Video Playback Problem (Tiny Screen)

[MD-Runner]

Hello All,

Whenever I play back a video i get sound, but no picture. If I hit the "Esc" button I get a tiny video in the lower left of the screen - almost like PIP.

I am using RC2 with CoreAVC, Haali Splitter, DirectVobSub and ffdShow. This is with .AVI, .WMV and .MKV videos.

Alan

[geov]

Hi Alan, welcome to the forum.

Without your system specs completed there is no way we can help you....please complete those first.

[MD-Runner]

TV-Server Version:
MediaPortal Version: 1 RC2
MediaPortal Skin: Blue Two Wide
Windows Version: XP Pro SP2
CPU Type: Pentium 4 2.4GHz
HDD: WDC 40GB
Memory: 512mb 2.4GHz
Motherboard:
Video Card: ATI Diamond Radeon 7000
Video Card Driver: 8.203.0.0
Sound Card: Turtle Beach Riviera
Sound Card AC3: Optical Out
Sound Card Driver: 5.12.1.8
1. TV Card: None
1. TV Card Type:
1. TV Card Driver:
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: CoreAVC
MPEG2 Audio Codec:
h.264 Video Codec: CoreAVC
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case:
Cooling:
Power Supply:
Remote: Microsoft Media KB+Mouse
TV: Vizio 37" 1080i
TV - HTPC Connection: HDMI

Sorry, I thought it might be a setting I was missing. Here's the report.

[geov]

I had a quick look at your logs, but I dont see anything...but I'm not very good at analysing the LOG's

Try changing your monitor resolution and see if that does anything. You can also try the configure the output under “Settings/Screen-Calibration” in Media Portal. Which codec are you using for video, have you tried a different codec.....

[Paranoid Delusion]

Video Card: ATI Diamond Radeon 7000

Put money on your above card, its a DX7 card, not DX9 so is not capable of outputting the video fullscreen through MediaPortal.

[MD-Runner]

Well, when I put in a DVD it plays just fine - it up-converts to 720p and plays full screen. So, the problem is only with video files that are ripped to the PC. This tells me it's not screen resolution or the video card. The files are .AVI, .WMV, .MKV and .MP4.

[Paranoid Delusion]

2008-07-31 18:39:12.734375 [Info.][MPMain]: VMR9: added Video Mixing Renderer 9 to graph
2008-07-31 18:39:12.921875 [Debug][MPMain]: VMR9: SetDeinterlacePrefs()
2008-07-31 18:39:13.109375 [Debug][MPMain]: VMR9: Enabled YUV mixing - DX Error: 0x80040298 - Warning:ITF:0x0298 - Error: Unknown, Description:n/a

As soon as you switch to windowed mode can see movie (Paul McCartney) playing fine.

mpeg2 in pushing mpeg2 out may not be a problem, but then codec\gpu use for other formats will be.

CoreAVC is not a mpeg2 codec, its x264 (mp4), mkv & avi are more than likely being covered by ffdshow, which is set to use YUV for output, which your graphics card does not like.

GeneralRequirements - MediaPortal Wiki Documentation

These kind of issues have been around for as long a MP has been using .net\DX9

[MD-Runner]

Thanks. So, what is the best/easiest fix? Short of buying a new video card, I mean. If I can't up-convert then it's not the end of the world. I am just playing around with this on a PC I got cheap off of Ebay. Once I figure things out I will build a "real" one.

[Paranoid Delusion]

Sorry the Graphics card does need to be DX9 128mb memory, there is no workaround, as the link pointed to, either Nvidia FX5200 or ATI 9600 both start the DX9 support correctly.

So unless a car booty, or a friend is getting rid of one for next to nothing you are stuffed (bet loads of these have been binned working), and that's if it fits in the motherboard, as do you know if card is agp or pci connection, you would need the same type.

[Cojo]

I had the same problem using an old laptop connected to an external monitor as my bedroom tv.
The laptop has an radeon mobility 7000. Watching tv was no problem but I got no picture when I tried to watch a divx or xvid.
I solved it by using the VLC external player plugin that I found here: VideoLAN external player plugin