How do I know Hardware Accceleration is working?

Ok, I know this is probably a stupid question, but how do I know if Hardware acceleration is actually working at any given time?

I have an Asus P5Q-EM board and an E8400 chip. From what I have read, the G45 chipset should automatically accelerate, but how do I know for sure it is working. I have used the Task Manager to check CPU usage and sometimes it can seem kind of high (40-50% or so) and I was expecting HA to take over more of the load. It's not a big deal, as the whole system is easily able to play back all my files smoothly, but my CPU is getting a little hotter than I like and I am wondering if this has anything to do with it.

For the record, I am playing back most DVD folder rips and 1080p Blu Ray rips using the guide in the "Blu-Ray to MKV, Options are Endless" thread.

Also, I am not using any outside programs for playback. I rely on VMC with the Media Browser plug in, and I don't launch into TT,PDVD or TMT.

I do have FFDSHOW and Hali installed though

I don't have anything other than FFDSHOW, I don't think. What other ones are there that do support HA?

Thanks

I will look into those thanks, I do have PowerDVD installed, but I don't use it. I will see if I can get it working

In general though, how will I know they are working? Is it really just a matter of watching the CPU usage, or is there a program I can run at the same time that will show whether something is being accelerated or not.