0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

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Fritzle
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0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by Fritzle »

XnView: MP 0.85 - 64-bit
OS: Windows 10 - 64-bit

Effect: Video playback of mp4 video files (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC) stuttering

While mp4 video files were playing smoothly with version 0.83, stuttering playback started since version 0.84. I silently hoped version 0.85 would resolve that issue, but it still persists. Same program settings used for all versions.

I was able to avoid stuttering playback and getting back version 0.83 behaviour by replacing file QtAV1.dll with file QtAV.dll still found within version 0.85 installation directory

To reproduce:
Open mp4 video file in preview or browser window.

Actual behaviour: mp4 video playback stuttering
Expected behaviour: mp4 video playing smoothly like with version 0.83

Unfortunately, file size of example.mp4 file is about 32 MB and refused as attachment.
-> File may be downloaded at https://www.magentacloud.de/share/op00ho9.am for next view days.
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helmut
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Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by helmut »

Thanks for your bug report with a sample video included, Fritzle. When viewing the mp4 video one can clearly see the stuttering which is pretty bad (Windows 10 64bit, notebook with low level video cartridge).

By default, XnView MP uses the internal video player (QTAV). What you could try is using an external video player by setting useInternalVideoPlayer=false in section [%General] of configuration file "xnview.ini". But this is just a workaround.

:arrow: Reproduced
arspr
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Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by arspr »

Hey, I had also complained about XnView video player being a fully crap.

I didn't know it was a bug... I mean I'm a new user just from 0.84. I didn't know it worked fine in 0.83.

Nevertheless, install LAV Filters, use external player and it should be perfect. Other bugs, like the main one described in that linked thread, are also bypassed.
arspr
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Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by arspr »

Fritzle wrote: I was able to avoid stuttering playback and getting back version 0.83 behaviour by replacing file QtAV1.dll with file QtAV.dll still found within version 0.85 installation directory
Damn, I was going to test your trick (I mean replacing QtAV1.dll with old QtAV.dll) but it doesn't exist in my installation.

Would you mind uploading it? More over, would you mind testing the issues from the thread I mentioned before in your "hybrid" 0.83-0.85 XnView?
Fritzle
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Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:05 pm

Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by Fritzle »

Hey arspr,

maybe old QtAV.dll was a remainder of previous version 0.83 installation. I usually copy version 0.nn installation directory XnViewMP to directory XnViewMP.0.nn before upgrading inplace to a newer version not uninstalling previous version before. So I am able to compare different versions.

You will find previous program versions here. Download version 0.83, take QtAV.dll from there and replace QtAV1.dll.

Testing the issues from the thread you mentioned before I found:
  • Playing video file H.264/MPEG-4 AVC with version 0.83 and pressing pause button lets stop video playback but keeps audio playback of video file going on. Trying to manually set video position afterwards makes program freeze.
  • Using old QtAV.dll within version 0.85 however lets me pause video and audio playback. After manually setting to a new video position, playback can get restarted successfully from that position.
  • I then recoded my example video to H.265/MPEG-4 HEVC. Same behaviour as above. Success. Recoded file example.h265.mp4 may also be downloaded from here.
As I did not notice any disadvantages so far, trick seems to be a reasonable workaround as long as issue does not get solved otherwise.
arspr
Posts: 76
Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2017 12:25 pm

Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by arspr »

Fritzle wrote:Hey arspr,
You will find previous program versions here. Download version 0.83, take QtAV.dll from there and replace QtAV1.dll.
Done. Thanks!

I can confirm 0.83's QtAV.dll is *nearly* perfect. So, it really seems 0.85's QtAV1.dll is a regression.

Why do I say *nearly*? Well, because 0.83's QtAV.dll seems to veeeeery slightly stutter against LAV Filters/MPC-HC. I mean, I don't actually see any stuttering but somehow LAV Filters/MPC-HC playback seems more smooth. It feels like 0.83 were "dropping" frames, like the refresh rate were slower. (I'm no video expert so I cannot exactly describe the effect, and maybe I'm plainly wrong...)

Curiously enough 0.83's QtAV.dll and 0.85's QtAV1.dll seem to have quite similar memory usages. Compare the following screenshots (0.85 was posted in the other thread first).



Fritzle wrote:Testing the issues from the thread you mentioned before I found:
  • Playing video file H.264/MPEG-4 AVC with version 0.83 and pressing pause button lets stop video playback but keeps audio playback of video file going on. Trying to manually set video position afterwards makes program freeze.
  • Using old QtAV.dll within version 0.85 however lets me pause video and audio playback. After manually setting to a new video position, playback can get restarted successfully from that position.
  • I then recoded my example video to H.265/MPEG-4 HEVC. Same behaviour as above. Success. Recoded file example.h265.mp4 may also be downloaded from here.
Err... Those are new bugs... that I cannot replicate. My hybrid 0.85-0.83 installation does not crash. It "perfectly" works with my H.264 or H.265 files. (Although I haven't downloaded your examples).
Attachments
0.85 QtAV1.dll - Stuttering
0.85 QtAV1.dll - Stuttering
0.83 QtAV.dll disguised as QtAV1.dll - OK
0.83 QtAV.dll disguised as QtAV1.dll - OK
Fritzle
Posts: 13
Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:05 pm

Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by Fritzle »

New bugs?

No, I didn't talk about new bugs but version 0.83 bugs which have been resolved in version 0.85, and stay resolved even when taking file QtAV.dll from old version and replacing new version's QtAV1.dll.
arspr
Posts: 76
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Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by arspr »

Fritzle wrote:New bugs?

