[bgbop15]

I'm low on funds, and I'm trying everything I can to get smooth HD-DVD playback on this HTPC (Especially because The Matrix is in the mail!)


Tul ATI Motherboard (skt 939)

AMD64 3700+ OC'ed to 2.48ghz

1gb (2x512mb) Patriot DDR400 RAM

ATI All-in-Wonder 2006 (256mb x1300 chipset) (non-HDCP)

Cyberlink PowerDVD 7.3 Ultra

Slysoft AnyDVD-HD 6.1.2.3

MCE 2005


-Some HD-DVDs such as Happy Gilmore play okay (a few stutters here and there).

-HD-DVDs like Blazing Saddles, Wolf Creek, and Smokin' Aces (All VC-1) are too choppy to watch.

-Hardware Acceleration in Cyberlink PowerDVD settings is greyed out.


Please help me decide if i should scrap this heap, throw my 2gb (2x1gb) DDR500 G.Skill HZ Ram from my other rig in there, my 512mb x1800xt from my other rig in there, or maybe my 256mb 7300gt from my work rig in there (potential Purevideo Acceleration or not?). If 2.5ghz is too slow, maybe I should improve my cooling and OC this cpu to 2.75?


Thanks in advance for your help in getting The Matrix in all its 1080p glory on my Vizio 47" LCD!


EDIT: Thanks for all the insight... I got my 2400 pro today and everything is going great! I uninstalled the nvidia drivers and ran driver cleaner, popped it in, and installed the 7.6 drivers and HD-DVD playback went from 100% cpu usage to 11-36% cpu usage. No stuttering, full 1080p playback, clear picture, a little dark, but i will tweak it a bit today.


sixty bucks very well spent

 

[arfster]

I had a 7300GT, did an OK job of acceleration on VC1 at least. Probably you don't have enough CPU power for h264 though.

 

[bgbop15]

it plays x264 720p .mkv files just fine...


are HD-DVD encoded with h264?

 

[arfster]

Most HDDVDs are VC1, but an increasing number are h264. 720p mkv h264 files are not really comparable, because they're 4mbit vs 20+ for HDDVD, half the number of pixels, and different encoding options. You've also got to decode HD audio formats, decrypt the disc, handle interactive stuff.....


You'd be fine with a 8500GT though, or the ATI equivalent (2400something? out in a month or so). These cards take the load off the CPU much more.

 

[iencoder]



Quote:
Originally Posted by bgbop15 /forum/post/0


I'm low on funds, and I'm trying everything I can to get smooth HD-DVD playback on this HTPC (Especially because The Matrix is in the mail!)


Tul ATI Motherboard (skt 939)

AMD64 3700+ OC'ed to 2.48ghz

1gb (2x512mb) Patriot DDR400 RAM

ATI All-in-Wonder 2006 (256mb x1300 chipset) (non-HDCP)

Cyberlink PowerDVD 7.3 Ultra

Slysoft AnyDVD-HD 6.1.2.3

MCE 2005


-Some HD-DVDs such as Happy Gilmore play okay (a few stutters here and there).

-HD-DVDs like Blazing Saddles, Wolf Creek, and Smokin' Aces (All VC-1) are too choppy to watch.

-Hardware Acceleration in Cyberlink PowerDVD settings is greyed out.


Please help me decide if i should scrap this heap, throw my 2gb (2x1gb) DDR500 G.Skill HZ Ram from my other rig in there, my 512mb x1800xt from my other rig in there, or maybe my 256mb 7300gt from my work rig in there (potential Purevideo Acceleration or not?). If 2.5ghz is too slow, maybe I should improve my cooling and OC this cpu to 2.75?


Thanks in advance for your help in getting The Matrix in all its 1080p glory on my Vizio 47" LCD!

I'm in a simular situation. I have an single core Athlon 64 3700+ (OC'ed to 2.475Ghz) with 1GB of RAM and I'm using the integrated 6150 of my 939 board. I'm using XP and I can't play back 1080p MKV or TS files, even with CoreAVC. I'm debating whether I should:


1) Add a 8500GT to the current system (might help a bit, but not that much with current XP drivers)

2) Repalce the CPU with a S939 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (which I found for 89$ CDN)

3) Scrap the whole thing and get a new mobo, 2GB of DDR2, 8500GT, Dual Core 3600+ AM2 and OC it


The sad thing is that I just put together the whole system in January so that I could play any video files I could throw at it. DDR2 was too expensive at the time, so I recycled the RAM from our old HTPC. Anyhow, my wife probably wouldn't be too happy when I pitch buying another sytem less than 6 months later

 

[arfster]



Quote:
Originally Posted by iencoder /forum/post/0


1) Add a 8500GT to the current system (might help a bit, but not that much with current XP drivers)

Definitely don't do this in anticipation of working drivers. It's quite possible XP h264 acceleration will only work within PDVD itself within direct hooks to PV-HD, and mkv doesn't work with PDVD.


