One file plays back stuttery, another is fine

[jmbillings]

TV-Server Version: rc1 refresh
MediaPortal Version: rc1 refresh
MediaPortal Skin: default blue
Windows Version: Vista 32bit
CPU Type: Athlon 64x2 4450e
HDD: Samsung 500Gb
Memory: 2Gb DDR800
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
Video Card: Onboard, ATI 3200HD
Video Card Driver: Latest from ATI site
Sound Card:
Sound Card AC3:
Sound Card Driver:
1. TV Card:
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:
MPEG2 Audio Codec:
h.264 Video Codec: Cyberlink PDVD7
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case:
Cooling:
Power Supply:
Remote:
TV:
TV - HTPC Connection:


Hi,

Just building my htpc - TV Sat cards not arrived so playing with video playback. It's early days, but i've installed the ffdshow and haali media splitter packs and left all at their defaults. In MP I set it to use EVR and H264 is set to the Cyberlink codec (came with my LG BR/HD drive)... hardware acceleration is enabled.

I first tried playing a 720p rip of the Top Gear Polar special, and it looks fantastic. I then tried a file i'd downloaded ages ago, a 720p of Harry Potter... but this stutters on "busier" scenes - for instance the first scene where the camera pans down from the sky, it's fine until it gets to the traffic moving and then goes into a sort of odd frame rate and stutters. Does it most of the time to be honest. I think I am using hardware decoding ok, as I brought up task manager and it showed my CPU cores both running at next to nothing!
I don't think its that the graphics can't keep up as the Top Gear rip looks fantastic and with all the snow dust blowing around, there is probably more to be decoded than on Harry! Any pointers? What other info would be useful? Still learning all this stuff!

[Paranoid Delusion]

I then tried a file i'd downloaded ages ago, a 720p of Harry Potter... but this stutters on "busier" scenes - for instance the first scene where the camera pans down from the sky, it's fine until it gets to the traffic moving and then goes into a sort of odd frame rate and stutters.

Most probably a bad rip.

[jmbillings]

Possible - this thread suggests a lot of rips are perhaps not "correct" for working with hardware decoding. Might change to software just to check that next time I connect it all up!
x264 Encoding Options for Hardware Compatibility & DXVA - AVS Forum