GB-PVR Freezes using PVR-150 and Nvidia FX-5200 (pci)

[metaphorplay]

Hi,

I have struggling for a little while with my first dedicated PVR/GBPVR system build. I purchased a PVR-150 and installed it and GBPVR on an old AMD Athlon MP 1700+ (1.1 Ghz) computer running WinXP SP2. The motherboard is a PC-Chips M840LR with the SiS 740 chipset (integrated AGP graphics disabled) using the latest SiS drivers. I have 1 GB RAM. I also just installed an Apollo Nvidia 5200 FX 128 MB PCI graphics board--the only PCI-based FX 5200 card I could find with no noisy fan. I'm using the latest video Nvidia drivers--84.21.

I set up the capture device as the PVR-150 in config. I'm using the system default codecs, though I've fooled with those settings also. I have tried overlay, vmr-9 and vmr-7 modes in config. All exhibit the same freezing behavior.

When I start LiveTV, GBPVR freezes the mouse cursor and displays a single image in the window. The system completely locks up and requires using the reset switch to reboot.

Moreover, this freezing behavior isn't specific to just GB-PVR. Windows Media Player and all other video players lock up. However DirectX diagnostics (dxdiag) tests out just fine. However, when I disable all hardware acceleration from dxdiag, MPG2 and all other video works fine. I also tried updating to the latest directx 9.0c drivers from MS. No change in the behavior.

Thinking it might be related to the years of codecs and drivers I had accumulated on the old XP system, I tried a fresh install of Windows XP SP1 on a spare hard drive. At first I installed only the Nvidia display drivers from Microsoft (WHQL certified, dated October 2003). At this point, MPG2 files played normally in Windows Media Player. I then installed the WinTV package, and the directx drivers 9.0b supplied therein. Unfortunately, GB-PVR, Hauppauge's WinTV and Windows Media player all still lock up the computer even in the clean install.

I then upgraded the clean install to the latest hardware drivers, decoders, and software on the Hauppauge website, including trying the new beta hardware driver. All programs continue to freeze.

However, I discovered that with Hauppauge's urility "primary.exe" set to the (fugly) modes of primary or DIB Draw, I can get Hauppauge's WinTV to work. No overlay or vmr 7/9 setting works. Oddly enough, forcing primary seems to allow Windows Media Player to work again as well. However, GB-PVR continues to crash--possibly because it always uses some form of overlay mode?!?

This seems odd as the Nvidia fx 5200 supposedly supports VMR9 overlay and DirectX 9. It is only a PCI card, as I have an old motherboard with no AGP slot.

(Interestingly, when I run it using the SiS integrated AGP display adapter on my existing XP system, GBPVR does work if in overlay mode only. Unfortunately, it doesn't work on the secondary display with the Nvidia FX 5200 video card--moving the window there causes the freezing behavior.)


Last, I reinstalled the latest Nvidia drivers (84.21) and then the latest MS 9.0c directx drivers (dec2005) on the clean install of windows SP1. Still crashes, even in GBPVR's overlay mode.

Obviously I want GBPVR to work on the new FX 5200 video card because it has the TV-out. Unfortunately I am beginning to conclude that despite claiming to support DirectX 9 and VMR 9, the PCI version I have of the FX 5200 doesn't.

Is that what it sounds like to you all? Has anyone had any luck with GBPVR on a PCI version of the FX 5200?

(I can attach a dxdiag output file, log files or whatever would help.)

thanks
tim

PS--I'm planning to install KnoppMyth to double check whether it is a hardware problem, even though I prefer GBPVR. MediaPortal works like molasses on my system.

[csy]

I suspect it is related to an interoperability problem between GBPVR and some Nvidia cards when using DXVA (hardware acceleration)

I have a Nvidia 6600GT (AGP) running on a AMD 3000+ CPU and when DXVA is enabled on VMR9 I get jumpy motion and up to 60% CPU. Using VMR7, I get more severe jumpy motion and 80% CPU. If I disable DXVA, the CPU remains high but motion is smooth. Check out the last 2 pages of this thread:
http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?t=14763

What is your CPU load when attempting to view TV?