Also, in the X2 world I think you'd need about 2.4ghz for h264 to work in software - can the 3800+ be pushed that far?

 

[videolover]

if and only if, you are contemplating a new build, why not build around a core 2 duo and be done with it?

 

[bgbop15]



Quote:
Originally Posted by iencoder /forum/post/0


I'm in a simular situation. I have an single core Athlon 64 3700+ (OC'ed to 2.475Ghz) with 1GB of RAM and I'm using the integrated 6150 of my 939 board. I'm using XP and I can't play back 1080p MKV or TS files, even with CoreAVC. I'm debating whether I should:


1) Add a 8500GT to the current system (might help a bit, but not that much with current XP drivers)

2) Repalce the CPU with a S939 X2 Dual Core 3800+ (which I found for 89$ CDN)

3) Scrap the whole thing and get a new mobo, 2GB of DDR2, 8500GT, Dual Core 3600+ AM2 and OC it


The sad thing is that I just put together the whole system in January so that I could play any video files I could throw at it. DDR2 was too expensive at the time, so I recycled the RAM from our old HTPC. Anyhow, my wife probably wouldn't be too happy when I pitch buying another sytem less than 6 months later

wow... its weird how similar that situation is! I'm getting married in a week, so obviously she is furious that I'm almost as excited about that as I am about Matrix on HDDVD.

 

[bgbop15]



Quote:
Originally Posted by videolover /forum/post/0


if and only if, you are contemplating a new build, why not build around a core 2 duo and be done with it?

i intend to, if i decide to scrap

 

[iencoder]



Quote:
Originally Posted by arfster /forum/post/0


Definitely don't do this in anticipation of working drivers. It's quite possible XP h264 acceleration will only work within PDVD itself within direct hooks to PV-HD, and mkv doesn't work with PDVD.


Also, in the X2 world I think you'd need about 2.4ghz for h264 to work in software - can the 3800+ be pushed that far?

Ah, didn't know that about the X2. Afrster, major thanks for the heads up - much appriciated. With my current mobo, I'm thinking I would be able to get about a modest OC of 2.2 - 2.3Ghz. OK so that option is definately off the table.


What about keeping my single core, getting an 8500GT, and then using GB-PVR with Vista? From what I understand (someone correct me if I'm wrong here) .MKV H264 hardware playback would work in GBPVR using an 8500 GT since I believe H264 acceleration is global to FFDSHOW applications in Vista... then we keep using GBPVR, the wife is happy, and I'm happy.

 

[iencoder]



Quote:
Originally Posted by bgbop15 /forum/post/0


wow... its weird how similar that situation is! I'm getting married in a week, so obviously she is furious that I'm almost as excited about that as I am about Matrix on HDDVD.

Haha, I was doing the same thing before our wedding. Wasn't a Matrix DVD, but was busy planning our first HTPC out of spare parts I had lying around. The good news is that she now loves having the HTPC and appriciates it once it was built. Anyhow, once you get her hooked it'll be easier to justify spending tons of money on upgrades

Congrats and good luck with the wedding!

 

[yekat]

I have an Athlon 64 3500+ (939), 1 GB RAM, evga 8600gt (256 MB RAM), running on vista ultimate, and have smooth 1080p HD-DVD and Blu-Ray playback on both VC-1 and h264 content. VC-1 content runs at around 40-50% CPU utiliz and h264 runs at around 10%.

 

[iencoder]



Quote:
Originally Posted by yekat /forum/post/0


I have an Athlon 64 3500+ (939), 1 GB RAM, evga 8600gt (256 MB RAM), running on vista ultimate, and have smooth 1080p HD-DVD and Blu-Ray playback on both VC-1 and h264 content. VC-1 content runs at around 40-50% CPU utiliz and h264 runs at around 10%.

That's great news for me then. Two quick questions for you:


- Are you able to play back 1080p H264 encoded MKV files?

- How loud is the stock cooler (idle, load) on your EVGA 8600GT?

 

[arfster]



Quote:
Originally Posted by iencoder /forum/post/0


What about keeping my single core, getting an 8500GT, and then using GB-PVR with Vista?

Yeah, Vista opens up different options, because the PDVD mpeg2 and h264 codecs (not vc1 though) can be used with acceleration in other apps. The only caveat is the app must support EVR rather than VMR9 - I don't know if GBPVR does. However, plenty others do: WMP11, Theatertek 2.5, various MPC betas, latest Zoomplayer beta etc.


All of these and others will work with Haali for mkv files at near-zero CPU levels - for example I use DVBViewer GE to watch BBC HD 16mbit off satellite with the Cyberlink codec, and it even manages to do full spatial-temporal deinterlacing in realtime with CPU still at 1%. That's technically simply awesome - if you try do that in software it maxxes both cores of a core2duo 3.4ghz (which is as high as I can drive mine!).


