0.2 first impressions

[Efros]

Been running RC4 since its release, installed release 0.2 yesterday and very very pleased. The whole thing is much snappier, listings from network drives seem to load much quicker, MyMusic and Myvideos especially. Only issue was my key setting for the context menu which I had changed to f12 to get around some issues with f9 in WMP.

A big slap on the back for the devs!

[wewe]

ok, I don't want to destroy the good mood here but I think I have to tell MY experiences ...

-> RC4 removed completely, complete new install

- DVD navigation still NOT working. I must still use an external player :cry:

- still very complicated to find the right Codec and the right setting in order to have stutter-free TV (I am on Purevideo but WITHOUT "hardware acceleration"). All other settings make problems - even MPV now makes problems :cry:

- still having a "black screen after resuming" problem (in conjunction with the Autoplay-Plugin) :cry:

- and some more small issues ...

Don't take me wrong - I still love MP but I am waiting now for nearly 1 year (11 month) for a version that gives me flawless TV - Recording - DVD. Not more and not less.

I am especially disappointed that you did go from "Release Candidate" to "Release" knowing that a lot of people are having problems with the DVD Navigation which is an absloute CORE function. [Yes - I know there is still a "0." before the "2.0"]

- Okay from time to time I have to express my frustration - it 's good now. I switch back to "Go MP Go"-modus!

thanks+regards to all developpers, testers, administrators that spend a lot of private time to build the best HTPC app ever

WeWe

[Taipan]

Hi wewe,

I am sorry to hear that you are having these issues with MP - version 0.2.0.0 is absolutely perfect for me, so maybe I can offer some suggestions....

Originally Posted by wewe

- DVD navigation still NOT working. I must still use an external player :cry:

I found (by trial and error) that the DVDs I was having trouble with contained some form of copy protection. So to get the DVD navigation to work flawlessly, I had to use the CyberLink video decoder (WinDVD6) with DVD43. Now it is perfect!

Originally Posted by wewe

- - still very complicated to find the right Codec and the right setting in order to have stutter-free TV (I am on Purevideo but WITHOUT "hardware acceleration"). All other settings make problems - even MPV now makes problems :cry:

This is not normal - I am able to use any of the video decoders without any stutter - . And I would be surprised if it was an MP issue - last night I recorded 2 HD (720p) TV channels, and watched a recording, all at the same time - with not a sign of stutter. And my system is nothing fancy.

Do you get stutter on both live and recorded TV?

Why have you disabled hardware acceleration? What is your CPU usage like - does it hit 100% when you get the stutter?

Is it likely to be an issue with the 150MCE card? Or your video card/driver?

Originally Posted by wewe

- - still having a "black screen after resuming" problem (in conjunction with the Autoplay-Plugin) :cry:

I am not sure what this means? What is the Autoplay-Plugin, and why does it cause "black screen after resuming"?

Originally Posted by wewe

- - and some more small issues ...

What are these "small issues"?

Have you done a complete (from a disk format upwards) re-build of your PC recently? It sounds to me like there is something odd about your setup/configuration that is causing these problems... :?

[wewe]

Dear Taipan,

thank you so much for taking care for me!

I can not try everything this morning because I have to go to work but some first things:

Codecs:
The problem is not so much in fullscreen TV itself. It is mainly when I go from fullscreen TV to the EPG or to the TV Menu.

With MPV it is "hanging". When I want to walk through the program using my remote I can press multiple times while nothing happens and the it rushes through 5 or 6 channels. But meanwhile I am one step further: in the codec settings there is a preset "TV Defaults" which does some settings including "Bob" for Deinterlacing. When I do set Deinterlacing to "Auto" my problem is gone.

PureVideo - that one is my favourite one because it is the only one that is good in sports (for fast movements). Again there is no problem in fullscreen TV but when I go to the EPG I have hangers, what here means the EPG is hanging for a second and in the second the sound is repating again and again (like tomo-mo-mo-mo-morow). I can solve that when I switch of the "Hardware Acceleration" which is a button in the Codecs settings. But when I do that the good quality (for sports) is gone ....

DVD (Spiderman 2):
- "Cyberlink Video/SP Decoder" + "Cyberlink Audio": sound but black screen
- "Cyberlink MPEG Decoder" + "Cyberlink Audio": nothing happens - MP hangs (with last TV picture visible)
- "MPV" + "MPA": bluescreen
- "Nero DVD Decoder" + "Nero Audio Decoder": okay - that one seems to work (I never tried it before). But the sound is very low (small issue). But it only works when I start the DVD with "ask everytime". When I start it with "Autoplay, never ask" it doesn't start. MP stalls.

That is only one DVD. I have to try more.

