The Lenovo Q180 Guide for XBMC
#1
Pretext
If you're an owner of the Q180 and running Windows 7 then you have no need to read this guide, however if you're running Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 then I strongly suggest you follow the advice below. The Q180 is a flawed product, even Lenovo has admitted this (it was on their forums but quickly got removed). However you can still use Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 with XBMC and retain good functionality and performance.

NOTE: If your system is working then please do not follow the advice below, this is for people experiencing menu lag, video quality issues, blocking and similar using the Q180.

Specifications
CPU: Atom D2550 / D2700
RAM: 2GB / 4GB
HDD: 500GB / 750GB
GPU: HD 6450A / HD 7450
Optical: DVD / Blu-ray

Windows 8
This guide assumes a fresh installation or similar. If you're using other drivers and experiencing functionality problems then please remove them.

1. Intel Chipset driver for Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit)

The only software you should be using from the Lenovo website is the chipset software - this is built for Windows 7 but works with Windows 8 without issues.

You can download this directly from Lenovo here: Intel Chipset driver for Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit)

2. AMD Catalyst

If you are currently using the latest build available from AMD, or the ATI Discrete VGA drivers from Lenovo then I suggest you uninstall it, there are various applications available to make sure all drivers and files are fully removed. Once you have done that:

The only stable version is 12.10, this can be slightly buggy but is the most stable version available. Anything after this will result in menu lag or video problems.

You can download both the 32 and 64 bit version from Guru3D, as per the website request I've linked to the information page and not to the download: Download AMD Catalyst 12.10 Win 8 | Win 7 | Vista (32-64-bit)

3. Audio Drivers

If you are currently using any version directly downloaded from Realtek then I suggest you uninstall it. Screenshots below are borrowed from the very helpful thread created by jjd-uk, you can view this here.

The default drivers that comes with the 12.10 Catalyst will work, providing you configure as below. The first thing you need to do is reboot, after you've completed that check how many output channels show under the AMD HDMI Output in Windows Audio. It should look similar to this:

Image

If you see only 2 channels and no supported formats then you will need to make sure the previous drivers are fully uninstalled. If you see 8 channels and various formats then you're fine to continue.

The second step is to go to the Advanced tab and set the output to 24 bit, 48000 Hz (Studio Quality). You can change this to a different value, but this is what I've found best.

The final step is to make sure that you are set to only output 2 channels. This will still pass audio correctly to AVRs and TVs.

Image

4. Catalyst Settings

The next step is to open up Catalyst, go to Video and then select Quality. Adjust your settings to look like this:

Image

Following this open the Color area and adjust your settings to look like this:

Image

5. XBMC Configuration

Go to settings -> Video -> Playback and adjust your settings to look like this: (this is obviously user choice so you might want to use different values)

Image

The Audio settings area really depends on the types of hardware you're using. My AVR is capable of decoding 7.1 channels so I use:
  • HDMI
  • 7.1
  • Enable nearly all formats
  • Resample Quality High
  • WASAPI only

The Q180 configured as above is more than capable of handling high quality resampling and WASAPI. You may need to play around with this area.

Windows 8.1

If you've recently upgraded to Windows 8.1 you will find that the 12.10 drivers are no longer supported. This causes the infamous menu lag and other video problems but it can be partially resolved, here's how.

1. Intel Chipset driver for Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit)

If you've upgraded you don't need to do anything for this step.

2. AMD Catalyst

You first need to remove all drivers, as previously stated - there are various applications available to make sure all drivers and files are fully removed. Once you have done that you need to reboot and proceed to install the latest Catalyst version (at time of writing the latest is 13.9).

You can download the correct 64 version version by clicking on the following link: 13-9_win7_win8_64_dd_ccc_whql

3. Audio Drivers

Please follow the advice above for Windows 8.0.

4. Catalyst Settings

Please follow the advice above for Windows 8.0.

5. XBMC Configuration

Please follow the advice above for Windows 8.0.

6. Additional Configuration required

If you don't have an advancedsettings.xml file then you need to create one, instructions can be found on the XBMC Wiki here.

Once you have created the blank file then copy the following:

Quote:<advancedsettings>
<gui>
<algorithmdirtyregions>3</algorithmdirtyregions>
<nofliptimeout>0</nofliptimeout>
</gui>
<allowd3d9ex>false</allowd3d9ex>
</advancedsettings>

Save the file and start XBMC. Make sure you set thg Render Method to Auto Detect - otherwise you may be left with blank video.

Notes

You might find text missing with Windows 8.1, there does not appear to be a pattern to this as it occurs at random points. However this does not have any effect on the video or audio playback, or the menus. I've created a thread requesting advice on this and will update this one once there's a reply. An example of this can be seen here:

Image

I hope you find this helpful, each set up is different but this should also work with any other system using a 6450/7450 experiencing problems.
Please read the online manual (wiki) & FAQ (wiki) before posting.

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#2
I found this thread through a forum search. I don't have a Q180 but I am suffering the same problem with menu lag. I'm getting laggy UI scrolling with Xeon Nox, specifically when scrolling through the movie and tv libraries. I've tried 13.9 and 13.11 beta drivers, but it didn't help. Tried to install 12.10 drivers since those are the ones that most AMD users have the most luck with, but 12.10 is not compatible with Windows 8.1 and it won't even start XBMC or play any video using MPC-HC.

I am able to fix the lag by using

Code:
<allowd3d9ex>false</allowd3d9ex>

However, this causes XBMC to freeze and go black if I switch out to the desktop and back while a video is playing. I have to reboot Windows because the whole screen is black and there is no way to bring up the task manager to kill XBMC. Is the any way to use <allowd3d9ex> and not have this happen?
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#3
Any suggestions to my problem above?
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#4
(2013-12-04, 00:57)StinDaWg Wrote: Any suggestions to my problem above?

I've spoken with AMD and explained the problem, I've also submitted all information they requested. I hope they will provide a fix as it does indeed cause the problem you're talking about above. However there's no other option at the moment.

Edit: I've also spoken to Lenovo but they're the shittest company I've ever dealt with. Bring back the days of IBM consumer quality products Sad
Please read the online manual (wiki) & FAQ (wiki) before posting.

Skins: Estuary | Xperience1080
Opinion: Never purchase HTC products
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#5
Thanks, please keep us updated if you hear any updates on a fix!
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#6
One year later, same problem. Due to flicker issue introduced by Kodi 14.0. I have updated catalyst to 14.12 on win 8.1. Flickering is solved but I bumped into the dreaded slow menus issue.
Tried the fix above, works with the menus, but I get black screen on video playback. I made sure auto-select is checked under render method.
Is there anything left to do except downgrade to win 7 and get 12.1 catalyst?
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The Lenovo Q180 Guide for XBMC0