Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong

procupine14 · Aug 24, 2009, 08:54 PM

Ok all, based on my current HTPC setup (in sig) I am having some problems. Playing MKV's is rocky at best and I'm at a loss for why that is. Every other kind of media is great but MKV's (especially hidef stuff) is pretty bad. I use VLC media player for playing them. Mostly the video either is very choppy and the FPS is extremely low. Would I benefit from getting something like CoreAVC (used in the reviews on this site) to help with MKV playback or just upgrading my system?

Apologies for the placement of this thread. I'm not quite sure where it should go for sure

EDIT:

Most likely I will be upgrading to 4GB of RAM VERY VERY soon. Most likely once I get my paycheck and deal with bills

procupine14 · Aug 25, 2009, 03:03 AM

Never mind about the CoreAVC.....had I done more than ten seconds of research I would have realized that its only for Nvidia cards

**kris23** · Aug 25, 2009, 03:08 AM

yea id try the RAM....

procupine14 · Aug 25, 2009, 04:05 AM

see that was my thought but further examination looks like there is 0 hardware acceleration happening so my CPU is blasting to full load when playing MKV files

RAM stays at about 50% usage

OldBuzzard · Aug 25, 2009, 04:54 AM

Have you tried any other player? It could be that VLC isn't 'playing nice' with your system for one reason or another.

Tipstaff · Aug 25, 2009, 06:30 AM

One thing I've found playing MKV files is that it can be a picky beast, but almost always playback relies heavily on 3 things: video card acceleration, sound card, and CPU. I once had 2 machines setup, both with identical parts EXCEPT one had a P4 3.0Ghz (single core), and the other hand an Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 (both had XP, an ATI3650 HDMI card, and 2GB of RAM). Guess which one played the movies smoothly? The E4400. The only thing I could do to get the P4 machine to "sort of" playback MKV files was to get video hardware acceleration help (ATI is the best for this btw) using a codecs program called "PureCodec2009" (it does what every other codecs utility of it's kind does, but it has a tool built into it that allows you to select what codec to use for what, which is helpful when you are trying to figure out what codec does what best), but even then it was picky. 720p films were normally fine, but 1080p.. it was a crap shoot (Jumper would play like crap in one configuration, but in another it was fine, but then another movie that played back fine before did so now like crap). I also found that playback sucked on the crappy onboard cards, like Soundmax, ADI, VIA, and Connexant, but on ones like the Realktek HD or Creative cards at or above the Audigy were fine. Of note, playback sucked on the Creative cards when you enabled any EAX or 3D functions of the card (be sure to turn off CMSS3D).

Bolletje · Aug 25, 2009, 04:44 PM

ATI ins't the best for it. NVIDIA can also it pretty well. Although you need an extra cable for the audio through HDMI.

BTW, try Media Player Classic. It's one of the best players and it's free

procupine14 · Aug 25, 2009, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldBuzzard

Have you tried any other player? It could be that VLC isn't 'playing nice' with your system for one reason or another.

I have tried six players all with the same problems. This is what's confusing me I am even running programs like MPC which has built in hardware acceleration and it still isn't helping the situation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bolletje

BTW, try Media Player Classic. It's one of the best players and it's free

Done, still no cigar

I'm going to try some codecs when I get home and see where that gets me. I'm at the frustrated stage of the troubleshooting process so i will try to push past thoughts of slinging it out the window and buying new hardware

jk

procupine14 · Aug 25, 2009, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tipstaff

I also found that playback sucked on the crappy onboard cards, like Soundmax, ADI, VIA, and Connexant, but on ones like the Realktek HD or Creative cards at or above the Audigy were fine. Of note, playback sucked on the Creative cards when you enabled any EAX or 3D functions of the card (be sure to turn off CMSS3D).

yeah Those are all turned off on my Creative X-Fi card and its just running exclusively on the Entertainment mode with some volume leveling to keep it from blasting me off the couch when it gets to the loud parts. I can tell the sound processor is running perfectly especially seeing as half the time is seems like my video in 720p content and up is always playing catch up to the sound which has not so much as a blip during the skipping, shredding lagging video. I'm thinking that maybe its a codec issue that I need to download because its VERY OBVIOUS that there is absolutely no hardware acceleration coming from the card. under GPU-Z and ATi CCC the activity basically stays at 0 constantly and the CPU usage rises to 95% or better so its obvious that I'm missing something along that line.

