Bad stutter on TVNZ 6 & 7 (DVB-T,780G/HD3200)

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Bad stutter on TVNZ 6 & 7 (DVB-T,780G/HD3200)

rlevis

347 posts

Ultimate Geek

#26614 27-Sep-2008 23:38

I started this newbie thread a couple of weeks ago regarding my HTPC.
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?ForumId=84&TopicId=26178

I managed to resolve the minor stutter I had on all channels by changing the refresh rate of the gfx card to 50hz. My TV only supports 1360 x 768 @ 60hz which is a real shame. I have to go to 720p or 1080p before I have a choice of 50 or 60hz. I decided on 720p as I couldn't notice any difference at 1080p and the text is too small to read at 1080p when using Windows.

Now it is playing as smooth as, except for my original problem with the TVNZ SD channels, namely TVNZ 6 & 7 and Sports Extra (when operating). What happens is everything is fine for a minute or 2 and suddenly it goes crazy with very bad stutter for 5 to 30 seconds, and comes right again. I thought I had resolved it by installing the latest Catalyst drivers, but I was mistaken.

Someone suggested this was due to the ATI 780G / HD3200 card or drivers not handling interlaced video properly. The problem with this theory is that all the other 576i SD channels have no problems at all - C4, Maori TV, Parliament TV, TV Central. TV3 has no problems at all, nor the other HD channels.

Signal strength on all 3 UHF channels are excellent.

Recording TVNZ 7 while watching the stutter, plays back perfectly with no stutter.

Can this really be a gfx card/driver issue?
Can anyone recommend any settings to tweak in the Bios, Windows, or anywhere?

Thanks,
Ross.

------------
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#167551 28-Sep-2008 07:59

What h.264 codec are you using? I have had stutter issues with the Cyberlink codec. The Arcsoft codec is a lot better and resolved all of my issues.

rlevis

347 posts

Ultimate Geek

#167571 28-Sep-2008 14:18

It is Cyberlink which came with my BD-ROM drive. Someone helped me set up my HTPC and even though PowerDVD 7.3 is installed, it has a PDVD8 selected in MediaPortal. I don't know where that driver came from.

If ArcSoft have a trial period, I'll try that and see how it goes. I managed to find this page http://www.arcsoft.com/products/videocodecs_plugin.asp but no option to try it or even purchase it. Perhaps you can help.

Thanks,
Ross.

aucklander

477 posts

Ultimate Geek

#167895 30-Sep-2008 08:19

rlevis,

I have a Sony Bravia D series 1366x768 and I believe I run into the same problem: the gfx reports the screen as 1980x1080 capable. Don't ask me why. But I know it is 1366x768. The closest resolution available is 1360x768@60Hz, and I used this so far but I always wanted the picture to be smoother. The desktop is crisp and clear and perfectly fills the screen when using 1360x768 @ 60Hz.

I defined a custom resolution 1366x768 @50Hz and the picture (I believe) is much, much smoother. I did this yesterday. This morning, I noticed the scrolling text (ticker tape) is indeed much smoother than before, BUT it stutters very badly for 1 sec every 10 sec. Not the actual picture, only the ticker tape !!! (maybe it is just not so visible on the picture as it does not have elements with a continous movement) I also tried a custom resolution 1360x768 @50Hz and I remember the tv dispayed an error message. Overall, I would say I am happier with the 50Hz than with the default 60Hz I was using before.

The problem I have: the desktop looks awful now, the colours / contrast are all wrong, and it is much bigger than the screen. I dragged the icons towards the center of the screen, but I cannot drag the bottom taskbar, can I? Even the tv picture displayed by MP was bigger than the screen, but MP has a tool to adjust the picture size to match the screen size (the channel logo was right next to the top or bottom screen edge). Can I resize the desktop in the same manner? I could not see an option in the gfx menu to "drag" the corners. I do not remember about sich option in the tv menu either.

