Current AV-Playback user please read…

(ver 1.0.6.1)

Forgive me for getting long winded in this post but it very important that everyone understand all of what has changed, not only in new app features but also in some inexplicable issues that have arisen somewhere between Windows, Directshow, DirectX, Nvidia and Intel.

It's perplexing, but playout graph filter combinations that once were commonplace for years are now causing untrappable errors. I have spent the last couple of days pulling my hair out trying to put my finger on it but to no avail as of yet. It's not all bad though, in fact despite the new concerns I strongly believe this release is the best version yet. if you follow some simple guidelines, you can achieve a more balanced load between the CPU and GPU and get those tough to play videos to perform much more smoothly .

Allow me to outline the new options that were added:

“Show Confidence Monitor”:

As the name implies, when unchecked the preview and program monitor will not be built and shown. This could come in handy if the clip you are trying to play is to heavy for the computer you are using to play smoothly. Eliminating the confidence monitor can effectively cut down on CPU stress by 30-40%, and give the actual program out more headroom.

“Use Video Mixing Renderer”:

When this unchecked the VMR9 DirectX render will be replaced with a simple renderer. This can help with compatibility issue that might arise on some laptops. Note: While using the basic renderer the fade in or out feature will not be available.

“Use FFDShow Video Decoder”:

When this is unchecked, the LAV video decoder will be used instead of the FFDShow decoder. This option is more important to understand than ever before. The current issue that has given me concern relates to the interaction between the LAV filter and the VMR9 renderer. If you have chosen to disable the FFDShow filter but keep the video mixing renderer, selecting a clip that is not QuickTime formatted may cause the app to freeze up. Now on the flipside, on some laptops I have found that when the FFDShow filter is being used, there sometimes can be a strange resizing of a clip during a fade in or out. If this is happening to you then uncheck the Fade option in the playlist. That way you can avoid seeing any glitching.

I also added a simple OSD feature that can be accessed under the Settings menu. When checked, an OSD will display pertinent info regarding the currently running file, will appear in upper righthand corner of the program screen. This OSD is coming courtesy of the FFDShow filter and must be enabled for it to work.

Note: Even if enabled the FFDSHow filter is bypassed when playing any Quicktime formatted files. So, the OSD feature cannot be displayed for those clips.

I really hate having to spring all this on you, but some things are just out of my control. On the bright side since the engine for version 2 is so different then 1, and by default is much better balanced, many of these issues simply disappear.

Speaking of version 2... So I can concentrate on finishing it, (still need a few more weeks.) there will not be any further updates to version 1 for the foreseeable future.

If anyone needs assistance, please do not hesitate to IM me or email me at [email protected], and I will do my best return to you as quickly as possible.