Bug in Preview Window ? (4 Viewers)

[Gent32m]

TV-Server Version: MediaPortal 1.0 RC3
MediaPortal Version: MediaPortal 1.0 RC3
MediaPortal Skin: PureVision HD
Windows Version: Windows XP SP3
CPU Type: AMD 4850E
Motherboard: GigaByte GA-MA78GM-S2H
Video Card: OnBoard
Video Card Driver: ATI HD 3200
Sound Card: Creative X-fi Music
1. TV Card: Terratec Cinergy 2400i
1. TV Card Type: DVB-T
TV - HTPC Connection: HDMI

Hi,

I wonder if this is a bug in MediaPortal ? Can someone confirm this for me, please ?

Situation:
- When I start a TV channel or a movie and go back to the MediaPortal BasicHome skin
- Then the preview window doesn't show the Movie or TV Channel that is playing.
I can see (at the borders of this preview) that the movie or tv channel is playing.
But output is mostly blocked (by 98%) due to a black image within the preview window

Tests I did:
- The error is not related to the skin PureVision HD. When I run MP in the latest blue skin mode.
And go to the BasicHome screen. the preview window is also blocked (by a black image)
- The error occurs on a pc, where MediaPortal has never been installed before. (fresh install of MP 1.0 RC3)
On an other pc (where i previously installed version 1.0 RC2) the Preview Windows displays fine.

Could it be, that some registry settings were deleted or changed ?
In version MP 1.0 RC3 (<-> MP 1.0 RC2) ?

Can someone help me ?
Or detect this bug ?

 

[IkeV70]

I can't help you, I can tell you that I have the same problem.
I also have a freshly installed WinXP-SP3-MP-RC3, Indigo skin. If I switch from My TV to Basic Home there is only a black preview screen. If I go to another window the preview appears for a moment, just before the new window opens.

 

[Gent32m]

Thanks, for the reply!

So.. This must be a MP Bug in release 1.0 RC3
That was not present in Release 1.0 RC2

Can this be passed to the MP developpers ?
So that they can fix this bug in the next release or SVN build.

P.S. If this bug can be fixed with some registry setting or other manual operation.
Please report this !

 

[Taipan]

I wonder if this is a bug in MediaPortal ? Can someone confirm this for me, please ?

I don't think that it is a bug in MediaPortal - I think it is a bug in the ATI Radeon video drivers for Windows XP ...

I have 2 different installations of MediaPortal on 2 separate PCs, and they both exhibit the same behaviour. And they both have ATI Radeon HD3650 video cards with version 8.10 of CCC, and Windows XP SP3.

I also have a different installation of MediaPortal on my laptop (which is also Windows XP SP3), and it does not display the same behaviour, and it has an Intel video card.

What version of the ATI driver are you using?

 

[Gent32m]

Hey Taipan,

Thanks for your reply! But I wonder if ATI is the problem.

Both PC's were I tested this problem, have an ATI grahics cards on board.
On the Asus PC the preview works fine, on the Gigabyte pc it doesn't.

- The Asus pc has an ATI HD2600 Pro videocard (with drivers of a year ago)
- The Gigabyte has an ATI HD3200 videocard on board (with version 8.8 of the drivers installed)

1) I can do another test and install MP 1.0 RC2 on the Gigabyte pc.
If the preview works fine (in this version) it must be a bug in MP, not ?

2) Other strange behiavour I noticed, is that the preview window (on the Gigabyte) works fine in all screens of MP (but not in the BasicHome, the one PureVisonHD uses).

I will run another series of tests (this weekend) and posts my results here...

 

[catavolt]

Hi,
I´m using a NVIDIA GeForce graphics, here it works perfectly, can see the tv or video or visualization in the TV screen of BasicHome as expected. Hope it´s not a skin issue!

 

[Taipan]

Hi Gent32m,

But I wonder if ATI is the problem.

I hope I am wrong, because if it is an ATI problem, then it is unlikely to be fixed ...

Both PC's were I tested this problem, have an ATI grahics cards on board.
On the Asus PC the preview works fine, on the Gigabyte pc it doesn't.

