Video Aspect Ratio Problem

[Reddwarf]

To me the NPVR screenshot looks most correct, the circle is perfect while in the gbpvr screenshot the circle is slightly oval.

I'v taken a closer look at your screenshots and done some calculations. The actual picture in the GBPVR screenshot is 1612x1080 pixels, which corresponds to an aspect of 1.493, while the NPVR screenshot has an actual picture size of 1440x1080 pixels, and that coresponds to aspect ratio 1.3333 which IS correct.

So excuse me for saying it, but you have a problem with your eyes, not the aspect ratio

[Northpole]

Here's a screenshot of my aspect problem, this one from playback of a DVD with 4:3 content on a 16:9 telly. Using win7 64 and EVR - same setup on both GBPVR (which gets it right) and npvr which squashes it. Both using "Auto" aspect setting. Same happens on live TV 4:3 mpeg2 channels or ts recordings. I think it does it with h264 4:3 content too. Will find a .mkv sample to test with...

What tool did you use to paste your screenshot. I tried photoshop and kept getting black where the video should have been.

[BigMoose]

I control printscreen'd when it was playing in full screen mode (paused it) and pasted into MS Paint. Saved as a jpg.

[BigMoose]

So excuse me for saying it, but you have a problem with your eyes, not the aspect ratio

it just looked too thin on a large telly compared to what I've been used to with GBPVR, so never questioned that GBPVR had been wrong all along!! I've got something else that looked way too thin on npvr so will test that later to see. But when I was comparing the two before (this other content) I really couldn't tell which was correct, hence didn't bother to post a thread!!

[Reddwarf]

it just looked too thin on a large telly compared to what I've been used to with GBPVR, so never questioned that GBPVR had been wrong all along!! I've got something else that looked way too thin on npvr so will test that later to see. But when I was comparing the two before (this other content) I really couldn't tell which was correct, hence didn't bother to post a thread!!

I know , once you'r used to see the wrong aspect ratio the correct one seems wrong.

[sub]

I'd have to agree with Reddwarf after looking at those two pictures. The npvr screenshot looks like a true circle. The GBPVR screenshot is slight stretched.

[Northpole]

Sub,

I did some more testing and it seems like the initial video aspect ratio is not getting set correctly on XP (or at least for me). I went back to version 1.5.28 and played a 16x9 HD mpg. The log section is:

2010-09-22 05:20:28.078 [DEBUG][1] Adding system AC3 decoder
2010-09-22 05:20:28.078 [DEBUG][1] about to load decoder
2010-09-22 05:20:28.140 [DEBUG][1] added decoder to graph
2010-09-22 05:20:28.281 [DEBUG][1] Adding system MPEG2 decoder
2010-09-22 05:20:28.281 [DEBUG][1] Adding VMR7 renderer
2010-09-22 05:20:28.296 [DEBUG][1] Adding VMR7 renderer in mixing mode
2010-09-22 05:20:28.296 [DEBUG][1] about to load decoder
2010-09-22 05:20:28.406 [DEBUG][1] added decoder to graph
2010-09-22 05:20:28.656 [DEBUG][1] Graph filter list:
2010-09-22 05:20:28.656 [DEBUG][1] - Video Mixing Renderer 7
2010-09-22 05:20:28.656 [DEBUG][1] - Default DirectSound Device
2010-09-22 05:20:28.656 [DEBUG][1] - CyberLink Video/SP Decoder
2010-09-22 05:20:28.656 [DEBUG][1] - CyberLink Audio Decoder
2010-09-22 05:20:28.656 [DEBUG][1] - MPEG-2 Demultiplexer
2010-09-22 05:20:28.656 [DEBUG][1] - File Source (Async.)
2010-09-22 05:20:29.406 [DEBUG][1] GetEventCode() returned: 0x000d
2010-09-22 05:20:29.406 [DEBUG][1] GetEventCode() returned: 0x000e
2010-09-22 05:20:29.406 [DEBUG][1] GetEventCode() returned: 0x0053
2010-09-22 05:20:51.421 [DEBUG][1] GetEventCode() returned: 0x0001
2010-09-22 05:20:51.437 [DEBUG][1] PlaybackPositionHelper.StorePlaybackPosition(D:\Recordings\A Test mpg video.mpg, 22, 22)
2010-09-22 05:20:51.484 [DEBUG][1] Stopping graph@3

With version 1.5.28, .mpgs play fine with VMR7.

