DVD playback does not work (blank screen and no audio)

[panuworld]

NPVR's DTV works great now (after few hours of testing different settings). However, I haven't succeeded to give any life to the DVD playback function. When I select the DVD function, only a blank screen appears. Changing the decoders did not change anything.

Sometimes (not always) when I select "Stop", question about resuming playback appears just before the main menu is displayed. No such question is displayed before "Stop" is selected from the context menu.

In the log there is some Direct3D problem; however, DirectX has been updated as specified and graphics drivers are up-to-date. However, I think that it should not prevent DVD playback because DTV works without any problem.

[sub]

NPVR's DTV works great now (after few hours of testing different settings). However, I haven't succeeded to give any life to the DVD playback function. When I select the DVD function, only a blank screen appears. Changing the decoders did not change anything.

I'm pretty sure this is decoder related. If you're using a commercial DVD in DVD drive, then its probably a case of a using decoder that can decrypt CSS encrypted content. From memory, ffdshow is not capable of this.

Sometimes (not always) when I select "Stop", question about resuming playback appears just before the main menu is displayed. No such question is displayed before "Stop" is selected from the context menu.

Once you get the DVD playback working correctly, I'm pretty sure this will be fixed.

In the log there is some Direct3D problem; however, DirectX has been updated as specified and graphics drivers are up-to-date. However, I think that it should not prevent DVD playback because DTV works without any problem.

The app is unable use DirectX on your machine (API calls are failing), so it has to fall back to software renderer, which gives much higher CPU usage, and no animations etc. Quite a few XP users have had this. Some have solved by updating their video card drives, some have solved by installing directx 9c, some haven't solved it. Just for future reference, what video card have you got?

[panuworld]

This netbook computer is running Atom N455 with integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150. May be it cannot support DirectX as well as expected, although DXDIAG shows that all accelerations are enabled. The OS is Win7S and DX9.0c updater did not find anything to update, and graphics drivers are most up-to-date. However, the CPU is able to run the software renderer without any problems, so it is not really an issue.

The DVD disc (images) I have now available are all recorded with a living-room Sony-Pioneer DVD recorder, so they do not have any encrypted content. MediaPortal software can show them without any problems but NPVR cannot, even if I select same codecs as in the MediaPortal. Currently I cannot test with any other DVDs. Notable is that WMP cannot play DVDs either, it just asks to adjust the screen resolution and color depths and try again. (But MePo has proven that it is not impossible to play DVDs on this computer...)

[Reddwarf]

Just to be sure, are you selecting decoders under DVD in Settings?

[panuworld]

Yes, and the behavior is essentially same even if I choose any available decoders for MPEG2 and AC3 (picture showing the decoders used by MePo to successfully decode the same content -- but also e.g. ffdshow decoders behaves in the similar way: no image, osd or audio). Could it be a problem with the DVD Navigator component?

[johnsonx42]

I'm assuming when you say the OS is Win7S you mean it's Starter Edition? I've no experience with that, but I know it's missing the very useful Microsoft DTV-DVD Video and Audio Decoders. It may be missing other bits as well.

You might try loading a codec pack, it may include whatever is missing. Hoborg's SAF6 is built for use with NPVR: http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?50227-Saf6

[sub]

Could it be a problem with the DVD Navigator component?

Yes, thats my thought. There is probably something slightly non-standard about the DVDs your Sony-Pioneer DVD recorder makes and the default windows navigator doesnt like them.

[stustunz]

just to confirm video card 3150
directx does not work no matter what updates you try

[panuworld]

I'll try next weekend with some other DVDs. If the problem is only with those discs recorded with Sony device, I'll post a small DVD image if somebody is interested to check if there is a hidden problem in the NPVR implementation.

[Reddwarf]

You should try the Cyberlink Video/SP decoder, it works on all dvd's I'v tried.