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[robydago]

MC on my PC crashes very often. I'm not reporting it only because I'm planning to perform some tests on either a clean reinstall of one of my PCs or in a VMware environment.
Now I don't know if MC is to blame or it's other software\drivers\codecs I have installed.

I just didn't want to bother you until I'm 100% sure that MC is the problem.

[JimH]

So now I understand.  Please describe the circumstances.  You can copy your system info from MC Help and paste it here.

What DirectShow filters are you using?  CCCP?  If not, try a search for CCCP.

[robydago]

I have CCCP and I just did this:

I played a .VOB (via the DVD shrink created VIDEO_TS.IFO file) first with MPC by CCCP and then with MC.

I experienced the same problem if I move the position slider back and forth a couple of time: both programs pause playing showing the last displayed frame (but I can stop and resume playing from the start) or completely hang (starting a very fast memory leakage)


MPC is stable and seems to play smoothly if I directly (drag&drop) play the .VOB or its VTS_01_0.IFO file, but then I loose the menu with audio\sub selection.

With MC I can't do the same test: it doesn't seem to be able to play anything else than the VIDEO_TS.IFO file. If I try to drop the .VOB on it, MC tries to start playing the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and I guess that's why I received the following error when I used DVD decrypt produced .VOB files:

"Media Center encountered errors while trying to play the last several files. Please make sure the path in your media library points to the right location."

If I rename the VIDEO_TS.IFO to something else and I drop the .VOB on MC, it gives me the above error.

Needless to say, VLC plays the .VOB file without a hitch....
gee, can't you please use VLC as an engine instead of the "fottuto" DirectShow???

ps. "fottuto" is Italian but I don't think that a translation is needed....


My Sysinfo

Media Center Registered 12.0.207 -- C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center 12\

Microsoft Windows XP 5.1 Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
Intel Pentium 4 2598 MHz MMX / Memory: Total - 1571 MB, Free - 942 MB

Internet Explorer: 6.0.2900.2180 / ComCtl32.dll: 5.82.2900 / Shlwapi.dll: 6.0.2900 / Shell32.dll: 6.0.2900 / wnaspi32.dll: 4.71 (0002) , ASPI for Win32         DLL, Copyright © 1989-2002 Adaptec, Inc. / Aspi32.sys: 4.71 (0002)

Ripping /   Drive H:   Mode:Normal  Type:Auto  Speed:Max
  Drive I:   Mode:Normal  Type:Auto  Speed:Max
  Drive K: _NEC    DVD_RW ND-2500A   Mode:Normal  Type:Auto  Speed:Max
  Drive L:   Mode:Normal  Type:Auto  Speed:Max
  Drive M:   Mode:Normal  Type:Auto  Speed:Max
  Drive N:   Mode:Normal  Type:Auto  Speed:Max
  Drive O:   Mode:Normal  Type:Auto  Speed:Max
  Digital playback: Yes /  Use YADB: Yes /  Get cover art: No /  Calc replay gain: Yes /  Copy volume: 32767
  Eject after ripping: Yes /  Play sound after ripping: No 

Burning /  Drive I: PHILIPS  DVDR1648P1         Addr: 4:0:0  Speed:48  MaxSpeed:48  BurnProof:Yes
  Drive K: _NEC     DVD_RW ND-2500A    Addr: 4:1:0  Speed:32  MaxSpeed:32  BurnProof:Yes
  Test mode: No /  Eject after writing: Yes /  Direct decoding: Yes /  Write CD-Text: Yes
  Use playback settings: No /

Portable Device Info
  Removed devices:

[Yaobing]

I experienced the same problem if I move the position slider back and forth a couple of time: both programs pause playing showing the last displayed frame (but I can stop and resume playing from the start) or completely hang (starting a very fast memory leakage)

While you play it in MC, right-click the video window and look under "DirectShow Filters". What filters do you see listed? In particular, which video decoder is used?

I am not seeing this problem on my computer. I can click on the position slider as many times as I want. It plays fine.

MPC is stable and seems to play smoothly if I directly (drag&drop) play the .VOB or its VTS_01_0.IFO file, but then I loose the menu with audio\sub selection.

With MC I can't do the same test: it doesn't seem to be able to play anything else than the VIDEO_TS.IFO file. If I try to drop the .VOB on it, MC tries to start playing the VIDEO_TS.IFO file and I guess that's why I received the following error when I used DVD decrypt produced .VOB files:

"Media Center encountered errors while trying to play the last several files. Please make sure the path in your media library points to the right location."

If I rename the VIDEO_TS.IFO to something else and I drop the .VOB on MC, it gives me the above error.

As you have already figured out, we treat vob files as part of a DVD and play the entire dvd even if you only drop one vob file to MC.