When I upgrade to version 1.5.31 and play an .mpg I get the following log

2010-09-22 05:44:39.093 [DEBUG][1] Adding system AC3 decoder
2010-09-22 05:44:39.093 [DEBUG][1] about to load decoder
2010-09-22 05:44:39.171 [DEBUG][1] added decoder to graph
2010-09-22 05:44:39.281 [DEBUG][1] Adding system MPEG2 decoder
2010-09-22 05:44:39.296 [DEBUG][1] Adding VMR7 renderer
2010-09-22 05:44:39.296 [DEBUG][1] Adding VMR7 renderer in mixing mode
2010-09-22 05:44:39.296 [DEBUG][1] about to load decoder
2010-09-22 05:44:39.390 [DEBUG][1] added decoder to graph
2010-09-22 05:44:39.515 [DEBUG][1] Source Aspect Ratio: 4x3
2010-09-22 05:44:39.515 [DEBUG][1] Setting display rect: -0.000000,188586144.000000,1.000000,-188586144.000000
2010-09-22 05:44:39.625 [DEBUG][1] Graph filter list:
2010-09-22 05:44:39.625 [DEBUG][1] - Video Mixing Renderer 7
2010-09-22 05:44:39.625 [DEBUG][1] - Default DirectSound Device
2010-09-22 05:44:39.625 [DEBUG][1] - CyberLink Video/SP Decoder
2010-09-22 05:44:39.625 [DEBUG][1] - CyberLink Audio Decoder
2010-09-22 05:44:39.625 [DEBUG][1] - MPEG-2 Demultiplexer
2010-09-22 05:44:39.625 [DEBUG][1] - File Source (Async.)
2010-09-22 05:44:40.421 [DEBUG][1] GetEventCode() returned: 0x000d
2010-09-22 05:44:40.421 [DEBUG][1] GetEventCode() returned: 0x000e
2010-09-22 05:44:40.421 [DEBUG][1] GetEventCode() returned: 0x0053
2010-09-22 05:45:02.390 [DEBUG][1] GetEventCode() returned: 0x0001
2010-09-22 05:45:02.406 [DEBUG][1] PlaybackPositionHelper.StorePlaybackPosition(D:\Recordings\A Test mpg video.mpg, 22, 22)
2010-09-22 05:45:02.453 [DEBUG][1] Stopping graph@3

I noticed that every time I try to replay the same video, I get different Setting display rect: values such as:

2010-09-22 06:15:22.000 [DEBUG][1] Setting display rect: -0.000000,95076640.000000,1.000000,-95076640.000000

I also noticed that npvr thinks the content is 4x3.

Now when I cycle through with F7, the display is correct and the log looks correct as well:

Version 1.5.31 log with complete F7 cycle

2010-09-22 05:41:53.359 [DEBUG][1] Adding system AC3 decoder
2010-09-22 05:41:53.359 [DEBUG][1] about to load decoder
2010-09-22 05:41:54.109 [DEBUG][1] added decoder to graph
2010-09-22 05:41:54.265 [DEBUG][1] Adding system MPEG2 decoder
2010-09-22 05:41:54.265 [DEBUG][1] Adding VMR7 renderer
2010-09-22 05:41:54.312 [DEBUG][1] Adding VMR7 renderer in mixing mode
2010-09-22 05:41:54.343 [DEBUG][1] about to load decoder
2010-09-22 05:41:54.484 [DEBUG][1] added decoder to graph
2010-09-22 05:41:54.640 [DEBUG][1] Source Aspect Ratio: 4x3
2010-09-22 05:41:54.640 [DEBUG][1] Setting display rect: -0.000000,57574452.000000,1.000000,-57574452.000000
2010-09-22 05:41:54.781 [DEBUG][1] Graph filter list:
2010-09-22 05:41:54.781 [DEBUG][1] - Video Mixing Renderer 7
2010-09-22 05:41:54.781 [DEBUG][1] - Default DirectSound Device
2010-09-22 05:41:54.781 [DEBUG][1] - CyberLink Video/SP Decoder
2010-09-22 05:41:54.781 [DEBUG][1] - CyberLink Audio Decoder
2010-09-22 05:41:54.781 [DEBUG][1] - MPEG-2 Demultiplexer
2010-09-22 05:41:54.781 [DEBUG][1] - File Source (Async.)
2010-09-22 05:41:54.859 [DEBUG][1] GetEventCode() returned: 0x000d
2010-09-22 05:41:54.859 [DEBUG][1] GetEventCode() returned: 0x000e
2010-09-22 05:41:55.093 [DEBUG][1] GetEventCode() returned: 0x0053
2010-09-22 05:42:02.968 [DEBUG][1] Source Aspect Ratio: 16x9
2010-09-22 05:42:02.968 [DEBUG][1] Setting display rect: 0.000000,0.000000,1.000000,1.000000
2010-09-22 05:42:17.546 [DEBUG][1] GetEventCode() returned: 0x0001
2010-09-22 05:42:17.562 [DEBUG][1] PlaybackPositionHelper.StorePlaybackPosition(D:\Recordings\A Test mpg video.mpg, 22, 22)
2010-09-22 05:42:17.609 [DEBUG][1] Stopping graph@3

