Using the Xcard with other software?

[kojima]

So far the only problem I've had with the Xcard is that it doesn't handle B-frames properly. I've done quite a lot of research on the topic and concluded that the hardware is up to the task, but the software they provide doesn't handle them properly. So, I've heard the card uses Directshow, and in fact I can get .mpg movies to play through that card with media player. So, my question is, is it possible to use another application to play movies through the Xcard? I would imagine it would be similar to using an application to play movies on an mpeg2 decoder card like the Hollywood Plus card.

[ZenithalRavage]

Excuse my ignorance, but what are B-frames?
I've been encoding vbr divx with ac3 for quite some time now, but B-frames are new to me :rolleyes:, could you tell me what they are, especially taking into account that I'm waiting for my Xcard in backorder :D
greetz

[kojima]

B-Frames is one of the new "MPEG Tools" in DivX 5.0 and higher. Traditionally video compression uses what are called I and P frames. An I frame is a complete draw of a sceen (also called a key frame) sort of like loading a jpeg or bmp every pixel on the screen is represented, theese frames occupy the most space since every pixel gets a value. P frames are frames that only represent what's different since the last frame; imagine a newscast where the reporter is infront of a solid background, the I frame draws the whole image you see including the background, then the P frame determines that the background hasn't changed, but the reporter moved his head slightly to the right and his mouth moved, so it only draws those differences. so a set of frame might look something like this IPPPPPIPPPPPI. B-Frames are just an extension of the P frames, but it examine the frame before and the frame after to determine what changes, so it's more accurate and makes less mistakes so it takes up less space. So your frames might look like this IPBBBBPBBBBPI. You can also see there are less key frames needed which take up the most amount of space. Hope I didn't lose you there.

[ZenithalRavage]

woah! I had to read that a couple of times :rolleyes:
Quote from the Xcard readme:
"- No support for DivX 5 files with Global Motion Compensation(GMC)
and Quarter Pixel (QPEL)."

Is this the same problem we're talking about?

Also, I just got my Xcard in, I've got this problem that after I choose to open a stand alone file, I can't get the damn app back in DVD mode, so I can't play any DVD until I reinstall the thing...
Anybody with the Xcard have the same prob?

[trbarry]

I think there is another problem that is a show stopper for me but many probably won't care as much about. But the initial version of the Xcard is (IIRC) limited to an input resolution of something like 480 lines.

I had hoped it would be able to view the now possible high resolution HDTV->Xvid/Divx/mpeg4 clips with good hardware acceleration.

- Tom

[whome]

Is this card recomended at all...I have seen in several other forum that people have trouble with it...I have been thinkin of getting one though...;)...just in case it is any good...

[kojima]

Also, I just got my Xcard in, I've got this problem that after I choose to open a stand alone file, I can't get the damn app back in DVD mode, so I can't play any DVD until I reinstall the thing
All you have to do is right click on the Play button, you should then see the name of the DVD loaded in your drive. This software is a mess. It all works, but it's not very user friendly. I just wish we could use other software and have it use the Xcard to display. I heard you can do it with zoomplayer, but I haven't figured out how. Didn't they do it with the Hollywood+ card?

[ZenithalRavage]

thx for the tip :)

one other thing, when viewing a wide-screen Divx in full screen vga the app stretches the video vertically to get true full screen, but as a result the movie is disproportionate.
any solution for that?

[kojima]

Unfortunately not, you just have to encode the movie full frame. If you use the Psychvisual setting on Normal it shouldn't affect image quality.