I'm going to look up that codec set that Tipstaff recommended when I get home and I will keep you all posted on my progress

Tipstaff · Aug 26, 2009, 01:14 PM

PureCodec adds a couple players, including Media Player Classic (HomeCinema), BS Player, and KM Player. The key is the setup tool that allows you to pick pre-defined settings for whatever type of media you are running, turn on hardware acceleration for video (via DXVA), and pick what codec, or what piece is used for specific file formats. Of course, file playback for some formats isn't supported by all the players, so it can take a bit of trial and error to find the right software to playback the files you want.

***Veridian3*** · Aug 26, 2009, 03:05 PM

If you think its a hard drive problem then maybe its worth making sure your BIOS is up to date and then giving Windows a fresh install. That would rule out any sort of software issue. If it still happens when you are back up and running then you know its hardware related.

EDIT: Also, you are far better running a 32bit OS on a HTPC... especially one with 2gb of memory. Codec support is much better on 32bit, especially for .mkv and high def formats. (sad but true).

Lowfat · Aug 26, 2009, 07:25 PM

A 5200+ can play 1080p h.264's videos no problem. First off don't use VLC. The codecs it uses are very poor.

First off uninstall all codec packs. And I mean them all. They can cause more problems than they are worth.

Install ffdshow (Free-Codecs.com : Download FFDShow MPEG-4 Video Decoder 2009-08-25, FFDShow MPEG-4 Video Decoder 2009-08-16 and FFDShow MPEG-4 Video Decoder 2009-07-25 SSE : FFDSHOW is a DirectShow decoding filter) and Haali Media Splitter (Haali Media Splitter)

Reboot machine and try the video again. You shouldn't have a problem now hopefully. If you still are, you can try CoreAVC. I personally don't like it all that much. The Arcsoft decoder is another possibility.

Its a 15-day trial but you never actually have to use the software. Once it is installed the decoder will be registered for DirectDraw to use.

You'll also need to use a DirectDraw video player. I use Zoom Player since it is rather lightweight. But you could also use WMP.

Lowfat · Aug 26, 2009, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veridian3

EDIT: Also, you are far better running a 32bit OS on a HTPC... especially one with 2gb of memory. Codec support is much better on 32bit, especially for .mkv and high def formats. (sad but true).

You can still use 32-bit codecs on a 64-bit system as long as the software you are using isn't 64-bit. If you plan on using Media Center than you are effed though. As a 32-bit one isn't included.

Although Media Center sucks anyways

procupine14 · Aug 26, 2009, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowfat

Although Media Center sucks anyways

EXACTLY!!!!!

the only time I ever use it is to record shows on my cable channels just because its the most user friendly and it hasn't missed a recoring ever. But past that its rubbish aside from the look of it which I kind of like.

THANKS a lot Lowfat!! I will uninstall everything when I get home and do your method. Perhaps with success. I will report back tonight about it.

Most likely I will try it with WMP first and then check out Zoom Player once it at least works. I was going to say this media PC isn't exactly a dinosaur and I've seen some dinosaurs go up to 720p so I know it can do it. Especially since (with a little help from an aftermarket cooler) I managed to get a safe, small OC out of the card for an extra boost while gaming (just a small one considering the case this system is TINY I was concerned about heat)

procupine14 · Aug 28, 2009, 04:10 AM

tried fdd show and haali edia splitter and it didn't really fix anything. I think I am going to reinstall windows and see if that solves the problem and then I will reinstall all the software that i need.

