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[MonarchX]

5 important concerns/questions and I need an answer for each!  Thank you!
1. At some point in JRiver I accidentally set to use refresh rate of 50Hz for PAL videos. Neither my monitor, nor my TV support that resolution. When JRiver accidentally tried to go into 50Hz mode or some other strange resolution/refresh rate mode - my screen went black and both TV and monitor had an error on the screen "Mode Not Supported". So, I had no choice but to restart my PC, which would go into the previously-used resolution (one used before restart), which was either 50Hz or other unsupported in my case, and that would just show me a black screen with "Mode Not Supported" upon booting Windows 8.1 desktop. There was no way to fix it as I could not get to my desktop with a supported refresh rate and resolution! I luckily, VERY luckily, made a full system backup image 20 minutes before this happened, so I restored my previous system state without many issues. Still, I think something should be done about it... What should one do if something like this happens?  Using F8 during boot to get into Safe Mode is no longer supported in Windows 8/8.1 and it boots so fast that using the proper SHIFT+F8 doesn't work either! It requires you to go through a complex process - http://pcsupport.about.com/od/repair-recovery/a/force-or-stop-safe-mode-windows.htm . I know MS is kind of at fault, but JRiver needs to address this by at least - NOT allowing to set an UNsupported resolution for any video types! 50Hz is not an option in my videocard settings, so it should've never been selectable in JRiver.

2. I have is how VideoClock compares to ReClock. ReClock does both - video and audio speed correction to create perfect audio & video sync. Does VideoClock do the same or does it do it only for Video since there is no AudioClock? If so, are you planning on adding AudioClock? Does JRiver work with ReClock? Also, ReClock only allows WASAPI bit-perfect bitstreaming over SPDIF if audio speed correction is disabled. I assume VideoClock does the same or else the sound isn't bit-perfect.

3. My sound card - Creative X-Fi Titanium PCIe actually has ASIO drivers (JRiver can opens ASIO settings), but ASIO is supposedly for Audio Creation Mode, so I am not sure if it is of any benefit to media playback. The problem with it is that I can't get ASIO to work (no sound at all!) when it is selected as the sound output device in JRiver Audio settings. ASIO is not available for selection in Windows Audio Settings, so I am not sure how to set it up properly...

4. I own an Astro A50 Wireless Dolby Digital 5.1 headset/DAC. The idea of using it is that when paired with Dolby Digital Live soundcard, it can reproduce 5.1 surround sound if it receives 5.1 Dolby Digital audio signal from my X-Fi Titanium soundcard. Thing is - there are 2 methods of doing this. One requires you to enable Dolby Digital Live encoder in Creative Control Panel and then using "X-Fi Speakers" for default audio device in JRiver, configured to 5.1, to reproduce audio, which will actually be going through SPDIF. With this method, LAV Audio and JRiver should NOT be set to use Dolby Digital and/or bitstreaming over SPDIF because it is blocked by the Dolby Digital Live encoder. Audio path will actually show 6-channel output. Creative says that using this method audio will be bitstreamed, but I am unsure of this... The second method requires you to disable Dolby Digital Live encoder, select "SPDIF Out WASAPI" for default audio device in JRiver, enable Dolby Digital & 5.1 in LAV Audio and JRiver, and also enable "Bitstreaming over SPDIF" in JRiver. Audio path only shows 2-channel output! Why is that? Some say that its only a technicality because SPDIF Out cannot be configured to 5.1 channels in Windows Audio Settings. However, this is the only way to do bit-perfect bitstreaming over SPDIF, right?

5. Going back to the second method from #4, where Dolby Digital Live encoder is disabled, but Dolby Digital is enabled in LAV Audio and in JRiver, which is also set to use Bitstreaming over SPDIF. Does that mean that ANY soundcard with digital capabilities can produce Dolby Digital bitstreaming signal? I have an onboard Realtek ALC892 soundcard that supports Digital SPDIF and HDMI, but it only supports DTS, not DDL. Can't it also send Dolby Digital sound to my headset when Dolby Digital is enabled in LAV Audio and JRiver along with bitstreaming? Here is the link to its full specs - http://www.realtek.com.tw/products/productsView.aspx?Langid=1&PFid=28&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=284

[Hendrik]

1)
Its impossible to set a mode which the graphics card doesn't report as supported. This means that your graphics card (or Windows at least) must have offered a 50Hz mode, otherwise MC would never use it.
MC can only trust Windows in which modes it offers, it has no way to know anything else. It'll even verify the mode is still available right before trying to set it, in case a hardware change occured.

So, no idea what happened to you there, but we do all the checks we can do.

