutter a lot, while the commercials runs fine, so that is wrong at Discovery's side I think, but with NGC-HD all the time some tearing is present in quick moving scenes. It gets worse when turning off the Exclusive VMR9

BTW I use the Mediaportal 0.2.3.0 Mediaportal TV server in single seat mode. All latest versions, last Mondays snapshot

Any ideas to improve it even more, or get rid of the tearing completely?

Thanks anyways.

Lots

Lotsofjazz · 2008-02-02, 02:21

I'v fixed it under windows XP! Finally.. no tearing AT ALL, at least not noriceable.. I think the settings are generric for Vista, so maybe this helps..

I asume you watch TV using a HD LCD or Plasma, via HDMI, right? below settings work for a JVC 32S60 LCD panel hooked up via HDMI.

Enter catalyst Control Center, make sure you are in Advanced mode.

Click on 'DTV (HDMI)'in the left menu, click on HDTV Suport
In the upper selection box make sure you tick the PAL or NTSC resolutions you need (if you are in the USA, You need NTSC, otherwise PAL), click apply, now the PAL or NTSC rsolutions are added to the list below. Click on the standard PAL or NTSC resolution that matches your TV the best (closest to the resolution of your TV).. I noticed that can Force my TV into 1080i25Hz but does it very poorly, in 720P50 picture is best in my case. in 1080i30 it works great, but then the incoming HDTV signal doesnt match, hence the tearing experience I had!)
click apply and when the picture is restored click YES

Then, click on the 3D menu (still in Catalyst Control Center) go to All Settings and drag every slider to the most RH position (all set to the highest quality).. It is the 'Wait for vertical refresh' that does the trick, this is the Vsync setting, and should be set to 'allways on'.

Furthermore, I have been playing with CoreAVC and Cyberlink H.264 hardware codecs and cant find a significant difference, the Cyberlink seems a little better in holding audio and picture synchronized. Oh, and I allso had to reinstall Haali's Mediasplitter. I have turned on all VMR9 options in Mediaportal, and allso turned on Enhanced Video Renderer.

Finally I removed/uninstalled all codecs that I dont use, this prevents them from loading accidently and so messing up your system. I use the following codec now, as set in MediaPortal Configuration:

ffdshow for Mpeg2 for Movies, and for raw video post processing
Cyberlink Video/SP Decoder (PDVD7) for TV Mpeg2 decoding (It loads anyway even when ffdshow is set to be used, so I selected the cyberlink and now only the cyberlink is used) No postprocessing for TV
Cyberlink H.264/AVC decoder (PDVD7.x) for both TV and Movies decoding
AC3filter for Movie audio decoding (send everything to SPDIF)
ffdshow audio decoder for TV Audio decoding
For Movies I use ffdshow as a postprocess to improve picture quality
For Movies I have set DirectVobSub as a postprocess, so subtitles load automatically.. This was allso required to get my MKV movies working again! Apparently Matroska Movies only works when all codecs are present, with MP4 I got a message it was missing something, but started anyway.

When setup like this, I have seen the best results till now, and I can use MediaPortal internal player to show all kinds of movies I have.

It took a while, but now I am quite happy with the result, it may imorove even more when I decide to install Vista, because then the graphics card is used even more efficiently and better hardware rendering

Lots

kszabo · 2008-02-07, 20:28

I got it for me!

MPG2: ATi Avivo with HW acceleration (low CPU usage, superb deinterlacing)
h.264: only solution CoreAVC 1.6.5 with deinterlacing set to "blend" (VRM9 exclusive as renderer)

I can watch 1080i HDTV live from DVB-s2 with my AMD X2 2x2,3 GHz (BE2400)

Forget Cyberlink with the x1250! It hijacks every file format and screws up your merits. It is much slower than CoreAVC and can´t use HW Acceleration of x1250!

Lotsofjazz · 2008-02-07, 22:24

Hi,

I tried CoreAVC as the H264 codec, but with that I introduced problems with audio synchronisation. Cyberlink H264 works best for me. With Radlight I have corected the merits, so now it only loads playing HD material. As far as I can see it does use HW decoding, because when I turn it off, quality is degraded significantly. National Geohraphic is broadcasted here in 1080i and works fine, smooth live TV, no tearing and no shocking or stutter.