Needless to say, VLC plays the .VOB file without a hitch....
gee, can't you please use VLC as an engine instead of the "fottuto" DirectShow???

VLC is not our program, so we can't just use it as our engine.

[Mr ChriZ]

VLC is also GPL licensed. 

[glynor]

Right, which makes it very difficult to link to from a non-GPLed application.  VLC's engine, while convenient, has a number of other issues as well (which I don't really want to get into)...

Just to confirm, I'm also not seeing any of the stability issues mentioned on any of my machines.  I can skip around in VOB files with reckless abandon.

[robydago]

yaobing,

DirectShof filters:
- Video Renderer
- Default DirectSound Device
- ffdshow Audio Decoder
- Overlay Mixer (grayed out)
- Line 21 decoder (grayed out)
- MPV Decoder Filter
- DVD Navigator

[Yaobing]

yaobing,

DirectShof filters:
- Video Renderer
- Default DirectSound Device
- ffdshow Audio Decoder
- Overlay Mixer (grayed out)
- Line 21 decoder (grayed out)
- MPV Decoder Filter
- DVD Navigator

Nothing out of the ordinary here. I was wondering whether another decoder might have been loaded.

You can try using a different video renderer. The program is using the Legacy video renderer. Try using VMR9.

[robydago]

yaobing,
just tried with two different DVDs and all renderers:

- with legacy
- with 7
- with 9

same problem with all of them (and sometimes MC starts to leak memory very fast, regardless of which renderer I select)

[JimH]

same problem with all of them (and sometimes MC starts to leak memory very fast, regardless of which renderer I select)

I wonder if you have a bad version of one of the DirectShow filters.  A google search might help find out.

[Yaobing]

I experienced the same problem if I move the position slider back and forth a couple of time: both programs pause playing showing the last displayed frame (but I can stop and resume playing from the start) or completely hang (starting a very fast memory leakage)

Did you play this file after importing it into MC, or just played it without importing it?

MPC is stable and seems to play smoothly if I directly (drag&drop) play the .VOB or its VTS_01_0.IFO file, but then I loose the menu with audio\sub selection.

With MC I can't do the same test:

If you do have a VIDEO_TS.IFO file, then you definitely should be able to drag and drop a vob file onto MC and start playing. Are you saying that you only have problem with vob files that do not have a VIDEO_TS.IFO?

[robydago]

Yaobing,
I tried both: just drag&droppin it on MC or importing it.

About the VIDEO_TS.IFO file:
MC always starts to look inside VIDEO_TS.IFO for info about what to play inside the .VOB file.
But if I have that file, both MC and MPC start to play the .VOB with the problems that I mentioned.

MPC can play the .VOB without the VIDEO_TS.IFO and it seems to not have those problems if I use the .VOB instead of the VIDEO_TS.IFO. (but there's no option to switch audio or subs when I play directly the .VOB)

I'd like to test MC with playing directly the .VOB, that's why I renamed the VIDEO_TS.IFO to something else, but apparently without that file MC can't even start to play the .VOB

[robydago]

I created a vmware environment where I installed only:

xp sp2 + latest ms updates and hotfixes (excluding IE7) + MC + CCCP

All are fresh clean default setups and I didn't install any other software (not even an antivirus!)

I just did some quick tests and MPC by CCCP has exactly the same problems I have with my real PC.
I tried with MC, but first I got the activemovie window popping up and after a couple of tries at changing somthing now every time I go to Tools>Options>Playback, the moment I click DVD Playback Settings... MC crashes.

guys, in vmware I have a super clean xp install, so I'm beginning to think that while playback problems can be DirectShow related (that's why MPC is having the problems as well) MC is more crash prone that most other softwares...

UPDATE: the "click DVD Playback Settings" crash is happening on my real XP as well! how can I stop it???

[robydago]

I've solved the 'mistery' of the .VOB playing problems: everything works if, and only if, I DON'T create a single .VOB file; so the "Split VOB files into 1GB size chunks" option in DVD Shrink must be selected.

If I create the single .VOB file, MC and other DirectShow players apparently work, but if I drag & drop the position slider far ahead from the current playing position, strange things happen (see my previous posts)

[ThoBar]

As a purely academic exercise, Can you try a "just under 2GB" VOB and a "just over 2GB" VOB? I wonder if we're running into the old fashioned 2GB file limit issue.... On that note, I take it you are using NTFS as a file system and not FAT?

Cheers,
C.

[robydago]

confishy:
- i'm using NTFS
- it took me too long to get to a working setup that now I don't think I'm going to do anymore tests! sorry; anyway I don't have any DVD handy that would fit your size requirements.

[ThoBar]

No probs... glad you sorted it out!