Several problems with RT2500 capture&export under Win2KPro

[dOdGE dIZ]

Hello there.

I just bought a RT2500 card and although installing & configuring had gone apparently smoothly (no crashes,no hang-ups,no conflicts) I'm beginning to have some problems now.

These manifest in four different forms:

-Some times while I'm capturing the system either hangs-up&crash (blue screen) or the picture from the "Capture Movie" window freezes and eventually resume a few seconds latter. Also, sometimes it displays the image at a slower frame-rate like it was in slow-motion;

-Complete system hang-up&crash when I'm trying to access the "Modify" window on the "Export movie settings" or when I click "Save" to actually begin exporting the movie (the "progress" window never shows up) or half-way through the export process;

-While trying to play the movies that I finally manage to export the system ALWAYS hangs-up&crash (I'm talking about an MPEG-2 movie exported using the Ligos plug-in). When I try to play that same movie under WinME none of the Windows players recognize it as a supported media;

-The sound capture setting is erratic. Every time I set the volume in the "Master Record" slider of the "Matrox RT mixer" (around half-way is the correct audible level) the next time I restart the computer,even if the slider stays more or less in the place I left it (I say "more-or-less" because it usually "slides" down a bit),the actual captured audio level goes ballistic with significant distortion (well I managed to work around this: every time I start the computer I reset the "Master Record" to a different level, exit "Volume Control", then re-enter it and set the slider at the right spot. This is very stupid & annoying but it works. But I rather have a volume control without attitude).

I really need URGENT help here because I have nearly 100GB of captured video and I better start exporting my projects or I'll run out of "room" very soon.


My configuration is as follows:

-MB: Asus A7V-133, ACPI BIOS rev. 1005A, with Promise ATA-100 FastTrak RAID controller (PDC20265 chip) onboard;
-Processor/RAM: AMD Athlon 1.2GHz/512MB SDRAM (FSB@133MHz);
-Video card: Matrox Millenium G400 AGP;
-Sound card: Creative SB Live! Value 1024 in PCI slot 1 (next to the AGP slot);
-V.Capture card: Matrox RT2500 linked to the G400 via VIP-cable, in PCI slot 4;
-SCSI Controler card: Adaptec AHA-2930U2, in PCI slot 5;

-System disk: IBM UltraStar SCSI-LVD 8.5GB (DNES-309170W)- Logical drives C: (PageFile,System & Programs) & D: (Audio capture & Audio preview scratch disk);
-Capture disks: Two IBM DeskStar ATA-100 38.5GB (IC35L040AVER07-0) in RAID-0 configuration - Logical Drives E: (Video capture & Video preview scratch disk) & F: (Storage);
-Storage disk: IBM DeskStar ATA-100 38.5GB (IC35L040AVER07-0) - Logical drives G: (Exported movies & Storage) & H: (WinME);

OS: Win2K Pro v. 5.0.2195 w/ SP-2 build 2195 installed (I also have WinME installed but I access it switching "Boot devices" in the MB BIOS, and is there only for test purposes);
File system: All NTFS except logical drive J: (FAT 32) because of WinME;
MB drivers: Via 4-in-1 v.4.32;

If you need any more information please ask.

[Dr Mordrid]

I'm presuming that you're running version 3.0 of the Matrox Video Tools given that you have an RT-2500.

I'd start out by backing up your Win2K installation then installing Service Pack 1 - Preview Release 3 for Matrox Video Tools 3.0 . While still a beta it fixes several problems in MVT 3.0. It's on the RT-2500 and RT-2000 download pages.

I'd also consider deleting the prem60.prf file in your Premiere 6 install folder. You'll lose your basic setups, but often this file gets corrupted or changed in "mysterious ways" that can bring Premiere to its knees. This is a long standing Premiere-ism and you wouldn't believe the symptoms a bad prem60.prf file can create.

What will happen is that when you next start Premiere 6 the prem60.prf file will be re-generated from scratch. You'll also have to do the preliminary setups as when you first used it. In any case it's one of the first things to look at when Premiere starts getting squirrely.

You might also find this interesting in terms of general system setups and optimization. It's an INT map of the slots and devices on your A7V-133 board;

AGP-Pro: INT-A & INT-B

PCI slot 1: INT-A
PCI slot 2: INT-B
PCI slot 3: INT-C
PCI slot 4: INT-D
PCI slot 5: INT-D

Promise: INT-B
Audio/AMR: INT-C
USB cont: INT-D

Note I said INT and not IRQ. Slots and onboard devices are mapped to one of four INT lines and can share them if the hardware drivers work right.

There are some devices, however, that should not share INT's and the SBLive is one of them. It can raise hell, especially in a VIA chipped system. If a VIA system is loaded things can get worse. It also isn't wise to place an SBLive where it'll share an INT line with the AGP card.

The reason for this: the SBLives are world class bus hogs.