Lots

kszabo · 2008-02-08, 12:44

Hi Lots,

it´s good news that x1250 can probably accelerate h.264 despite reports in the internet. I could set CoreAVC deinterlacing to "hardware" with significant quality gain, so the x1250 must support a certain level of HWAcceleration. Maybe I should give a try to the new h264 codec from Cyberlink (latest patch). But I am happy with CoreAVC, I don´t want to risk anything to break :-)

2007-09-15, 21:58	#1 (permalink)
arnebret Portal Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 8 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	What mpeg-2 and h.264 codec on Vista with X1250 I've got an ATI x1250 onboard chipset with hardware mpeg-2 decoder. Any codec i have used so far, just doesn't work properly. With software based like ffdshow, i have cpu loads of 40% (X2 3800) with the hardware ATI Avivo codec it's around 15%. Still in all codecs the picture is ok, but motion is still a huge problem. Everything gets blurry with sports or other quick panning movements. Also, when compared to the regular picture from a set-top box it seems there is less color depth, but this is probably just a simple setting. What codec works best with an x1250 on Vista? Should i use post-processing of the tv channel? And: what codec works best for h.264 streams? Really interested in what other people have found to get a crisp and clear picture on their MP-driven HTPC (although the codec is not directly mp-related).

2007-09-22, 19:43	#3 (permalink)
Paranoid Delusion Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cheshire UK Posts: 5,535 Thanks: 83 Thanked 155 Times in 141 Posts Country: My System	Hi Guy's What are you outputting to makes a big difference, and HOW connection wise, if you supply a bit more info to your setup, we can point you in the right direction, as not everything is down to CPU\Codec. Thanks __________________ Ray\PD Check your codecs are fine with Filmerit. XP\Vista known issues FOR FULL SUPPORT PLEASE GIVE USER SPECIFICATIONS AND RELEVANT LOG's as per HERE

2007-09-25, 21:20	#5 (permalink)
Spragleknas Super Moderator Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Rogaland Age: 32 Posts: 3,410 Thanks: 145 Thanked 63 Times in 53 Posts Country: My System	What refresh rate are you using? Should be 50 Hz for PAL material or 60 Hz otherwise. Also: I like CoreAVC for HD material. __________________ Please read -> HOW TO START A SUPPORT THREAD !!! Support MediaPortal! Donate by clicking HERE Dedicated HTPC board (Norway) -> MSPC.no

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2007-09-22, 14:35	#2 (permalink)
NEI Portal Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 44 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I have almost the same setup and use Cyberlink for h.264 and ffdshow for mpeg2. How did you get ATI Avivo working? Which codec? I never saw a difference when trying to enable Avivio...

2007-09-23, 22:38	#4 (permalink)
arnebret Portal Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 8 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I'm outputting to a TV with VGA (hdmi is possible) on a native resolution for the tv-screen. Windows looks perfect on the screen, really crisp and sharp. Of coure, there is some upscaling and other stuff going on, but this will also happen when playing a DVD. DVD's work fine, it's just tv that seems to be of lower quality compared to a regular settop box. I am almost 90% sure it's down to just the codec, as using different codecs makes a huge difference. I am just wondering, if a cheap settop box can handle it, why can't pc's give the exact same result, codec wise. how i got the ati codec working: look for avivo mpeg codec on the internet, i think you might find it as a regular download. Compared to any other codec, this one really works best for me so far. cpu-load is down to 10-15%, no frames dropped, but still semi-fast pan and tilt shots result in ghosting, fading and other such stuff you really could live without.

2008-01-31, 08:58	#6 (permalink)
Lotsofjazz Portal Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 114 Thanks: 2 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts My System	I am so confused about these refresh rates. I have a JVC 32S60 LCD which runs at 60Hz when at 720P HDMI, 30Hz at 1060i HD TV Content is 720P PAL, so 50Hz On the HDMI I have set the video card (ATI X1250) on 720P60hz, the only refresh rate that allows me to overscan so it fits my screen, when forcing 50Hz picture quality is a little distorted (not much though) but does not make any difference in the tearing problem, on 60Hz it looks better. Ok, I Use Cyberlink for H264 ffdshow for Mpeg2 Exclusive VMR9 ON, as well as the other VMR9 options checked ON in mediaportal Hardware accelleration for Mpeg2 and H264 ON This is the setting I get the least tearing, but still present in quick scene movements, Discovery HD, some programms stutter a lot, while the commercials runs fine, so that is wrong at Discovery's side I think, but with NGC-HD all the time some tearing is present in quick moving scenes. It gets worse when turning off the Exclusive VMR9 BTW I use the Mediaportal 0.2.3.0 Mediaportal TV server in single seat mode. All latest versions, last Mondays snapshot Any ideas to improve it even more, or get rid of the tearing completely? Thanks anyways. Lots

