Video lags behind audio for 720p AVI, WMP; MPC-HC reboots

[andrewgho]

I have a Fit-PC2 with freshly installed Windows XP, all latest updates applied (including SP3). I am using Windows Media Player (WMP) 11. I installed the latest version of the K-Line Codec Pack, which also installed Media Player Classic Home Cinema (MPC-HC). The Fit-PC2 is hooked up via HDMI/analog audio cable to a Sharp AQUOS TV, running at 1920x1080.

Playing a standard definition AVI file works smoothly in all three of WMP, MPC-HC, and even VLC, which I installed just in case, even though I've read on the forum that it does not support hardware acceleration on the Fit-PC2.

However, I have a 720p HD AVI file that I cannot get to play properly. When I open it with MPC-HC, there is an instant reboot (no blue screen, just a reboot). When I open it with WMP, the video plays back, but, the video lags the audio significantly; I think the video playback is slower than real-time, and the audio and video are not synchronized. When I open it with VLC, the audio and video are synchronized, but video playback exhibits a lot of stutter, with lots of skipped frames.

I even tried buying and installing the Cyberlink HD264 Pack for WMP (http://www.cyberlink.com/store/hd-264-p ... en_US.html), however, this did not change the behavior of any of the three video players I am using. (And when WMP is showing the video, I still see ffdshow system tray icons pop up, so I suspect WMP is not even using that codec pack.)

I am not an expert on video codecs, but I just want to get 720p HD video playback working. Does anybody have any hints about how to do that? Thanks!

[irads]

To play-back 720p you must take advantage of GMA500 HW acceleration - that you haven't so far.
We are offering OEM version of CyberLink PowerDVD SE codecs with fit-PC2 XP HD. These codecs are not available in retail.
Your options are
- Obtain PowerDVD 9 or later which has the GMA500 codecs
- Install Windows 7 which does include HW DXVA HW acceleration (currently not as good as the one under XP).

[andrewgho]

Thanks for the quick and clear reply! I will try purchasing PowerDVD next.

I misunderstood this post: http://www.fit-pc2.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=1128

You advise there to install MPC-HC and the K-Lite codec pack, and mention not to use VLC because it does not support hardware acceleration; I misinterpreted this to mean that the alternatives (K-Lite plus MPC-HC or WMP11) did support hardware acceleration. Playing non-HD video files seems to work okay using any of VLC, MPC-HC, or WMP; can you clarify what MPC-HC and the K-Lite codec pack enables, that VLC or standard WMP without K-Lite can't do?

Also, I echo the question here: http://www.fit-pc2.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=1133

Does it matter what edition of PowerDVD 9 I purchase?

Also, will I be required to play videos in PowerDVD directly, or does installing PowerDVD install a shared codec that I can use from WMP?

Thanks again for your help!

[irads]

can you clarify what MPC-HC and the K-Lite codec pack enables, that VLC or standard WMP without K-Lite can't do?

MPC-HC is using DXVA and the k-lite filters. WMP does not have these filters (eg mkv splitter). VLC uses its own filters not having DXVA support.
DXVA is required for HW video acceleration in Windows.

Does it matter what edition of PowerDVD 9 I purchase?

Also, will I be required to play videos in PowerDVD directly, or does installing PowerDVD install a shared codec that I can use from WMP?

I'm sorry, I don't know, since we are using a specific set of CyberLink codecs. Maybe other users can help more. Check that the version has GMA500 support.

[andrewgho]

Thanks for the information.

Unfortunately, the PowerDVD9 site is a little bit confusing to navigate, and it was unclear to me which version of PowerDVD9 had GMA500 support; but, from the copy there, it seemed like it was either all, or none, and I was guessing the former.

I paid for and downloaded PowerDVD9 Deluxe (the middle option, between Standard and Ultimate), which lists for $69.95 but, with a coupon code (I think searching for a coupon code almost always will find you a small discount, this month's is JANOFFER for 10% off), came out to $62.

I am happy to report that playing my 720p HD AVI in PowerDVD9 works! The audio and video are synchronized, and, the playback is pretty smooth. The initial disk seek time is a little slow, and there is a very occasional stutter, but it was barely noticeable.

One remaining problem is that if I pause and unpause the video, the audio and video can get slightly out of sync. This doesn't always happen, and I haven't experimented enough to be more specific about how often, or whether I can work around it.