BetaPlayer with Intel 2700G support

11-22-04, 05:12 AM

I'am working on Intel 2700G support for BetaPlayer. I'am not ready to release a new unstable version yet, but you can try out and beta test the first preliminary version. At the moment the code supporing Intel 2700G is in a separate closed-source plugin. Install the plugin after you installed the player.

http://picard.exceed.hu/betaplayer

Once the latest player and the "intel2700g" plugin is installed there should be two new video options in menu. Select 'Intel 2700G Decoder' which will accelerate mpeg1 and mpeg4 decoding. The other 'Intel 2700G' will only use the accelerated overlay and scaling features of the 2700G leaving the video decoding to the cpu (Mostly for testing. It has no real advantages)

IMPORTANT: for better perfomance try using SD cards for storing movies instead of CF cards. There is a big speed difference which is probably caused by the X50v hardware. So even non-ultra or non-pro SD cards are faster for video playback as CF cards!

MarianoSF · 11-22-04, 05:43 AM

My second post here and all I can say is WOW !!! I'm getting my X50v today!!!! I have everything ready to welcome home my new baby :love:
Thanks Beta for the news and the hard work :approve:

Lifestream · 11-22-04, 06:59 AM

Very nice!
Can someone test the performance on this?

Ranma13 · 11-22-04, 07:31 AM

I'm guessing the reason why it's closed source is because of the Intel 2700G NDA? Also, how would you 'install' this plugin? I threw the file in the same directory as Betaplayer but it doesn't seem to make any difference in the file I'm trying to play.

I'll do more testing later with a bunch more files.

11-22-04, 07:38 AM

Originally Posted by Ranma13

I'm guessing the reason why it's closed source is because of the Intel 2700G NDA?

yes, but...

Originally Posted by Ranma13

Also, how would you 'install' this plugin? I threw the file in the same directory as Betaplayer but it doesn't seem to make any difference in the file I'm trying to play.

you have to install it the same way as with the player. there is two installing method choose whichever you like: exe for PC install via activesync, or the cab file (in zip) should be run on the x50v itself.

sorry i forget if you used betaplayer before the intel2700g plugin, you have to manually select the new 'Intel 2700G Decoder' menuitem under options/video.

Adrian Knack · 11-22-04, 07:41 AM

I know this is going to sound silly... but do you have any performance data Picard?

jusu · 11-22-04, 07:42 AM

Originally Posted by picard_beta

I'am working on Intel 2700G support for BetaPlayer. I'am not ready to release a new unstable version yet, but you can try out and beta test the first preliminary version. At the moment the code supporing Intel 2700G is in a separate closed-source plugin. Install the plugin after you installed the player.

http://picard.exceed.hu/betaplayer/test/0.093g/

Just a very quick and dirty check with starting scene of tripods. It's a 640*480 642 kbit/s clip, without the 2700 decoder speed 121% with the optimized decoder whopping 190% Bench. Data Rate being 1.2 Mbit/s. I'm playing the clip from a 45X CF card.

You have done it again Picard, to boldly go where no man has gone before!

Thanks.

Ranma13 · 11-22-04, 07:42 AM

...but...? I guess I shouldn't be asking. I found the video options, there's 2 of them though, one is Intel 2700G Decoder, and the other one is Intel 2700G. Going to test both out now...

Finished a quick test, played the file off of a 5GB microdrive and I turned on microdrive mode:

BetaPlayer Version UNSTABLE.0.093g Benchmark Results

Average Speed 177.19%
Video Frames 3330
Audio Samples 5354496
Amount of Data 12435 KB

Bench. Time 1:02.707
Bench. Frame Rate 53.10
Bench. Sample Rate 85389
Bench. Data Rate 1.6 Mbit/s

Original Time 1:51.111
Original Frame Rate 29.97
Original Sample Rate 48000
Original Data Rate 917 kbit/s

URL \CF Card\Great Teacher Onizuka Live Action - Episode 01.avi
Size 345583616
Platform PocketPC
OS Version 4.21
OEM Info Dell Axim X50
Clock speed 626 Mhz
Video output Intel 2700G 480x640 Slow
Audio output Wave Output 48000Hz 16Bits 2Ch.

---------------------------------------
checksum of this file: 12fb628ce868af12

This was using 'Intel 2700G Decoder'. Using standard Rawframebuffer, I got 116%, and using 'Intel 2700G' got me only 102%? Strange...

One more thing: I used to play videos at 100% zoom because scaling 512x384 to 640x480 made the video chunk so much it was unwatchable. I tried to upscale it this time using the new decoder and the video played smoothly but there was a lot of interpolation. Don't know if this is because of the video source or otherwise, but just an observation.

One more note: I'm not sure on this 100%, but it seems like 640x480 video chunks when changing zoom to 'fit screen', and playing it at 100% lessens this chunking. Not sure though, I'll test this in a little while once I find some source files.

11-22-04, 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by Adrian Knack

I know this is going to sound silly... but do you have any performance data Picard?

little better as hx4700 scores, but this is preliminary code.

probably currently the biggest issue is lcd tearing, but all other devices with gapi or raw framebuffer usage has this problem. only higher level API could solve it (like the one with 2700G), but appearently there is some problem with my code or the OS driver.

jusu · 11-22-04, 07:51 AM

Whoops, I actually wasn't running the video in its native resolition, now changed to landscape and the result was 194% Seems that scaling costs next to nothing with this optimization (and it shouldn't scaling is accelerated).

Lifestream · 11-22-04, 07:52 AM

Can someone bench this video from the betaplayer website so we know how it compares with other?
http://www.exceed.hu/~picard/samples...0_1500_128.avi

Ranma13 · 11-22-04, 08:00 AM

Ok, 640x480 video source at 100% vs 640x480 at 'Fit Screen' performs the same. Musta been my imagination.

I just tried another video file, it seems as though the playback speed is about the same with the same number of dropped frames (either that or low refresh rate) and the only advantage is in scaling. I'll try and find something with a high video bitrate that stutters though so I can see if playback is truly smoother or not.

Picard, would you rather that I run the tests using the sample footages you provide on your site? Or is it ok if I use the copious amounts of anime and movies I have lying around?

Just noticed something. Scaling using rawframebuffer looks like it's using bilinear scaling whereas scaling using 2700G decoder looks like bicubic.

11-22-04, 08:06 AM

Originally Posted by Ranma13

I just tried another video file, it seems as though the playback speed is about the same with the same number of dropped frames (either that or low refresh rate) and the only advantage is in scaling.

Are you saying that without scaling the 'Intel 2700G Decoder' wasn't faster with some clips? It would be strange.

Originally Posted by Ranma13

Picard, would you rather that I run the tests using the sample footages you provide on your site? Or is it ok if I use the copious amounts of anime and movies I have lying around?

I tested the sample movies many times :) Please throw at it what every movies you have for testing.

Ranma13 · 11-22-04, 08:08 AM

Well, I'm going off what I perceive with my eye, and it doesn't SEEM like it's playing any more smoothly. I'll know more once I finish downloading RL_XQ_640x480. The nice big fat 1.5Mbps video should reveal all.

By the way, I added this into my last post but not before you replied:

Just noticed something. Scaling using rawframebuffer looks like it's using bilinear scaling whereas scaling using 2700G decoder looks like bicubic.

Any clarification as to what it is exactly?

jusu · 11-22-04, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by Lifestream

Can someone bench this video from the betaplayer website so we know how it compares with other?
http://www.exceed.hu/~picard/samples...0_1500_128.avi

I got 144,65% with that file, making X50v the new speedking with the huge marigin of 0.61% :)