On/Off audio when changing channels (1 Viewer)

[jo16v]

TV-Server Version: 1.0 RC3
MediaPortal Version: 1.0 RC3
MediaPortal Skin: Blue3
Windows Version: XP Home SP3
CPU Type: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB
Memory: Corsair 2x 1GB 800MHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H
Video Card: ATi 3200HD integrated
Video Card Driver: 8.10 Catalyst
Sound Card: Realtek HD
Sound Card AC3: AC3/HD
Sound Card Driver: 5.10
1. TV Card: Hauppauge Nova HD S2
1. TV Card Type: DVB-S2
1. TV Card Driver: 2.122
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: Cyberlink PowerDVD8 Ultra
MPEG2 Audio Codec: Cyberlink PowerDVD8 Ultra
h.264 Video Codec: Cyberlink PowerDVD8 Ultra
Satelite/CableTV Provider: Astra 28.2°E, Eurobird
HTPC Case: Antec 2480
Cooling: standard AMD + Antec
Power Supply: Antec 380W Earthwatts
Remote: Hauppauge remote
TV: Acer 19" X193W
TV - HTPC Connection: VGA

A weird problem that I have am having since I went through a codec bust up (installed SAF codec pack i.e. MPC-HC h.264, PDVD MPEG2, didn't work, reinstalled PDVD now .mov, .mp4, HD files won't play .wmv gives blank screen, .ts and HDTV still works), when I change a channel the audio goes off, then I change again it is back on, and so on. Does anyone know what might be causing this?

 

[magnets]

that sounds like a codec issue.

outside of MP what happens when you try to play a moc, and mp4 and an wmv file.
do you get error messages? what program tries to play it?
If you have changed your codecs (or more importantly deleted any) you have to go back into the MP config and choose your preferred decoders again.

We'll work on the audio once the video is working.

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

Audio codec, i would always use ffdshow, even with the SAF codec pack i had audio problems with using MPA codec (no sound).

I think i have now got to the stage where i only need the Cyberlink mpeg2 codec (dxva), mpcvideo for HD (dxva2), then the Vista codec Pack sorts out all the rest (FFDShow\Xvid\haali media splitter based), both for working within windows and mediaportal, without the VCP installed there are too many little niggles within the windows OS, like thumbs not getting produced for video files of all types, also not being able to play files in WMP11.

Be aware if you install VCP you will need to manually uninstall haali media splitter in control panel prior to installing VCP (as the install warnings says, PowerDVD or SAF codecs themselves not affected, so can be left installed)

Even using Gooses guide, i do not get such a overall good Windows OS\Mediaportal support.

Sorry if this went on a bit, and also be a bit contraditory from other post i have made regarding some codecs\packs, cccp for example, but have now used shark007's packs on\off for 2 years now, and have to be reminded what stops working when its NOT installed.

jo16v

Sorry for the long post and almost hijacking your thread, but give this a try and see what happens

 

[jo16v]

that sounds like a codec issue.

outside of MP what happens when you try to play a moc, and mp4 and an wmv file.
do you get error messages? what program tries to play it?
If you have changed your codecs (or more importantly deleted any) you have to go back into the MP config and choose your preferred decoders again.

We'll work on the audio once the video is working.

Thanks for helping. I have all Cyberlink PDVD8Ultra codecs selected in MP config with acceleration disabled. I have discovered that if I rename .mp4 files that I had originally renamed from .ts files (as they didn't previously work in RC2) back to .ts files these now work - I think they are in 1080i (interlaced) AVC format, recorded from BBC HD. BBC HD and Luxe HD also working on the TV in MP RC3 using Cyberlink PDVD8 Ultra codecs without DXVA (hardware acceleration).

What is not still working in MP are the h.264 .mov files (720p or 1080p) - if I click these nothing happens at all. If I load .wmv 720p/1080p HD files these open with sound but no picture.

In PowerDVD8Ultra the 720p/1080p h.264 and .wmv files play fine but without hardware acceleration. The 1080i AVC TV recordings play with hardware acceleration (the acceleration also works using the PowerDVD codecs in DVBViewer for 1080i AVC).

MPC-HC plays the 720p/1080p h.264 .mov files fine with hardware acceleration using its own MPC-HC h.264 codec (less than 10% CPU usage). The 720p/1080p wmv. files play fine in MPC-HC but with around 30% CPU usage (not sure whether it's using hardware acceleration). The AVC 1080i files don't work in MPC-HC but I think this is a known issue and not just with my setup.

Sorry if this went on a bit, and also be a bit contraditory from other post i have made regarding some codecs\packs, cccp for example, but have now used shark007's packs on\off for 2 years now, and have to be reminded what stops working when its NOT installed.

PD, I did try the Vista codecs after I tried the SAF pack but it still didn't work for me even with ffdshow decoders. I think I must have broken something badly when I was trying to get the SAF pack working (which includes a Cyberlink MPEG2 decoder). I installed it when I still had Cyberlink PDVD8U installed but I then uninstalled PDVD which then removed all Cyberlink stuff including the one SAF had just installed, so I had to uninstall SAF and Haali media splitter then reinstall Haali and then SAF again. Now I have uninstalled all of those packs and just have Cyberlink PDVD8U installed but I have the problems in MP as described above.

 

[jo16v]

OK, it seems for some reason I thought AVC was something different to h.264 when they are actually different names for the same thing? Anyway if that is the case it appears the ones I can't open at all in MP and the ones that can only play without acceleration in PowerDVD are progressive AVC/h.264 files, whereas I can play interlaced AVC/h.264 in MP without acceleration and with acceleration in PowerDVD and DVBviewer.

