an old maddening problem -- that's holding me back from upgrading (1 Viewer)

[elliottmc]

Well, I am all out of ideas. It seems that you are the only person having this problem, unless you can find more. At least I don't see anyone else reporting the same.

There are/were several other reports of playback problems, which I suspect are all related.

I guess you could contact the relevant people to ask if they are still having the same problems. I was one of these, and I fixed it as described above.

Out of interest, why do you absolutely NEED to stick with XP? You will get a much better experience with Windows 7.

 

[elliottmc]

Looking at your TsReader.log, you have

17-02-2012 12:19:13.531 [e60]  MPEG I-FRAME found 1.525000 
17-02-2012 12:19:13.531 [e60]  MPEG First '0' frame found. 1.525000 
17-02-2012 12:20:03.312 [e60]vid:fillbuffer exception
17-02-2012 12:20:03.390 [e60]Video Continuity error... d ( prev f )

I don't know whether this exception is a problem or not.

MediaPortal.log has

2012-02-17 12:19:13.468750 [Info.][MPMain(1)]: VMR9: added Video Mixing Renderer 9 to graph
2012-02-17 12:19:13.468750 [Debug][MPMain(1)]: VMR9: SetDeinterlacePrefs()
2012-02-17 12:19:13.468750 [Debug][MPMain(1)]: VMR9: Enabled YUV mixing - No DX Error
2012-02-17 12:19:13.468750 [Debug][MPMain(1)]: VRM9: Turning on nonsquare mixing - No DX Error
2012-02-17 12:19:13.468750 [Debug][MPMain(1)]: VRM9: Set filter mode - Gaussian Quad Filtering No DX Error
2012-02-17 12:19:13.468750 [Debug][MPMain(1)]: VMR9: Now active
2012-02-17 12:19:13.468750 [Debug][MPMain(1)]: VMR9: Renderer successfully added
2012-02-17 12:19:13.484375 [Info.][MPMain(1)]: Added filter: MPC - MPEG-2 Video Decoder (Gabest) to graph
2012-02-17 12:19:13.484375 [Info.][MPMain(1)]: Added filter: MPC - MPA Decoder Filter to graph
2012-02-17 12:19:13.484375 [Info.][MPMain(1)]: TSReaderPlayer: Render TsReader outputs

Are you using post-processing filters? I would try disabling these if you are.

Finally, I would try installing the LAV filters. These will basically play anything and seem much better (to me).

Have you got MP set to restart on resume? Your logs are incomplete (do not contain MediaPortal.xml) so I cannot tell. The logs would suggest not. Also, I would definitely try increasing the delay on startup to 5 seconds.

Ultimately, we have seen many reports of problems over the years, and chances are if only one person reports a problem, it is a configuration problem with their system. If a small number of people report a problem, then it may be down to common hardware. In order for us to determine if there is a problem, we have to have something to go on.

First of all, we would need this to be reproducible with a clean install of MP with no 3rd party plugins or skins. If it isn't reproducible under these conditions, then clearly it is something that happens in time. This would suggest a corrupted file somewhere. Then we have to work out what got corrupted, when and why.

 

[cewillis]

Out of interest, why do you absolutely NEED to stick with XP? You will get a much better experience with Windows 7.

I don't NEED to: I choose to. I strongly disagree that W7 is a 'better experience'. It's just MS deciding more of what users should see and do.
If MP doesn't 'really' work on WXp -- SO STATE, instead of advertising that it does.

 

[cewillis]

Try setting the delay until the cards are detected to 10 seconds. If this doesn't help, at least we will have ruled this out.
Mark

This had no effect, as I kind of expected; same problem occurred last evening.

 

[elliottmc]

Out of interest, why do you absolutely NEED to stick with XP? You will get a much better experience with Windows 7.

I don't NEED to: I choose to. I strongly disagree that W7 is a 'better experience'. It's just MS deciding more of what users should see and do.
If MP doesn't 'really' work on WXp -- SO STATE, instead of advertising that it does.

Well, for most people it does.

