Playback on PC not at all as good quality as real dvd-video???

[Seb]

Hi

I just rented my first dvd-movie ever (Mulholland Drive) to test my new dvd in my pc (NEC 1300).

I was amazed of the low quality it had. Not very sharp at all, but then I heard it was supposed to be somewhat low quality to get the mood in that particular movie.
BUT, it also has lots of digital artifacts (is that the right word?), I can see some large squared pixels moving around and such...just like it was too hard compressed or something.

Now, is that the way movies play back when played through software on a pc (P3 866MHz GF4), or might it be just that particular movie, OR the fact that the rented movie had lots of small scratches in it? I tried both PowerDVD 5 and Windvd 4 something.


I asked in another part of the forum, but the way the discussion turned it fits better in here I guess. I first thought it was a movie-problem but now I think its probably the playback from the pc that is the problem so I hope to get the final answer in here regarding playback on pc

[Seb]

I'm sorry, but what is it you dont get?

The question from my side is, are there some problem with my new dvd-player for my pc, or are there really dvd-movies with this bad quality.

It has nothing at all with ripping to do, I just want to know why I get bad quality watching this particular movie.

And if that is against your rules...well....just go ahead and delete the whole forum or something


I posted about the same question in here since it might be the playback on the pc, with dvd-playback software programs, that give the bad quality....and what better place to ask that then in this part of the forum.....am I right?

Edit: Keep in mind this is my first dvd-experiense EVER, and I dont have a dvd-video to try the movie in.

[shiny#3]

to setarip.

I have not read the other post... but since it was stated
that he rented that dvd it is not a violation of the "owned material rule". also an explanation was given why he doubleposted into this subforum!!!!

to answer your question, seb......

make sure that your dvddrive is set to DMA mode in your devicemanager!

also enable hardwareacceleration in powerdvd settings!!!

discard all other mpeg2 decoders that you might have installed.

for a PC of that speed degrade to windvd 4.0 or powerdvd4.0.

good luck!

[Seb]

Originally posted by shiny#3
to setarip.

I have not read the other post... but since it was stated
that he rented that dvd it is not a violation of the "owned material rule". also an explanation was given why he doubleposted into this subforum!!!!

to answer your question, seb......

make sure that your dvddrive is set to DMA mode in your devicemanager!

also enable hardwareacceleration in powerdvd settings!!!

discard all other mpeg2 decoders that you might have installed.

for a PC of that speed degrade to windvd 4.0 or powerdvd4.0.

good luck!

Thanks for the help
Although of course nothing helped
Enable hardware accelleration did nothing. Other mpeg2 decoders I dont know if I have...maybe some old for WMP, or if FFDSHOW is set to play mpeg2 maybe, haven't tried I dont know why that would help, and DMA mode I cant find in the devicemanager for my burner. Nothing about DMA at all....maybe its on by default, its a new player and I use WinXP.
PowerDVD 5 should be ok from what I've heard on a machine like mine, and I've heard version 4 had much less good quality.
I also have those special color-effects whatever they were called, some 4 letter combination, set to off, so no extra power for that.

I have no slowdowns or stuttering, just the digital effects like pixels moving around....not very much but much more than I would expect on a dvd-movie

[shiny#3]

qoute.....

"

For ATAPI devices, except DVD and CD-R/RWW drives. Windows_XP enables PIO by default on ATAPI tape drives, CD-ROM drives, and ATAPI removable drives such as magneto-optical (MO) drives. The user can, however, enable DMA on an ATAPI device through Device Manager, as described at the end of this article."

"To enable DMA mode using the Device Manager

1.

Open Device Manager.

2.

Double-click IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers to display the list of controllers and channels.

3.

Right-click the icon for the channel to which the device is connected, select Properties, and then click the Advanced Settings tab.

4.

