Need help getting HD-PVR working first time

[stevech]

A non-comprehensive (!) guide, i.e., SOMETHING rather than NOTHING, would help one know what one doesn't know, for SD migration to HD.


May I ask again, taken from the top of my lengthy post above, the following:

Originally Posted by Tiki

... If you have Windows 7, you don't need to worry about the Arcsoft codec. Windows 7 has a built-in codec that can be used.

What is the name of the video and audio codecs in win7? Where are they found? I think I discovered the decoders you reference, but not sure.

What can I do to get decent performance with the Sage PC client in Win 7 32 bit for H264? I don't know if I've done the right thing, but I stumbled around and found "Microsoft DTV-DVD" video and audio decoder AFTER hours of wasted time. This decoder doesn't seem to use hardware acceleration, or my video chips are too old and I need better video card - as the HD frame rate is about 10-15 FPS. Where can I read about what video chips/speed are needed, recommendations, and how to get a codec that's compatible with Sage and Windows 7 DirectWhatever, and Hauppauge's HD-PVR? (and is XP hopeless?). Using AMD4200 dual core. Video chip is a bit old: NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430.

[panteragstk]

Microsoft DTV-DVD is the microsoft decoder. It is there, but it sounds like your setup is like mine and doesn't like the MS decoder for some reason. I use ffdshow for everything except mpeg2 and have no playback issues. Of course there isn't any DXVA, but quality is great so no complaints. Did you ever get the arcsoft decoders to work? CoreAVC and the divx decoders are also really good with coreavc being the better of the two, plus it works with cuda (nvidia only) which is pseudo DXVA. Even if you don't have an nvidia gpu coreavc is still a very good decoder.

[stevech]

Originally Posted by panteragstk

Microsoft DTV-DVD is the microsoft decoder. It is there, but it sounds like your setup is like mine and doesn't like the MS decoder for some reason. I use ffdshow for everything except mpeg2 and have no playback issues. Of course there isn't any DXVA, but quality is great so no complaints. Did you ever get the arcsoft decoders to work? CoreAVC and the divx decoders are also really good with coreavc being the better of the two, plus it works with cuda (nvidia only) which is pseudo DXVA. Even if you don't have an nvidia gpu coreavc is still a very good decoder.

How do I get the Microsoft DTV-DVD to tell me if it is using hardware acceleration?
On getting ArcSoft running in Win 7. There was one post here on how to pilfer ArcSoft's decoders. It's not clearly written. And there are license ethics issues.

Being a neophite, I don't know how to find/use a DXVA (DirectX Video Accelerator - that's an acronym I had to Google). Have sympathy: I don't know all these acronyms: Cuda? Isn't DXVA supposed to abstract (hide) the display hardware type? Or is reality otherwise?

This is why it's so wrong for Sage to not bundle a DirectShow (hardware abstracted) compatible decoder with their product.

[panteragstk]

Originally Posted by stevech

How do I get the Microsoft DTV-DVD to tell me if it is using hardware acceleration?
On getting ArcSoft running in Win 7. There was one post here on how to pilfer ArcSoft's decoders. It's not clearly written. And there are license ethics issues.

Being a neophite, I don't know how to find/use a DXVA (DirectX Video Accelerator - that's an acronym I had to Google). Have sympathy: I don't know all these acronyms: Cuda? Isn't DXVA supposed to abstract (hide) the display hardware type? Or is reality otherwise?

This is why it's so wrong for Sage to not bundle a DirectShow (hardware abstracted) compatible decoder with their product.

If your cpu usage is over 20-25% you are not getting hardware acceleration. No more acronyms I promise.

Cuda is proprietary GPU processing that the video card will do instead of making the CPU do it. CoreAVC is the only one that does that to my knowledge. It really doesn't matter which one you use as long as the video quality is good.

To get the arcsoft decoders to work you can either download Total Media Theater 2 (tmt2) demo and select in the h.264 section of detailed setup. That's it. If you can find it. I have a copy if you need it. No legality issues there. If you have tmt 3 then you can put the modified checkactivate.dll file in the codec folder and use a direct show filter manager to register the filter. That's it. No legality issues to worry about.

It may be "wrong" for sage not to include a decoder for simplicity's sake, but honestly I don't use the included decoders for hdtv or dvd because they don't work very well in my system. In an old system they worked great. Too many variables. I knew next to nothing about directshow decoders/filters until I started using media center software in one form or another. Windows media center NEVER worked correctly even in windows 7 and is generally more difficult to use than sage. It won't even recognize an .mkv file unless you modify the registry. Very stupid.

I don't know why you don't just install ffdshow and be done with it. You may not get hardware acceleration, but if the picture is good then who cares? I never get over 23% cpu using ffdshow.