2)
VideoClock does exactly the same as ReClock, which is resampling the audio to match the video, and adjusting the reference clock accordingly.
The WASAPI output doesn't care of VideoClock is active or not. Of course its not bit-perfect anymore if you resample the audio, but thats independent of any output concerns. You can always check the audio path in MC if any changes are being performed.

3)
ASIO is usually superior if your hardware has a native ASIO driver, however each ASIO driver is different and I have no experience with the Creative one. Maybe another user has experience with these drivers, otherwise, WASAPI works nicely too.

4)
Never mind the 2-channel display, it is indeed a technical thing because a Dolby Digital stream over SPDIF is packed into a 2-channel stream, no matter how many input channels you had.

5)
Indeed basically any sound card with SPDIF or HDMI can output a Dolby Digital signal. The special license is only needed for the live-encoding of 5.1 as part of the mainboard, which you don't need with MC, since it has its own Dolby Digital encoder.
I would just give it a try with your Headset. You can enable Dolby Digital encoding in Options -> Audio -> DSP & output format -> Output encoding.

In some cases you need to activate Dolby Digital output in the device settings in Windows audio manager, in case you didn't do this already.

[6233638]

1. At some point in JRiver I accidentally set to use refresh rate of 50Hz for PAL videos. Neither my monitor, nor my TV support that resolution. When JRiver accidentally tried to go into 50Hz mode or some other strange resolution/refresh rate mode - my screen went black and both TV and monitor had an error on the screen "Mode Not Supported". So, I had no choice but to restart my PC, which would go into the previously-used resolution (one used before restart), which was either 50Hz or other unsupported in my case, and that would just show me a black screen with "Mode Not Supported" upon booting Windows 8.1 desktop. There was no way to fix it as I could not get to my desktop with a supported refresh rate and resolution!

Stopping video playback (CTRL+S) or exiting fullscreen (ESC) should have restored the original desktop refresh rate. Because you restarted the PC, it will have left the desktop set to 50Hz.

2. I have is how VideoClock compares to ReClock. ReClock does both - video and audio speed correction to create perfect audio & video sync. Does VideoClock do the same or does it do it only for Video since there is no AudioClock? If so, are you planning on adding AudioClock? Does JRiver work with ReClock? Also, ReClock only allows WASAPI bit-perfect bitstreaming over SPDIF if audio speed correction is disabled. I assume VideoClock does the same or else the sound isn't bit-perfect.

If you disable VideoClock, you will have "bit perfect" audio.
VideoClock is better than ReClock, as it takes the refresh rate directly from the video renderer if you are using ROHQ (madVR) so it is perfectly matched. ReClock calculates the refresh rate independently from the video renderer, so they may differ.
With VideoClock you also get the benefit of all the other DSP functions that Media Center's audio engine allows for.
 

and also enable "Bitstreaming over SPDIF" in JRiver. Audio path only shows 2-channel output! Why is that? Some say that its only a technicality because SPDIF Out cannot be configured to 5.1 channels in Windows Audio Settings. However, this is the only way to do bit-perfect bitstreaming over SPDIF, right?

Dolby Digital 5.1 is a compressed format which is sent over S/PDIF in a stereo container. The decoder then extracts the 5.1 data.

5. Going back to the second method from #4, where Dolby Digital Live encoder is disabled, but Dolby Digital is enabled in LAV Audio and in JRiver, which is also set to use Bitstreaming over SPDIF. Does that mean that ANY soundcard with digital capabilities can produce Dolby Digital bitstreaming signal? I have an onboard Realtek ALC892 soundcard that supports Digital SPDIF and HDMI, but it only supports DTS, not DDL. Can't it also send Dolby Digital sound to my headset when Dolby Digital is enabled in LAV Audio and JRiver along with bitstreaming? Here is the link to its full specs - http://www.realtek.com.tw/products/productsView.aspx?Langid=1&PFid=28&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=284

As I understand it, Dolby Digital Live means that the sound card has a hardware DD5.1 encoder. Using LAV Audio to encode DD5.1 will use the CPU instead.
 
You may want to try using the encoder available in the "Output Format" section of DSP Studio instead of LAV Audio though.

[MonarchX]

It did it again! I was watching a movie, pressed ESC and got the Mode Not Supported. Video is shown in BIOS and during boot but then it boots to black screen with Mode Not Supported message on my TV. What do I do now? I have built PCs and used them for decades but I never came across software that would put display device into unsupported mode and prevent me from using my PC until a fresh OS install.

[JimH]

This is probably a driver or an OS problem.

[glynor]

This is probably a driver or an OS problem.

It sounds to me like the video driver is falling down, or the hardware is broken.  The fact that it happens when switching back into Theater View makes me think it might be related to 3D mode on the GPU.  Does dxdiag show any errors?

