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PORTAL45 · (This post was last modified: 2011-10-05, 21:47 by PORTAL45.)

My build plays everything but has issues playing 1080i (<--corrected. i not p) (TV - Not live) video. A minute may play, then XBMC will stop to buffer. I am a little stumped as I was pretty sure I followed/exceeded the suggested recommendation from eskro and many others.

MY BUILD:

Hardware:

Case+PSU: Apex MI-008 Tower Black P4 Chassis with 250W Itx Psu+sata Power Supply
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H67N-USB3-B3 H67 LGA1155 Mini-ITX Motherboard
CPU: Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor G840 2.8GHz 3MB LGA1155 CPU, Retail
RAM: Kingston HyperX KHX1333C9D3B1K2/2G 2GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory Module - 2 GB (2 x 1 GB) - DDR3 SDRAM - 1333 MHz - Non-ECC - Unbuffered - 240-pin DIMM
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 6450 1GB

Software:

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate x64
XBMC: 10.1 "Dharma"

I believe this would put me in Group #5, so I'm unsure what I'm missing. Blush

Maybe I need to upgrade my CPU to an i3? Hopefully not.

evanesce · 2011-10-05, 16:45

What is your hard drive setup like?

PORTAL45 · 2011-10-05, 17:10

Oh, sorry. I cannot remember the model of HDD I put in it and I'm at work now. I believe it may be a 1yr old 750GB 7200RPM Seagate. I pulled it from my Windows Home Server (put a 2TB WD Black in it) which is what is serving the 1080p content in question. I've experienced no other issues to indicate a possible HDD issue, but I won't be naive enough to discount the possibility.

EDIT: I've seen forum users post what looks like profiles of the video files/content they are questioning. I can supply this if needed, but I'll need to be pointed in the direction of the utility used.

Mallet21 · 2011-10-05, 19:54

Isn't TV normally 1080i or 720p? A debug log along with a MediaInfo log for the file you are trying to play might help.

wsume99 · 2011-10-05, 20:17

^^I was wondering the same thing. I'm not aware of any 1080p TV source. Perhaps satellite does 1080p, but I'm not sure. Most of the HDTV I record is in 1080i format. I've read posts on the forum where some people have mentioned that some ot the newer low power GPUs (like the GT520) are having trouble handling 1080i content. Perhaps the HD6450 has a similar issue?

BTW - I don't think you need to upgrade to an i3, your G840 should be plenty. Hell my e350 plays everything (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, & 1080p) just fine so I don't think that your CPU is the problem here.

PORTAL45 · (This post was last modified: 2011-10-05, 21:10 by PORTAL45.)

Mallet21 Wrote:Isn't TV normally 1080i or 720p? A debug log along with a MediaInfo log for the file you are trying to play might help.

The show is 'Game of Thrones'. I apologize, it may actually be 1080i. The icon in XBMC using the Aeon MQ2 skin displays "1080". I'm not positive, and that's why I mentioned being willing to analyze the exact content and post its profile on here. I'm not sure of the best utility to use though. I'm trying hard to dance around Rule #7 from the FAQ, so please bear with me.

wsume99 · 2011-10-05, 21:13

I don't know where you are located but in the US it is perfectly legal to record content. Nod

I'm thinking you must have used a Hauppauge HD-PVR, Ceton InfiniTV, or HD Homerun Prime tuner to capture that kind of content.

PORTAL45 · (This post was last modified: 2011-10-05, 21:28 by PORTAL45.)

wsume99 Wrote:I don't know where you are located but in the US it is perfectly legal to record content.

I'm thinking you must have used a Hauppauge HD-PVR, Ceton InfiniTV, or HD Homerun Prime tuner to capture that kind of content.

Yes, that must be the case.

The content was recorded by me.

It was not downloaded from any sources like UseNet. Nod

I sure hope I'm using this emoticon system correctly.