[SHS]

DXVA1/2 is done automatic with Microsoft DTV-DVD decoder
But you do need to make sure your using VMR or EVR mode in SageTV it called Video Renderer
As panteragstk said just check your cpu useages you see if it a low 1% to 5% and like he said if the cpu usage is over 25% depend on cpu speed you could be in wrong video mode

[stevech]

ffdshow as the decoder on my AMD PC with Video chip is a bit old: NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 - works, but color is hosed up. Grey scale OK but only two colors appear: purple and green.

I wonder if that chipset (above) is too old to have DirectShowVideoAcceleration support. How would one find this out for any given video chipset? (Win 7 and/or XP)?

The other PC I'm using is an Intel Atom dual core, 1st gen. It's really slow with 1080i - like 3 fps.

[SHS]

That GeForce 6 Series really had no hardware acceleration support for decoding HD my sister law has that same chipset in her laptop and it suck at VC1 and H264/AVC decoding.
Which ever one you go for below be sure it has bear min of Memory Bus width 128 that a big diff over 64 Bus width
Radeon HD 5450 or Radeon HD 6450
GeForce 220/240 or GeForce 430

As for Intel Atom dual core it most likey has a Intel Graphics Media Accelerator unless it a GMA X4500HD you may as well for get it to when come to VC1 and H264/AVC decoding in fact it just eazy to swap out that junk to a real Performance Video Graphics like the AMD E-350 APU Base motherboard or NVIDIA ION 2 or sometime ref as Next-Generation NVIDIA ION Graphics

[stevech]

Is there a (Microsoft?) list of video chipsets/boards that are compatible with version xxx of DXVA?

[SHS]

DXVA 1.0 = VMR
DXVA 2.0 = EVR you most have Vista or Windows 7
Video card that supports DXVA2 such as one of the following:
ATI Radeon HD 2000 series or newer
NVIDIA GeForce 7000 series (except 8800 GTS/GTX) or newer
Intel GMA500 or G45 (X4500HD)or newer Core i3, Core i5
S3 Chrome
But please bear in mind that older the GPUs card had less support for the more advanced decoding features in Hardware Accelerated mode there the CPU dose the work there you end up with higher CPU usage.
So in the case of DXVA1/2 or Hardware Accelerated Decoding it gose like this the newer GPUs is the more Advanced features are on board for accelerated decoding will be, Have you ever heard of Global Motion Compensation, Quarter Pixel Motion Compensation in old days that features would drag your system to it knee.
Like let say I upgrade my 5850 to newer 6850/6950 then I get more feature set like
MVC: Multi-view Video Coding is an addition to H.264 which is used for 3D Blu-ray encodings.
MPEG-4 Part 2: DivX and Xvid are common implementations of this codec.
And as bouns even better game performance.

[Tiki]

Originally Posted by SHS

ATI Radeon HD 2000 series or newer

My recommendation if you choose an ATI card would be to use an HD4650 or better. I previously tried an HD4350 and it seemed that hardware acceleration did not always work for all formats and I would get some stuttering.

With ATI, the first digit ("4" in the case of the cards I mentioned) signifies the generation. They come out with a new generation of cards every 1-2 years, so the 5000 series replaced the 4000 series, and later the 6000 series replaced the 5000 series. Usually the new generation will add a few minor features, reduce power consumption a little, and offer improved performance.

The second digit ("6" or "3" in my two cards), signifies the relative power/performance/price within that series. So a 46xx is better than a 43xx (it's also usually bigger, and requires a bit more power).

Where it gets a little confusing is that newer isn't always better. A bottom of the line new generation card is probably not as good as a top of the line old generation card. A 53xx is probably not as good as a 46xx card and a 43xx card is probably not as good as a 36xx card.

[SHS]

The second digit ("6" or "3" in my two cards), signifies the relative power/performance/price within that series. So a 46xx is better than a 43xx (it's also usually bigger, and requires a bit more power).

Well that eazy 46xx is better than a 43xx let see
Faster Core
Faster Memory
More Memory Bus width (Memory Interface) 128bit vs 64bit
3x the Stream Processors
Other then in case of the Radeon HD 6450 even know it has Memory Bus width of only 64bit it performance was very good with video play back and is best way to go when come HTPC rigth which is not m for Mid/Hard core gaming use if I need a new video for best value for money.

Where it gets a little confusing is that newer isn't always better. A bottom of the line new generation card is probably not as good as a top of the line old generation card. A 53xx is probably not as good as a 46xx card and a 43xx card is probably not as good as a 36xx card.

That all depend on what your doing with it there is a big diff and min facter you need to take in to count for.
And as rule of thumb you should wait for 2nd generation card vs the you curret card have now like my next upgrade will not in tell ATI HD7000 series or nVidia GeForce 600 GTX series depend on cost being I need Gaming performance.