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better DVD codec/decoder?
Jebus314
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I built a new HTPC, loaded up all my software, put in a dvd, and to my dismay, the dvd playback wasn't as good as my 4 year old 360. My question is, how do I fix this. Better codec? Better post processing? Any software suggestions? (I've heard ffdshow is a good codec with some decent post processing, but microsoft has limited it's compatibility with windows players)
To be a little more specific, the picture quality is what is bothering me. It seems more pixelated, and less sharp.
My specs:
wmp 12 and arcsoft totalmedia theatre 5 (both programs have less than ideal picture quality)
windows 7 64bit
core i3-2100t
integrated hd2000 graphics
4gb of ram
Also, I've tried messing around with the post processing for totalmedia theatre 5 (using simhd, forced deinterlacing, auto deinterlacing, ect...), but it doesn't ever seem to reach the level of my old 360.
To be a little more specific, the picture quality is what is bothering me. It seems more pixelated, and less sharp.
My specs:
wmp 12 and arcsoft totalmedia theatre 5 (both programs have less than ideal picture quality)
windows 7 64bit
core i3-2100t
integrated hd2000 graphics
4gb of ram
Also, I've tried messing around with the post processing for totalmedia theatre 5 (using simhd, forced deinterlacing, auto deinterlacing, ect...), but it doesn't ever seem to reach the level of my old 360.
"The world is a mess, and I just need to rule it" - Dr Horrible
Jebus314 on
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@useless: It is a sandy bridge cpu, but as far as I can tell dvds aren't 23.976 fps. Also, I'm not really noticing skipping, or jerky, playback just poor picture quality.
VLC does not support DXVA or the DRM required for playing back all DVDs that WMP 12 has. Also WMP 12 is the best at handling DRM-free HD video.
With Win7 there are very few codecs even needed for video playback as MS paid the fees to add codec support native to the OS. That's why in Firefox & Chrome when you want to watch H.264 video the plug-ins you need are official ones from MS.
If there is something that WMP 12 in Win7 can't play (besides blu-ray) CCCP would be the best bet. Since Media Player Classic Home Cinema (MPC-HC) also makes use of DXVA. As well as all the FFDShow filters being included and properly set up.
Just to be clear though, there is a difference in the abilities of the codecs as decoders right? As in not every decoder will result in the same picture. Or is that only true for encoding?
I don't have any problems with not being able to play a dvd properly, I'm just trying to optimize picture quality, and I'm not sure what will have an affect (device drivers/codec/post processing). Ideally if there is just a player that incorporates whatever I need for high quality dvd playback, I would just use that.
Also, it has a PATV plugin so you can watch PATV on your tv without messing with a web browser.
So here's the deal. NTSC is 59.94 interlaced fields at 29.97 frames per second, but SD-DVDs can be encoded at either 23.976 or 29.97 frames per second. MPEG2 streams that are encoded at 29.97 frames per second are displayed as is, whereas streams that are encoded at 23.976 frames per second have a 2:3 pulldown applied to them so that they output at NTSC standard framerates. The shitty thing is that some DVDs get encoded with the with 2:3 pulldown applied to them already, which means that they have a framerate of 29.97 even though the source footage is 23.976. Encoding 23.976 as 23.976 is way better than encoding at 29.97 though, because the footage looks better and takes up less space.
TL;DR--DVDs can be encoded at 23.976, but never display at that framerate (unless you have a DVD/Blu-Ray player that can properly output SD-MPEG2 streams at 23.976p over HDMI).
As for finding a high quality MPEG2 decoder? Can't say I've found one that will smooth out the CrCb channels to hide the 4:2:0 encoding artifacts. Seems like it'd be so easy to make too...
New question though, if anyone is still around, what refresh rate should I set the tv to for optimal dvd/bluray playback? I haven't really been noticing any hitches or pauses, so I'm probably one of the lucky ones that wouldn't notice the difference anyway, but just out of curiosity, how does the 29.97 fps of NTSC work with the 60hz refresh rate of the tv? Do some images just get repeated? Does it even matter? What would be the ideal setting?
Leave it at 60Hz. If we're going to get really technical, NTSC is a 29.97 FPS format but in reality every frame of NTSC is made up of two interlacing fields that are displayed one after the other, so it's kind of a 59.94 FPS format. Depending on the source (23.976p, 29.97p, or 59.94i) some material can be displayed for up to three fields in sequence. It's a weird, shitty system, and I wish we could've left interlacing and the .01% pulldown bullshit behind us when we moved to HD, but c'est la vie.
TL;DR: Leave your monitor at some multiple of 60Hz.
Because it's a giant pile of useless bloat. Windows7 has basic codecs already installed so you rarely need more. FFDShow aren't codecs, they're filters so they won't cause conflicts for playback while using less resources. CCCP is FFDShow with the few extras needed. It's simply better and doesn't conflict with my video editing software. k-lite has multiple redundant codecs & filters that are not needed and just use up system resources.
I see. But k-lite codec pack works with WMP12 while CCCP doesn't right? To me having to install an additional program other than WMP12 is bloat to me. I custom install only the codecs or filters I want to use from the k-lite codec pack, nothing is mandatory. FLAC, H.264, etc. and a filter to choose subtitles and such.
"Was cursing, in broken english at his team, and at our team. made fun of dead family members and mentioned he had sex with a dog."
"Hope he dies tbh but a ban would do."
No CCCP's filters do work with WMP12. But you will rarely find a video file that won't play by default in WMP12 on Win7 with the default codecs from Microsoft.
I must be missing something. Most of the video files I have are in mkv and I have plenty of music in FLAC.
I don't watch enough TV or movies to warrant using a subscription service such as Netflix where video is in a more common format I guess.
WMP 12 does not play FLAC, or at least I've never been able to make it happen. I have played .MKVs in WMP without much hassle.
What're you jerks using for Blu-Ray playback on your PCs? PowerDVD 11 is telling me it doesn't support my res -- which seems odd, given that 1920x1080 is a pretty standard res. Nothing else I've tried (WMP, VLC, etc.) will play my gorram Blu-Rays.
"Was cursing, in broken english at his team, and at our team. made fun of dead family members and mentioned he had sex with a dog."
"Hope he dies tbh but a ban would do."