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What ATI software to use with XP?

585 Views 9 Replies 6 Participants Last post by brian_vh, Nov 8, 2001

Jym

Discussion Starter · Nov 7, 2001

I was installing the ATI software on XP and got a strong warning. I was trying to install version 7.1.

What versions are others using of ATI with XP? Where did you get it? I did download the XP drivers but there is not software on the web site.

-Jym-

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xcel

· #2 · Nov 7, 2001

Hi Jym:

___If you are going to use XP, I would only install WinDVD 2.6 â€“ 2.8 at this point in time. After the newer players are released, I would than consider the TheaterTek player and or PowerDVD 4.0 XP afterwards.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes

___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.

___ [email protected]

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MikeM

· #3 · Nov 7, 2001

Unless you are using a DXVA compliant software player or are prepared to disable DXVA in the driver or the player, forget about trying to load one with Windows XP. The old ATI 4.1 player as well as the new Theater Tek are not DXVA compliant (DXVA is the new software decoding format forced onto software suppliers by Microsoft). That means if you choose to run either of those two players in the XP environment, you need to disable DXVA either in the driver (registry) or in the player (usually by unchecking Hardware Acceleration or Optimization). DXVA compliant players are PowerDVD 4.0XP, WinDVD 3.1 XP and the ATI 5.0 player.

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xcel

· #4 · Nov 7, 2001

Hi MikeM:

___DXVA is a problem child forcing HW acceleration which is not the best policy under all circumstances. Video DVD playback in particular is trashed under it given the poor HW implementations available to us to date using any of the players above except for the TheaterTek player since it only runs in SW mode under XP. PowerDVD XP isnâ€™t available here in the states but will be hopefully soon, the ATI 5.0 player is missing DD and DTS so its worthless and know one knows about WinDVD XPâ€™s capabilities yet. Using a DXVA complaint player is just asking for trouble w/ its forced HW acceleration modes in all cases IMO.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes

___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.

___ [email protected]

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MikeM

· #5 · Nov 7, 2001

PowerDVD 4.0 is available thru download in the other thread. Second, DXVA is not a problem as long as you have the means to turn it on and off depending on film or video. However, using a DXVA player in XP is supposed to be breathtaking so it obviously does take advantage of something, but I agree with Wayne in looking for more options rather than fewer. So, why not have two players on your system...one DXVA and the other not if you want a TT. Just run one with DXVA on and the other in SW mode only. Simple.

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Knuck

· #6 · Nov 7, 2001

Mike:

Where is PowerDVD 4.0 available?

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MikeM

· #7 · Nov 8, 2001

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...7&pagenumber=6

in the above thread, but it's a trial version so I soke up before looking carefully...but still...at least you can evaluate it

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Chivs

· #8 · Nov 8, 2001

Mike,

You're making it sound harder than it actually is. You can leave DXVA acceleration on in your driver at all times if you have a player that uses it. However, don't treat DXVA as the Holy Grail, it isn't. It has upsides and downsides.

Players that are not DXVA compliant as you put it, can simply run in s/w mode. Whether the PQ is as good or in some cases better than a DXVA accelerated player is subjective.

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MikeM

· #9 · Nov 8, 2001

Andrew:

I didn't mean to imply that at all. Just explaining to people why some player slook like garbage or won't play on their system and it's because they are using non-DXVA players with DXVA drivers. In the case of the TT, it very well may be that SW mode looks good, but I can tell you that such is not the case with other players that thirst for the hardware.

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brian_vh

· #10 · Nov 8, 2001

Andrew,

So what does that mean in my setup with Win98SE, running TT with the Radeon 7199 drivers, what is the optimal way to run the software? Is DXVA even an issue, or only with XP? I'm not understanding why in some instances HW accel mode is good and in some it isn't.

What is your subjective opinion for the best PQ with my set up? TT out of the box, PowerDVD XP with HW accel turned off???

I need a help sheet now-a-days to keep track of what to do. All that I want is best possible picture from a software player - I'm sick of having to try and remember what settings do what and what lines to add to the registry. I just want the best PQ without the hassle - and it seems TT is going to provide that, I hope. I read this posts everyday and I still can't keep track - varying opinions etc. and so many variables - how subjective can all of this possibly be? I have seen pictures from Bjoern Roy which really show some differences. I sure would like some capable person with all of these players to show one same snap shot on all players, from both a video source and film source, and list the combination that produced the best image. But I have a feeling that somehow we would have another war.

Does anyone remember what a stand alone DVD player was like? So few options, an almost appetizing thought.

Thanks, Brian

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