DVD Playback Problem

[crazyfool]

Hi all,
I have just finished my first pc build and have got everything up and running. I built the pc as a gaming pc built also as a media pc to watch dvd on my 22 inch monitor. However I can;t seem to get any sort of decent quality playback of any dvds. I have tried loads of codecs both free and trial ones. I can get the dvds to play but playback is grainy, you can see artifacts on the screen and little black dots like you would see in the cinema. I thought it could be my dvd drive so i copied acouple films to the hd and played them. Same problem. Pictures and graphics during games are fine. My system is as follows:
Striker Extreme, Q6600, BFG 8800 GT 512 OC, 4 GB OCZ PC6400, 2 x 500gb hds, MCE 2005
I am currently using the ffdshow dvd codec. Any help on this issue would be appriciated.

[vinnyT]

Have you tried vlc (VLC media player - Overview), it's what I use for playing dvds.

[Lourdes]

I don't see how any software configuration would add grain and scratches so I'd presume it's the transfer of the DVD's themselves. But try VLC and use it to take some screenshots then upload them somewhere so we can see.

[nutter99]

ffdshow has LOTS of options some of which include adding noise (yes i know, why?) amongst other things

Anyway you need a proper DVD codec, Ive used PowerDVD, NVDVD etc in the past, have a look on somewhere like Download.com for a free trial or similar

If you dont mind the money, CyberLink Power DVD 7 - Ebuyer, bit more than id pay but nvm

[unxetas]

yup make sure it's not ffdshow doing something fishy.. Also try to un-install any codecs you might've tried but ended up not needing.

If that doesn't help, post some screenshots!

[crazyfool]

Thanks for your help guys. I haven't tried vlc mainly because i bought mce 2005 so that i could playback dvds via remote without being next to the computer as i would have to do in vlc. Also ffdshow is the only dvd decoder installed i uninstalled all of the previous one and the ones i have used to no avail where nvidia decoder platinum and a nero one which came with my drive amongst some other free ones. Also i dont think the transfer of the dvds is the problem as have also tried to play them from the dvd drive and have the same problem. i'll try and upload some screenshots so you can see how it looks.

[Funkstar]

What resolution is it running at? Is that the native resolution of the panel?

Also what colour deapth is windows set to?

This last point might sound silly, but are you siting right in front of your monitor? If so, you are going to pick up on any encoding and scaling artifacts far more than normal.

As an example, my 42" non-HD plasma looks great while being fed Freeview from my MediaPortal box when i'm sitting on the sofa. When I stand in front of it I can see all kinds of funky pixelation, part;y from the Freeview encode, partly from the panel stretching the 800x600 resolution to 42". But then it isn't designed to be viewed up close.

EDIT: remember, PAL video is only 720×576. That's not an easy scale up to 1680x1050 which is normal for a 22" screen.

[crazyfool]

My resolution is running at native 1680x1050, does that mean that this could be the issue, also how do i find out what colour depth windows is set to

[Funkstar]

right click on the desktop -> Properties -> Settings

You want it at 32-bit

It's good the monitor is running at its native resolution, that means and scaling is done by windows, the playback software or your graphics drivers. Monitors are terrible at doing this.

for a 22" monitor the optimal viewing distance is about 5.5ft

[crazyfool]

Yeh it is at 32 bit and even when sitting away from it the picture is still grainy with noticeable artifacts

[kalniel]

Funkstar has it.

You are upscaling from 720×576 to 1680x1050. Upscaling is hard, even for expensive dedicated hardware, and you will be just using the DVD software or your monitor.

Is it still grainy when you run in a window rather than full screen? There is also the issue of colour depth because LCDs are really rubbish at displaying the proper range of colours, so you notice a lot more banding and nastyness.

In short, LCD monitors are rubbish for DVDs.

[crazyfool]

Yes it is still grainy in a smaller window and i know that lcd cant display the full range of colours but i can watch dvds on a 19 lcd from a vista computer with no problems

[Boon72]

Nvidia cards are noturious for this, try using this codec pack (i do and have no issues with any dvd or hd-dvd)

Combined Community Codec Pack

[teachmech]

On my system this sort of thing happens when my 7900GT is overclocked, it makes DVDs look like 70 year old cinema. Now I'm not saying that this is the same problem but as your 8800GT is the OC version try adjusting back down to stock settings and try a DVD again.

Hopefully this may help.

[nutter99]

If its still grainy in the smaller window then its not upscaling thats the problem, its pos the OC on your gfx but im still banking on it being ffdshow as thats got so many options and I personally found it easy to produce bad results.

Can you try uninstalling ffdshow completely, and then putting on something else (you mention Nvidia decoder but dont mention if you tried that whilst ffdshow was installed?) ?

[crazyfool]

I tried Nvidia decoder without anything else installed, as i did with various other decoders. Seeing as ffdshow has so many options i'm going to find it difficult to see if it is this thats the problem, so does anyone know of any good free decoders