Horizontal lines on video playback with vista

[richard.fisher]

Hi guys, I've tried searching for this problem, but can't find anyone else with exactly the same complaint (although their seem to be no end of similar vlc and vista compatibility issues).

First of all a disclaimer, I'm not at all technically minded, and while I try to provide information as acuratelly as possible, if I say something that is glaringly inaccurate then please excuse me (for example confusing a driver with a codec).

I recently purchase a sony vaio c2s laptop with an Intel 945GM Express motherboard and built in GMA950 graphics processor. The system had Windows Vista home premium pre-installed. I'm sorry but I don't know which build of vista I have (is that a ridiculous thing to say?) and I can't seem to find it anywhere in Control Panel. I am keen not to install an alternative OS as there will likely be unforseen repruccussions of changing to XP or something similar, when using a system pre-built with one OS in mind (even if that OS had some bugs).

My problem is that when playing back video I get horizontal lines distorting the image. This problem occurs primarily when the image is moving quickly. To my naked eye it appears that the iamge is updating, but that the frames are out of sink. This problem usually occurs 2/3 of the way up the screen, but can occur at any point. I have enclosed some jpegs with little red arrows highlighting the problem. This problem does not happen on my old desktop running identical software but with XP as the OS, and obviously with different motherboard and graphics processor.

I am using VLC (0.8.6b) to play back VOBs (DVDs ripped either in their entirety using DVDdecrypter of ripped uncompressed but without extras and alternative audio tracks using DVDshrink). I have gone into the settings and set my video output module to DirextX video output and unchecked the directX option 'Use hardware YUV -> RGB conversions' as recommended on the vlc website in the bit about common vista problems (before doing this i got no image). I have also tried setting the video output module to Windows GDi video output, but the problem remains, all be it a little reduced, and the image becomes horribly pixelated, which is less than ideal.

I have installed Winamp and run the visualisations, and get the same problem. This leads me to think it's probably a graphics processor issue (does that sound sensible?). I've tried searching for the latest drivers for the GMA950, but I can't find any. According to the Intel site the GMA950 is vista ready and the latest drivers are already included with vista (build 5308) and the only optional drivers are for older OSs.

I appreciate that this might be more of a graphics processor and driver question than a vlc problem, but if anyone contributing to this forum has encountered this problem or similar before, any help would be appreciated. Many Thanks, Rich.

[richard.fisher]

Here is another imaging showing the problem.

[jagabo]

I think what's happening is the back and front buffers are being switched while the screen is being refreshed. The back buffer is a temporary, unseen buffer to which a new frame of video is being decomrpessed. The front buffer is the one that's actually being displayed. If the switch takes place while the display is being updated you will get "tearing" -- the top part of the picture will be from the old frame, the lower part from the new frame.

There should be a setting for your graphics card that allows the switch to take place only during the vertical blanking interval. Some applications have their own control for the feature. Also be sure that VLC has tripple buffering enabled.

With tripple buffering you have one frame that is currently being displayed, a second frame that has been fully decompressed and is waiting for the vertical blanking period to become visible, and a third where a new frame of video is being decompressed.

[Bjs]

Check :

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=f61b68d5-96d5-4d53-97d7-47830...displaylang=en

[richard.fisher]

Thanks for your posts guys.

Jagabo, have checked through the vlc settings. Triple buffering is enabled (unchecking it produces no difference). I tried checking 'use video buffers in system memory' bu this resulted in only the bottom 1/3 of the screen being displayed. I've tried to look for my graphics card settings, but am not sure where to look. I went to control panel -> device manager -> display adapters, and although t woulkd allow me to update drivers, there were no other options. I've tried using Intels site to find graphics card settings but they say simply right click on the screen and select 'graphics properties' which brings up some rubbish about how to sync your computer and your mobile phone. I digress, sorry, getting tired and tetchy.

BJS, tried installing that update, but I got error 0x80070002 'Plu-in installer could not detect the appropriate browser installation directory.'

Intrestingly although I get tearing with both winamp and vlc, I don't appear to get it with WMP11, but I can't stand this new program as I can't seem to figure it out. It doesn't appear to have a menu. I can't find open -> file anywhere. Can it open VIDEO_TS directories containing DVD rips?

[jagabo]

If there is a page flip control for the graphics card you will get to by right clicking on an empty spot on the desktop then selecting Properties to bring up the Display Properties dialog. Go to the Settings tab, then press the Advanced button near the bottom. From there the dialogs differ by manufacturer and driver version.

You can also get to the Display Properties dialog from Control Panel. Start -> Control Panel -> Display.

Also be sure that full Video Overlay is enabled, and full video acceleration. That will be on the Troubleshoot tab after pressing the Advanced button on the Settings tab of the Display Properties dialog.

Yeah, WMP has always been an annoying player! I'm still on version 10 though. I find I can select the IFO file(s) in a VIDEO_TS folder to play ripped DVDs.

Tru using Media Player Classic. It has an option for "broken vertical sync" that might help. KMPlayer is currently my favorite player even though it has a bewildering number of options.

[richard.fisher]

Thanks Jagabo and BJS for helping. A friend of mine had a look at my comp and found that the drivers i had installed were dated october 06 and had been designed for avista beta (build 5308). Installing the April 07 drivers has resolved the tearing issue. Sorry if I wasted anyone's time, but trying to install up-to-date drivers was the first thing I tried, but not being technically minded all I could get out of 3 hours on Intel's site was a headache.

[jagabo]

Glad you got it sorted out.