All the progressive AVC/h.264 files play in MPC-HC with acceleration (using its own decoder, not Cyberlink) and some interlaced AVC/h.264 files also work with acceleration but the aspect ratio is not always detected correctly and you have to fiddle with settings to get it right and on some interlaced recordings like live sport or music it looks messed up (I think it is possibly tearing?).

 

[magnets]

wooooo ok, well that's going a little above my head, but i can see some issues:

Your video card driver is out of date, I'm running Catalyst 8.52 so try updating that, first try via gigabytes website then directly from ati (IF gigabyte don't have the latest one).

I see the video is onboard, bit of a long shot but wander into the bios and check that the frame buffer and shared video memory is shared to something sensible (greater than 128Mb). you can check this in dxdiag before going into the bios if you wish.

click on start, run, type DXDIAG and click ok.
Make sure everything is certified and then run the tests for both the sound and the video. make sure you get a pass for everything.

IF IT PASSES:
given that your codecs are very messed up i would advise giving this a go (however it may not make any difference):
uninstall all codec software, or anything related to codec software (Nero burning rom fills your computer with codecs), proshow producer, dvdsanta, shrinkdvd etc, all have codecs in them
download the k-lite mega codec pack
Free-Codecs.com :: Download K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 4.2.5 : The K-Lite Mega Codec Pack includes the K-Lite Codec Pack Full, QuickTime Alternative, Real Alternative support and Monkey's Audio DirectShow decoder.
install using the home theatre option
it will also go through your registry during install and remove any references to missing codecs (it will popup if it finds them)
go to windows update and install updates
go to ms site and install .net3 (not .net3.5)
go back to windows update and install the update for net3 (thank you microsoft)


finally about the aspect ratio detection, from time to time mine does that, i don't think there is a fix. Typically mines zooms in or stretches too much rather than the other way round.

Let us know how you get on, there is more to try but i'd like to see these results first.

 

[jo16v]

wooooo ok, well that's going a little above my head, but i can see some issues:

Your video card driver is out of date, I'm running Catalyst 8.52 so try updating that, first try via gigabytes website then directly from ati (IF gigabyte don't have the latest one).

8.10 is actually the latest Catalyst driver - I did install the leaked final version which might not be helping since it installed a load of stuff for hardware I don't even have and forced windows re-activation due to hardware changes.

I see the video is onboard, bit of a long shot but wander into the bios and check that the frame buffer and shared video memory is shared to something sensible (greater than 128Mb). you can check this in dxdiag before going into the bios if you wish.

click on start, run, type DXDIAG and click ok.
Make sure everything is certified and then run the tests for both the sound and the video. make sure you get a pass for everything.

IF IT PASSES:

It passed all the directx tests without a problem- the shared memory is set to auto in BIOS but control panel>system shows 1.75GB RAM out of 2GB so I assume it is using 256MB.

given that your codecs are very messed up i would advise giving this a go (however it may not make any difference):
uninstall all codec software, or anything related to codec software (Nero burning rom fills your computer with codecs), proshow producer, dvdsanta, shrinkdvd etc, all have codecs in them
download the k-lite mega codec pack
Free-Codecs.com :: Download K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 4.2.5 : The K-Lite Mega Codec Pack includes the K-Lite Codec Pack Full, QuickTime Alternative, Real Alternative support and Monkey's Audio DirectShow decoder.
install using the home theatre option
it will also go through your registry during install and remove any references to missing codecs (it will popup if it finds them)
go to windows update and install updates
go to ms site and install .net3 (not .net3.5)
go back to windows update and install the update for net3 (thank you microsoft)

I take it this means I have to uninstall PowerDVD as well? I am little wary of doing this as I now have TV working with a good picture albeit without acceleration. One thing that may help in working out what is wrong with my setup ..I tried to set MPC-HC as my external movie player in MP config- this works fine for .avi and .wmv files (including .wmv HD files) but for .mov (quicktime) files it produces the following error (note if I open them in MPC-HC directly there is no error):

AppName: mpcplayerc.exe AppVer: 1.1.604.0

ModName:quartz.dll ModVer: 6.5.2600.5596 Offset:000945bb

So it looks like something may be wrong with my quartz.dll which is associated with quicktime decompressor and quicktime movie parser filters (according to radlight filter manager). This thread suggests that installing and uninstalling an AVI splitter (i.e. haali which I did install and uninstall about 5 times) might have caused a problem with quartz.dll which might be fixed by reregistering so will try that, reboot in a sec.

UPDATE: OK, something changed, 720p .mov files will now open with MPC-HC set as the external player in MP config, but 1080p .mov files stll crash it with the same quartz.dll error. Still get the same results using internal MP player i.e. no .mov (quicktime) files open, .wmv files are blank, .ts interlaced HD files work and avi and mpg.

UPDATE 2: The audio problem seems to be reset by viewing an HD channel (BBCHD). If I go to BBCHD from a channel with audio working or not the sound on BBCHD will work, the next channel I access after BBCHD will have sound, but if I then goto an SD channel sound will go off, then to another SD it will be on, then another it will be off etc. This and the above problems may be moot though as I think I may try a reinstall this weekend with the minimum amount of drivers and software.

 

[magnets]

I think a rebuild would be a good idea.
the quartz problem actually rings a bell, unfortunately i can't remember why. sorry.
ok the ati driver I'm still concerned about, if you double click the ati applet in your systray go to expert mode (if applicable) got to information center [sic] then graphics Software.
Under driver packaging Version i have 8.52.6.-080708a-058489C-ATI
if yours is lower than that then whatever you have is not the latest.

Also how dodgy is your copy of XP (you mentioned re-activation)? none genuine copies don't get certain fixes like the dvb fix which sp3 wipes out.

Good luck with your rebuild, hope it goes smooth.