INTERACT FORUM
More => Old Versions => Media Center 11 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: DocLotus on January 22, 2003, 04:49:48 am
-
SOME BACKGROUND...
Before getting a digital cable TV box, I had little use for MC's TV tuner functions. ATI's All-In-Wonder TV software was much better from a user friendly standpoint & simply offered many more features, most of which I used.
However, since getting a digital cable box, I find many of the ATI features are no longer useful.
* The ATI remote control has been replaced by the digital cable remote control.
* GemStar's GuidePlus+ was replaced by the digital TV Interactive guide.
* Keyboard selection of channels is non-existent as there is now only one channel (channel 3).
GENERAL COMMENT...
There are a few basic features in ATI's A-I-W TV tuner software that are totally lacking in Media Center. These are features that make the tuner software much more enjoyable & easier to use then Media Center's TV.
MC NEEDS...
* Double click on TV screen to maximize or return to previous size. This is currently available in the playback window when music is playing but not when the TV is playing. This is inconsistent behavior.
* Put all TV Options in a single dialog box with tabbed or Explorer style interface similar to Playback Options, DSP Studio, or the main Options screen. TV options are currently too scattered. There is too much hunting & picking from menus which have to be brought up time & again to do a setup.
* The ability to have several fixed TV screen sizes which can be selected with the CTRL & Up or Down Arrow keys. This makes it easy to quickly select a screen size to fit the available space on your desktop when working on other documents.
* The ability to zoom in on any part of the TV image by drawing a box around the selected object with the mouse. Will also need a CTRL & Z to un-zoom or reset back to 1:1 ratio.
-
Thanks for the suggestions.
* Double click on TV screen to maximize or return to previous size. This is currently available in the playback window when music is playing but not when the TV is playing. This is inconsistent behavior.
This function is there since a long time ago. It works for me. Which build of MC did you try?
* Put all TV Options in a single dialog box with tabbed or Explorer style interface similar to Playback Options, DSP Studio, or the main Options screen. TV options are currently too scattered. There is too much hunting & picking from menus which have to be brought up time & again to do a setup.
TV options are now mostly in a property sheet with four tabs. See the newly modified instructions at http://www.musicex.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=beta;action=display;num=1036784704
-
Hi Yaobing;
Thanks for the reply.
I'm using 9.0.100.
Double clicking on the TV screen does nothing at all for me.
Double clicking on the same screen when playing music does maximize the screen as it should.
Should not Devices & Edge Croping be under Configure TV?
-
Another thing missing from the TV is Maintain Aspect Ratio.
I find this to be very handy in ATI's A-I-W cards as I drag the screen to various sizes it automatically adjusts the frame size in relation to the aspect ratio so there is never any blank spaces outside of the actual viewing area.
-
Another very ignoring trait is the slowness of the TV when going from minimized to maximized screen size. There is a very long period where the TV is blanked out; this does not happen in the ATI A-I-W TV which goes from one size to another instantaneously.
-
It also doesn't happen on two machines I have with ATI cards. It's almost instant.
I think that ATI may have done something with their recent drivers that we need to take a look at. We'll need to buy one of their recent cards.
-
Hi Jim;
I'm using an ATI Radeon 7500 A-I-W. Also, I just installed the latest driver set a few days ago.
-
Just installed 9.0.101 & guess what...
Double clicking on the TV image now maximizes & minimizes the screen. Wonderful, simply wonderful.
Thanks for the fix guys!
The image still is slow to go from one size to another.
-
How slow?
-
Hi
I have a AIW 7500.
Doc
The image still is slow to go from one size to another
I dont have that prob.
Just a thought.
Goto control panel/system/hardware/device manager/sound, video and game controller.
Make sure that any "ATI WDM ......... " are not dup.
There are 6 of them.
Doc, I have prob. changing channels. Do you?
Do you have DirectX9 installed?
JimH
We'll need to buy one of their recent cards.
?. Well I dont know.
Since the AIW Radeon 9700, AIW Radeon 8500, AIW Radeon 8500 DV, AIW Radeon 7500 and the AIW Radeon all use the same drivers.
