Help me assess problems w/ my DVD player & TV Out card

Todd K · 03-26-2003, 12:45 AM

Hello all, I'll get right down to it:

I think my brain is about to explode from the headache I have from this computer.

I have a PIII 500 mhz processor on a Dell computer that came packaged with windows 98. The video card is an NVIDIA Riva TNT.

My computer also came with the Hardware CineMaster C card, as near as I can tell from the info on this webpage: http://www.pennskog.com/cinemaster/
This contains outputs like s-video and coaxial digital out.

I have since upgraded to Windows XP and installed the upgraded software from the above site accordingly. Thus far, this is the only software I have found that will work with the above mentioned TV-out card.

The problem is, the playback is somewhat jittery. This seems to happen during playback on my monitor only, and not through the s-video to the TV. Other software I've tried, like the DVD player on Windows Media Player XP, doesn't have this flickering, but of course it won't work with the TV out card. Also, I am not 100% certain that this flickering started right after my upgrade to XP. In fact, I am guessing it didn't.

I will be upgrading my computer within the next year or so and am debating on whether to keep this DVD drive/TV out combination. I would just scrap the whole thing, except I have been reading about the TV-out features on these new video cards, and how people don't think much of them. My current TV out card is for the DVD player only. Would a new card do just as well for TV out purposes as my current DVD player only Cinemaster TV out card?

I would be very appreicative if anyone has any input on this matter, if you've actually read this far.

Regards,
Todd

Max Leung · 03-26-2003, 02:17 PM

Could it be that DVD playback on the monitor consumes too much CPU or too many video card resources?

If the svideo output is 640x480, less resources would be used. But output on your monitor at 1024x768, for example, may be too much.

It is possible that the Cinemaster playback software just plain sucks, which would explain why Windows Media Player gives you better results.

Also, what refresh rate are you using on your monitor? It is possible that if the refresh rate is not set to 60hz, the cinemaster software does not properly sync to it, giving you stutters. Try setting the monitor refresh to 60 hz and see if that helps.

Todd K · 03-26-2003, 07:16 PM

Thanks for your advice, Max.

My refresh rate was already set to 60. It is possible, as you say, that the DVD play takes up too many resources, but I have this instinctive feeling that I didn't always have this problem. It's also possible I just wasn't looking close enough, but I don't think so.

Media player definitely gives me a better picture. I just did some tests again with the cinemaster player and on a Wanrer Brothers DVD, when the WB logo came up, the edges were jagged, almost looking like some sort of interlace problem. Yet when the main feature came on the picture very subtly stuttered and flickered.

To be honest, I can stop worrying about this problem if I know that the results from a new video card with TV-out will perform just as well as my current TV-out card. I only plan to connect it via S-video to a standard definition television. If I knew that a new one (I'm looking at something like the ATI All in wonder 7500) would do TV out with the same results, I'll just rough it until I upgrade, then forget I ever had this problem. However, I'm concerned because my current card is for DVD only, and the other isn't.

If you have any thoughts, let me know. Thanks again, I do appreciate it.

Todd

Steve Berger · 03-26-2003, 10:41 PM

I don't know if the "C" series card has the same problem as the "S" series that I had (replaced with Hollywood+) . The hardware couldn't do anamorphic correctly , creating odd distortions. It took quite a few emails to Ravisent to find that out.

The neat thing about my card was that it would do simultaneous monitor and TV output(both S-video and composite) and simultaneous analog and S/PDIF audio output. While this allowed a lot of interesting hook-up options it did put a severe load on the CPU (especially for a hardware decoder card), running all those outputs at once. (TV out at one resolution and scaling for the monitor at another?)

It was also picky about DMA settings for the DVDRom drive. It worked with some motherboard chipsets but not others. If it uses the MCI interface then it also has problems with file sizes larger than 2Gb I think. Movies work OK but mpeg files could be trouble.

It was my first DVD player and served it's purpose but it's hardware limitations caused me to replace it with the Hollywood+ which has a great TV picture (marginal monitor pic) along with almost 0 load on the CPU. The decoder cards have always had a better TV picture than any of my video cards. (Trident, Diamond TNT2 , Gforce3Ti200)

Todd K · 03-26-2003, 11:45 PM

I can do simultaneous TV and monitor output, but the analog and digital outs are mutually exclusive. However, I've always used the SPDIF out because, for some reason, the analog out puts out audio at an unusually low level, and no modification I make changes it. I had the same problem within the computer when using the PowerDVD program -- the sound it sends to my computer's speakers is much lower than any other DVD program I have.

So thus far within the past few days I've tried PowerDVD, the trial version of WinDVD, Media Player XP, and The Cinemaster DVD player. The only one that has given me the buggy picture is the cinemaster, which unfortunately is the only one that can run my TV out card. Not the world's worst problem, but falls into the category of "why the devil won't this work?"

**HTF Ads**

Max Leung · 03-27-2003, 12:18 AM

Do you have hardware video acceleration enabled? If so, maybe try disabling it in the Cinemaster Control Panel or options and see if that helps.

I assume your DVD-ROM drive has DMA enabled? It may be possible that Windows "decided" to disabled DMA (in PIO mode) causing the stutter.

I just realized that I am using Cinemaster through the TheaterTek DVD player. It seems to be more sensitive to improper DVD-ROM DMA settings than WinDVD.

Todd K · 03-27-2003, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Do you have hardware video acceleration enabled? If so, maybe try disabling it in the Cinemaster Control Panel or options and see if that helps.

I believe acceleration is enabled, but there is nowhere in the cinemaster program that allows you to disable it.

Quote:

I assume your DVD-ROM drive has DMA enabled? It may be possible that Windows "decided" to disabled DMA (in PIO mode) causing the stutter.

I followed the instructions from this website to check DMA:
http://www.cdrlabs.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=7625

I'm not sure I understood what was going on. Under IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers, There was "Intel(r) 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE Controller," "Primary IDE Channel," and "Secondary IDE Channel." The second two were the only ones that had listings for DMA settings. Under Primary IDE Channel, both device 0 and 1 were working under Ultra DMA Mode 2. Under Secondary IDE channel, device 0 was working in PIO Only and device 1 was working in Multi-word DMA mode 2. No matter what I did for device 0 under Secondary IDE channel I couldn't get it out of PIO mode.

I don't know if there's much I can do from that angle.

By the way, here is the DVD program I am using:
http://www.cifelli.com/support/c3.x/...0Installer.zip

Max Leung · 03-27-2003, 05:01 PM

There is a fix for that Todd, but at the moment I can't find the article that told you how to make the registry edit. Something about deleting the IDE primary and secondary registry checksums to force windows to enable DMA.

I will dig it up when I get home, unless someone finds it for me.

Todd K · 03-27-2003, 07:40 PM

Ok,

I talked to a friend over the phone who is knowledgeable about hardware and I was able to confirm that my DVD drive is the one that is giving the PIO only reading. Also, as before, it won't change no matter what I do. Max, if you come up with the fix, let me know, I'll try it if I think I can manage it.

Thanks,
Todd