Underperforming Hardware (1 Viewer)

joshcrd

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March 22, 2012
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Hi All,

I Purchased the parts for a mini itx based HTPC thinking that it would handle all 1080p content smoothly (ie watching a BRRIP and be virtually the same was watching an actual bluray through a bluray player

Currently my 27" imac does this perfectly (2009) model, which is connected to my old 720p tv
the two files I test are avatar and inception, both perform better on my 3 year old imac ona 720p old tv (through plex) than my new mediaportal setup which has much better graphics/processing powere, EVEN ON A FULL HD SAMSUNG SERIES 6

Here is my hardware below:
ASUS E45M1-I-DELUXE M-ITX Motherboard
Hauppauge HVR2200 MCE PCIe Dual Hybrid
Silverstone SG05 Black Cube with 450W
G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3
Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB ST2000DL003
60gb Solid State drive (for running windows and mediaportal)
Ive searched forums and it seems as though I cant get my HTPC to perform any better, my next step is to purchase a new motherboard/cpu/GPU and try and salvage the case and the hard disks
my other alternative was a mac mini which is more expensive but if I keep spending money on the HTPC it will be approaching mac mini prices

Shhould I keep trying to get more out of the hardware I have? ed new codecs, RAM, overclocking?

could it be the actual files?

Or should I get rid of the asus motherboard (with built in GPU) and try to get a seperate better motherboard and GPU, and somehow fit it into the case?

Any thoughts?
 

porky996t

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  • May 21, 2008
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    Hi Mate,

    First off, I'm no expert... but from reading the links you posted the CPU and GPU would seem powerful enough. I have read threads from others using similar equipment without problem. I use two ZBoxes (ID41) that have an ION2 GPU, which is less powerful than the HD6320 and these play full HD video files faultlessly.

    Which video codecs are you using, and which ATI CCC version are you also using?

    When I was having problems getting my Zotac ZBoxes set up and working properly I used VLC to test my video files, so I could establish if the problem was my hardware or MP's codecs. VLC is a free download from >>here<< If your files play OK in VLC, it is likely to be your MP codecs that need tweaking.
     

    Jay_UK

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  • October 6, 2009
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    Hi there,

    Do not use VLC... It uses its own internal codecs. If you need to test outside of MePo use GraphStudioNext.

    Can you run MePo in debug mode and post your logs/config.

    I would guess its a config issue, as Porky has said, the H/W should be fine.

    J.
     

    porky996t

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    Joshcrd,

    Better advice from Jay Uk! (As I said, I'm no expert :oops: )

    To run in debug mode, you have to run MP from Start > All Programs > Team Media Portal > Media Portal Debug Mode

    I recently used GraphStudioNext to check some codecs on one of my ZBoxes - an interesting piece of software, as it enables you choose different codecs to try with different video files, and also to edit their properties. I'm not sure if you can download it as standalone software - you may have to Google it. It was already on my system as it comes with the SAF6 codec pack which I had installed and was using.
     

    joshcrd

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    March 22, 2012
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    ok thanks for the replies all, I updated the ATI CCC and switched over to turbo mode and optimised the settings for video, I can crank it up one higher to the gaming setting I'm not sure if that will be better or worse but Im assuming games need more GPU resources than video

    I got the paid version of coreAVC and it seems to perform the best out of all that I tried it, plays avatar 1080p (brrip) with almost no jumping, maybe its a poor rip that I have thats contributing to the problem, so im still not really satisfied with it yet...

    Am I wrong in thinking it should look exactly the same as watching a bluray disk on a regular home theater bluray player?

    I also might PM hoborg to get the code for SAF6 and give that a try

    I'll also post the diagnostics from debug mode
     

    mbuzina

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    You will always see differences when compared side by side, sometimes it is unclear which is better.

    I recommend lav or ms codecs. 1080p is not the hardest to play (1080i with va deinterlacing is). Most often stutters are related to othernprograms starting in the background, glitches in reading from disk or file problems in my opinion. For real dupport, please specify the problem (stutter, color, tearing, artifacts, ...) and post some log files in debug mode.
     

    joshcrd

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    March 22, 2012
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    Thanks for helping mbuzina... I should clarify, I'm not comparing side by side but rather viewing in 2 different rooms. The difference is quite noticeable (MP series 6 is crisper and clearer although the playback stutters and sometimes audio goes out of sync by a fraction, Plex on the 720p looks 720p quality so not as clear or crisp but it doesnt jump/skip and audio is always in sync)

    there are no other issues with color, tearing or artifacts just the stuttering, it also lags a little while scrolling through the menu which I thought the SSD and RAM would well and truly take care of... the menu scrolling becomes more responsive i switch to a less detailed view

    I'll post some logfiles soon
     

    Cruzer

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    February 16, 2008
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    Are the videos local or playing over the network from a file share? If over the network, is it hard wired or WiFi? For debugging, make sure you try a local file. Also, I like the VLC recommendation. If it plays OK in VLC, then you know it isn't a hardware issue and that your's is up for the task.

    Without more debugging, I would guess that your issue is codec related. What codec are you using? Good luck
     

    joshcrd

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    March 22, 2012
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    Thanks for the advice everyone

    here is a copy of the most recent log files
     

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