WinXP is 11 years old. It was replaced 6 years ago, and its replacement was then replaced 3 years ago. No matter what we do, it is going to be hard to keep modern software running on an old OS.

Part of the problem here is that you are not posting full logs. For example, we don't have MediaPortal.xml, so that while we can see the log, we don't know what is going on in your configuration that might cause the things to happen. It may simply be that you have something selected right by a box that says "don't use this on XP". The log collector (MediaPortal Debug Mode) is there for a reason - it tells us the things we need to know.

I have done my level best to try to help you, but I feel that for the sake of my sanity I have to give up. Sorry.

Mark

 

[SpudR]

I don't NEED to: I choose to. I strongly disagree that W7 is a 'better experience'. It's just MS deciding more of what users should see and do.

If MP doesn't 'really' work on WXp -- SO STATE, instead of advertising that it does.

I was running this on Xp up until a few months ago without these issues - and I know that there are many users still doing the same.

MP DOES work on XP - you have either a hardware problem OR something in the config that is causing this.

Despite what you seem to believe MS needs to keep up with technology and trends - NOBODY will continue with ANY software without updating it, beyond a certain point else we'd all still be using DOS. If you want to keep it old school then you take the risk.

 

[cewillis]

Please check the version of your Atapi.sys, it needs to be => 5.1.2600.55 87,168 - before this there were issues with S3 on resume (IDE disk driver does not check the busy bit in the drive status before it resets the drive resulting in things getting seriously messed up!).

Sorry for the delay -- . My version is 5.1.26.5512, size 96,512. This is in window/system32/drivers and also in .../servicepackfiles/.
I should know this, but does this driver also apply to sata drives? (my hd and dvd are sata)

 

[cewillis]

Well, for most people it does.

Part of the problem here is that you are not posting full logs. For example, we don't have MediaPortal.xml, so that while we can see the log, we don't know what is going on in your configuration that might cause the things to happen. It may simply be that you have something selected right by a box that says "don't use this on XP". The log collector (MediaPortal Debug Mode) is there for a reason - it tells us the things we need to know.

I have done my level best to try to help you, but I feel that for the sake of my sanity I have to give up. Sorry.
Mark

And MP mostly works for me, and is better than anything else I've looked at -- which is why I'm still trying.
I discovered (and posted) in another thread from long ago and far away that Debug mode used simultaneously with some other (now forgotten) standard setting causes an immediate fatal exception when MP tries to start. Thus I couldn't use debug mode to provide info on that problem. But I will post MediaPortal.xml.
Thanks for trying, and it's fine to give up. Let's see what miroslav22 comes up with.

 

[SpudR]

My version is 5.1.26.5512, size 96,512. This is in window/system32/drivers and also in .../servicepackfiles/.
I should know this, but does this driver also apply to sata drives? (my hd and dvd are sata)

Yes - ATAPI.sys for SATA and IDE etc...
The version number looks a little off - SP3 should give you 5.1.2600.5512 - typo?
I'd run a rootkit scan, there might be something there...
I'd also use the Eset Online Scanner just to be safe.

Once you've come out clean - try running an SFC /PurgeCache then SFC /Scannow - reinstall SP3
Grab and run CCleaner from Piriform to clean out the rubbish too...
See where that gets you

 

[cewillis]

My version is 5.1.26.5512, size 96,512. This is in window/system32/drivers and also in .../servicepackfiles/.
I should know this, but does this driver also apply to sata drives? (my hd and dvd are sata)

Yes - ATAPI.sys for SATA and IDE etc...
The version number looks a little off - SP3 should give you 5.1.2600.5512 - typo?

Yes -- 2600 (maybe trying to save ink when I wrote it down ---)
I assume-
Eset Online Scanner IS a rootkit scanner .
SFC/... are command lines, just as you typed them .

btw, another of the all time great quotes (which often applied in my CS career):
"Things should be made as simple as possible; but not simplier." Albert Einstein

In my most humble opinion, MP has drifted a little from that plan. (or in other words, every developer has his own pet functionality).