Codec guide for newbies? Stutter with all codecs. (1 Viewer)

[Codec guide for newbies?]

Hi,

I'm new to MediaPortal and about ready to throw my HTPC out the window. Ok not quite that bad.... but was a happy enough Windows Media Center user for a couple of years and when seeing the MePo interface and some of its plugins I thought I had found Nirvana. Fast forward a couple of weeks and I have spent a good 15 hours getting all my media setup. MyTVseries plugin is installed and looking great, all my movies are in Moving Pictures and catalogued with fanart etc. The live/recorded TV side of things has all logos etc. and is working great with Microsoft codecs. I installed the Avalon skin too which looks great on my full hd sony bravia.

Codecs for videos (movies & tv-series) however are driving me insane. With just the plain Microsoft codecs anyting they can play they play well. To play other media however I have tried LAV Filters and ffdShow (installed/reinsalled) etc.etc. etc. and it's nothing but stutter/judder whatever you want to call it. Everything is unwatchable no matter what settings I try, and I have tried them all.

To make all this more frustrating there seems to be no definitive guide on what settings or even what codecs to use, there seems to be so many different points of view and no definitive guide. Can anyone please point me in the direction of some sort of guide to solving this issue? I realise all PCs arent built the same, but if windows media center played all forms of media with little hassle (i installed divx codec at some point) then I fail to see why MePo can be so complicated?

And please note that althogh I do know my way around a computer, I dont have university degree in video filter processing. If that is what you need to successfully run MePo someone please tell me now.

Cheers & Thanks

 

[RicoHTPC]

First of all it would be very helpful to see your system specs.

 

[gijoe73]

Hi,

Download DXVA checker to check what codecs are installed and Hardware acceleration is available.
Did you checked DXVA native in the LAV filter Video configuration ?
Have you selected LAV Codec in the Codec&Renderer section in Mediaportal configuration ?

 

[HomeY]

Almost all common files can be played perfectly with the LAV Filters.
The Wiki might be your friend...

 

[g1r2e3g]

Hi, it's just gotten rather worse. MePo now crashes when I try to watch anything. I removed all codecs from system, set all options back to MS codec in MePo settings, ran CCleaner, restarted and still no joy. Crashes everytime

Thanks for all the response. I have no idea how I posted that first message as a guest. Hopefully on this one you can see my sytem specs info.

Is there some way I can repair Media Portal? Kind of out of ideas on what to do. I've only ever messed with codecs and I have removed them all. I can stll play media ok in VLC outside of MePo.

Re; DXVA: i downloaded it, ran it, looks interesting..... but what do I do with it exactly? Is there some sort of guide on what it does or what youre supposed to do with it?

 

[Vasilich]

for crashes we need logs http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_MEDIAPORTAL_1/16_Support/3_Forums/2_Log_Files
after we rule out crashes, for stutter issue we then need to know your AMD graphic driver version and we need to see screenshot of your EVR renderer (available via hotkey "!" = Shift+1).

 

[g1r2e3g]

Hi Vasilich. Attached is the logs the watchodg app produced after the last crash.. It does start to play /video TV, but the screen goes black. Can only hear it. have to then force it to quit in task manager.

 

[g1r2e3g]

ok solved the crashing issue... in the "desperate/try anthing" phase of my meltdown yesterday in the Video Render tab in the codec settings I changed it from EVR to VMR9. As soon as I changed this back just now it works fine again. Live TV (HD&SD) both looking ok and an xvid video in tv series played ok. I will now try installing LAV Filters again and see how H264 content looks.. Im prepared for stutter, so low chance of meltdown this time [DOUBLEPOST=1344249446][/DOUBLEPOST]Ok LAV filters installed and same stuttering is back. Stutter is the same on both MPEG2 and H264. Below is a screenshot of the renderer output. I am running the latest version of the ATI driver 8.01 I have attached a screenshot of the version info from the catalyst control panel. thanks again. any help much appreciated.

 

[g1r2e3g]

Hmmph. Enabled YADIF deinterlacing in LAV and videos are looking ok.. However, now live TV is stuttering! MS codecs remain enabled, Haven't changed the TV settings at all.. Why would installing LAV effect TV if the codecs are different for videos & TV ? Have attached EVR output for TV render, dropped frames rocket up as you watch.

 

[Vasilich]

1. have you tried to set "DXVA native" as decoder in LAV Video settings? thi is the preferred setting for ATI chips - then it can use hardware deinterlacing.
2. for TV - on your screenshot there is "actual refresh rate 29.00 fps" what is quite slow. Can't explain why MS decoder has problems though. You can try to use LAV decoder also for LiveTV. Just FYI: for me LiveTV works stutterfree ONLY with "DXVA native" setting in LAV Video, and that was confirmed by several other users also.