Reduced frame-rate issue with VLDSVideoPlayer

[Ted Wagner]

I am experiencing an unusual issue using TVLDSVideoPlayer to play back .MTS files (ffdshow codec) that are 1920x1080, 29fps. (In VLC, the video codec indicated is "H264 - MPEG-4 AVC (part10) (h264)". I would very much like to know how to get both players to use the same decoder, but that question's in another thread already .)

In my primary application, my player's output is connected to three TVLImageDisplay instances. Each of these are on different forms, and each displayed on their own monitor, two of them full-screen. When I play the .MTS video (which I can make available to anyone who wants to experiment with it) in this application, it's as though the frame rate is reduced to ~18 per second. Some people don't notice it, but it's clear to the experienced eye.

I have another application that I use for testing VL with new codecs and it consists only of a TVLDSVideoPlayer and (one) TVLImageDisplay. When I play the same video with this application, it looks beautiful and flawless.

Has anyone else seen this kind of issue from connecting more than one output to a TVLDSVideoPlayer?

[Dave]

Hi, your 1st question; try asking Boian i haven't seen an option to set the codec only to read which one is used.

2nd question, was wondering about your specs (i assume good) but that could be an issue of course.

Dave

[Ted Wagner]

1st question: I emailed Boian on the codec question last week but haven't heard from him.

2d question: I have the home version of Cray computer: Windows 7 Pro SP1 64-bit, 12G, Intel Core i7 x990 3.47GHz, ASUS Rampage (gaming) mobo, zoom zoom zoom.

[Dave]

Haven't though about that old bugger for a long time.. so now we all got Crays on our desktop

I'll give Boian a poke.

Dave

[Ted Wagner]

A clue -- I modified my secondary test application to dynamically create new forms on the 2d and 3d monitors, each form with a new VLImageDisplay. As I get to the 3d or 4th instance the performance degrades noticeably.

I'm wondering whether the root of this problem is in my video hardware. I'm using a pair of NVIDIA GT520's. The box says 2048MB / DDR3 ... perhaps I should try one of the Radeon HD6870s ...

[Ted Wagner]

Well, questions that get answered just lead to more

I've had *somewhat* of a breakthrough on my OP. I achieved a huge improvement in my playback by inserting an Infinite Tee DS filter between my player and the VLImageDisplay's. CPU usage is still up, but the skipped frames have nearly disappeared.

But I am still not satisfied with the playback quality. When I play the video with Windows Media Player, the quality is stellar -- I get the full eye-popping resolution and frame rate one expects from HD video. But with VL components, it is about the same as VLC's playback, and not nearly as good as WMP.

I am still a dufus when it comes to codecs, but I'm assuming the difference in quality is a matter of the decoder being used.

Which, of course, brings me back to the question in my other thread ... how does one pick the codec at runtime when more than one are available?

[Ted Wagner]

This "breakthrough" I announced above did not stick around very long: after working on other things for an hour, the playback performance problem suddenly returned. I cannot for the life of me understand what's going on there.

I have a new Radeon HD 6870 card coming today and I have my fingers crossed that this will solve some of these problems.