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video card upgrade for my HTPC

post #1 of 17
2/17/13 at 11:06am
Thread Starter 
I experience a 5 second HDMI drop when stating movie files from my HTPC ... the sound will be playing but the video will be blue screen for 5 seconds then the video will suddenly appear. Will upgrading my video card help this issue?

my HTPC- Pentium Dual core CPU, E5400 @270GHZ , 4GB RAM, windows 7 , 64 bit operating system.

video card - NVIVIA GeForce GT 240

AVR- Denon 2312CI



If I upgrade my video card what would be a recommendation for a non gamer to upgrade to?
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post #2 of 17
2/17/13 at 12:27pm

Could be an issue with your player or config.  What player?  Settings?  Have you tried using MPC-HC?  Their player is GREAT and even if you don't use it permanently, try a FREE download and try it out.  What are these movie files?  .avi, .mkv, .m4v ??  Are you wanting HD audio or just 5.1?  Are you usinf DXVa codecs?  Lots to mention before you'll get meaningful feedback.

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post #3 of 17
2/17/13 at 12:42pm
This symptom almost makes it sound like the resolution and/or refresh rate is changing when the video begins to play. I'm not sure how often the video card is at fault in cases like this. As Andrew Hornfeck is asking, please share you settings and software you're using for playback. You may be able to troubleshoot this by adjusting some playback settings to possibly rule out the video card.
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post #4 of 17
2/17/13 at 1:27pm
Thread Starter 
I will have to look deeper and get back to you with most of the answers. I will say that this wasn't an issue before I upgraded my AVR The Denon 1911 to the 2312. The 2312 has hdmi 1.4 vrs the 1911 with 1.3 so I assumed it was an HDMI hand off issue. I thought getting a new video card with HDMI 1.4 would fix the issue.

I experience the problem when I use VLC, windows media center or XBMC. I will download the other player and get back to you guys with the file types.
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post #5 of 17
2/17/13 at 2:31pm
Thread Starter 
File types that drop the video are random to me and not determined by file size nor the player used. I did download MPC-HC and the issue happened with this player as well.

players used in this brief test---WMP(windows Media Player) VLC, XBMC, MPC-HC

MKV 4.9 gb-- drops in XBMC and WMP but not in VLC

Mkv. 7.5 gb-- drops in XBMC but no drops with WMP, VLC, MPC-HC


AVI 700 mb -- no drops

MP4 2gb --- all players drop

MP4 3.5 gb-- drops in XBMC and WMP but not in VLC or MPC-HC


XBMC seems to be the least reliable and VLC is the most reliable to not drop the video.
Edited by alittletank - 2/17/13 at 2:38pm
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post #6 of 17
2/17/13 at 3:30pm
Thread Starter 
This is my current video card

15798BB1-E868-4225-9AA2-A6670F00EBBC-5263-000006DB8116CE9C_zps47476eea.jpg
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post #7 of 17
2/17/13 at 3:40pm

I'm not an nVidia user but have you loaded their latest drivers -- or a set that folks find works well for them which often is NOT the latest.  Upgrading from one AVR to another shouldn't require you any change to your HDMI cable unless you're trying to do 3D or something that required the 1.4 standard, or are you? 

 

Your new AVR may be trying to assess the video signal, upscaling it, or processing it somehow before it can pass it onto your display... have you checked those settings?

 

As far as changing to another video card you can't beat the bang for the buck with any of the AMD:  HD4550, HD5450 or HD6450

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post #8 of 17
2/18/13 at 1:30am
I waited for an HD 6450 to go on sale at Newegg & got one with free shipping and it was $15 after rebate.
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post #9 of 17
2/18/13 at 7:13am
+1 for the 6450. Got mine for $15 as well. Great card for HTPC. Only caveat is I have to use older 12.8 drivers. Anything later causes audio problems on my system.
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post #10 of 17
2/18/13 at 7:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by alittletank View Post

I experience a 5 second HDMI drop when stating movie files from my HTPC ... the sound will be playing but the video will be blue screen for 5 seconds then the video will suddenly appear. Will upgrading my video card help this issue?

my HTPC- Pentium Dual core CPU, E5400 @270GHZ , 4GB RAM, windows 7 , 64 bit operating system.

video card - NVIVIA GeForce GT 240

AVR- Denon 2312CI



If I upgrade my video card what would be a recommendation for a non gamer to upgrade to?

