INTERACT FORUM

More => Old Versions => Media Center 12 (Development Ended) => Topic started by: prod on January 23, 2007, 01:38:06 am

Title: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: prod on January 23, 2007, 01:38:06 am
Somewhere between builds 130 and 139 Theater View became unusable due to the message Error starting Direct3D Engine (error creating Direct3D ...), this is still happening in build 151. The first time Theater View is loaded it works fine but after several (between 3 and 7 I've found) toggles between Display View and Theater View this message is displayed against a black screen. Restarting MC fixes it temporarily.
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: JimH on January 23, 2007, 07:12:34 am
This is probably a problem with the graphics card driver.  Try updating it.  A more modern card may be necessary if that doesn't work.

Theater View switched to using a 3d drawing scheme.
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: prod on January 23, 2007, 11:47:31 am
It's more of a chip than a card - I use a laptop.

I've finally managed to install a vastly more up-to-date driver but the same problem persists. It seems strange that Theater View works fine, but then stops working after certain number of exits and entries. If there was something wrong with chip/card or driver I would expect it to work not at all, or at least manifest itself in other programs, which it has not.

Is it possible the 3d drawing scheme isn't properly destructing when Theater View is closed so this is causing problems after a certain number of exits?
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: prod on January 23, 2007, 12:49:25 pm
Been doing a little playing around and noticed something; I can go in and out of the Theater View main menu as many times as I like without getting the error. If during the Theater View session I go anywhere else (i.e. Audio, Images, Video, Playing Now), then I can only do that a finite number of times (4 for some reason).

For instance;

Stage 1
1) CTRL-4 to Theater View, 'Playing Now' is selected, spinning 3D box with Playing Now icon on it
2) CTRL-4 back to standard view

I can do the above as many times as I like, no error.

However;

Stage 2
1) CTRL-4 to Theater View, spinning 3D box with icon on it
2) Select 'Audio', spinning 3D box with Audio icon on it, lots of cover art, etc
3) Select 'Home', back to main menu (Audio is selected)
3) CTRL-4 back to standard view

I can do this 4 times before getting the error. It's always 4 times.

Plus;

1) Do Stage 1 20 times
2) Do Stage 2 twice
3) Do Stage 1 30 times
4) Do Stage 2 once

I can now do stage 1 as many times as I like still, but if I do Stage 2 one more time (thus making it 4 times I've been into Audio) I'll start getting the error when going back into Theater View.
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: JimH on January 23, 2007, 01:20:14 pm

However;

Stage 2
1) CTRL-4 to Theater View, spinning 3D box with icon on it
2) Select 'Audio', spinning 3D box with Audio icon on it, lots of cover art, etc
3) Select 'Home', back to main menu (Audio is selected)

What do you mean by "Select 'Home'"?  What are you doing, exactly?
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: Osho on January 23, 2007, 01:49:06 pm
I also see this error from time to time. I have ATI 9700Pro (128MB) card for which I have installed the latest driver as of 3 weeks ago. So, I am pretty sure that the driver is not horribly out of date. I have no way to reproduce this error reliably.

Osho
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: Matt on January 23, 2007, 03:17:51 pm
Hopefully fixed in build 153 and later.

Thanks for your help.
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: raym on January 23, 2007, 04:20:55 pm
Somewhere between builds 130 and 139 Theater View became unusable due to the message Error starting Direct3D Engine (error creating Direct3D ...), this is still happening in build 151. The first time Theater View is loaded it works fine but after several (between 3 and 7 I've found) toggles between Display View and Theater View this message is displayed against a black screen. Restarting MC fixes it temporarily.

I've been reporting this for some time. I'm glad I'm finally not the only one and that something's been found (by the sound of it).
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: NickM on January 23, 2007, 06:26:20 pm
I too get the same problem.  I'm using an integrated Intel 82865G graphics chipset with the latest drivers - verison 6.14.10.4396
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: Griff on January 23, 2007, 08:19:26 pm
Quote
Hopefully fixed in build 153 and later

Thanks Matt
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: prod on January 23, 2007, 10:55:52 pm
Hopefully fixed in build 153 and later.

Thanks, no hopefully about it, this is fixed in 153.
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: 511PF on January 24, 2007, 08:23:44 pm
Thanks, no hopefully about it, this is fixed in 153.

Would like to get my hands on this to test with my laptop.  Any plans to release that build to the general public?
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: JimH on January 24, 2007, 09:15:28 pm
Soon.
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: 511PF on January 30, 2007, 04:41:16 pm
I've still got this problem with my laptop.  It's an older Compaq n410c with an ATI Mobility Radeon with 16 MB of RAM.  I've tried different drivers to little effect.  Just letting you know there's still a bit of an issue for some folks. 
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: Matt on January 30, 2007, 05:13:56 pm
Theater View in v12 will require a video card that supports windowed 3D.

Some old cards may not.
Title: Re: Error starting 3d engine
Post by: glynor on January 31, 2007, 09:51:07 pm
I've still got this problem with my laptop.  It's an older Compaq n410c with an ATI Mobility Radeon with 16 MB of RAM.  I've tried different drivers to little effect.  Just letting you know there's still a bit of an issue for some folks. 

That laptop has one of the old "original" Radeon Mobility GPUs (RV100 based).  These are DirectX7 class GPUs (and it was a stripped down model from the desktop version at that), similar in specs to an old Radeon 7000.

I'd guess that GPU isn't beefy enough for the new Theater View unfortunately...

Matt, do you know with what version Windowed mode was introduced to Direct3D?  What's the minimum DirectX level that MC is now supporting with Theater View?  It'd just be nice if you could add a "requires DirectX8 or better class video card for Theater View" or a "GeForce2/Radeon 8000 class or better" type statement to the system requirements...