2008-02-02, 02:21	#7 (permalink)
Lotsofjazz Portal Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 114 Thanks: 2 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts My System	I'v fixed it under windows XP! Finally.. no tearing AT ALL, at least not noriceable.. I think the settings are generric for Vista, so maybe this helps.. I asume you watch TV using a HD LCD or Plasma, via HDMI, right? below settings work for a JVC 32S60 LCD panel hooked up via HDMI. Enter catalyst Control Center, make sure you are in Advanced mode. Click on 'DTV (HDMI)'in the left menu, click on HDTV Suport In the upper selection box make sure you tick the PAL or NTSC resolutions you need (if you are in the USA, You need NTSC, otherwise PAL), click apply, now the PAL or NTSC rsolutions are added to the list below. Click on the standard PAL or NTSC resolution that matches your TV the best (closest to the resolution of your TV).. I noticed that can Force my TV into 1080i25Hz but does it very poorly, in 720P50 picture is best in my case. in 1080i30 it works great, but then the incoming HDTV signal doesnt match, hence the tearing experience I had!) click apply and when the picture is restored click YES Then, click on the 3D menu (still in Catalyst Control Center) go to All Settings and drag every slider to the most RH position (all set to the highest quality).. It is the 'Wait for vertical refresh' that does the trick, this is the Vsync setting, and should be set to 'allways on'. Furthermore, I have been playing with CoreAVC and Cyberlink H.264 hardware codecs and cant find a significant difference, the Cyberlink seems a little better in holding audio and picture synchronized. Oh, and I allso had to reinstall Haali's Mediasplitter. I have turned on all VMR9 options in Mediaportal, and allso turned on Enhanced Video Renderer. Finally I removed/uninstalled all codecs that I dont use, this prevents them from loading accidently and so messing up your system. I use the following codec now, as set in MediaPortal Configuration: ffdshow for Mpeg2 for Movies, and for raw video post processing Cyberlink Video/SP Decoder (PDVD7) for TV Mpeg2 decoding (It loads anyway even when ffdshow is set to be used, so I selected the cyberlink and now only the cyberlink is used) No postprocessing for TV Cyberlink H.264/AVC decoder (PDVD7.x) for both TV and Movies decoding AC3filter for Movie audio decoding (send everything to SPDIF) ffdshow audio decoder for TV Audio decoding For Movies I use ffdshow as a postprocess to improve picture quality For Movies I have set DirectVobSub as a postprocess, so subtitles load automatically.. This was allso required to get my MKV movies working again! Apparently Matroska Movies only works when all codecs are present, with MP4 I got a message it was missing something, but started anyway. When setup like this, I have seen the best results till now, and I can use MediaPortal internal player to show all kinds of movies I have. It took a while, but now I am quite happy with the result, it may imorove even more when I decide to install Vista, because then the graphics card is used even more efficiently and better hardware rendering Lots

2008-02-07, 20:28	#8 (permalink)
kszabo Portal Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Germany, Würzburg Age: 35 Posts: 185 Thanks: 12 Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts Country: My System	I got it for me! MPG2: ATi Avivo with HW acceleration (low CPU usage, superb deinterlacing) h.264: only solution CoreAVC 1.6.5 with deinterlacing set to "blend" (VRM9 exclusive as renderer) I can watch 1080i HDTV live from DVB-s2 with my AMD X2 2x2,3 GHz (BE2400) Forget Cyberlink with the x1250! It hijacks every file format and screws up your merits. It is much slower than CoreAVC and can´t use HW Acceleration of x1250!

2008-02-07, 22:24	#9 (permalink)
Lotsofjazz Portal Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 114 Thanks: 2 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts My System	Hi, I tried CoreAVC as the H264 codec, but with that I introduced problems with audio synchronisation. Cyberlink H264 works best for me. With Radlight I have corected the merits, so now it only loads playing HD material. As far as I can see it does use HW decoding, because when I turn it off, quality is degraded significantly. National Geohraphic is broadcasted here in 1080i and works fine, smooth live TV, no tearing and no shocking or stutter. Lots

2008-02-08, 12:44	#10 (permalink)
kszabo Portal Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Germany, Würzburg Age: 35 Posts: 185 Thanks: 12 Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts Country: My System	Hi Lots, it´s good news that x1250 can probably accelerate h.264 despite reports in the internet. I could set CoreAVC deinterlacing to "hardware" with significant quality gain, so the x1250 must support a certain level of HWAcceleration. Maybe I should give a try to the new h264 codec from Cyberlink (latest patch). But I am happy with CoreAVC, I don´t want to risk anything to break :-)