Low frame rate/stutter when viewing TV through ATI 9600???

[John D.]

Don't know if this is the right place for this, but...

I have a 9600XT (see details in my profile)....recently I upgraded my MMC, Catalyst, etc. to the very latest stuff from the website...all was well for a while but now I'm having a problem with viewing TV through it.

I have the card hooked up to my cable line. When watching TV, the video seems stuttery, choppy....almost as if it's playing with a very low frame rate. Mind you, this is without even trying to capture video or anything.

It's almost a stroboscopic effect. Like when you play back a capture which has lots of dropped frames...

As far as actually trying to capture, forget it. Starts dropping from the get go and doesn't get any better...but I can solve that if I can figure out the problem just VIEWING the TV picture, for starters.

For the record, it's analog cable, not digital, and the picture looks fine on regular TV sets.

I don't know quite enough about the 9600XT's settings to know if there's an adjustment or something to fix it?

Any advice at all would be great...

[thecoalman]

If it was working and now it's not.... and it was working after updating the drivers and MMC.... I'd look to see what you have running in the background or if there's something you installed prior to your troubles such as Anti Virus... Something that would be running a lot. Hit ctrl-alt-delete to bring up task manager, click the process tab and see if there is something using the CPU constantly.

[John D.]

Okay I'll give that a shot and report back.

Kinda wish there was some kind of video card diagnostic tool i could use just to see if something is screwy...

[John D.]

Well I checked the processes, and SYSTEM IDLE PROCESS is taking up anywhere between 74 and 95 percent of CPU load at any given time.

That doesn't sound quite right, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was the problem....

Why on earth would that be, though? I'm non plussed here...

[Sulik]

System idle means that the CPU is idle (ie free cpu usage).

[thecoalman]

Well I checked the processes, and SYSTEM IDLE PROCESS is taking up anywhere between 74 and 95 percent of CPU load at any given time.

As stated that's normal, the ore it's taking up the better. Just as a comparison if I'm doing nothing mines at a constant 99. Spiking to 25% isn'y abnormal, depends on what you have running in the background. See what's using the CPU and find out what it is, google the name to find out. You can kill it from the task manager if it's non essential. See if it makes a difference.

[John D.]

See now, I've always wondered about that. And now I know. You really do learn something every day.

Ok..so assuming my p4 isn't throttling down due to heat issues (it's a miniature nuclear reactor like most other p4's, 3.2ghz, been running around 53 - 54 degrees C since I set it up in its new home) then even if there's a task or program that's using 25 percent of CPU load that wouldn't be enough to cause problems with watching the video signal, would it? Hmmmmm...

Just a thought: could it be a heat issue with the card itself? The room it's in isn't much more than 74 degrees F, even on really hot days. Just a thought. Checking out the processes again, even when nothing else is using any CPU resources I'm still having that weird stroboscoping thing with TV input...

[thecoalman]

I'm still having that weird stroboscoping thing with TV input...

Is it like a flashing... like this: http://www.nepadigital.com/mv There's an example clip at the bottom. If so it might be the MV kicking in, I've haven't seen any posts except one where it sounded like it was coming through a TV signal but I guess it's possible. If it looks similar to that clip I'd try a different source to test it with, something with a very clean signal that you know is not protected such as mini-dv or digital -8 via composite cable. Even if it isn't simialr I would still try a different source just to eliminate it.

Other than that you could try searching www.rage3d.com to see if others are having the same issues that combination of drivers and software.

Just a thought: could it be a heat issue with the card itself? The room it's in isn't much more than 74 degrees F, even on really hot days. Just a thought. Checking out the processes again, even when nothing else is using any CPU resources I'm still having that weird stroboscoping thing with TV input...

Could be, I have an nvidia and the temps can be displayed from display properties. Don't know about ATI, it's been a while since I had one. There's other temperature apps available if it isn't available through ATI. You could rip the card out and see if the heatsink is packed with dust. If you've had the machine running for 6-12 months or better in a moderately dusty enviroment it's a good chance they are blocked. My guess is that's not the problem.

[John D.]

Well I'm going to try opening the case up and blowing all the dust off the ATI (and everywhere else) to see if that makes a difference..

But if I'm not running low on system resources (CPU or RAM) then what could it be? Driver issue?

I apologize, I really don't want to sound like some incompetent ignorant noob, I really don't (cause I'm really not!) but unless there's a way to select the actual framerate for the TV display or something that I missed, I'm totally bewildered.

It's not really a flashing, so to speak. I've seen the macrovision thing you're referring to, when capping VHS...but that's more severe than this.

This looks like nothing so much as 30 fps video being played at maybe 20 or 15 fps. Stuttery. Jerky. And you are right it LOOKS like it's due to overtaxing the PC...but it's not...

[John D.]

Okay, there was some dust, but not a lot, caked on the videocard. I got rid of that...but it doesn't seem to have made a difference...

The ONLY piece of new software I've installed recently was a driver and proggie that allows me to connect my cellphone to the PC. But I can't see how that might affect the videocard/drivers?

I'm starting to wonder if I need to do a complete uninstall/reinstall of all the ATI stuff AGAIN....

[chemame]

From what you say, it sounds like you have the newest POS from ATI, namely MMC 9.08 with CATALYST 5.6

I have the stutter too... see here: http://www.rage3d.com/board/showthread.php?t=33820203

I didn't used to have the stutter, and only picked it up when upgrading to 9.08

Haven't had the time yet to downgrade to 9.06.1 w/ CAT 5.5 -- but it sounds like that fixes it.

One thing that sounds very different for you is the capture. For me, capturing makes the video BETTER. My captures are awesome, TV-ON-DEMAND is awesome, and I ONLY see the stutter through live tv.

Anyway, hope that thread helps you some. I'll let you know the results of my 9.06.01 test this weekend.

I used to run 9.03 with no problems at all, but couldn't get it working again after an OS reinstall. If 9.06.01 doesn't work out, I'll fight with 9.03 again.

Chemame

[whitejremiah]

I'm running into a similar situation with a similar video card, if i upgrade the drivers, my capturing STOPS working alltogether, and the video does the same general type of thing...it skips a LOT the only way i figured out how to fix this so far is to install (GULP) the drivers that came with the card. As far as my problem, basically when i go to capture, no matter WHAT resolution i use, wether it be a DVD resolution or a postage size resolution, it comes up with a message that says invalid settings (or something to that effect) Right now im just running the OLD drivers and all is well and good...if anyone has any ideas or info on how to work around that, it would be VERY much appreciated, though.

[John D.]

Okay so this is getting scary.

You guys are saying it's a driver issue after all? Grrrrrrrrrrreeeaaaaaaat.

Last night I uninstalled my ATI software (Catalyst, drivers, MMC) and cleaned out the registry as best as I could using REGEDIT and then reinstalled all the same (newest) software. It made no difference. So in conclusion I guess it's the drivers after all.

The only phrase that comes to mind is "This sucks".

But anyhow....so I read a pertinent question over on the Rage3D board; if I want to roll back to 9.06 (older drivers) do I have to use the older MMC and Catalyst Control Center as well? Just curious.

I'm starting to think ATI stands for "Amateurish Tinkertoy Implementation"
at least as far as their software. I mean, come ON already....

OH and as far as the capture/dropped frames....I have to check, it's possible that when I reinstalled all the ATI stuff the LAST time around I forgot to make my H drive (7200 rpm) my default capture drive, and instead left it set to C drive (which is a plain ol' 5400 rpm drive). So that's probably most of the problem w/capturing.