I can select other resolutions from the gfx menu, which offer me the option to use 50Hz, but they will have a different picture ratio, right? I even tried max resolution (1980x1080 @50Hz). TV looks the same (better than before on 60Hz) but desktop is dificult to use. Bad colours / contrast and letter definition, and on top of that, they are very small.

mobo Intel DH55PJ, RAM: 4GB RAM, Nova-T 500 HD + Avermedia Trinity tuner card, Geforce 520 video, 120GB SSD Sandisk + 640 WD + 1000SG, Win7 Home Prem 64-bit, Media Portal 1.15.0; BTC 9019URF Cordless Keyboard, Panasonic 55" (HDMI cable), HTPC Case Silverstone Grandia GD05B.

rlevis

347 posts

Ultimate Geek

#167993 30-Sep-2008 14:14

There should be a scaling option in your gfx driver software to get the desktop to the right size. But if not, you may have to use 720p as I have to (1280 x 720). I don't see any glitch every 10 seconds on mine at this resolution, and since 720p is not far from the actual native resolution, the desktop is fully readable from a distance, but not quite as nice as at native resolution.

I guess TV's still don't assume a computer will be connected to them and are fine tuned for standard broadcast resolutions.

Ross.

Ashbook

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#169538 7-Oct-2008 11:50

Hi, did anyone find a solution to rlevis's problem? I have exactly the same issue with freeview DVB-T, except i am using a nvida 9600gt card. Channels 6 & 7 play smooth for while, then start to jitter for a few seconds, then go smooth again.

One thing to note is when i turn on Shift + "!", mediaportal tells me i have no dropped fames, and no jitter. However when playing smooth it says VRM9=50 but and when it starts to jitter the VRM9 number drops to 20 - 30. So i guess this is the problem, what could that mean?

any ideas?

im running Vista, EVR enabled, PowerDVD 8, HA working CPU is about 10%, 9600gt, Hauppauge Nova T 500

rlevis

347 posts

Ultimate Geek

#169542 7-Oct-2008 12:16

I still have the problem and that is exactly what happens for me. Shift + "!" shows the frame rate dropping to between 20 and 30. Someone suggested Cyberlinks PowerDVD 8 driver may be at fault, but it is odd that recording these channels plays back perfectly. I haven't investigated what other driver I can use that uses hardware acceleration.

Ross.

Ashbook

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#169576 7-Oct-2008 14:03

its strange, seems alot of people have the proplem as there are a few threads about it, but no one has found a solution.

as for powerDVD8 being the problem, i have just un-installed it and used the powerCinemia codec which came with my Nova T 500, HA works with that, but the same problem exists. so cant be powerDVD8?

im starting to think this happens to everyone, they just dont notice lol as on my 21" monitor the effect isnt as noticeable as on my 46" lcd.

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aucklander

477 posts

Ultimate Geek

#169618 7-Oct-2008 16:59

What's the story with the 50Hz video signal we have in NZ (PAL system) and that signal being displayed @60Hz ?
I believe it would be much better if you do not have to make any conversion, keep 50Hz from one end to the other. Otherwise, some h/w or s/w has to compensate for the "missing" frames, right? The famous "3:2 pulldown". Is this right, so far, or am I wrong?

Why aren't the TVs capable of displaying @50Hz ??
I would say, if you import something in a country, it has to comply with the standards and regulations from the destination country and most of all TO BE COMPLETELY SUITABLE for use in that country.

Accepting that, I would say the companies ~~importing~~ selling TVs unable to display the image @50Hz in a PAL country, simply offer the buyer a product not suitable for that environment. Is it going to work? Well, if a TV is supposed to display some bright moving shapes and nothing else, then they are safe. But if the TV is supposed to display a picture of the same quality with what they get in USA or Japan, then... hmmm... I dare to say we will never know what we are missing... By "we" I mean the owners of such TVs unable to display 50Hz, requiring 60Hz signal or processing it internally before sending to display (processing with an extremely poor chip and software I would say). After trying to get more info about the 50Hz/60Hz debate off the net, I came accross with a statement that a proper device converting from 50Hz to 60Hz is EXTREMELY costly, and only a TV station can afford that, to be able to broadcast for example USA shows in NZ.