[glynor]

1. At some point in JRiver I accidentally set to use refresh rate of 50Hz for PAL videos. Neither my monitor, nor my TV support that resolution. When JRiver accidentally tried to go into 50Hz mode or some other strange resolution/refresh rate mode - my screen went black and both TV and monitor had an error on the screen "Mode Not Supported".

What evidence makes you think your PC is outputting 50Hz when this error occurs?  Have you checked the input signal and seen that it is getting that refresh rate from the video card?  If so, how?

There are just a few things in your description of the issue that make me think it isn't what you think it is... For example, this:

It did it again! I was watching a movie, pressed ESC and got the Mode Not Supported.

If this was MC's refresh rate changing feature going haywire, it would have set it immediately when you played the movie, not when you stopped it.  When you stop it, MC goes back to the previous desktop resolution settings, and returns you to the view you were last using (Standard or Theater Views).

I think it is far more likely that either madvr's Exclusive Mode or the 3D accelerated graphics in Theater View (or maybe switching between the two) is causing your GPU's driver to get into an unexpected stuck state.

Also, can you provide:

1. The make/model of your GPU.
2. The video playback mode in MC you are using.
3. Any customized settings you've made in Options > Theater View related to quality.
4. The driver version and manufacturer of your GPU's driver from the Windows Device Manager's properties page for the video device.

Also, it would be helpful to check dxdiag as I mentioned above.

[MonarchX]

NVidia GeForce GTX 770 using the latest WHQL drivers, but the same thing with previous drivers. I've been a PC enthusiast for a very long time, so please trust me when I tell you that my hardware is perfectly fine. I stress-tested it recently by running several internet browser, 3DMark2011, Prime95, and a video encoding process - all stable for 24Hrs.

BUT I think you may be onto something regarding madVR Exclusive feature - I will turn it off and see how it goes.  Now I make a system backup every day or so because any day this will happen.

[MonarchX]

OK, checked - this is not madVR. Right now I get this black screen with "unsupported mode" each time I launch a movie in full-screen. I also tried decoders other than LAV Video and Audio, and it still happens.

[Hendrik]

It doesn't go changing modes willy-nilly, you should check what you actually configured.

Are you using multiple screens on this system?

[MonarchX]

OK, I learned that using ctrl + S works, but just 20 minutes ago it did not work and I had to restore the entire system again. I used the automatic configuration this time. It does it at its worst when it tries to load 25p movies. No software other than JRiver detects a 50Hz mode on my TV and in my drivers. nVidia control panel does not show 50Hz as available, Windows settings do not show 50Hz as available. Please tell me why JRiver detects 50Hz. The same goes for 29Hz! It is NOT available on my TV!

[MonarchX]

When I set everything up manually - all is fine, but I wanted to set it to automatic to point out that it does not detect available refresh rates properly.

Also, you told me that VideoClock is the same as ReClock, but why doesn't it allow me to play 25p movies at 24Hz? It defaults them to 60Hz when I specifically set it to 24Hz! Bugs, bugs, more bugs! ReClock does 25p to 24p speed conversion without any problems and even madVR supports the ability to play 25p movies at 24Hz!

Last, but not least - I constantly get program crashes with JRiver while I never get them with any other software...

[6233638]

Also, you told me that VideoClock is the same as ReClock, but why doesn't it allow me to play 25p movies at 24Hz? It defaults them to 60Hz when I specifically set it to 24Hz! Bugs, bugs, more bugs! ReClock does 25p to 24p speed conversion without any problems and even madVR supports the ability to play 25p movies at 24Hz!

It is probably not a bug, but the way your output is configured.
 
I would suggest using the madVR display mode switcher rather than the Media Center one though.
It is "smarter" about what modes will be used, especially if you are using some of its features like IVTC, as that will output "29fps" NTSC film content at 24Hz.

[Scolex]

What Brand and model of TV do you have? Have you checked for a firmware update for the TV?
You could use Monitor Asset Manager and compare what the TV Extended display identification data (EDID) is reporting to the video card to
what is listed in your manual or on the TV manufacturer's website to ensure it is not being reported incorrectly.

[BryanC]

OK, I learned that using ctrl + S works, but just 20 minutes ago it did not work and I had to restore the entire system again.

Safe mode is an alternative to reimaging your system.

When I set everything up manually - all is fine, but I wanted to set it to automatic to point out that it does not detect available refresh rates properly.

Wait, have you enabled custom resolutions in the nVidia control panel? Because if you haven't matched the custom resolutions to what your hardware actually supports, you're going to have a bad time. It's widely known that mode detection by the nVidia drivers is faulty and that you must enable the pertinent custom resolutions to get display mode switching to work correctly.