Lowfat · Aug 28, 2009, 10:32 PM

You uninstalled all your old codec packs first I assume?

procupine14 · Aug 29, 2009, 04:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lowfat

You uninstalled all your old codec packs first I assume?

oh yes I did as well as some other un needed software etc

procupine14 · Aug 29, 2009, 04:54 AM

So once I reinstalled windows today and then got home and dl'd haali and fddshow everything is working perfectly....CPU sits at about 75% load in full 1080p movies which is GREAT!!!! better thatn 100%

Thanks Guys soooo much

Aug 24, 2009, 08:54 PM	#1
procupine14 Why is it Beeping!?!?! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA, Missouri Posts: 1,400 Rep Power: 56 System Specs	Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong Ok all, based on my current HTPC setup (in sig) I am having some problems. Playing MKV's is rocky at best and I'm at a loss for why that is. Every other kind of media is great but MKV's (especially hidef stuff) is pretty bad. I use VLC media player for playing them. Mostly the video either is very choppy and the FPS is extremely low. Would I benefit from getting something like CoreAVC (used in the reviews on this site) to help with MKV playback or just upgrading my system? Apologies for the placement of this thread. I'm not quite sure where it should go for sure EDIT: Most likely I will be upgrading to 4GB of RAM VERY VERY soon. Most likely once I get my paycheck and deal with bills __________________ HTPC/file server: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom x4 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 (2x2GB) - 1TB WD Black - 4 x 1TB Hitachi DeskStar in RAID 5 - ATi TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner - HIS Raedon 4850 512MB - ASRock N68C-S UCC mobo - OCZ ModExtreme Pro 500W PSU GF's Gaming PC: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 1066 - 500GB Western Digital GP - HIS Raedon 5770 1GB - ASUS M3A78-EM - Zalman 650W PSU Media Streamer: Win 7 Pro 64-bit - AMD Athlon x2 3200+ - 4GB SuperTalent DDR2 800 - 250GB SeaGate Barracuda - MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 - ASUS Raedon 5450 SILENT - FSP group 250W PSU

Aug 25, 2009, 03:03 AM	Thread Starter #2
procupine14 Why is it Beeping!?!?! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA, Missouri Posts: 1,400 Rep Power: 56 System Specs	Re: Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong Never mind about the CoreAVC.....had I done more than ten seconds of research I would have realized that its only for Nvidia cards __________________ HTPC/file server: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom x4 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 (2x2GB) - 1TB WD Black - 4 x 1TB Hitachi DeskStar in RAID 5 - ATi TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner - HIS Raedon 4850 512MB - ASRock N68C-S UCC mobo - OCZ ModExtreme Pro 500W PSU GF's Gaming PC: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 1066 - 500GB Western Digital GP - HIS Raedon 5770 1GB - ASUS M3A78-EM - Zalman 650W PSU Media Streamer: Win 7 Pro 64-bit - AMD Athlon x2 3200+ - 4GB SuperTalent DDR2 800 - 250GB SeaGate Barracuda - MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 - ASUS Raedon 5450 SILENT - FSP group 250W PSU

Aug 25, 2009, 03:08 AM	#3
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,990 Rep Power: 121 System Specs	Re: Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong yea id try the RAM.... __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Aug 25, 2009, 04:05 AM	Thread Starter #4
procupine14 Why is it Beeping!?!?! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA, Missouri Posts: 1,400 Rep Power: 56 System Specs	Re: Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong see that was my thought but further examination looks like there is 0 hardware acceleration happening so my CPU is blasting to full load when playing MKV files RAM stays at about 50% usage __________________ HTPC/file server: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom x4 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 (2x2GB) - 1TB WD Black - 4 x 1TB Hitachi DeskStar in RAID 5 - ATi TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner - HIS Raedon 4850 512MB - ASRock N68C-S UCC mobo - OCZ ModExtreme Pro 500W PSU GF's Gaming PC: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 1066 - 500GB Western Digital GP - HIS Raedon 5770 1GB - ASUS M3A78-EM - Zalman 650W PSU Media Streamer: Win 7 Pro 64-bit - AMD Athlon x2 3200+ - 4GB SuperTalent DDR2 800 - 250GB SeaGate Barracuda - MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 - ASUS Raedon 5450 SILENT - FSP group 250W PSU