EDIT: I checked the original file and it has a .ts extension. I've never used files like that before. I am searching the forum for this....

PORTAL45 · (This post was last modified: 2011-10-05, 21:49 by PORTAL45.)

Okay, I've researched some (on here and the web) and it seems that people were having issues playing .ts files in XBMC about 2 or 3 years ago (whatever XBMC release was stable then), but from what I'm seeing the hardware mentioned in my original post should be able to handle a .ts file.

I had two files that would cause buffering. The file sizes were 5.63GB and 5.27GB.

I'm looking at the media info for one of them and it lists:

Format: HD.ts - MPEG-TS
Resolution: 1920x1080 @ 29fps
Audio Bitrate: 384kbps
Audio Format: AC-3
Audio Bitrate Mode: constant

Ok, so for whatever reason .ts files can be taxing on a system. Again, shouldn't the hardware/software mentioned in my OP be able to handle this?

Mallet21 · (This post was last modified: 2011-10-05, 23:09 by Mallet21.)

Are your video drivers up to date:
http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloads/P...n7-64.aspx

I would cross-post this on the Windows board after you have read this thread:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=42708

Also...just so we're clear, you are accessing the video file from a local hard drive and not a server or NAS. Right? Buffering in the middle of movie sounds like a network issue/hard drive issue.

poofyhairguy · 2011-10-05, 23:11

wsume99 Wrote:I've read posts on the forum where some people have mentioned that some ot the newer low power GPUs (like the GT520) are having trouble handling 1080i content. Perhaps the HD6450 has a similar issue?

That is what I am thinking. Nothing short of 3D movies needs the resources that 1080i needs. Play with the Interlace settings in the video menu to see if one of the settings makes it better.

bluray · (This post was last modified: 2011-10-06, 05:37 by bluray.)

your hardware seem fine...it's properly the settings are out of sync somewhere. there are several buffering and stuttering issues in the thread below, and you can dig through it to find solution to fix your problem.

blu-ray in 1080p with dts-hd and truehd

poofyhairguy · 2011-10-06, 00:42

I trust Bluray on this because I lack any AMD 6xxx cards. If you say that card can play 1080i I believe you. Must be a setting.

bluray · 2011-10-06, 06:10

PORTAL45 Wrote:My build plays everything but has issues playing 1080i (<--corrected. i not p) (TV - Not live) video. A minute may play, then XBMC will stop to buffer. I am a little stumped as I was pretty sure I followed/exceeded the suggested recommendation from eskro and many others.

as i mentioned in the earlier post, your hardware should be able to handle anything you throw at it. you can try these suggestions-

if you haven't install the latest ati catalyst control center, you can download it here- Graphics Drivers & Software. in catalyst control center, adjust screen resolution in "my digital flat-panel>hdtv support" to match your hdtv resolution, then go to video>video settings>basic video quality (select "use automatic deinterlacing" and video playback (select "enforce smooth video playback".

do these in xbmc: system>settings>video>playback (select allow hardware acceleration (dxva2), adjust display refresh rate to match video and sync playback to display) and system>settings>system>video output (select full screen for display model and select same resolution as adjusted in graphic card control center).

for audio in xbmc, do these: system>settings>system>audio output (select proper audio output to match your htpc output connection).

if you interesting in doing more tweaking in catalyst control center, you can follow these guides- ATI Catalyst Tweak Guide.

PORTAL45 · 2011-10-06, 11:51

Wow! Thank you very much for the thorough and detailed responses. To the questions posed:

1. Yes, I am serving the content from my Windows home server (WD Black 2TB drive). Would bringing the .ts file over locally and trying to play be a "fair" test?

2. My Catalyst Control Center/drivers should be the latest. I just put this system together in the past month and I refrain from using the software/drivers that come on installation media. Direct download only.

I will go through the suggested threads and make Catalyst/XBMC tweaks and try to report back soon.

Thanks again!