Are you using the same skin on both PCs? I have noticed that I get slightly different results depending on the skin I use - for example, Monochrome works fine at the Home screen, but BlueTwo wide is a black image with slight flickering.

And could you verify the results on both PCs with the BlueTwo skin, please, as this is the reference skin for the developers.

1) I can do another test and install MP 1.0 RC2 on the Gigabyte pc.
If the preview works fine (in this version) it must be a bug in MP, not ?

One of my PCs is running RC2 and the other is running RC3, and they both exhibit the same symptoms - that's why I don't think it is something new in RC3

2) Other strange behiavour I noticed, is that the preview window (on the Gigabyte) works fine in all screens of MP (but not in the BasicHome, the one PureVisonHD uses).

Which seems to suggest that it is a skin issue? I have noticed quite different behaviour between the BlueTwo wide and Monochrome, too ...

I will run another series of tests (this weekend) and posts my results here...

That would be really helpful to see if we can isolate the cause of this issue ...

I will do some more testing, too.

 

[Gent32m]

Hi,

I've done some testing on the Gigabyte PC (where the preview window doesn't work).
Here are my results...

- I reinstalled MP 1.0 RC2 (did some testing). Installed MP 1.0 RC3 again (and did some testing too).
- The problem seems to be a skin problem. Not a MP release problem

- The preview window works fine in the skin Blue Two (with RC2 and RC3).
a) It displays output in the Basic Home skin (which is passed on to the MyPictures skin, MyVideos skin, etc)
b) It also displays output on the TV guide skin (which is not passed on by the Basic Home skin)
c) But it doesn't display output in the TV Scheduler, TV Search, TV recordings, etc skin (maybe this is a bug in MP ?)

- The preview window however, doesn't work in the skins PureVisionHD and Blue3 !
a) The Basic Home skin displays nothing (so it can't be passed on the the MyPictures skin, MyVideos skin, etc)
b) Same for the TV guide and so on. Nothing works here.

Conclusion:
- This bug doesn't seem to be a ATI driver problem. Since it works fine on the Gigabyte (with the Blue Two skin). But doesn't with skin Blue3 or PureVisionHD
- Why this bug appears on the Gigabyte pc, but doesn't on the Asus one, is a total mystery to me !
Since same skin (PureVisionHD) and MP release (1.0 RC3) were installed on both PC's.

I am quite lost now (on how to fix the problem)...

Can this problem (bug) be passed on to the programmers ?
I've taken a look in the BasicHome.xml skin, but can't find anything wrong (or special) in it.

Any help is fully appreciated.

 

[nfox]

I have been having this problem for some time (at least RC1, if not earlier) and I believe it is indeed an ATI driver issue.

I have not managed to solve the problem completely, but have noticed the following:

1. I did find an older version of the ATI drivers that did not cause this problem (sadly I can't remember which ones, I think 8.1 or 8.2, possibly even earlier). Unfortunately, these drivers did not support adjusting overscan settings while outputting a signal at 50Hz, so I don't use them for that reason.

2. Whether or not the the image is black or properly displayed does seem to depend on the skin, but I actually think it depends on the size/proportions of the preview image, which of course varies from skin to skin.

3. The problem can be solved in many cases by editing the relevant skin files and moving the part that specifies the video preview window to near the beginning of the file (I move it to immediately after any references to background graphics/before any reference to time and date).

Bug? Issue? Feature? I really don't know, but it is a right royal pain in the backside.

 

[Taipan]

Why this bug appears on the Gigabyte pc, but doesn't on the Asus one, is a total mystery to me !

You say in an earlier post "- The Asus pc has an ATI HD2600 Pro videocard (with drivers of a year ago) ". Exactly what version of the ATI drivers are you using on the ASUS PC? My guess is that version is free of this bug, but more recent versions (like v8.8 that you have on the Gigabyte) contain the bug.

An interesting test would be for you to install the same version of the ATI drivers on the Gigabyte, that you have on the ASUS?

I have also noticed the same as nfox, that if you edit the relevant skin files and move the part that specifies the video preview window to near the beginning of the file, the problem is often, but not always, solved.

I have also confirmed with a number of other MP users that those with Nvidia cards never see these issues ...