Aug 25, 2009, 04:54 AM	#5
OldBuzzard DH's oldest Geek Join Date: May 2003 Location: Oberlin, OH Posts: 2,781 Rep Power: 141 System Specs	Re: Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong Have you tried any other player? It could be that VLC isn't 'playing nice' with your system for one reason or another. __________________ When looking for a reason as to why things go wrong, never rule out sheer STUPIDITY

Aug 25, 2009, 06:30 AM	#6
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,658 Rep Power: 187 System Specs	Re: Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong One thing I've found playing MKV files is that it can be a picky beast, but almost always playback relies heavily on 3 things: video card acceleration, sound card, and CPU. I once had 2 machines setup, both with identical parts EXCEPT one had a P4 3.0Ghz (single core), and the other hand an Intel Core 2 Duo E4400 (both had XP, an ATI3650 HDMI card, and 2GB of RAM). Guess which one played the movies smoothly? The E4400. The only thing I could do to get the P4 machine to "sort of" playback MKV files was to get video hardware acceleration help (ATI is the best for this btw) using a codecs program called "PureCodec2009" (it does what every other codecs utility of it's kind does, but it has a tool built into it that allows you to select what codec to use for what, which is helpful when you are trying to figure out what codec does what best), but even then it was picky. 720p films were normally fine, but 1080p.. it was a crap shoot (Jumper would play like crap in one configuration, but in another it was fine, but then another movie that played back fine before did so now like crap). I also found that playback sucked on the crappy onboard cards, like Soundmax, ADI, VIA, and Connexant, but on ones like the Realktek HD or Creative cards at or above the Audigy were fine. Of note, playback sucked on the Creative cards when you enabled any EAX or 3D functions of the card (be sure to turn off CMSS3D). __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

Aug 25, 2009, 04:44 PM	#7
Bolletje HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 1,224 Rep Power: 77 System Specs	Re: Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong ATI ins't the best for it. NVIDIA can also it pretty well. Although you need an extra cable for the audio through HDMI. BTW, try Media Player Classic. It's one of the best players and it's free

Aug 26, 2009, 01:14 PM	#10
Tipstaff HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Real capital of Canada: Torauna Posts: 6,658 Rep Power: 187 System Specs	Re: Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong PureCodec adds a couple players, including Media Player Classic (HomeCinema), BS Player, and KM Player. The key is the setup tool that allows you to pick pre-defined settings for whatever type of media you are running, turn on hardware acceleration for video (via DXVA), and pick what codec, or what piece is used for specific file formats. Of course, file playback for some formats isn't supported by all the players, so it can take a bit of trial and error to find the right software to playback the files you want. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Portal: The Flash Version _________________________________ Brain: So, you sacked the cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker? Mr. Sackett: The second cocky khaki Kicky Sack sock plucker I've sacked since the sixth sitting sheet slitter got sick.

Aug 26, 2009, 03:05 PM	#11
*Veridian3* Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cloaked Posts: 4,830 Rep Power: 174	Re: Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong If you think its a hard drive problem then maybe its worth making sure your BIOS is up to date and then giving Windows a fresh install. That would rule out any sort of software issue. If it still happens when you are back up and running then you know its hardware related. EDIT: Also, you are far better running a 32bit OS on a HTPC... especially one with 2gb of memory. Codec support is much better on 32bit, especially for .mkv and high def formats. (sad but true).