So...the uppance is that you might want to give the other devices some breathing room by moving the SBLive to PCI-3. PCI-3 is unshared except for the AMR slot, which is not likely to be used anyhow.

Also check here for info on the dreaded "VIA 686b" bug (your board likely has this chip) and links to the fixes for same;

http://www.viahardware.com/686bfaq.shtm

Read the whole thing.

Dr. Mordrid

[dOdGE dIZ]

Thank you for your suggestions and for your interest Dr. Morbid.

Tried moving SB Live! into slot 3 and deleting the prem60.prf file, after yet another clean full install, and things keep the same. Or worst since I get a BSoD every single time I try to access the "Modify" window.

These are the messages I get:

***STOP: 0x0000000A (0xBB783000, 0x00000012, 0x00000001, 0x80455C00)
IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL

***ADRESS 80455C00 BASE AT 80400000, DateStamp 3da7ad60- ntoskrnl.exe

and

***STOP: 0x000000D1 (0x00000000, 0x00000012, 0x00000000, 0x00000000)
DRIVER_NOR_LESS_OR_EQUAL


Regarding the "VIA 686b" bug, after reading the FAQ you pointed out I think the only "fix" I'm preparing to use right now is already in place: the 4-in-1 drivers v. 4.32.

The only thing I haven't tried is the new Matrox Service Pack, and that's because the damn site keeps returning a script error every time I try to register.

I'm beginning to think that there's something wrong with my RT card.

Suggestions, PLEASE!...

[Elie]

You must try to register at the Matrox site dispite the errors.
Try a different browser etc, because that's where all your updates are.

Try the updated 4 -in 1 driver and see what happens.

Also you may want to install Win2K WITHOUT ACPI, on my system ACPI gives me major problems, so Win2K is installed an running perfectly after a reinstall of Win2K without ACPI.

I have my RT2500 system configured as so..

1-AGP = G400
2-PCI 1 = RT2500
3-PCI 2 = Promise FT 100
4-PCI 3 = Adpatec 2940 UW
5-PCI 4 = Turtle Beach Montego II soundcard
6-ISA 1 = blank
7-ISA 2 = 3Com Etherlink III

Running Win2K SP2, with Dual PIII 600 and 1 gig ram.

Hope this helps.

[dOdGE dIZ]

Thanks for your input Elie.

Actually I'm using the latest 4-in-1 drivers (v. 4.32) & because I finally got to semi-register (talk about some screwed-up script on that Matrox Registration Form web-page) so I'll be able to download that Video Tools update and give it a try.

Can you or anyone help me on how to set up my system without ACPI support (my Asus A7V-133 BIOS has it enabled by default and I can't figure out how to disable it).

Furthermore I found out that freeze&crashes occur when I'm choosing and/or configuring the compressor and its parameters in the "Export Movie Settings" window. If I switch or reconfigure any given compressor (I'm using the Ligos plug-in mainly) and then go to the "Modify" window it almost certainly freeze&crash, even if there's no movie to export. And when there's actually a project to export and things don't screw-up inside "Export Movie Settings", they will as soon as I click "Save" to start exporting.

But if I exit "Export Movie Settings" clicking OK after every single change, then exit and re-enter Premiere, and proceed configuring the export settings it won't freeze&crash. This is insane...

Another thing: when things eventually go the right way I get the small window with the export progression bar, the estimated time remaining to complete exporting and the exact frame count being exported. But then I get a movie I can only watch from beginning to end without random frame access. I mean, if I move the slider, from either the Matrox DVD player or Windows Media Player, from whatever position it's in the image freezes and I have to start from the beginning. This renders the movie useless to me but at least it won't hang the computer.

When things go the wrong way, I get that same small export progression window except the frame count is all wrong. It shows a much (MUCH) slower frame count towards the total number of frames of 132, instead of the 30,000 frames a twenty minute movie has. Although it takes the same time exporting as the "correct" way. And I get a movie a can navigate freely. Unfortunately it will freeze&crash the computer just a few minutes after I start playing it.

I hope I'm making sense to someone, as I certainly don't have a clue to what's happening. Can this be a bug from Premiere, the Ligos plug-in or the Matrox Video Tools?

If I wasn't clear somewhere (and I'm pretty sure I wasn't) please ask I'll try to explain further.

In the mean time... HEEEELP!!!

[Dr Mordrid]

*Theoretically* you can turn off ACPI from the Device Manager, but you also have to turn it off in the system BIOS to complete the task.

This works for some boards, but for others you will have to turn off power management in the BIOS then reinstall Win2K from scratch using the Standard PC option.

To get this option you press F5 when the blue screen displays prompting you to press F6. After a delay a menu will appear that allows you to select Standard PC.

Don't you just love Microsofts installers?

As for using a VIA chipped mainboard with the RT-2x00 and with an SBLive audio card in the mix, you don't want to know what I think of that witches brew....

Dr. Mordrid