VMR 9 vs Overlay

[kny3twalker]

I know overlay tends to have better color but the motion quality of VMR 9 is much better
I have tried to use VMR9 again in this release and I am still getting small micro stutters when the show/cartoon/sporting event/etc pans to left or right for any amount of time
I went back to overlay but the ghosting is not what I prefer either
I really think VMR 9 looks awesome on the newest release but the small stutters are very annoying
If anyone else has any comments or preferences about either
please state the setting in current use
Sorry do mean to bring this old issue up again
but it is important that these issues are resolved
Thanks
-Robert

[mlbdude]

Make sure you have DXVA configured properly on your decoders when using Overlay. With my 9600 Overlay looks better everywhere but I like the alpha blending of VMR9.

Still get the stutters every few minutes myself with VMR9.

[kny3twalker]

Any suggestions mlbdude?
I tend to like overlay with cyberlink and Cinemaster decoders......
but I am not always seeing the immediate difference when using the available DXVA config
I know that cinemaster only works with A and B
and cyberlink only works with C and D
according to what I could understand at microsoft's library
B does more deinterlacing than A
D is better than C, as well as B is better than C

[mlbdude]

To configure DXVA for you decoders it really needs to be done outside of Sage (like with the Intervideo Hauppauge in the registry). Each decoder will have its own place to configure though.

I think with VMR9 and 3D it is forced by DX9. It may not be for Overlay.

[ErsatzTom]

Are you saying that the setting in Sage doesn't do anything?

t

[mlbdude]

Pretty much . If you want to use DXVA it must be enabled in the decoder itself. In fact, for most decoders you can't even use Sage to select your deinterlace methods.

Hauppauge Intervideo is done in the registry as seen in the SageTV FAQ.

nvDVD can be configured from within the nvDVD player itself (or from the icon that pops in the sys-tray when it is being used).

Sonic is done in the registry, by TT, or by the control panel applet it comes with if you got the decoder pack.

[zoso]

For nvDVD 3, I do not see a setting for DXVA in the sys-tray config. Though when I make chenges in Sage, they are represented in the sys-tray config, so they must be doing something.

[ErsatzTom]

Any clue on the ATI decoder?

t

[mlbdude]

For nvDVD look for something like Hardware Acceleration.

[zoso]

Hardware acceleration is just a check box. Not multiple selections. When I select the different DXVA settings in Sage, they show up in the Configuration informationsal box in the sys-tray config.

[mlbdude]

That is cool. I find the different settings also work in Sonic. The Hardware Acceleration is the one you have to do manually. I don't have nvDVD installed any more, can anyone see if you can get Sage to enable that auto for you?

[falchulk]

mlbdude, Thats news to me. I definitely get a diffrence changing dxva in sage using powerdvd codec on my m10000.

[mlbdude]

All decoders tend to work different and some will let you change different things.

For example, the Hauppauge Intervideo decoder will not go into DXVA mode until you make the registry changes on Frey's FAQ. Also, changing the deinterlace methods will generate an error and also need to be done in the registry.

Elecard does not support DXVA, and changing the deinterlace settings in Sage also does nothing.

For me Sonic does let me change the deinterlace settings from within Sage, but I had to enable DXVA outside of Sage.

I am curious if this behavior is different between Overlay and VMR9.

[DFA]

In addition to changing codec properties in the registery, I often load the codec into GraphEdit and then right click on the codec object, select properties and change things from there which will then be reflected in the registery. I do this alot since I have a lot of codecs sans the application and some of the parameters that are at default do not necessarily display in the registery until they become something other than default. By using GraphEdit, I can see all (or at least most) of the properties that can configured.

I have written small batch files for quickly registering and unregistering my little library of codecs.

DFA

[nielm]

the DXVA modes help also if you are using overlay and hardware accelleration...

I was seeing a blurry picture on RC1, so i had a look around: it turned out that PowerDVDs hardware accelleration had been disabled (I think i had been doing some testing), which meant that the DXVA modes had no effect... In summary, the following gives me nice crisp picture on my little VIA EPIA M1000

• Video Renderer=Overlay
• Decoder=PowerDVD XP 4 (cyberlink) -- hardware accelleration enabled, Deinterlacing=auto select
• DXVA mode B
• DXVA deinterlace BOB+Weave
• Video resolution 1024x768 (I was using 800x600, but there were obvious resizing artifacts when the video was horizonally scrolling...)

(note different decoders support different DXVA modes... trial and error is the only solution!)

I wish there was better documentation in Sage on the video config... The only docs I found on DXVA modes were in MSDN, and they were not very useful...

[falchulk]

nielm, thats the same thing I am using on my m10000 except I use 800x600. The thing that irritates me is that 3d accc enabled in sage = a much better picture but produces the menu ghosts. Enabling the option that makes the video the background for the menus (cant think of it right now) eliminates this but causes video stutter when the menu is up.

[mlbdude]

I am surprised that 3D acceleration would do anything for the video with the PowerDVD decoder since it uses Overlay only. I wonder what it could be doing.

[GbrNole]

i think there may be placebo effect here.

i get the best picture quailty (at least at that given moment) with overlay, color keying and 3d accel disabled and nvdvd 3.0 codec dxva enabled default deinterlace and dxva mode d.

all the other options turned on/off or changed may have no effect but right now i'm VERY happy so i'm not changing a damn thing!!!...until rc2 then it will all be up in the air again

[falchulk]

Nope. Definitely not a placebo. 3d acceleration = enabled brought my m10000 to a crawl before rc1. Now it actually improves it and has eliminated the lockups after FF. I can turn it off an get a lockup after an hour or so. With it on, there are no lockups at all.

[kny3twalker]

I am surprised that 3D acceleration would do anything for the video with the PowerDVD decoder since it uses Overlay only. I wonder what it could be doing.
actually powerDVD will work with VMR 7 that is why I am so surprised that it will not work with VMR 9 and the fact that ATI cyberlink works with VMR9

nielm, thats the same thing I am using on my m10000 except I use 800x600. The thing that irritates me is that 3d accc enabled in sage = a much better picture but produces the menu ghosts. Enabling the option that makes the video the background for the menus (cant think of it right now) eliminates this but causes video stutter when the menu is up.

I actually get menu ghost with overlay with or without 3d acceleration. But also agree that picture quality is much better with 3d acceleration on
this is the only version though that I have seen displaying the menus makes the video stutter with 3d acceleration on

Last night I had a strange video freeze though
The video just froze on me and the only thing I could do is fastfoward past the freeze which apparently was part of that file
cause it would freeze everytime on that instance, well actually there were two spots and this was the only time I had seen this before
The only changes I have made were to switch to NVDVD 3 for the better PQ(better than Cyberlink or Sonic) in my opinion

Thanks
-Robert