You never know, XP might be as flexible with the new drivers. I'm kinda dubious though.


As others have said, you don't need a fast CPU to playback VC1 with a 8500/8600 - at a guess, maybe a Athlon 2ghz single core (the hardspell article showed a Sempron 1.6ghz at 85%ish, which is a little tight). For h264, you could probably use a pocket calculator CPU, cos the graphics card does pretty much everything.

 

[bgbop15]



Quote:
Originally Posted by iencoder /forum/post/0


That's great news for me then. Two quick questions for you:


- Are you able to play back 1080p H264 encoded MKV files?

- How loud is the stock cooler (idle, load) on your EVGA 8600GT?

indeed!! more questions here:


-what software do you use in vista ultimate to get that smoooooth playback?

-are you running purevideo, purevideo2?

-what version nvidia drivers are you running?

-are you overclocked or is that 3500 at stock (1.8ghz?)

 

[yekat]



Quote:
Originally Posted by bgbop15 /forum/post/0


indeed!! more questions here:


-what software do you use in vista ultimate to get that smoooooth playback?

-are you running purevideo, purevideo2?

-what version nvidia drivers are you running?

-are you overclocked or is that 3500 at stock (1.8ghz?)

Power DVD ultra 7.3 with 1911 patch

running nvidia 160.03 from guru3d

stock 3500.

 

[sotti]

8600GT

 

[galileo2000]

IMHo you must build a new machine.


That's what I had to do when I found out my old dogs (HTPCs) could not make new tricks (HD DVDs).


If you are interested, that's what I've done:


I just built my third low-cost HD-DVD playing machine for under $500 (less for me because I had some parts laying around).


Abit F-I90HD ~$115

C2D E4300 ~$110

2x1GB RAM 667FSB ~$90

HDD Seagate Barracuda 500GB $100

half-decent case and PSU ~$40 or less.

----------------------------------------------------

total $455


Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on if you don't have it already ~180.


---------------------------------------------------


Software of your choices..AnyDVD HD $39

PDVD 7.3 $79 or so

XP Home can probably be found for less than $30 those days.


You did not mention how much you were going to spend.


But I believe this setup is unbeatable by the price/performance ratio.


Of course you need to invest your time into research, buying, assembling, overclocking and tweaking.


Oh BTW Matrix HD DVD trilogy is on its way to me for $21 from CC

 

[Favelle]

Also, in the X2 world I think you'd need about 2.4ghz for h264 to work in software - can the 3800+ be pushed that far?


x2 3800's can be clocked to 2.6Ghz on just AIR.

 

[bgbop15]



Quote:
Originally Posted by bgbop15 /forum/post/0


I'm low on funds, and I'm trying everything I can to get smooth HD-DVD playback on this HTPC (Especially because The Matrix is in the mail!)


Tul ATI Motherboard (skt 939)

AMD64 3700+ OC'ed to 2.48ghz

1gb (2x512mb) Patriot DDR400 RAM

ATI All-in-Wonder 2006 (256mb x1300 chipset) (non-HDCP)

Cyberlink PowerDVD 7.3 Ultra

Slysoft AnyDVD-HD 6.1.2.3

MCE 2005


-Some HD-DVDs such as Happy Gilmore play okay (a few stutters here and there).

-HD-DVDs like Blazing Saddles, Wolf Creek, and Smokin' Aces (All VC-1) are too choppy to watch.

-Hardware Acceleration in Cyberlink PowerDVD settings is greyed out.


Please help me decide if i should scrap this heap, throw my 2gb (2x1gb) DDR500 G.Skill HZ Ram from my other rig in there, my 512mb x1800xt from my other rig in there, or maybe my 256mb 7300gt from my work rig in there (potential Purevideo Acceleration or not?). If 2.5ghz is too slow, maybe I should improve my cooling and OC this cpu to 2.75?


Thanks in advance for your help in getting The Matrix in all its 1080p glory on my Vizio 47" LCD!

Well, Matrix came today, and I watched the Dojo scene with almost no stutter! Other scenes did have some drops in framerate, though. It makes me so apprehensive to turn around and build a whole new machine, just for a few frames per second.


Tomorrow, I am going to swap out my x1300 for my 7300gt. Please advise how to get cyberlink powerdvd to take some of the work off of my single core cpu.


-Do i need to install vista? Or does the vista/purevideo 2 enhancements only come from having an 8000 series gpu?


-Do I need to do anything special to get the 7300gt set to hardware acceleration? In my research, some people with the 7300-chipsets have HA greyed out in Cyberlink, others have the option and say it takes down their cpu usage a good 20%. Please advise