Installation of 0.2.:
I did de-install MP RC4, delete the directory and run WinSysClean in order to get rid of old registry settings - probably you can't do more ...

thanks again - later more

thanks+regards
WeWe

[Sentinel]

Hi allz

I have same prob with codec and dvd playback.

I need last night 1 hour to make working my video and dvd playback. With directsound renderer MP cant play my videos, dvds. I set now MPV video codec with AC3 sound codec and my soundcard as renderer (in MyTV,MyVideo)

MPA working me not 100%.LFE dont working. I set MPA to 3+2 channel + LFE but I hear only my subwoofer with 5.1 sound with mp3 audio or another not 5.1 sound I hear in stereo.

Another mistery: when I set another codec (not MPA, Ac3 codec) I see with window mode in my windows tray, in ffdshow menu (right click) MPA audio codec used not Ac3. MPA codec forced?

Dvd playback: I see one of my new films, (not copy protected) after warning screen dvd playback stopped, and MP freezed.

[Marcusb]

I am running 0.2 now with no issues (it's the best version I've ever used).

Forthe DVD issues youguys are experiencing, I agree with Taipan. Are you sure the DVD is not copy protected? Pretty much every disk you buy nowadays is. A good test would be to copy the disk with DVDShrink and see if the copied disk works properly.

Also, in the DVD config, there is a box to disable hardware accelleration for DVDs with the explanation that this will solve some navigator issues. I had these issues with early rc4 and ticking this box fixed the issues. I don't have it ticked now and everything still works great.

[Efros]

Originally Posted by Marcusb

Pretty much every disk you buy nowadays is. A good test would be to copy the disk with DVDShrink and see if the copied disk works properly.

Makes you wonder if there is any sanity in the entertainment industry!

As to the dvd issues I can't comment, I very rarely play them on my MP box as I routinely rip and xvid my dvds for convenience, I don't enjoy the added "features" on dvds as for the most part they are fillers.

Now using 0.2 for 3 days and no issues as yet, /me is a happy bunny.

[FlipGer]

Hiho,

first of all: MP 0.2 is imho a very good release!

Originally Posted by wewe

still very complicated to find the right Codec and the right setting in order to have stutter-free TV (I am on Purevideo but WITHOUT "hardware acceleration"). All other settings make problems - even MPV now makes problems :cry:

Thats really a strange behaviour. My setup works very well, having less power than your system. Only main difference which comes to my mind is MCE.

Originally Posted by wewe

DVD problems...DVD (Spiderman 2)...

Thats something where I can agree. :? (not the crashes, but the black screen)

I have the same issues with Spiderman I and II (and some other DVDs). And its not a copy protection issue. I ripped II just to test and have the exact same behaviour => black picture on startup / menu. If I run MP in windowed mode and resize the window the picture comes back! So I think its some kind of MP / VMR9 issue.

See also here:
http://www.testteam-mediaportal.com/...read.php?t=682

Flip.

[Marcusb]

Originally Posted by FlipGer

Thats something where I can agree. :? (not the crashes, but the black screen)

I have the same issues with Spiderman I and II (and some other DVDs). And its not a copy protection issue. I ripped II just to test and have the exact same behaviour => black picture on startup / menu. If I run MP in windowed mode and resize the window the picture comes back! So I think its some kind of MP / VMR9 issue.

See also here:
http://www.testteam-mediaportal.com/...read.php?t=682

Flip.

Some of the bigger releases have a special type of copy protection that causes this issue. It's a way to prevent disks playing on multizone systems when the disk is region coded.

What they do is code the menu screen for the DVD to be the number of the current zone. For example, a disk coded for region 4 (Australia) will have the menu at 4. When the DVD player looks for the menu, the disc says "Go to the number of your current region". If the player is zone free then it won't find the menu. If the player is coded for region 4 then it will find the menu. Disney was also pretty big on this type of "protection".
This is why most multizone players allow you to manually set the zone if needed. I don't know why, but this protection never caught on to the majority of DVD's. I guess the licence costs are high.

[SiLenTYL]

hiya guys & girls

I must say the 0.2 release is a vast improvement on the release cadidates

i no longer get the "no signal detected" *whoo hoo*

however i cannot reach the "Set up Wizard" in "Settings" ..it just bounces me back to the "basicscreen" still

the reason why i want to use the settings(other than generally wanting to change settings) is that i cannot pick up Channel 10 - Melbourne Australia..when previously i could..it seems it wont be picked up in the Auto-tune in the config outside MP (Configuration.exe)...thought that the internal setup wizard would hyave more luck..but i cant get there

any1 else get this or is it just me?

Anywho..a great leap forward.. TY to all the devs, skinners, and breweries out there