Scythe42's fixes for 1.4.0 (2 Viewers)

[HomeY]

@Wo0zy Yes, starting music makes GUI render @ 50FPS!

So playback, bascially a direct show graph running initializes some values that can be "random" on your system. In fact not random, but the Timer values are tied to something else.

Yeah, and i just noticed something else:
1. Start MP -> GUI rendered @ 32 FPS
2. Turn on LiveTV -> stop LiveTV -> GUI @ 50 FPS
3. navigate through menu (StreamedMP) -> GUI back @ 32 FPS

 

[Scythe42]

Yeah, and i just noticed something else:
1. Start MP -> GUI rendered @ 32 FPS
2. Turn on LiveTV -> stop LiveTV -> GUI @ 50 FPS
3. navigate through menu (StreamedMP) -> GUI back @ 32 FPS

OK, the value itself get reset under certain condition to whatever having a DirectShow Graph running "corrects". That is very good information when testing if the issue is later fixed. Means it can be triggered without restarting MP!

Couple of questions:

• Any difference in using windowed or fullscreen mode?
• Any difference switching between those modes while MP is running?
• Does using Titan makes a difference?
• If Titan makes a difference, how about Default Wide?

And just because I forgot: at what resolutions are your displays running?

 

[HomeY]

Couple of questions:

• Any difference in using windowed or fullscreen mode?
  Nope, when i start in either 1 of these modes, GUI always @ 32 FPS
• Any difference switching between those modes while MP is running?
  Nice 1!!! Just put Shift + 1 on the screen and hit Alt + Enter a couple of times! Windowed mode goes @ 50FPS, where Fullscreen is @ 32FPS!
• Does using Titan makes a difference?
  Nope, tried that this morning, also 32 FPS
• If Titan makes a difference, how about Default Wide?
  Same as above, tested, also 32 FPS

And just because I forgot: at what resolutions are your displays running?
HTPC -> AMP -> TV (1920x1080 @ 50Hz)

Comments in red
I attached the logs when i was switching between windowed/fullscreen mode while MP was running

** EDIT **

OK, the value itself get reset under certain condition to whatever having a DirectShow Graph running "corrects". That is very good information when testing if the issue is later fixed. Means it can be triggered without restarting MP!

Unfortunately (after at least 10x testing this), this seems random. But i just noticed that after watching LiveTV @ 50Hz, GUI was rendered @ 50Hz. But when i let it stay on the menu, after about a minute (or a little more) it simply falls back to 32 FPS.

 

[HomeY]

Unfortunately (after at least 10x testing this), this seems random. But i just noticed that after watching LiveTV @ 50Hz, GUI was rendered @ 50Hz. But when i let it stay on the menu, after about a minute (or a little more) it simply falls back to 32 FPS.

OK, jumped into this some more, and put Shift + ! stats on screen, waited about 25 seconds and noticed it jump back to 32 FPS.
Then checked logs for NEW entries, and the ONLY line extra in there is:

[2013-04-28 15:35:57,474] [Log	] [3		] [INFO ] - PowerScheduler: Keep server alive

Disabling the PowerScheduler and retested -> same behavior. It (often...) drops back to 32 FPS after less than a minute.

 

[Scythe42]

Any difference switching between those modes while MP is running?
Nice 1!!! Just put Shift + 1 on the screen and hit Alt + Enter a couple of times! Windowed mode goes @ 50FPS, where Fullscreen is @ 32FPS!

Damn, I would have hoped it would be the other way around.

So after each switch to Windowed mode you have 50fps, and it always goes directly to 32fps in Fullscreen?

That means something, as we have different back-buffer sizes and the timer used here could be affected by it.

Can you try this with Titan again? The reason I am asking is that Titan is a 1920p skin. Any change in Windowed or Fullscreen to the reports fps would indicate that stuff is tied to the backbuffer someone. The do not have to be 50FPS as you expect. I just want to find ways to have influence on the 32FPS value.

If the Timer stuff is tied to some kind of back buffer settings (let's ingore the DirectShow graph playing stuff for now, here DWM itself might come to the rescue), I have means to work on this.

