Weird video problems in 7MC - help!

barnabas1969

Posts: 5738
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:23 pm
Location: Titusville, Florida, USA

HTPC Specs: Show details

Weird video problems in 7MC - help!

#1

Post by barnabas1969 » Mon Jan 02, 2012 4:31 pm

I finally got the TV I wanted. My 61" DLP died quite a few months ago, and I've been using a 32" LCD since then. I got a new Samsung PN64D8000 plasma on Friday. It has a beautiful picture.

Ever since I connected the new TV, my Media Center PC has been acting weird. I've had to reboot the machine several times over the past couple of days to get things working correctly. The TV is connected by HDMI directly to the video card (NVidia GT430). The audio is going through the optical output on my motherboard (My AVR does not have HDMI switching).

This morning when I came out to watch the news, I turned everything on like usual, and I could see the Media Center menu and navigate around in the guide and such. However, when I tried to watch the news, there was no video... only audio. Pressing the stop button brought me back to the media center menu, and I could see it just fine on the TV.

At first, I thought it was a tuner problem, so I messed around with the Ceton diagnostics to see if there was a problem. However, after a while of checking stuff, I decided to see what would happen if I played a previously-recorded show (one that was recorded prior to the weirdness beginning). There was no video... only audio. Pressing stop brought back the menu.

I'm really confused right now. It was working fine when I went to bed. Nothing on the PC has changed except that I connected a new TV. Anyone have any suggestions?

richard1980

Posts: 2623
Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 3:15 am
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#2

Post by richard1980 » Mon Jan 02, 2012 4:55 pm

Have you tried going back through display setup? I can't imagine what would be different, but maybe that will fix whatever the issue is?

erkotz

Posts: 1378
Joined: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:23 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#3

Post by erkotz » Mon Jan 02, 2012 7:22 pm

richard1980 wrote:Have you tried going back through display setup? I can't imagine what would be different, but maybe that will fix whatever the issue is?
Are you sure you didn't update your NVidia display drivers? This is a known issue with the newest non-beta drivers. Try upgrading to the newest beta and see if that resolves the issue.
Quality Assurance Manager, Ceton Corporation

barnabas1969

Posts: 5738
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:23 pm
Location: Titusville, Florida, USA

HTPC Specs: Show details

#4

Post by barnabas1969 » Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:34 pm

Richard,

I did try going through the display setup. It did not help. Additionally, this problem only happens in full-screen mode.

erkotz,

The only thing I did was download/install the 3D/BD "assistant" from NVidia because I was trying to get 3D to work in TMT5. I did not install the latest drivers from NVidia... just the assistant. The assistant checks hardware/etc to make sure that your system is properly setup for 3D video.

Since I posted, I used the system restore to go back to before installing the 3D/BD assistant, and now my video works again.

However, after doing that (and before reading erkotz's post) I decided that it would probably be a good idea to update the video drivers. This, as erkotz says, broke the whole thing again.

For some reason, I could not un-install the video drivers and related software from the Control Panel - Programs and Settings dialog, so I booted into safe mode and un-installed the display adapter. This allowed me to install a previous version of the drivers that I already had saved on my hard drive. Everything in the older version installed OK except the PhysX software... it failed.

Anyone know why I can't un-install the NVidia drivers and software from Programs and Settings?

It's working OK now, but I'd still like to get the most recent version of the NVidia software installed... at least the most recent beta version as suggested by erkotz.

Also, I'm trying to figure out why TMT5 doesn't automatically change the video refresh rate to match the BluRay source material... I thought the latest version of TMT5 was supposed to do that.

User avatar
newfiend

Posts: 2503
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:10 pm
Location: Earth

HTPC Specs: Show details

#5

Post by newfiend » Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:49 pm

During install of the latest NVIDIA beta driver package you will be given an option for custom install, select that. On the next screen you should see a check box for a "clean install" select the check box and continue. This should uninstall all NVIDIA drivers including physX, reboot your machine and then install all the latest drivers before giving you a desktop. Try that and report back.

Sent from my SGH-i937 using Board Express

barnabas1969

Posts: 5738
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:23 pm
Location: Titusville, Florida, USA

HTPC Specs: Show details

#6

Post by barnabas1969 » Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:50 pm

OK, now I un-installed TMT5, rebooted, re-installed TMT5, and it automatically adjusts the refresh rate for 3D BluRay now.