I experimented with Mediaportal and found that it works fine (smooth motion) and very low CPU load (20-30%), however I prefer GBPVR.

I have also noticed that my old ATI 9550SE video card does not suffer from this problem, so the problem appears to be specific to Nvidia cards.

[metaphorplay]

I suspect it is related to an interoperability problem between GBPVR and some Nvidia cards when using DXVA (hardware acceleration)

How can I disable DXVA so GBPVR doesn't use it? You reference the PureVideo codec, which I haven't tried yet. On the partition with the clean install, I'm running almost zero codecs--intervideo haupauge and the usual windows xp pro installation assortment. On the old partition I've got cyberlink, intervide, elecard and so on for mpeg2--plus tens of avi codecs. Or can I do it from the Display properties Troubleshooting sheet, or from DxDiag? Is there a registry or config hack?

The CPU load is at 62% or so when it crashes, but it has just loaded. MediaPortal dies a similar death. Once it locks up, Process Explorer can't report on CPU load.

I have a Nvidia 6600GT (AGP) running on a AMD 3000+ CPU and when DXVA is enabled on VMR9 I get jumpy motion and up to 60% CPU. Using VMR7, I get more severe jumpy motion and 80% CPU. If I disable DXVA, the CPU remains high but motion is smooth. Check out the last 2 pages of this thread:
http://forums.nextpvr.com/showthread.php?t=14763

What is your CPU load when attempting to view TV?

I experimented with Mediaportal and found that it works fine (smooth motion) and very low CPU load (20-30%), however I prefer GBPVR.

I have also noticed that my old ATI 9550SE video card does not suffer from this problem, so the problem appears to be specific to Nvidia cards.

[csy]

DXVA stands for DirectX Video Acceleration, in other words hardware acceleration, and it appears you found a way of doing that in dxdiag
Quote: "However, when I disable all hardware acceleration from dxdiag, MPG2 and all other video works fine"

GBPVR does not directly use DXVA but instead uses video decoders which use DXVA, so you can disable DXVA (hardware acceleration) in the video decoder properties. With some video decoders, you can use GBPVR config utility on the Playback tab to change video decoder properties, but this does not work correctly in many cases (eg for Intervideo and Cyberlink decoders). The best way is to manually edit the registry to disable DXVA on the decoders as follows:
Intervideo:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\InterVideo\Common\VIDEODEC\GBPVR]
"DXVA"=dword:00000000
Cyberlink:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Cyberlink\Common\CLVSD\GBPVR]
"UIUseHVA"=dword:00000000
"TwinViewDXVA"=dword:00000000

To re-enable change values to 1.

But as you mentioned, you have managed to disable DXVA globally via dxdiag so stay using that if that works ok for you.

Check which decoders are actually being used by GBPVR by getting Graphedit off the Internet and use it to open lastgraph.grf in the GBPVR directory.

I suspect your CPU is going to 100% when the DirectX filters (decoders) kick into action, hence making the PC non-responsive.

[metaphorplay]

I eventually gave up on the old system and built a new one. The problem was indeed the old PC-Chips M840LR motherboard. Don't bother with it.

After much wasted effort I sold off the old computer and built a dedicated home theater computer around the MSI K8NGM2/Nvidia 6150 in a Zalman HD160 case. So far, I am pleased with the new system--except that I am still experiencing the tearing of LiveTv and video files with VMR9 (in custom and straight VMR9) whenever I exit to a menu and then return to LiveTv or Video. The tearing appears as a set of vertically banded bars from brightly lit parts of the initial image when GB-PVR begins to play video/TV.

VMR7 works like a charm however.

New system:

Zalman HD160 Case
PVR-150
MSI K8NGM2 with Nvidia 6150 chipset (onboard TV-out)
AMD Athlon64 3500+ (socket 939)
768 Ram (704 remaining with onboard video enabled)
200 GB WD HD
MediaMVP

TV image quality is fantastic! However, I should have bought the PVR-500 for the dual tv tuners.

[rowle1jt]

TV image quality is fantastic! However, I should have bought the PVR-500 for the dual tv tuners.

Don't we all!!! I know my WAF would be higher if we could watch one thing and record another. Next "PVR" purchase is a donation to sub, 2nd in line is another tuner!