Current driver from ATI:
WDM capture 6.14.01.6178v1
Display 6.14.01.6255
Hope this helps.
Griff
-
Jim;
Were talking 3 seconds; it has always been this slow. It makes no difference what is in the window... music or TV.
Griff;
No dups. Only six showing.
Also no problem changing channels but see my very first entry at the top of this thread under BACKGROUND. Before I got digital cable, I did not use MC for my TV as the ATI A-I-W 7500 simply did a better job with antenna or basic cable (no box) more user friendly. But now that I have digital cable, I also have a cable box which replaced several of the A-I-W features so now I am using MC for all my TV & have a big interest in seeing that it becomes the best!
Are you using TV Antenna, Satellite, Cable, or digital cable. The important thing here is... do you have a TV box of some sort? Is your MC set to channel 3 or Composite?
Not sure what version of Direct X I have (can never seem to find it when I want it) but it must be the latest as I am up on all Win XP updates including WMP9 final release.
-
Doc,
Try this. When TV is running, right click on the display. Choose Display mode/full screen and choose "desktop resolution".
Mine takes about 1/2 a second.
-
Hi Doc
Not sure what version of Direct X I have
Goto Start/run, type in dxdiag
1st. page has the ver.
Are you using TV Antenna, Satellite, Cable, or digital cable. The important thing here is... do you have a TV box of some sort? Is your MC set to channel 3 or Composite
From what I remember, you just have a pc setup only.
I use my pc as a base to my HTS (Home Theater Sys.)
I have not moved my Satellite box yet, so I am using a TV antenna to the AIWs.
But I did some tests for you, since I had some free time.
Composite:
Connected composite from a vcr to the AIW.
In MC ver 9.0.101, channel area, selected video composite.
No prob.
Dbl. clicking to goto full screen and back, no prob. -- very fast
S-video:
Connected s-video from Satellite box to AIW.
In MC ver 9.0.101, channel area, selected video s-video.
No prob.
Dbl. clicking to goto full screen and back, no prob. -- very fast.
Rj6:
Can not find a cable long enough to reach. But if you need this info. I will figure out something.
One other thing comes to mine.
Are you using the latest AGP driver for the chipset on your MB.
Hope this helps
Griff
-
Jim;
This is very weird... I'm already using Display Mode / Full Screen / Desktop Resolution.
But, I tried your suggestion exactly as you said & guess what... it is now working great no matter how I select the minimize or maximize. Don't know why it was so slow before... had been like this for some time through many versions.
Thinking way back, I recall it was fast sometimes & slow other times. It seemed to come & go with various MC9 updates (I do them all).
Must be some sort of a bug that is created under certain conditions & cleared under other conditions.
Griff;
Thanks, now I remember it; made a shortcut so I won/t loose it again. DirectX version is 8.2 (I believe that is the current version for Win XP SP1 with additional updates).
I had just updated the A-I-W complete driver set just a few days ago (Video driver, TV Capture, Control Panel, Media Center).
-
I want to say a GREAT BIG THANK YOU to all who helped resolve the TV bug that I was experiencing.
The TV is still coming up a little short if you are not using a cable or satellite box as there is not a viable replacement for GemStar's GUIDE PLUS+ that comes with the A-I-W.
For those using a cable or satellite box, a few additional enhancements to the TV (Zoom in & Zoom out, 5 or so fixed screen sizes, & more of the TV options grouped together) I believe MC TV will be a good replacement for ATI?s A-I-W TV.
Can hardly wait as I am now using MC TV exclusively!!
One other small note... MC TV uses far fewer system resources then ATI's TV... great news as it does not slow down my computer as much. As a result I am now loading MC automatically at startup.
JRiver rocks!!!
-
Hi Doc
Glad you got your prob. solved.
DirectX version is 8.2
Newest ver is 9, but dont use it yet.
Since we have the same card and drivers, this may be where my prob. are coming from.
I had just updated the A-I-W complete driver set just a few days ago
The driver I was talking about is for your mother board, not the video card.
But since everything is OK, it dont matter.
Thanks for the feedback on the DirectX.
Griff