In the Current Transfer Mode drop-down box, select DMA if Available if the current setting is "PIO Only."
If the drop-down box already shows "DMA if Available" but the current transfer mode is PIO, then the user must toggle the settings. That is:
•

Change the selection from "DMA if available" to PIO only, and click OK.
•

Then repeat the steps above to change the selection to DMA if Available

.....?????

good luck!!

[Seb]

Now I've also found and uninstalled mpeg2-coders, and restarted my pc....no difference at all.
And FFDSHOW ain't set to play any mpeg's at all.

Haven't found that DMA-setting though. You think that might be it or? As I said above its a brand new dvd-player and I run WinXP so why should it be off by default if it means noone can get good quality in dvd-movies?

Thank you so much for trying to help

[shiny#3]

another tip would be to use the "DVD Decrypter" to rip the complete dvd to harddisk..... then open the dvd in filemode
with windvd or power dvd. make sure to enable decss when ripping.....

if that artfacts persist... it may be that you have a problem with your playback drivers or direct x.... if not the problem is caused
by your dvd drive..... so refer to the manufacturers homepage for help!!

[Seb]

Strange, I dont have any advanced tab when I do just as you say....and no sight of any DMA or PIO

Before I tried on the actual drive, now I do as you described above and click on IDE ATA/ATAPI and channel 2 (also tried ch 1) but no advanced tab and no AMD or PIO anywhere

[shiny#3]

Fddshow is only for playing back avifiles (mpeg 4 ) based codecs.
never for dvd compliant files!

[Seb]

Playing back from harddrive is exactly the same, so I guess its not the DMA setting on the dvd-player then.

Might it be the actual movie you think, Mulholland Drive (Swedish, or actually nordic or something version), that has such bad quality?

Is it POSSIBLE for a dvd-movie to have digital artifacts like pixels jumping around on large similar colored non-moving parts in the movie?
Cause I dont think its all the scratches that was on the disc, this really looks like too much compression and nothing else, I recognize those pixels lol

Edit: Of course its not actual pixels, but I think people use to talk about pixelation or someothing to describe this effect. Large squares of the same color instead of smooth transitions...

[shiny#3]

check your dvd drives or cdrom drives in your devicemanager also!!!

[Seb]

Originally posted by shiny#3
check your dvd drives or cdrom drives in your devicemanager also!!!

If you read what I posted above your last post (the exact same minute as yours lol) I guess it cant be any DMA settings fault, since its the same from the harddrive

Please answer to that post though, regarding the actual movie Mulholland Drive.

Thanks a lot

[Seb]

Ok, I just send a screenshot of the movie to a "dvd-expert" friend of mine, and he recogniced the effect and said that some movies have that bad quality.

So I guess some movies are just way too much compressed (since that pixelation is a "too-much-compressed-effect") then, which by the way is very very bad, but good for me since hopefully nothing is wrong over here, I just have to rent another movie and try watching it and hope that one will look better than this DivX lookalike

Please confirm/deny this fact, that some dvd-movies have pixels jumping around as I described a few posts above, and as is common in highly compressed DivX's.
Thanks

[Enchanter]

I have seen quite a few badly compressed DVD works. This one sounds just like them.

[Seb]

Originally posted by Enchanter
I have seen quite a few badly compressed DVD works. This one sounds just like them.

Thanks

I have just rented Jurassic Park 3 (also totally scratched disc of course) and on this movie I can not really see any "digital errors", no larger similar colored blocks jumping around like on Mulholland Drive.

The only thing is the movie is a bit crispy (is that the right word? lol), or maybe grainy is the right word. And you can see those small black dots flashing over the screen sometimes, so it really feels like going to the movies (cinema/theatre? excuse my english).

But I guess thats ok, its the mood of the movie, or maybe all movies are like that....its just got a theatrical touch I think.

Anyway, the point is I can no longer see extreme digital artifacts like on Mulholland so I guess that was just one of those rare movies that have really bad quality.

This is region 2, and Mulholland was some nordic only region 2 version.

Thanks