I tried VMR9 and have the same problem.

I'm hoping you might be able to fix this in the next release... Thanks.

[Northpole]

Unfortunately for me, the initial aspect ratio problem still exist with version 1.5.33.

I was interested in finding out what other WinXp users are doing to play there .mpg videos in NPVR and if anyone has had success using VMR7 or VMR9.

This post contains my efforts to get an .mpg to play at the correct initial video aspect ratio with WinXP since upgrading from version 1.5.28. With version 1.5.28 or earlier, I had no problems with initial video aspect ratio.

I would like to point out that .ts files play at the correct aspect ratio with VMR7 or VMR9 and do give hardware accelerated video for both mpg and h264 content with both the Cyberlink and Arcsoft Video decoders.

What I've tried so far:

* I have tried EVR Render with XP but that doesn't support DXVA 2.0 hardware accelerated so I am unable to use that.

* I have tried Overlay but that doesn't seem to work either. When I select overlay and play a mpeg file, the log shows EVR as a renderer. Also, there is no accelerated video.

* That leaves either VMR7 or VMR9.

The default media splitter for NPVR .mpg playback is MPEG-2 Demultiplexer. The file version I'm using is 6.5.2710.2732 date: 08/05/2005.
Using this media splitter, I tried the three video decoders that I am aware of that support DXVA 1.0 hardware acceleration: Arcsoft, Cyberlink and Nvidia.
Of the three, only the Cyberlink decoder was able to deliver accelerated mpeg-2 video in NPVR with the MPEG-2 Demultiplexer. Unfortunately, the initial aspect ratio was not correct.

Therefore, I tried to use the config setting <ForceMpgGraph>false</ForceMpgGraph> which then lets Windows choose the direct show filters to use based on there merit values. All four of the other splitters I tried were able to deliver accelerated mpeg-2 video in NPVR but none had the correct initial aspect ratio.

I have tried 3 mpeg video decoders:

Video Mpeg Decoders
-------------------
ArcSoft - ASVid.ax version 2.25.83.43
Cyberlink - cl264dec.ax version 2.1.0.1708
Nvidia - nvviddec.ax version 4020.223.0.0

I have tried 4 mpeg media splitters:

Mpeg Splitters
--------------
ArcSoft - ArcDemux.ax version 1.0.2.108
Cyberlink - CLSplter.ax version 3.1.0.3022
Gabest - MpegSplitter.ax version 1.0.0.5
Haali Media Splitter version 1.10.262.12

The attached screenshots are pretty representative of what I usually get. With VMR9, I alway get a blank screen first. If I escape out and replay the video, I get these varying screen shots depending on the decoder and splitter used. If I cycle through with F7, the screens alway returns to normal with correct aspect ratio. With VMR7, I don't usually get a blank screen, instead I usually get the vertical lined images. Thanks.

Log results attached.

** Edit ** Attached last screen shot of correct aspect ratio.

[hoborg]

Just to say i have exactly same problem on two systems.
Must be nPVR related, there is no AR problem in GB-PVR, and AR is alwasy correct if i open video in Graphstudio.
It seems like nPVR AUTO AR is simply not init correctly first time, i alwasy need hit four times F7 to fix it. Stop and play and problem reapear again.

[ralphy]

I'm glad I'm not alone with this problem. I've tried a number of decoders without success playing back recordings (still using PVRX2 for livetv/recording service). The initial picture is so bad, it cannot be viewed. In fact, on some decoders, it is a mirror image.

The solution is to just cycle through the aspect ratio, but this is not a long term solution....

(XP Home + 1.5.33)