No, I didn't talk about new bugs but version 0.83 bugs which have been resolved in version 0.85, and stay resolved even when taking file QtAV.dll from old version and replacing new version's QtAV1.dll.
Err... right... I didn't correctly read your previous post...

(The problem of speed-reading through Internet, more over when you are not reading in your mother language).
ckit
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Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by ckit »

I don't see a problem with this with v0.86

My Intel i5-6500 Skylake Quad 3.20Ghz (nVidia GTX 960) was about 32-36% in preview window and about 40-43% in viewer mode. Most of my videos are MP4 H.264 or MKV H.264, I have messed with H.265 but the Blu-ray media player connected to the TV won't play them

I do see a resource leak though, Windows Explorer is using 25-29% all the time now after closing XnViewMP... ok now I'm not happy
AMD Ryzen 3 3300X 3.8Ghz, 16Gb DDR4, RX6600XT with Dell U2520D at 2560x1440@60Hz
Windows 11 Pro x64 23H2, PowerToys and Wintoys
arspr
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Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by arspr »

Strange. I've undone the 0.83 trick and, in my system (i5-4590 @ 3.3GHz and also a nVidia GTX 960 2GB), everything seems the same... I attach a new screenshot.

Buuuuut, stuttering is MUCH worse and noticeable in H265 files. (Or, at least, in the H265 vs H264 files I have). In H264, it's there but you have to look for it.

(I'm just reverting to useInternalVideoPlayer=false).
Attachments
0.86 is buggy for me. No differences with 0.85.
0.86 is buggy for me. No differences with 0.85.
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xnview
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Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by xnview »

Fritzle wrote:I was able to avoid stuttering playback and getting back version 0.83 behaviour by replacing file QtAV1.dll with file QtAV.dll still found within version 0.85 installation directory
Simply by replacing the dll, you have no more problem??
Pierre.
arspr
Posts: 76
Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2017 12:25 pm

Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by arspr »

xnview wrote:
Fritzle wrote:I was able to avoid stuttering playback and getting back version 0.83 behaviour by replacing file QtAV1.dll with file QtAV.dll still found within version 0.85 installation directory
Simply by replacing the dll, you have no more problem??
Well I'm not Fritzle but I could reproduce his steps... So here I go...

Yes, at least in my system if I use QtAV.dll from 0.83 (renamed to QtAV1.dll of course), Video Player is much more smooth.
(But as I say, I do have the impression my external LAV Filters are still better, if only slightly. And of course, they have much better CPU usage as they use GPU acceleration).
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xnview
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Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by xnview »

arspr wrote: Yes, at least in my system if I use QtAV.dll from 0.83 (renamed to QtAV1.dll of course), Video Player is much more smooth.
When playing example.h265.mp4?
(But as I say, I do have the impression my external LAV Filters are still better, if only slightly. And of course, they have much better CPU usage as they use GPU acceleration).
Strange, perhaps a bug in this version of QtAV, i'll update it
Pierre.
arspr
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Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by arspr »

xnview wrote:
arspr wrote: Yes, at least in my system if I use QtAV.dll from 0.83 (renamed to QtAV1.dll of course), Video Player is much more smooth.
When playing example.h265.mp4?
Yes, it also happens there but it's quite less noticeable than in my Samsung NX1 h265 files.

I upload a small sample clip I've just recorded doing smooth circles with the camera. (It's in DropBox).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/be2ujkvnamm9o ... 1.MP4?dl=0

Nevertheless, even 0.83 stutters slightly. In this new sample file it's much more noticeable:
  • LAV Filters (useInternalVideoPlayer = false). Completely smooth.
  • 0.83 QtAV.dll disguised as QtAV1.dll (useInternalVideoPlayer = true). Small stuttering.
  • 0.86 QtAV1.dll (useInternalVideoPlayer=true). It's just horrible...
xnview wrote:
(But as I say, I do have the impression my external LAV Filters are still better, if only slightly. And of course, they have much better CPU usage as they use GPU acceleration).
Strange, perhaps a bug in this version of QtAV, i'll update it
QtAV is just much worse than LAV Filters. I also upload CPU usage screenshots from both files within the three scenarios (LAV filters, 0.83, 0.86). And you can compare how Fritzle's file is much lighter than mine...

(I have a nVidia 960 GTX 2 MB).
Attachments
1 - External Video Player - LAV Filters
1 - External Video Player - LAV Filters
1 - Internal Video Player - QtAV from 0.83 (renamed to QtAV1)
1 - Internal Video Player - QtAV from 0.83 (renamed to QtAV1)
1 - Internal Video Player - QtAV1 from 0.86
1 - Internal Video Player - QtAV1 from 0.86
2 - External Video Player - LAV Filters
2 - External Video Player - LAV Filters
2 - Internal Video Player - QtAV from 0.83 (renamed to QtAV1)
2 - Internal Video Player - QtAV from 0.83 (renamed to QtAV1)
2 - Internal Video Player - QtAV1 from 0.86
2 - Internal Video Player - QtAV1 from 0.86
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xnview
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Re: 0.85: Stuttering mp4 video playback

Post by xnview »

arspr wrote: I upload a small sample clip I've just recorded doing smooth circles with the camera. (It's in DropBox).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/be2ujkvnamm9o ... 1.MP4?dl=0
Strange, i've tested, and no difference between 0.83 and 0.86 on my win8.1 :(
Pierre.
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