Refresh rate reset after playing media (1 Viewer)

[AberDino]

TV-Server Version: MP v1.0 RC4
MediaPortal Version: MP v1.0 RC4
MediaPortal Skin: Blue3
Windows Version: MS XP MCE SP3
CPU Type: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300
HDD: Samsung HD400LJ 400GB
Memory: Corsair DDR2 TWINX 1GB PC5400 (2x 512MB)
Motherboard: Asus P5LD2-VM DH
Video Card: HIS HD 3450 256MB
Video Card Driver: Catalyst v8.10
1. Sound Card: Realtek ALC882
1. Sound Card AC3: Optical
1. Sound Card Driver: v2.09
2. Sound Card: HIS HD 3450 Onboard Realtek
2. Sound Card AC3: HDMI
2. Sound Card Driver: v2.09
1. TV Card: Terratec Cinergy 2400i DT
1. TV Card Type: DVB-t
1. TV Card Driver: v1.1.0.283a
MPEG2 Video Codec: Cyberlink PowerDVD 8.0.1830
MPEG2 Audio Codec: Cyberlink PowerDVD 8.0.1830
h.264 Video Codec: CoreAVC Pro v1.7.0.0
HTPC Case: Accent HT-201B
Cooling: Zalman Reserator, GPU+CPU+chipset
Power Supply: Zalman 450W PSU
Remote: MS MCE
TV: Philips 37PFL9632D LCD
TV - HTPC Connection: HDMI 1080p

Refresh rate is set to 50 Hz (using ATI CCC) before starting MP. Once MP is up and running I start watching TV. When I stop watching TV, screen briefly goes black, indicating something is happening that shouldn't be happening... After exiting MP I open the ATI CCC and I see the refresh rate has been reset to 60 Hz. MediaPortal log file for this case attached, no error log present. I have done a few more tests, and I can confirm this happens after playing any video media. Perhaps somebody with a similar setup can test this too, so we know whether it is a MP bug or not?

 

[AberDino]

Bit of background information; I get the best picture quality by enabling VMR9 exclusive mode. VMR9 without exclusive mode, as well as EVR, result in pretty bad tearing in 'busy' scenes. I did a bit more troubleshooting tonight, and did the same test without VMR9 exclusive mode. The screen didn't go black, and indeed after exiting MP and checking the ATI CCC, the refresh rate was still at 50 Hz! So, it's something to do with the the exclusive mode option.

When I checked the mediaportal.log file, I found the following suspicious entries, i.e. it's switching to windowed mode even though MPMain states it shouldn't:

2008-12-01 22:48:29.297655 [Debug][MPMain]: Main: Goto windowed mode: False
2008-12-01 22:48:29.297655 [Debug][MPMain]: D3D: Switch to windowed mode - Playing media: False
2008-12-01 22:48:29.563282 [Debug][MPMain]: D3D: Switched to windowed mode successfully

Could this be causing the problem I'm experiencing?

I've attached both my exclusive and non-exclusive mediaportal.log files to this message. I hope somebody can at least have a look at these files and explain why my refresh rate is reset from 50 Hz to 60 Hz when I stop my TV (or any video file for that matter) in VMR9 exclusive mode. Secondly, it would be good to know whether this is a MP bug or something peculiar about my system.

 

[edterbak]

Hi Aberdino,

I read your request in the refreshrate changer thingy....


I read your posts. I dont know exactly what I should be doing to try and recreate the same error.
My settings are:
- VMR9
- Exclusivemode selected
- ATI HD 4350 (bit newer version of yours)
- Catalyst 8.10 hot fix (needed because of the 4xxx card)
- Codec for TV is ATI, for movies ATI(mpeg) and MPC-HC(H.264)
- Changing method of the refreshrate changer is DC.exe

What I did is:
I start MP in 50 hz @1080P. I have checked this in CCC.

Go to TV
Start Live TV. (it doesn't automatically start)
Watch some dumb porn for an hour.... ( )
Stop Live TV

What I see is no black screen when I stop.
When I check in CCC what the refreshrate is, it says still 50hz@1080P

Maybe a suggestion. Try reinstalling/refreshing DirectX.

 

[AberDino]

Hi edterback, thanks for testing, I very much appreciate it. It looks like you've got pretty much the same settings as me, apart from your codecs (how did you get the ATI codec, and is it good?). In my test I had the refresh rate changer disabled, but it shouldn't kick-in anyway when you're already on 50Hz when starting MP and then watch TV. I would appreciate it if you could send me the log (debug mode) for the test you've performed, so I can compare log entries and see if something different happens on my setup. Also, my OS install is relatively fresh, so there shouldn't be any issues with DirectX, but I'll try your suggestion anyway. I'll also try a different TV codec to see if that makes any difference.

By the way, do you use the soundcard on your ATI graphics card? If so, do you keep your sound when you switch refresh rate with DC.exe? I do use the soundcard onboard the ATI card (in combination with ATI DVI to HDMI dongle) so that audio and video always stay in sync (my LCD TV has a slight processing delay). I have a separate digital audio out cable from my TV to my amplifier (so I can still get my 5.1 sound). I have to use the ATI CCC utility (with reset option in refresh rate changer plugin) to keep sound when I switch refresh rates.

 

[edterbak]

I will get the log for you tonight.

ATI codec you can get in the ATI driver section. you can download it seperately if you search a little bit over there... (My acces is blocked here, so I cant give you a direct link.. Sorry) But also, I thought it would automatically install when installing the ATI drivers..

[edit]

I dontuse the onboard audio. I use the ASUS Xonar sound card which has an optical spdif output with dts live. So I think this explains why I dont loose sound when switching the resolution.

Ps. I updated the information about my system in this forum. It should be more accurate now for you to make a good comparisson.

 

[edterbak]

Ok. Its a bit later then anticipated.

I turned the Refresh Rate CHander off for you during the debug mode logging.

The log is attached.

Also I looked up the ATI AVIVO drivers for you.
You can download them here.
Drivers & Tools | GAME.AMD.COM

Im happy with the ATI codecs. It feels very stable to me.

 

[AberDino]

Thanks edterbak, I've downloaded both files and will try a few things later on this weekend. Thanks again!

 

[AberDino]

Well, my perseverance paid off, and the issue is resolved! It was not related to MP, but due to my system configuration. I made the following two changes:

1. There is no XP monitor driver for my LCD TV, and it was therefore registered as a plug and play monitor. Even though the ATI CCC could see the refresh rates available (24Hz, 50 Hz, etc), the monitor tab in the Windows display properties only listed 60 Hz as a valid screen refresh rate. I opted to clear the box 'Hide modes that this monitor cannot display', and while I was there set my refresh rate to 50 Hz, so it would use that as the default when the system boots up.
2. I found various posts from people with XP MCE who had noticed that MCE kept changing back to 60 Hz. I installed a utility called MCE Customizer, which allows you to disable MCE from making refresh rate changes.

I'm not sure whether I needed both, but the main thing is that my refresh rate is no longer reset to 60 Hz after watching TV or playing a video. In fact, I'm now also able to use the refresh rate changer plugin without any issues, so I'm a happy camper! I hope this post will help others who might have the same issue.