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MPC-HC codecs

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Neuromancer

Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2005
Location
Tau'ri
Having problems with VMC crashing and dropping res to 16bit color depth and forcing files to 4:3 AR. Not sure if these files are responsible so I am removingthe Download for now until I figure it out.


After lots of experimenting I think I found the simplest method to get DXVA working.

Install windows, do your updates, install TV pack, power play update and both KBs associated with TV pack (simple google will get you the links). If you are using a tuner.


MPC-HC codecs are great, unfortunately they do not install so you are stuck using MPC.

So I whipped up a little app that installs all of the OS MPC codecs, and included a reg entry to let media center add MKV files to the library.

You can manually register them yourself (either via AX context menu hack so you can right click or type it our 20+ times)

Or use my little app

If you want to examine it, it is very simple.

DL the zip file and unzip it, you are left with an EXE file this is a WinRAR SFX file, so you can unRAR it. The file contains the codecs, the BAT file and the reg file.

Reg file allows MC to see mkvs in library, BAT file registers all the AX and one DLL file.

IF you are running Vista you may need to run the EXE as administrator, as I had it install to C:\codecs so I could have a common ground to call the regsvr. Not sure, it ran fine on mine, but I have UAC disabled.



Once you are comfortable with what I did, simply run the EXE file and it will register the codecs and the registry file.


If there is anything that is missing that you would like added, please let me know I will try and add it.

Thanks to the OS guys that have been keeping MPC updated.


Oh one last thing, this is the 32 bit codecs, if you ar erunning Vista 64 bit, Media center will need the 64 bit codecs. I will try building an installer, but will need someone to test it. These codecs will work in WMP 32bit player though which is the default WMP used in 64, you have to tell Windows to make 64bit WMP the default WMP if you install the 64bit codecs

Download removed temporarily.


EDIT: Despite what is said on AVS this seems to work for files tagged L4.1 or L5.1 on my ATI card.
 
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The installation looks bloated, IMO. Are all those filters really necessary?

EDIT: Despite what is said on AVS this seems to work for files tagged L4.1 or L5.1 on my ATI card.

Confused by this statement. Do you mean you got hardware acceleration working for L4.1 and L5.1 profile encoded videos, or simply that they just play?
 
1) No all the filters are not neccessary, but I used all of them, so that WMP should play anything that MPC does, and since WMP plays it so should MC.




2) I mean that I have 2 videos that I fixed the tags for to try and get DXVA working before. Now all my videos play through my AIW/HD.

Typical CPU usage is ~5% and GPU usage under 5%

Without the DXVA, CPU usage ranges about 20% for my 720p files.
 
2) I mean that I have 2 videos that I fixed the tags for to try and get DXVA working before. Now all my videos play through my AIW/HD.

Typical CPU usage is ~5% and GPU usage under 5%

Without the DXVA, CPU usage ranges about 20% for my 720p files.
Very interested in how you did this. I have some non-DXVA compliant high bitrate videos, and I'd like to get hardware accelerated playback working on them. Can you show me how you did this?
 
I explained it in the first post.

Install windows, all drivers and updates. I installed TV Pack for my tuner, and the requisite addons, power play and the two (now 3) updates.

This is much harder to get working on a system that already has codec packs installed because post processing, vobsub and libva codecs are all non-dxva compliant. Uninstalling FFD show does not seem to fix it, fresh install is best.

Installed these codecs and the MKV reg file, and noticed that my videos were playing with very little cpu usage.

I tested it by turning on subtitles and watched cpu usage jump up to 20%. (vobsub breaks DXVA)


Just thought I would share my luck with this since, I was reading up on DXVA for a while and trying to get it to work, and had no luck until I reinstalled and tried the MPC-HC codecs only. I like using media center and WMP11, so MPC by itself was not an option for me.

I have not taken the time to try using SOME of ffdshows codecs, since they are supposedly much better at mpeg2 playback, but will eventually see if I can develop the best codec pack with DXVA still enabled.

Also, I have not checked to see if DXVA was working on VMC recorded TV shows or DVDs yet. Busy this weekend with my kids so I doubt I will get much of a chance.
 
EDIT: Despite what is said on AVS this seems to work for files tagged L4.1 or L5.1 on my ATI card.

2) I mean that I have 2 videos that I fixed the tags for to try and get DXVA working before. Now all my videos play through my AIW/HD.

Typical CPU usage is ~5% and GPU usage under 5%

Without the DXVA, CPU usage ranges about 20% for my 720p files.

I think I'm misunderstanding something here. I should probably get things straight first.

This is what I understood from what you said above:

In the first quote, you mentioned that your method "files tagged L4.1 or L5.1." I'm assuming you meant hardware acceleration. Now, for L4.1 that's fine since L4.1 is still DXVA compliant, but L5.1 isn't.

Now, in your second quote. I understood it as saying that you have 2 videos encoded in a profile that normally isn't DXVA compliant (guessing L5.1 from the first quote), but you fixed the tags so the decoder thinks they're DXVA compliant, thus enabling hardware acceleration when you play those videos.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I already know how to get hardware acceleration working, but only for DXVA compliant videos. I'm wondering if there was some sort of hack that you did to get hardware acceleration working for non-DXVA compliant videos.
 
Yes I used the level_idc value utility at AVSforum to change 2 files when I was trying to get DXVA working before. Changed them to L4.1 was going to change my SD to L3.1

Most of my files I believe (will have to find a utility to dispaly that info) are L5.1

So far every movie I have played (about a dozen) has run off of the GPU.

Not saying this is everyones solution, but if you run MPC-HC and DXVA is working. Then installing these codecs will get it working for you in MC/WMP. I manually registered the AX files once and when I needed to do it again, I wrote the installer in about the same amount of time it would have taken to register them all. Thought I should share it since DXVA seems so hard to get working right, and since there are so many people building HTPCs now.
 
I cant get the download?
It says "download removed temporarily"

I am also intersetd to try this, I am running an Ati card.
 
Thanks, thats the codec. :)

But I do wanted to try Neuromancers zip file with BAT files and all.
 
I've been using the MPC-HC codec in conjunction with media portal for dxva and it has been working beautifully with all my x264/VC-1 files (all are dxva compliant) :)

also, subtitles + dxva can work together, however the only way i know how to do this is with the the MPC-HC player.
 
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