Aug 26, 2009, 07:25 PM	#12
Lowfat Xtreme Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grande Prairie, AB, Can Posts: 4,251 Rep Power: 99	Re: Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong A 5200+ can play 1080p h.264's videos no problem. First off don't use VLC. The codecs it uses are very poor. First off uninstall all codec packs. And I mean them all. They can cause more problems than they are worth. Install ffdshow (Free-Codecs.com : Download FFDShow MPEG-4 Video Decoder 2009-08-25, FFDShow MPEG-4 Video Decoder 2009-08-16 and FFDShow MPEG-4 Video Decoder 2009-07-25 SSE : FFDSHOW is a DirectShow decoding filter) and Haali Media Splitter (Haali Media Splitter) Reboot machine and try the video again. You shouldn't have a problem now hopefully. If you still are, you can try CoreAVC. I personally don't like it all that much. The Arcsoft decoder is another possibility. Its a 15-day trial but you never actually have to use the software. Once it is installed the decoder will be registered for DirectDraw to use. You'll also need to use a DirectDraw video player. I use Zoom Player since it is rather lightweight. But you could also use WMP. __________________ 27" iMac: i5 750 * 80GB X25-M G1 * 4GB DDR3 * HD4850 Stacker: 2600k * P8P67 Pro * 4GB DDR3 * 80GB ioXtreme * 30GB X25-E * (2) HD6950 * Asus D2 * Enermax Revo85+ HWD: (2) Xeon E5649 * EVGA SR-2 * 6GB DDR3 * 8800GTS * 1000W Antec FT01BW: (2) Xeon E5645 * EVGA SR-2 * 6GB DDR3 * GTS210 * Gigabyte 800W Odin GT Storage: (2) Sans Digital TR8M-B * 29TB

Aug 28, 2009, 04:10 AM	Thread Starter #15
procupine14 Why is it Beeping!?!?! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA, Missouri Posts: 1,400 Rep Power: 56 System Specs	Re: Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong tried fdd show and haali edia splitter and it didn't really fix anything. I think I am going to reinstall windows and see if that solves the problem and then I will reinstall all the software that i need. __________________ HTPC/file server: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom x4 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 (2x2GB) - 1TB WD Black - 4 x 1TB Hitachi DeskStar in RAID 5 - ATi TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner - HIS Raedon 4850 512MB - ASRock N68C-S UCC mobo - OCZ ModExtreme Pro 500W PSU GF's Gaming PC: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 1066 - 500GB Western Digital GP - HIS Raedon 5770 1GB - ASUS M3A78-EM - Zalman 650W PSU Media Streamer: Win 7 Pro 64-bit - AMD Athlon x2 3200+ - 4GB SuperTalent DDR2 800 - 250GB SeaGate Barracuda - MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 - ASUS Raedon 5450 SILENT - FSP group 250W PSU

Aug 28, 2009, 10:32 PM	#16
Lowfat Xtreme Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Grande Prairie, AB, Can Posts: 4,251 Rep Power: 99	Re: Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong You uninstalled all your old codec packs first I assume? __________________ 27" iMac: i5 750 * 80GB X25-M G1 * 4GB DDR3 * HD4850 Stacker: 2600k * P8P67 Pro * 4GB DDR3 * 80GB ioXtreme * 30GB X25-E * (2) HD6950 * Asus D2 * Enermax Revo85+ HWD: (2) Xeon E5649 * EVGA SR-2 * 6GB DDR3 * 8800GTS * 1000W Antec FT01BW: (2) Xeon E5645 * EVGA SR-2 * 6GB DDR3 * GTS210 * Gigabyte 800W Odin GT Storage: (2) Sans Digital TR8M-B * 29TB

Aug 29, 2009, 04:54 AM	Thread Starter #18
procupine14 Why is it Beeping!?!?! Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: USA, Missouri Posts: 1,400 Rep Power: 56 System Specs	Re: Possible upgrade for HTPC if I can't figure out what's wrong So once I reinstalled windows today and then got home and dl'd haali and fddshow everything is working perfectly....CPU sits at about 75% load in full 1080p movies which is GREAT!!!! better thatn 100% Thanks Guys soooo much __________________ HTPC/file server: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom x4 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 800 (2x2GB) - 1TB WD Black - 4 x 1TB Hitachi DeskStar in RAID 5 - ATi TV Wonder Digital Cable Tuner - HIS Raedon 4850 512MB - ASRock N68C-S UCC mobo - OCZ ModExtreme Pro 500W PSU GF's Gaming PC: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit - AMD Phenom 9850 - 4GB OCZ DDR2 1066 - 500GB Western Digital GP - HIS Raedon 5770 1GB - ASUS M3A78-EM - Zalman 650W PSU Media Streamer: Win 7 Pro 64-bit - AMD Athlon x2 3200+ - 4GB SuperTalent DDR2 800 - 250GB SeaGate Barracuda - MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 - ASUS Raedon 5450 SILENT - FSP group 250W PSU