I can play a 3D BluRay from TMT5 just fine now, if I run TMT5 from the desktop. However, if I run TMT5 from within Media Center, I get no audio. I've tried messing with the audio settings in TMT (both within Media Center and from the TMT5 application) and I still get no audio that way.

User avatar
newfiend

Posts: 2503
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:10 pm
Location: Earth

HTPC Specs: Show details

#7

Post by newfiend » Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:50 pm

Also tmt5's auto refresh rate switching still isn't perfected yet.

Sent from my SGH-i937 using Board Express

User avatar
newfiend

Posts: 2503
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:10 pm
Location: Earth

HTPC Specs: Show details

#8

Post by newfiend » Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:54 pm

Wonder if your not getting audio because hdcp requires a protected path for HD audio and optical isn't considered a protected path like an HDMI cable??
strange it would work on the desktop version and not MC though.. Did you run through speaker set up in MC after the driver update?
Sent from my SGH-i937 using Board Express

barnabas1969

Posts: 5738
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:23 pm
Location: Titusville, Florida, USA

HTPC Specs: Show details

#9

Post by barnabas1969 » Mon Jan 02, 2012 10:02 pm

I tried the MC audio setup. It didn't make a difference. Audio works fine through Media Center for playing TV shows, even on copy-protected channels and protected recorded shows. It's strange... I didn't have a problem with audio via TMT5 until I un-installed/re-installed it.

I really, really, really don't want to re-install Windows... I have lots of protected recordings that I don't want to lose.

If I can get 3D BluRay to work via TMT5, I'd be really happy. I'd like to use that free 3D BluRay player that I got with the TV in my bedroom (in 2D). My goal is to have only the 7MC machine and an AVR (plus the tuning adapter) in the main viewing area... I'd rather not have to use a separate device for 3D BluRay.

User avatar
newfiend

Posts: 2503
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:10 pm
Location: Earth

HTPC Specs: Show details

#10

Post by newfiend » Mon Jan 02, 2012 10:39 pm

for giggles.. can you route Audio from HTPC Through HDMI to TV then Out of TV Optical Out to AVR Optical In? Just wondering where the breakdown is in audio transfer that isn't allowing the sound to pass.. Any codec packs or AC3 Filter Installed?
newfiend~

barnabas1969

Posts: 5738
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:23 pm
Location: Titusville, Florida, USA

HTPC Specs: Show details

#11

Post by barnabas1969 » Mon Jan 02, 2012 11:17 pm

OK, more weirdness... I went through the speaker setup in MC one more time, and then tried playing a 3D BluRay again. This time, I got audio for a few seconds... and then I got an HDCP error (which is one of the weird problems I've been getting randomly since I connected the new TV... even when watching recorded TV).

Then, I rebooted the PC... and the 3D BluRay is playing correctly... WITH AUDIO! (Woo Hoo?)

I haven't tried newfiend's suggestion of doing a clean install of the video drivers yet. I'm kinda afraid of trying anything at this point.

Then, while I've been writing this... I got interrupted... and if I pause the 3D video for more than 5 minutes, the audio disappears! What's up with that?

And... to answer newfiend... no codec packs, and no AC3 filter. I'll try outputting through the TV and then optical from TV to PC.

Edit: I meant to write "I'll try outputting through the TV (via HDMI) and then optical from TV to AVR." Must have been the whiskey. :)
Last edited by barnabas1969 on Tue Jan 03, 2012 6:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.

User avatar
newfiend

Posts: 2503
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:10 pm
Location: Earth

HTPC Specs: Show details

#12

Post by newfiend » Mon Jan 02, 2012 11:27 pm

barnabas1969 wrote:OK, more weirdness... I went through the speaker setup in MC one more time, and then tried playing a 3D BluRay again. This time, I got audio for a few seconds... and then I got an HDCP error (which is one of the weird problems I've been getting randomly since I connected the new TV... even when watching recorded TV).

Then, I rebooted the PC... and the 3D BluRay is playing correctly... WITH AUDIO! (Woo Hoo?)

I haven't tried newfiend's suggestion of doing a clean install of the video drivers yet. I'm kinda afraid of trying anything at this point.

Then, while I've been writing this... I got interrupted... and if I pause the 3D video for more than 5 minutes, the audio disappears! What's up with that?

