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[Blue333]

I am experiencing a specific issue related to frame rate and Vsync fluctuations while playing a movie on JRiver Media Center version 31.0.43 using JRVR. My system configuration includes an Nvidia GPU with the latest driver installed. While JRiver Media Center typically detects and switches to the appropriate frame rate without any problems, this issue is exclusive to one particular movie file. The movie is a 4k UHD with DV HDR with 23.97 fps (as per usual film).

Problem Description:
The issue is characterized by noticeable stuttering during playback.
Vsync rates measured through JRiver Media Center fluctuate erratically, ranging from 20 to 120.
Despite these fluctuations, the output seems to be fixed at 60 Hz.
The movie's frame rate is correctly listed as 23.97 FPS in both VLC and MediaInfo applications.
Given the aforementioned observations, I am seeking technical assistance to troubleshoot this issue and identify its underlying cause.

Troubleshooting Steps Already Taken:
1. Checked for software updates for JRiver Media Center and the Nvidia GPU driver (both are up-to-date).
2. Verified the frame rate information of the movie in question through VLC and MediaInfo, both of which confirm it as 23.97 FPS.
3. Compared playback of this specific movie to other movies, which do not exhibit this problem.

I would be grateful for any insights or recommended troubleshooting steps to resolve this issue. Thank you

[jmone]

The following is probably not going to fix the issue, but to get better advice, you will want to:
- Upgrade to the latest version of MC
- Take a screen shot of the JRVR OSD and post it here
- Post a link to a short sample of the offending video

Thanks
Nathan

[Blue333]

Thank you.

-Same behavior in latest Media Center.
-Confirmed same behavior on 2 different computers with different Nvidia GPUs using JRVR
-See attached photo of screenshot
-Link to video sample:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8ogqxsrcvnxkxj1fpro38/00274_Cut.m2ts?rlkey=l14o6i3fxr6ne3g3mlyhduau1&dl=0

Thank you again, any troubleshooting suggestions are much appreciated.

[Hendrik]

Only that one file shows the fluctuation?

I wonder if its related to the excessive peak in the Bilateral scaler. If its stuck for a second doing something, it wouldn't be able to capture the VSYNC properly in that time.

[Blue333]

Thank you.
I have not systematically evaluated all 4K 23.97hz UHDs, but this is the only one I have observed amongst the last 10-15 I've looked at. I will check some other DV and regular HDR10 titles to see if any more exhibit this behavior.

Following your suggestion, I changed the chroma upscaling algorithm from Bilateral Chroma Scaling to Jinc. 
I observed that the measured fps is still incorrect at 60hz, but is not fluctuating wildly from 20-120hz.

[Blue333]

On investigating a few more titles, I came across another DV 4k UHD title which is not detecting frame rate properly. The films native frame rate, confirmed with mediainfo and VLC is 23.97hz, but JRVR is running at 60Hz. So this seems to not be an isolated issue, but is more widespread.
I did observe that MadVR as well is displaying this at 60hz.
In addition, the video files tag appropriately identifies both videos frame rate as 23.97hz.
Any troubleshooting steps would be much appreciated. Thank you.

[Blue333]

Upon further investigation, I noticed that the frame rate (fps) tag in the video file metadata was empty for those videos defaulting to 60 fps, which is my system's native frame rate. Based on this, it appears that JRiver Media Center's frame rate change function relies heavily on the fps tag present in the video file's metadata.

Given these observations, I have the following suggestions to improve the functionality of JRiver Media Center:

   1. Automated Frame Rate Detection: It would be beneficial if JRiver Media Center could automatically read the frame rate information from MediaInfo or a similar source, and populate the fps tag in the video file metadata accordingly. This would alleviate the need for manual updates and ensure accurate frame rate adjustments during playback.

   2. Batch FPS Tagging Function: Introduce an automated function within JRiver Media Center that allows for batch fps tagging. This function could scan a selected batch of video files and populate the missing fps tags, either based on MediaInfo or internal frame rate detection algorithms.

   3. Tag-Independent Frame Rate Adjustment: Another enhancement could be the introduction of a feature that allows JRiver Media Center to adjust the frame rate based on the actual content being played, independent of the fps tag in the video file's metadata. This would serve as a fail-safe for scenarios where the metadata is incomplete or incorrect, ensuring smoother playback.

I realized that a number of my files have empty fps tags, necessitating a time-consuming manual update process. Implementing one or both of the above-mentioned features could significantly improve user experience and functionality. Please, if there is some method already present to accomplish any of these steps, and alleviate the incorrect frame rate display, that would be much appreciated. Thank you.

[Blue333]

Solved- Update library from tags functions well enough to batch obtain fps. I’ve observed there are hundreds of files without the fps tag filled in.
Odd this requires any manual intervention to accomplish this apparently critical task.

If I may ask, what other important information might be missing that I should fill in. For example I often see primaries unknown, transfer unknown, and levels unknown.
Thank you.

[Hendrik]

FPS is the only field used here, because MC will actually set the screen refresh before opening the file to avoid any issues, so the database is the only data it has.
Everything else is detected at runtime, and not all files have all data, it's fine if it says Unknown, it's read straight from the file, even if non-existent.

Update library from tags and initial import should do the same process of analyzing media. Unless you already had them in your library for a long time and only did it now? We improved the analysis process last year.

[Blue333]

I just began using JRiver about 5-6 months ago, so the library was freshly built quite recently. Not sure why, but there were at least a hundred (out of many thousands) files that had no fps. BTW JRiver easily beats my 10k setup I was using before.

Perhaps if I might suggest a simple step, as the fps is absolutely mission critical for proper playback:
If fps is ___ then ask - do you want to run update library from tags?

[rpro]

Interesting - I was wondering why I was getting VSYNC value fluctuations shown in the JRVR OSD. Some of my BDMV UHD-BD titles are experiencing this worse than others (playback with full menus). Since I am launching the index.bdmv file, I don't think there is any way to "tag" the correct framerate?

EDIT: To clarify, the VSYNC swings in the OSD are not as dramatic as 20-120, but sometimes it will swing to 50 or 60 then surge to 150 then go back to 120. I do have JRVR set to output HDR with tonemapping. Now, playing UHD-BDs should only use HDR10, since the DV profile they use is not supported by JRVR currently.

I thought this issue was because my TV is GSYNC/VRR capable, but i ensured that G-SYNC was disabled in the NVIDIA control panel, and I verified through the TV's OSD that it is only in fixed framerate mode (always 119hz).