This would also mean that I could force this issue on 1.3.0 as well.

Root Cause still is: Using the TicksPerSecond tied to the device is not correct in general, but seems to work for most systems.

Also is this AMD only or can we trigger on Nvidia as well? I am currently on Intel and cannot.

 

[Wo0zy]

Hard to track this down...
I'm afraid that after a reboot of your system, it'll fall back to 32 FPS rendering again. I just had it stick to 50Hz also a couple of times.

Yeah. It's weird. But I've now rebooted two maybe three times (and reinstalled IRSS) and the 32fps GUI hasn't returned .

Now trying to cause it rather than fix it!

BTW I'm using Titan and have seen the issue. However the Watchdog logs I produced with the problem present obviously used Default. The rest of my answers to your questions are the same as Homey's except that my display is running at 720p50. If we don't get any further today I'm going to test this in the workshop tomorrow. I have access to a few different hardware configs (including Intel, nVIDIA and ATi graphics).

Cheers,

Wo0zy.

 

[HomeY]

So after each switch to Windowed mode you have 50fps, and it always goes directly to 32fps in Fullscreen?

Correct.

Can you try this with Titan again?

Just tried that and it behaves exactly the same as StreamedMP:
1. Start MP (Titan) fullscreen -> GUI @ 32 FPS
2. Switch to windowed mode -> GUI @ 50 FPS
3. Switch back to Fullscreen -> GUI @ 32 FPS
Logs attached.

Also is this AMD only or can we trigger on Nvidia as well? I am currently on Intel and cannot.

only have ATi cards.

 

[Scythe42]

Unfortunately (after at least 10x testing this), this seems random. But i just noticed that after watching LiveTV @ 50Hz, GUI was rendered @ 50Hz. But when i let it stay on the menu, after about a minute (or a little more) it simply falls back to 32 FPS.

So think i'll need to do some testing with PowerScheduler disabled... 2b continued

I have some idea. Waiting a bit, means power management kicks in. Power Management does not have to be screen blanking and stuff like it.

Your GPU clocks down below a certain value. AMD is known for having a very aggressive power management in their GPUs, to look better in reviews. Default profiles do it to the extreme.

Re-configure you GPU to not reduce the clock speed at all (that is what I recommend for the smoothest playback) or not below a certain value.

If you need instructions for it, I can provide them to you. It is very easy.

You can even do it over CCC, but need to start it as an administrator. Usually it is easier to create a new profile for an application and then quickly edit the file with a text editor and then assign this profile to MediaPortal.exe

Have done this a couple of times to remove audio glitches inside MP when the GPU clocks down during playback and audio is send over HDMI.

This not not really an MP problem. It comes down to the default profile from CCC. NVidia has different issues in that area.

This problem should only be visible on very fast GPUs with aggressive power management. Not reducing the clock speed as far as possible does not have impact on GPU load or teperatures. It just consumes a bit more power. But not very much.

Problem here is that MP DOES NOT generate enough load on the GPU to keep it above a certain threshold all the time. When we load new stuff to the GPU for example or start playback, we naturally put more load on the GPU. Just a few percent. But that is enough to trigger a change in the GPU clock.

 

[Scythe42]

1. Start MP (Titan) fullscreen -> GUI @ 32 FPS
2. Switch to windowed mode -> GUI @ 50 FPS
3. Switch back to Fullscreen -> GUI @ 32 FPS

I bet if you wait some time and do nothing the 50fps value will go to 32fps...

 

[HomeY]

I have some idea. Waiting a bit, means power management kicks in. Power Management does not have to be screen blanking and stuff like it.

Your GPU clocks down below a certain value. AMD is known for having a very aggressive power management in their GPUs, to look better in reviews. Default profiles do it to the extreme.

But how would this explain the 32 FPS directly after startup?

Re-configure you GPU to not reduce the clock speed at all (that is what I recommend for the smoothest playback) or not below a certain value.

If you need instructions for it, I can provide them to you. It is very easy.

Please do Never used profiles in CCC, since i don't need them. OverDrive settings?

I bet if you wait some time and do nothing the 50fps value will go to 32fps...

I assume you mean on Windowed mode? let's test that!