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I am having a problem with the Matrox Video tools for my new G450eTV in Windows 2000 and Win98SE. PC = 1.1 GHz Celeron on a Abit BX6 rev2 , 750 MB Crucial PC133 RAM, Multiple Ultra 100 7200 RPM Hard drives running off a Promise Ultra 100 TX2 controller. This is a dual monitor box running a G450eTV and a PCI G200 16 megs. This machine dual boots Windows 2000 Pro Primary and Windows 98se for some maintenance tasks. Both operating systems are up to date, fully patched and disk utilities are run weekly. I didn't intend to install the video tools in 98 but I went ahead so I would have something to compare to.
I downloaded and installed the last Matrox posted drivers, video tools and BIOS flash.
Installing my G450eTV In Win98 I had no problems installing both drivers and video tools. However in Win 200 if I try to install the video tools with Dual Head checked ,... it installed, but it wouldn't load. Eventually I attempted an install without checking the dual head features and then video tools installed and loaded normally.
In Win2000 I set up a brand new dedicated hard drive as my capture drive. = 60 GB Ultra 100 7200 RPM logical NTFS. This is running as the Master on the secondary channel of my Promise TX2100 controller. I am using the entire 60 GB NTFS Logical drive as the capture volume. Defrag is not an issue because nothing is, or will be kept on the drive. Matrox Hard drive benchmarks = 29.59 MB/sec. In fact all my volumes are above 20 MB/sec and most are above 25. The capture drive is strictly for capture... a temp drive ... so there is no defrag issue.
TV plays fine and looks good. But capture is unusable. I drop more frames then I get!I am attempting to capture a TV broadcast at mpeg-2 704X480 1.02 MB/sec. When I start the capture I am running no applications and 33 processes, including Norton Anti Virus and ZoneAlarm although turning them off makes no difference.
After turning off everything I can, and then starting video tools I am running 3 to 12 percent CPU. Then I start to record. It jumps to 100 percent
Frames captured = 421
Frames dropped = 794
Duration = 40 sec
And when I boot into 98 and attempt a recording, I have more reasonable results but I am still dropping 300 frames an hour.
My old PCI G200 Marvel with DVD decoder has to use old Win98 5/2000 drivers and video tools, but I find them easier to work with,... but maybe I am not use to the new video tools. And with the DVD module image quality is exceptionably good. I have exactly the same CPU and 500 megs of Crucial registered ram and similar 7200 RPM drives on the G200 machine, but when I record at the highest level = 704X480 CD quality audio and 3.102 MB/sec, I am only using 68 to 69 percent of CPU. Playback quality is very good. So by comparison, recording with my G200, at three times the MB/sec I usually drop 2 frames in an entire session! This experience has really made me appreciate my old hardware based PCI G200! I am really glad I didn't sell it!
Matrox tech support suggested I might have a IRQ issue even though none was showing in Device Manager. In order to resolve this I un installed and removed Both the PCI G200 for the second monitor PCI 0 and the SCSI controller on PCI 4. So now I just have the G450eTV in the AGP....PCI 2 with Promise Controller ...PCI 3 = NIC.... PCI 5 SB Live value.
Didn't help at all.
Next I reinstalled the video tools and drivers ...no change ....and then tried installing the older drivers on the Matrox CD. These actually installed easier, but it didn't solve the Win2K capture problem. If I boot into Win98 and try to record TV ....I can do it but I drop 300 frames per hour.
Does anybody have know what could causing this?
My PCI G200 rarely drops any frames...maybe 2 to 6 in an entire recording sesson....so what is considered normal for the G450eTV
thanks for the help
m
I downloaded and installed the last Matrox posted drivers, video tools and BIOS flash.
Installing my G450eTV In Win98 I had no problems installing both drivers and video tools. However in Win 200 if I try to install the video tools with Dual Head checked ,... it installed, but it wouldn't load. Eventually I attempted an install without checking the dual head features and then video tools installed and loaded normally.
In Win2000 I set up a brand new dedicated hard drive as my capture drive. = 60 GB Ultra 100 7200 RPM logical NTFS. This is running as the Master on the secondary channel of my Promise TX2100 controller. I am using the entire 60 GB NTFS Logical drive as the capture volume. Defrag is not an issue because nothing is, or will be kept on the drive. Matrox Hard drive benchmarks = 29.59 MB/sec. In fact all my volumes are above 20 MB/sec and most are above 25. The capture drive is strictly for capture... a temp drive ... so there is no defrag issue.
TV plays fine and looks good. But capture is unusable. I drop more frames then I get!I am attempting to capture a TV broadcast at mpeg-2 704X480 1.02 MB/sec. When I start the capture I am running no applications and 33 processes, including Norton Anti Virus and ZoneAlarm although turning them off makes no difference.
After turning off everything I can, and then starting video tools I am running 3 to 12 percent CPU. Then I start to record. It jumps to 100 percent
Frames captured = 421
Frames dropped = 794
Duration = 40 sec
And when I boot into 98 and attempt a recording, I have more reasonable results but I am still dropping 300 frames an hour.
My old PCI G200 Marvel with DVD decoder has to use old Win98 5/2000 drivers and video tools, but I find them easier to work with,... but maybe I am not use to the new video tools. And with the DVD module image quality is exceptionably good. I have exactly the same CPU and 500 megs of Crucial registered ram and similar 7200 RPM drives on the G200 machine, but when I record at the highest level = 704X480 CD quality audio and 3.102 MB/sec, I am only using 68 to 69 percent of CPU. Playback quality is very good. So by comparison, recording with my G200, at three times the MB/sec I usually drop 2 frames in an entire session! This experience has really made me appreciate my old hardware based PCI G200! I am really glad I didn't sell it!
Matrox tech support suggested I might have a IRQ issue even though none was showing in Device Manager. In order to resolve this I un installed and removed Both the PCI G200 for the second monitor PCI 0 and the SCSI controller on PCI 4. So now I just have the G450eTV in the AGP....PCI 2 with Promise Controller ...PCI 3 = NIC.... PCI 5 SB Live value.
Didn't help at all.
Next I reinstalled the video tools and drivers ...no change ....and then tried installing the older drivers on the Matrox CD. These actually installed easier, but it didn't solve the Win2K capture problem. If I boot into Win98 and try to record TV ....I can do it but I drop 300 frames per hour.
Does anybody have know what could causing this?
My PCI G200 rarely drops any frames...maybe 2 to 6 in an entire recording sesson....so what is considered normal for the G450eTV
thanks for the help
m