And... to answer newfiend... no codec packs, and no AC3 filter. I'll try outputting through the TV and then optical from TV to PC.
I don't know if this will work but try it for the heck of it..
I have an AVR but everything is hooked up HDMI from HTPC >AVR> TV
When i did this i got the HDCP errors if the audio in WIndows was set to 5.1 and the same in Media Center.
The only way I could get this to work w/o errors was to set Windows Audio to 2.0 stereo and 5.1 in Media Center. I know you are using a different configuration (Optical from HTPC to AVR) but try Windows Audio set at 2.0 stereo and then open Media Center ..Set up your speakers and set it to 5.1..see if things play nice.. this is usually a HDMI/HDCP thing but it couldn't hurt to try.. also disabling Navigation sounds has also worked for some.. HDCP is such a PITA.. somtimes its trial and error to figure out what works best.
newfiend~

barnabas1969

Posts: 5738
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:23 pm
Location: Titusville, Florida, USA

HTPC Specs: Show details

#13

Post by barnabas1969 » Mon Jan 02, 2012 11:31 pm

More info... when the audio stops after a long pause (more than 5 minutes), I can only get it to begin playing audio again after restarting the movie from the beginning. Even after a reboot, if I restart the movie from the last position where I stopped it, I get no audio. The only way to get audio is to start the movie from the beginning again.

I haven't tested this from TMT when I start it from the desktop yet... only when I start TMT from Media Center.

This is really killing the WAF. There is no good reason why I can't use a Windows PC to run a 3D BluRay. I really need to make this work... so I can get rid of the separate 3D BR player... and make the wife happy with the setup. Ease of use is of utmost importance here.

I'll try newfiend's 2.0/5.1 setup. I've read something like that in the past, but I never had an HDCP error in my setup before. We'll see. The wife's patience is running thin.

User avatar
newfiend

Posts: 2503
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:10 pm
Location: Earth

HTPC Specs: Show details

#14

Post by newfiend » Mon Jan 02, 2012 11:54 pm

Just FYI, TMT5 is expecting an update in January. There are some blu-rays that are having decoding issues (mostly fox releases) that will be addressed as well as some bug fixes I believe. I just got a email from Arcsoft confirming this a few days ago.

Sent from my SGH-i937 using Board Express

User avatar
newfiend

Posts: 2503
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:10 pm
Location: Earth

HTPC Specs: Show details

#15

Post by newfiend » Tue Jan 03, 2012 12:16 am

Also..not to compound the problem but there is this also http://www.arcsoft.com/forum/forum_post ... ublic-beta
Not sure what's been updated in this beta but you could try this if all else fails.

Sent from my SGH-i937 using Board Express

barnabas1969

Posts: 5738
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:23 pm
Location: Titusville, Florida, USA

HTPC Specs: Show details

#16

Post by barnabas1969 » Tue Jan 03, 2012 3:39 am

Well, the wife has overridden me and I'll have to mess with this another time. TV and recorded TV works OK right now. I appreciate the suggestions and I'll try them when I get a chance.

I can't wait to get this thing working correctly and to move the new BluRay player into the bedroom. When I installed the new TV, I eliminated all the old, unused cables and stuff and cleaned up all the old equipment. I'm down to the HTPC, two AVR's (one just as an amplifier for the pool/porch area in a 2nd room setup), a tuning adapter, a DVD changer (mostly for playing CD's on the porch) and a turntable.

User avatar
newfiend

Posts: 2503
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:10 pm
Location: Earth

HTPC Specs: Show details

#17

Post by newfiend » Tue Jan 03, 2012 5:59 am

I know what you mean, mess up the wife's recordings and all hell breaks loose..lol I have to fix stuff in the middle of the night when "nothing is on" and everyone's sleeping. So I totally get it. Hope one of the suggestions helps.


Sent from my SGH-i937 using Board Express

adam1991

Posts: 2893
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 2:31 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#18

Post by adam1991 » Tue Jan 03, 2012 8:55 am

What is this "middle of the night when nothing is on" thing of which you speak?

User avatar
newfiend

Posts: 2503
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 12:10 pm
Location: Earth

HTPC Specs: Show details

#19

Post by newfiend » Tue Jan 03, 2012 2:45 pm

Its between the hours of 12 & 3am at my house..your mileage may vary...

Sent from my SGH-i937 using Board Express

User avatar
STC

Posts: 6808
Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2011 4:58 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#20

Post by STC » Tue Jan 03, 2012 5:04 pm

I tried that once (accompanied with a beer) and it all went Pete Tong. Whatever you do, don't advise the stuff not recorded/missed was all crap anyway and it doesn't matter, the World will not end as it certainly did for me!
By the Community, for the Community. 100% Commercial Free.

Want decent guide data back? Check out EPG123

Post Reply