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[CountryBumkin]

This problem has been going on for a while now. It doesn't occur every time I go to use MC, but often enough.

When I turn on the TV and switch to HDMI 1 (for MC23) the Theater View menu screen page starts out displaying normally, but trying to move around the menu with remote ends up moving like "half a menu position", so the menu names are overlapped. I reported this before and included a screen shot.

If I keep pressing the up/down/right/left direction keys. I can see some movement on the screen but the menu is jumbled up and with overlapped text. It never clears itself when in this state. I can get MC to go to a different menu page (like Video or Audio) but that menu is all jumbled up and overlapped too. Moving through either of menus ends up with the covert art overlapping or showing the wrong cover art for the highlighted selection.

The only fix is to get out the keyboard and "Ctrl+Alt+Del to open Task manger and end MC. Upon MC restart everything works normally. I don't need to restart the computer.

What could be the problem?

This is a Client machine running Win10 X64, dedicated to MC (no other programs), computer set to never sleep, no screen saver. This problem with MC freezing up seems to be after MC has been sitting unused for a while (maybe a day or two).

[JimH]

That may be an HDMI sync problem.  I don't think it's MC.

When it happens try leaving MC running and then power the other equipment down and back up.  There are other better solutions, but that might tell you something.

[tzr916]

Yep, this happens to me quite often on the clients when they go unused for some period of time. It's not a new problem. Seems leaving them in theaterview for periods of inactivity of more than a few days can trigger it. One of my clients I use every night- never ever happens to it. Never ever happens to the server because I use it constantly. When the other two bedrooms go 3 or more days without use- happens on those quite a lot. I've basically learned that when we are going to have people over or I need to use those two rooms, I just remote desktop into those machines and restart MC (esc out of theaterview, close, wait, start MC). I don't have keyboards connected to clients. I don't use sleep, all machines run 24/7.

[CountryBumkin]

That may be an HDMI sync problem.  I don't think it's MC.

When it happens try leaving MC running and then power the other equipment down and back up.  There are other better solutions, but that might tell you something.

When I'm done using MC, I hit the off button on the remote which shuts off TV and Soundbar. So I go to use MC I am powering up the "other" equipment. Of course it can still be something going on with the other equipment (the TV). The computer stays running and doesn't (shouldn't) know that anything else has shut off.

It sounds like trz916 is seeing this behavior too. Would capturing a Log help?

Is there any kind of internal timer in MC doing anything (maybe a cleanup function).

[JimH]

Try powering the computer down and back up (not sleep).  That may also fix it.  The problem is probably HDMI sync and MC doesn't do that.  It's done by Windows.

Someone else just posted about HDMI Detective today. 

There is a lot of information about the problem on AVSForum.

Here's a page that has part of the issue explained:  https://support.channelmaster.com/hc/en-us/articles/200377955-Why-does-my-HDMI-connection-not-seem-to-work-all-the-time-or-why-is-it-intermittent-

[tzr916]

Has nothing to do with hdmi sync.

MC theaterview is basically stuck in super extreme slow motion. When I remote desktop into the machine, without even turning the client's display on, MC theaterview is basically just non-responsive to any navigation by keyboard, mouse, or remote. Only recourse is pressing ESC a bunch of times to drop out of theaterview and close MC or ctl/alt/del and kill MC.

[JimH]

Your problem may be different.

[imugli]

Are you running Theatre View using OpenGL or Directx? If OpenGL, that has shown slowness (CPU spikes). In Tools, Options, Theatre View, Advanced.

[tzr916]

Are you running Theatre View using OpenGL or Directx? If OpenGL, that has shown slowness (CPU spikes). In Tools, Options, Theatre View, Advanced.

No, OpenGL option is not enabled.

[JimH]

Might be worth a try.

[marko]

I had this a while back, and updating the video driver for the Nvidia card in the HTPC did the job of fixing that.

I only ever saw the problem when bringing the HTPC out of sleep. I haven't seen it since updating the drivers, which is a relief as there won't be any further updates for that card. Soo...

Update video drivers?

[RoderickGI]

I see something similar though not as bad on my HTPC Server. I wake the HTPC from sleep using my Harmony Remote, which also turns on the TV and Receiver. MC starts clean with Theatre View displayed correctly. I try to navigate using arrow keys and get half a menu or selected media transition which then just stops updating, sitting there apparently doing nothing. Arrow up and down gets no response. Then after a while Theatre View responds, usually to all button presses in a "catch up". I don't need to restart MC or the PC and can continue using it without issue.

I always assumed that MC was waiting for hard disks to spin up to get Cover Art or similar. But the issue doesn't always correspond to hard disk activity as shown by the HD LED. Or at least, not a lot of activity.

I have also seen some possibly HDMI sync issues since early MC23 versions, where the TV will change colour slightly of backgrounds on the MC Standard display, and then adjust back to the correct colour, usually a little while after I have started MC in Standard View, or switched to Standard View. I have assumed that to be an HDMI issue.


So something is going on, and it isn't a good thing. I am using OpenGL.

EDIT: Okay, I had better update video drivers. My 1060 should be supported for some time.

[JimH]

Here's another problem that could be related:
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,112010.msg774015.html#msg774015

[CountryBumkin]

Are you running Theatre View using OpenGL or Directx? If OpenGL, that has shown slowness (CPU spikes). In Tools, Options, Theatre View, Advanced.

I tried it both ways. Doesn't seem to matter.

[CountryBumkin]

Try powering the computer down and back up (not sleep).  That may also fix it. 

That will fix it. Until the next time.
But that sort of ruins the HTPC experience - when we sit down to watch a Movie and then I have to get out the keyboard and reboot the system.

[CountryBumkin]

I see something similar though not as bad on my HTPC Server. I wake the HTPC from sleep using my Harmony Remote, which also turns on the TV and Receiver. MC starts clean with Theatre View displayed correctly. I try to navigation using arrow keys and get half a menu or selected media transition which then just stops updating, sitting there apparently doing nothing. Arrow up and down gets no response.

Then after a while Theatre View responds, usually to all button presses in a "catch up". I don't need to restart MC or the PC and can continue using it without issue.

Yes, I think this is the same issue.
I don't know if waiting always fix the problem, but I recall at a couple of times where if I wait long enough MC will start to work. But "long enough" can be a couple of minutes.

Also I set all the sleep and energy saver functions to off. No hard drive spin down, network always On, no sleep, no hibernation, etc.

I'm not saying this is a MC fault/issue - as I don't see this problem on my "Family Room" client. But there could be something in the MC programing ( a cleanup function or such) that my client machine doesn't like (maybe related to graphics card, a Win10 idle-mode, antivirus scanning activity, etc.).

It only happens on the "bedroom client". Both clients are hardwired to Server and both using NVidia graphics cards. Since everything is okay on the Family room client I think I can rule any issues with the Server (like slow response time, or drive spin up, etc.).

[tzr916]

...It only happens on the "bedroom client". Both clients are hardwired to Server and both using NVidia graphics cards. Since everything is okay on the Family room client I think I can rule any issues with the Server (like slow response time, or drive spin up, etc.).

Same here, except clients are AMD gpu.