Screen becomes brighter when I maximize Mediaportal (1 Viewer)

[Gent32m]

TV-Server Version: not in use
MediaPortal Version: 0.2.3.0
MediaPortal Skin: BlueTwo 0.2.3.0
Windows Version: Windows XP Professional SP2
CPU Type: Intel Core2Duo E6750
Motherboard: Asus P5K-E Wifi
Video Card: ATI HD Radeon 2600 Passive
Video Card Driver: ATI CAtalyst Driver (latest version)
Remote: MCE Remote (activated in MediaPortal)
Monitor 1: Samsung SyncMaster 206 BW (DVI connected)
Monitor 2: Panasonic Plasma TV (HDMI connected)

Hey,

This is what i do:
- I start MediaPortal in window mode
- I click: ALT + ENTER (to go to full screen mode)
- My TFT screen becomes much brighter (too bright to watch and enjoy movies)
- If I click: ALT + ENTER again, Mediaportal goes back to the windowed mode and restores the brightness on my deskop. So everything becomes normal again.

I have been looking and looking on the internet + this forum. But could not find any solution for this problem.
Can someone please help me. Or give me some tips to look for...

Thanks,

Greetings,
Bart De Vlieger

 

[Spragleknas]

Hi, and welcome to the forum

I have my suspicions to why this is happening, but before we go there:

Since you have a ATi HD-card, could you try these registry hacks -> ATI HD Registry Tweaks

Made my PQ a lot better. Please report back your findings

 

[Gent32m]

Hey,

This solved my problem (yesterday):

- Start Media Portal Configuration
- Go to: Direct Show Filter Control
- Go to: Video Mixing Renderer 9 Settings
- Uncheck: Use VMR9 Exclusive Mode
- Close Media Portal Configuration

Now when I expand (by pressing ALT + ENTER) MediaPortal to FullScreen,
the brightness remains the same. As It should be.

What is the risk, when I execute this vb script (you posted me) ?
Can I still rollback the changes, if something goes wrong ?

Everything works fine now. So i would rather not mess up my system...
Unless you can insure me, that i can do nothing wrong with this...

You said:

"I have my suspicions to why this is happening, but before we go there..."

Go where ? Now you made me curieus
Is there something else we should know ?

 

[phunqe]

Does the screen become lighter even if you start MediaPortal in fullscreen mode directly?

 

[Gent32m]

Does the screen become lighter even if you start MediaPortal in fullscreen mode directly?

No, It didn't. (when the option ‘Start Media Portal in full screen mode’ is on)

If you turn this option off. Start Media Portal in windowed mode and toggle between screen modes then:
- In full screen mode the screen becomes too bright (without even starting a movie file)
- In windowed mode the screen returns to its normal brightness

By unchecking the option "Use VMR9 Exclusive Mode", this problem is solved.

I experienced with a lot of settings (ffdshow, AVCFilter, media player classic, etc). But could not find out why Media Portal (when playing a movie in full screen mode) returned to its 'own' brightness'. Nor the brightness level in the ATI card (configured with Catalyst Control Center and with the option 'Use Application Settings' on) or the brightness level in ffdshow (when playing with this codec in MediaPortal) were taken.

The brightness problem only existed in MediaPortal. When i played the movie outside MediaPortal (with Nero ShowTime, Media Player Classic, etc), the output was correct. In Mediaportal the output was also correct (in windowed mode). But when i switched to full screen mode (or startup with full screen mode and then starts playing a movie) the brightness goes wrong again...

I do not know what this option "Use VMR9 Exclusive Mode" does.
But it seems to have solved my problem (that this option exists)

 

[Gent32m]

Update:

1) I have run the vb script (Spragleknas posted).
It made no difference.

2) Unchecking the option "Use VMR9 Exclusive Mode" has a side effect.
Video playback isn't smooth anymore (especially with scenes that have movement in it)

So my problem is still not quite solved

Dammned...

 

[phunqe]

I don't have anything smart to add unfortunately, but how come you don't run it in fullscreen from the beginning?
If you need to access other programs you can start them with the "My Programs" plug-in (it might have been replaced by now, I haven't used it in a long time).

EDIT:

See
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/plugins-47/myprograms-original-2036/
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...lacement-old-official-one-not-finished-21757/

 

[Gent32m]

Hey phunqe,

I don't have anything smart to add unfortunately, but how come you don't run it in fullscreen from the beginning?

If I start MediaPortal in FullScreen (from the beginning) - the screen is ok -, but when I start a movie, the screen becomes too bright. If I stop playing the movie, the screen becomes normal again.

I tried accessing an external mediaplayer (within MediaPortal). But when I do this, I lose all control with my MCE Remote. So that I can't pauze/resume the movie, go back to media portal, etc anymore.

I want to play movies in MediaPortal at FullScreen, with the MCE Remote control enabled and without the brightness problem. But this seems to be a tough problem to deal with

 

[phunqe]

Ah, I see.

If you really can´t find a solution for this, get a program called HIP - ByRemote - What is HIP?.
With this program, you can add remote commands to for example Windows Media Player and control it with your remote. I've found Media player classic - home cinema edition to be the best however - SourceForge.net: Files
You can map forward, reverse, play etc on your remote and also the exit button on the remote to quit the player and return to MediaPortal.
Basically the program works by asking you to press down a key on your remote and then specifying the keyboard command you want to associate with that button (and you also specify this on a per program basis, which means you can have different mapping for different programs).

 

[Spragleknas]

The reason why this is happening in MP and not other players is that MP uses VMR9 and other players are often using overlay. (Overlay was an option in MP a long time ago, but is now abandoned).

So you need to change settings for VMR9 in CCC for brightens control. And unchecking VMR exclusive is a bad idea.

I find it very strange that the reg tweaks gave you no improvment, as it changed my PQ dramatically. (Black is now black -> colour spacing, picture is not blurry, but crisp etc.). You are connected to a LCD TV, right? (Please fill in "My system" in User CP)