Plex Media Center + DVXA Acceleration DOA Intel 4000

[idata]

If you use Plex (pretty popular) with DVXA acceleration and Intel graphics it won't play video (plays the audio fine)

If you use an ATI or Nvidia card it works fine.

Looks like Intel's DVXA acceleration support is broken somehow. Please fix!

Also in Windows Media Center if you run the Brightness test it doesn't show the X on Intel cards even with adaptive brightness/contrast turned off. Switch to an ATI or Nvidia card and it will show up.

No amount of messing with TV settings will fix it on Intel integrated graphics which is showing that the intel card is crushing blacks to fake better black levels. Not good.

Please fix!

[idata]

Oh, and your registration page leads to a 404 to actually register for these forums unless you go to the login page and access it from there. And then once doing that there are all kinds of bugs in the process.

[ROBERT_U_Intel]

Hi John

Are you trying to play a DVD or stream video? Any particular title?

[idata]

Happens with MKV, WTV (MPEG 2), WTV (MPEG4), MP4, and AVI files. I haven't tested DVDs, but I'd guess that it will do the same thing.

It works fine if you disable acceleration however that eats processor for breakfast obviously.

[ROBERT_U_Intel]

Due to our firewall I can only play DVD's with Plex. Works fine, no issues.

[idata]

Did you turn on the DVXA acceleration option in Preferences/Video?

If you did and it worked, then I suggest you get some test video from wherever you want and start testing. Considering the continual (and still existing!) issues with 24fps etc. you guys really need to be testing this stuff better. Get someone to open up the firewall and start hammering at your drivers. They're VERY buggy. (dynamic contrast is always on and cannot be turned off even with the check box and flattens blacks BADLY for example)

[ROBERT_U_Intel]

Yes, it is on.

Questions, what Intel HD Graphics driver version are you using? What OS? Can you paste the output of the report generated in the Graphics and Media Control Panel? (Right click desktop --> Graphics Properties)

[idata]

It's on a computer without keyboard unless I plug in.

It's running the latest Windows 7 x64 video drivers with all windows patches.

It's Intel Graphics from an I7-3770 which I believe is 4000. It isn't overclocked (it isn't a K processor) and plays videos fine in media center and Media Player, but doesn't appear to be using GPU acceleration in either of those either.

No codec packs installed. If installed and set to use lav or others with intel quicksync it's ok. IF you set them to use DVXA no video displays.

You'll need to test some m2ts, mkv and mp4 files.

[MSchm21]

Check your driver Build number. Otherwise not useful, I doubt you have the latest installed if you don't know the exact version.

[idata]

As I said, no keyboard hooked up.

It was hooked up last night and yes it absolutely is the latest version, I checked just to make sure. I'm not a knobb. I write software for a living so spare me the righteous crap.

There are multiple posts in the plex forums about this and the same in the xmbc forums for the same issue. xmbc seems to have come up with some sort of work around for the bugs in the intel implementation but obviously the issue needs to be actually fixed.

[MSchm21]

From which location did you download the "latest version"? If you have the link, post it.

[ROBERT_U_Intel]

Hi John

I still need the report data mentioned above. Please plug in a mouse and KB to get the data,, it will be very helpful in understanding this issue.

[idata]

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=21430&ProdId=3498&lang=eng&OSVersion=Windows%207%20(64-bit)*&DownloadType=Drivers http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=21430&ProdId=3498&lang=eng&OSVersion=Windows%207%20(64-bit)*&DownloadType=Drivers

Which is the most recent listed obviously.

[idata]

Since 2 Intel i7 3770 processors with appropriate z77 motherboards do it with the latest drivers and one of them in a clean Windows 7 install, you didn't need this information to reproduce it, you just needed to get your hands on files to test against.

But here it is anyhow.

[MSchm21]

Oh yes it was needed because this driver isn't the latest, several months old this driver. There are several newer 15.28 drivers out which might work differently.

[ROBERT_U_Intel]

Thanks John for the additional info.

We just posted an updated test driver if you would like to verify the issue with it. It should be live in an hour or two.

For the 32 bit version test driver - http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=21839 http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=21839

For the 64 bit version test driver - http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=21840 http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=21840

[idata]

Thanks. However it looks like the links are still dead?

Is there somewhere to get beta drivers in general that I'm not aware of?

[MSchm21]

64 Bit version is dead.

[ROBERT_U_Intel]

Try now. Had to re-submit the file.

[idata]

Thanks.

Tried the above driver.

AVIs now work with the above drivers with DVXA acceleration enabled.

However:

MP4, MKV, M2TS all put up the first frame and then freeze. Every once in a while (looks like every keyframe in the video file) it will again refresh the screen.

All tested files work fine with DVXA disabled in plex and work fine with DVXA enabled in plex with Nvidia and ATI graphics cards.

[idata]

BTW, you can test this by taking a Blu Ray disc and exercising fair use and using the DVDFab tool and ripping it until MKV at 1080p with AC3 audio or mp4 or m2ts with the same.

(in fact I'd check all 3 formats since they're all very common)