1088 resize or crop to 1080 (1 Viewer)

[enricong]

MediaPortal Version: 1.0
Windows Version: xp pro
CPU Type: athlon 64 x2 2ghz
Memory: 4gb 800mhz
Motherboard: biostar k8m800 micro am2
Video Card: Geforce 6600
MPEG2 Video Codec: Nvidia Pure Video
TV - HTPC Connection: DVI-hdmi

Standard US ATSC OTA 1080i broadcast video is typically 1920x1088 resolution. This is because 1088 is a multiple of 16. the extra 8 lines are defined to be blank. When displayed the 8 should be dropped and the image should not be resized from 1088 to 1080. I'm not sure who's job it is to determine this, media portal, Nvidia Pure Video decoder, VMR9, etc. Does Media portal, nvidia pure video decoder, or something else in the process know about this and cut off the bottom 8 lines, or does it get resized? I am having problems playing 1920x1088 video and I would like to know if un-needed resizing is the cause or just my Geforce 6600 being too slow.

 

[enricong]

It turns out that the VMR9 is causing the problem (I think)

I tired installing cyberlink powerdvd and it can play it just fine.
However when I use the same decoder in mediaportal, it is jittery/choppy.

I think the difference is that I am forced to use VMR9.
Is there a way to switch to something else? EVR doesnt seem to work for me.

 

[Owlsroost]

I think you need .NET 3.5 installed to get EVR on XP.

However when I use the same decoder in mediaportal, it is jittery/choppy.

Have you tried using a different audio codec ? - e.g. AC3Filter might be worth a try.

Tony

 

[enricong]

I did install .NET 3.5 however with EVR it is still very slow. The audio sounds fine (except with EVR), I have tried different audio options (nvidia, ffdshow, and cyberlink)

If I use powerdvd to play the video, it is perfect.

If I use the cyberlink decoder (or any decoder) with VMR9 it is jittery/stuttering/choppy.

So I'm thinking that cyberlink must use a different renderer, or just overlay.

I was about to upgrade my video card thinking it was too slow (which would have forced me to get a PCI-E motherboard too) and cost me an extra $100 or so, but I see now that my video card seems to be fast enough.

Is there some way to use something other than VMR9 or EVR or to configure VMR9, I've tried changing around all the VMR9 options in media portal but it doesnt help.

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

enricong

Can you try MP 1.0.1 when it is released and see if any difference.

Also in the BIOS change the memory aperture to 128 for graphics, might be set at 32\64, this is too low.

 

[enricong]

1.0.1 has been released? Where do i download it from? I read on the front page that the release was pushed back to polish some changes.

The aperture is set to 128 but I'm thinking this is not the issue since it plays fine if I use powerdvd.

I'm not sure what else is different between powerdvd and mediaportal (with cyberlink decoder selected), but seeing that powerdvd can play it fine, I'm thinking my hardware must be fast enough. Its just a matter of configuration of mediaportal.

the VMR9 being the difference is just a guess.

I really like using mediaportal, but if I can't fix this, I'll have to go with some other program (which I don't want to do) or upgrade my hardware (which costs money and is risky since I can't be sure it will help)

 

[Owlsroost]

Try playing the file with the MPC-HC player - XvidVideo.RU - MPC HomeCinema (x86/x64) - it allows you to choose the renderer (overlay/VMR7/VMR9/EVR) so you might be able to see if this is really the problem.

Have you tried turning off hardware acceleration in the codecs ? - hardware decode acceleration plus hardware de-interlacing for HD might be more than the video card is able to cope with. Your CPU should be fast enough to decode HD MPEG-2 so all you need is the hardware de-interlacing support from the video card.

Also try the different filltering/scaling choices in the VMR9 settings in MP configuration.

There have been some rendering changes in the latest MP SVN - https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/untested-mediaportal-tv-server-1-0-svn-builds-312/mediaportal-svn-snapshot-04-02-2009-11-27h-revision-22162-rar-57374/, so this might be worth a try.

Tony

 

[enricong]

I'll try that MPC-Hc player tonight. If it is truely a difference between overlay or VMR7 and VMR9, is there any way to get mediaportal to use overlay or VMR7?

I have tried disabling hardware acceleration in codecs but I see no difference even in cpu usage so i suspect I am doing something wrong.

I recall in the VMR9 settings there are two check boxes and a dropdown. I tried unchecking both and setting to none but no difference.

I'll also try the 1.0.1 snapshot. Is this the patch or will I be doing a reinstall?

 

[Owlsroost]

I'll also try the 1.0.1 snapshot. Is this the patch or will I be doing a reinstall?

You have to install it on top of an existing 1.0 installation - install the MP part first, followed by the TV Server part.

Tony

 

[enricong]

ok I'm confused now.

I installed 1.0.1, no difference.
tried changing interlace settings and turning off hardware acceleration, got worse.

I tried MPC-HC and it works great, just like powerdvd.
I went in and tried VMR9, VMR7, even EVR, whatever I tried, I could not make it choppy.

However, if I went to internal filters and unchecked MPEG2, then it would become choppy.
I think this is the Gabest filter, and I have tried selecting it in mediaportal

So I'm not sure what the problem is.