My tv User's Manual clearly states that at 1360x768, the only resolution accepted is 60Hz.
Anything else, and the Tv will convert it to 60Hz !!!!!!!!!

Do you expect to be asked to install one of those "FM band expanders" on a car bought brand new in NZ? Of course not.
It is exactly the same with the TVs unable to display at 50Hz. Like my Sony Bravia D series.

If there is a solution to get rid of the jitter, I am more than keen to try it. So far I tried pretty much all the ideas on the net, with no efect. Why? Simply, becouse they cannot do the same job with a proffesional NTSC/PAL framerate converter...

sbiddle

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#169620 7-Oct-2008 17:26

Why aren't the TVs capable of displaying @50Hz ??
I would say, if you import something in a country, it has to comply with the standards and regulations from the destination country and most of all TO BE COMPLETELY SUITABLE for use in that country.

That are.

You're completely forgetting the 60Hz is a VGA setting. The 60Hz for VGA is because that's VESA standard and there are no VESA refresh rates below 60Hz.

It is lot a limitation of the TV and all PAL TV's will accept 50Hz signals via component or DVI/HDMI. They just won't accept them via VGA because there is no provision for VGA refresh rates below 60Hz as everybody looked to create higher refresh rates to remove flicker, not lower them and increase it!

Ashbook

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#169623 7-Oct-2008 17:35

yes.. Lets not confuse two issues here.

aucklander - the 50/60hz issue is not the problem with rlevis and myself. As rlevis says in his first post, he is running at 720p 50hz. I have a samsung series 6 and running at 1080p 50hz.

sbiddle - Do you have any clue as to the random jitter on 6 & 7? it runs very smooth for awhile, then will jitter for a few seconds and smooth again. weird?

sbiddle

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#169624 7-Oct-2008 17:45

sbiddle - Do you have any clue as to the random jitter on 6 & 7? it runs very smooth for awhile, then will jitter for a few seconds and smooth again. weird?

I'd noticed similair issues myself for a while on TVNZ7 but haven't noticed these with the Arcsoft codec that I use now.

Do these issues occur on both live tv and playback or just live TV?

Ashbook

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#169793 8-Oct-2008 09:46

Recorded tv is strange. when i play back something that jitters, the "!" status tells me its playing back perfect, but i can still see the jitter in the same place. does mediaportal record the jitter? so i would say its just live tv with the problem.

i got the Arcsoft TotalMedia 3.5 trial and tried that, but playback was terrible :/

could this jitter be a problem with mediaportal?

rlevis

347 posts

Ultimate Geek

#169920 8-Oct-2008 16:55

Ashbook: Recorded tv is strange. when i play back something that jitters, the "!" status tells me its playing back perfect, but i can still see the jitter in the same place.

That is different for me. I recorded TVNZ 7 watching a news ticker along the bottom and it stuttered badly a couple of times. Then played it back and it was perfect. My kids have also recorded some TVNZ6 programmes and they playback perfect. It is definately only live tv that stutters for me. Strange that you are experiencing identical symtoms except for this.

Ross.

sbiddle

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#169925 8-Oct-2008 17:09

rlevis:
Ashbook: Recorded tv is strange. when i play back something that jitters, the "!" status tells me its playing back perfect, but i can still see the jitter in the same place.

That is different for me. I recorded TVNZ 7 watching a news ticker along the bottom and it stuttered badly a couple of times. Then played it back and it was perfect. My kids have also recorded some TVNZ6 programmes and they playback perfect. It is definately only live tv that stutters for me. Strange that you are experiencing identical symtoms except for this.

Ross.

Is everybody who has the problem using H/W acceleration and using their ATI card for the acceleration along with PowerDVD?

Ashbook

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#169991 8-Oct-2008 21:18

no - i have HA working but using a 9600GT card. my cpu runs at about 10% when watching tv. i am however using powerDVD.

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