Have you tried connecting directly to your TV via HDMI and see if the problem persists.

David
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post #11 of 17
2/18/13 at 10:42am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidT99 View Post

Have you tried connecting directly to your TV via HDMI and see if the problem persists.

David

Funny you should ask that question...

I hooked a TV up to the HDMI out from my AVR this morning and that setup resulted in zero video drops. I believe the problem lies between the AVR and the projector. The culprit? My HDMI to cat 5 powered extenders.

I have ordered an 50ft HDMI cable that is in wall rated and will test that upon its arrival. If that solves the problem I will have to break open dry wall at a few spots to run more conduit.

Here is a tip from me if you are building a new house or new room --- run two to three times the conduit you think you will need!
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post #12 of 17
2/18/13 at 12:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by alittletank View Post

Funny you should ask that question...

I hooked a TV up to the HDMI out from my AVR this morning and that setup resulted in zero video drops. I believe the problem lies between the AVR and the projector. The culprit? My HDMI to cat 5 powered extenders.

I have ordered an 50ft HDMI cable that is in wall rated and will test that upon its arrival. If that solves the problem I will have to break open dry wall at a few spots to run more conduit.

Here is a tip from me if you are building a new house or new room --- run two to three times the conduit you think you will need!
if the cat.5 strand is in conduit then you might be able to tie it to the hdmi cable(CL2) and pull it through.
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post #13 of 17
2/18/13 at 12:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by alittletank View Post


Funny you should ask that question...

I hooked a TV up to the HDMI out from my AVR this morning and that setup resulted in zero video drops. I believe the problem lies between the AVR and the projector. The culprit? My HDMI to cat 5 powered extenders.

I have ordered an 50ft HDMI cable that is in wall rated and will test that upon its arrival. If that solves the problem I will have to break open dry wall at a few spots to run more conduit.

Here is a tip from me if you are building a new house or new room --- run two to three times the conduit you think you will need!
 
 
W H A T ???   I reread this post and this is the first you'd mentioned Cat-5 extenders in your configuration!  Your trying to send HDMI 50' may be an issue, but if it works you'll be fine.  Be prepared you may need to add a powered extender. 
And here's another tip: PLEASE post relevant facts or you'll get responses which don't address the root cause. 
 
 
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post #14 of 17
2/18/13 at 12:37pm
Thread Starter 
Andrew Hornfeck- you are absolutely correct, I felt foolish for not even thinking about that piece of the puzzle prior to this
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post #15 of 17
2/18/13 at 1:18pm

No problem... we're all trying to help.  It seems odd you have 50' to your PJ... my rack is on the side of my room and I reach my PJ with a 5 meter cable and all is well.  Going long distances can be an issue so well before cutting up your installation you need to prove it works by plugging it in directly.  In fact, I'd focus on the current install -- maybe you have a bad extender, a nicked cat-5 wire or termination effecting this since it worked with your old AVR!  Maybe it's a handshake between the PC and the new AVR is effecting this - try setting the video to NOT auto-detect the EDID - this may fix it.  Finally, using an existing wire to pull in a new one is common practice - unless the conduit is filed.

 

Let us know 

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post #16 of 17
2/18/13 at 2:02pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the info Andrew, I will try that setting on the video card. If I do end up switching the cat 5 setup to the 50' HDMI cord then I will test it with the cord out side the wall for a few days first. The cable will run up a 10' wall and above a 22' room to get to the theater because I didn't want any electronics heating or lighting up the theater. A RF remote makes everything work well that way.


Thanks again I will report back with any new findings
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post #17 of 17
2/18/13 at 8:25pm
Thread Starter 
THANK YOU ANDREW!

The video card setting was on auto detect and I changed it to full screen. That has stopped all video drops. I checked about a dozen movies and all played on various players and even in XBMC without any issues.

For those wondering what setting I'm referring to please see the pic below. I circled in red the setting I changed to fix my issues.

VIDEOCARDSETTING_zpsd957d19e.png
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