G45 falls flat as HTPC

C

CrimandEvil

Dick with a heart of gold
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Oct 22, 2003
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I'm so surprised this hasn't been posted yet, seems the G45 is still suffering from some of the same issues that plagued the G965/G33/G35.

Brezenski also talked a bit about review ExtremeTech did of an Intel DG45ID motherboard, which also found that Blu-ray acceleration didn't work. Even after an update to the review, the Intel system was still only able to score 30 out a possible 100 on the HD HQV test performed.

Brezenski says that his sources -- presumably within Intel -- have told him that the low HD HQV test scores were the result of a software player issue. Brezenski says that properly configured advanced de-interlacing would raise scores 20 points higher, and while he admits those scores are still not perfect, he says they are workable. Brezenski hopes driver tweaks will help improve performance even more in the future.
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That's not the least of G45 problems. Perhaps the biggest issue of all -- especially considering G45 was expected to be an excellent HTPC chipset -- is that G45 is still unable to send 7.1 surround sound through a receiver. Considering the vast majority of home theater enthusiasts -- possibly the most likely to use the G45 chipset -- will have AV receivers in their home theaters, this one issue will be a deal killer for the majority of home theater enthusiasts.
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So, yeah. Intel has been saying "hope for a driver update" since the G965 to improve performance but I'm not going to bite until that update is finally out. It sounds like it's *possible* to fix the audio issue by changing the protocol used though.

Link
 
this has actually been on here a few times, i think like 3 but yea been posted before and old news, im happy with my g45 as of now, and its need intels fault on the audio side its the software devs who havent implemented that yet.
 
HQV really only matters if your talking about interlaced content. If you are using 720p or 1080p it doesn't matter. However the G35 scored very well and since this is just an upgraded version of that i'm sure it's just a driver and/or player thing. I do use interlaced content on a 119" screen and it looks fine to me.
AVC acceleration works just fine. For me I only have 7%-9% utilization. Extremetech obviously didn't know what they were doing when they set it up. And were using an older version of PowerDVD. A newer version works well. And total media theater works even better.

"is that G45 is still unable to send 7.1 surround sound through a receiver."

Not true at all. Who is this guy? 7.1 LCPM works just fine. I have tested it myself. If he's talking about protected content, well the board supports PAVP but you need the player to support it as well and right now no software player does. Break that copy protection though.....

Updated players are coming from both arcsoft and cyberlink. But as it stands now you'll have the same issue with ANY board with the current state of software players.

I have also heard it will currently bitstream 5.1 but haven't tested it. Now if it could bitstream 7.1 i'd be a happy camper. With the new players though....

What are the other options? 780G is only 2 channel over HDMI. Most people can't get 7.1 to work on the Geforce 8200, and the ATI cards have issues with some receivers(Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon) where there is no audio(fixed with a gefen DVI detective).
The G45 works with my receiver(yamaha), I get good HA with my files and 7.1 LCPM. So for me it's the perfect solution.
 
Archer75 said:
HQV really only matters if your talking about interlaced content. If you are using 720p or 1080p it doesn't matter. However the G35 scored very well and since this is just an upgraded version of that i'm sure it's just a driver and/or player thing. I do use interlaced content on a 119" screen and it looks fine to me.
AVC acceleration works just fine. For me I only have 7%-9% utilization. Extremetech obviously didn't know what they were doing when they set it up. And were using an older version of PowerDVD. A newer version works well. And total media theater works even better.

"is that G45 is still unable to send 7.1 surround sound through a receiver."

Not true at all. Who is this guy? 7.1 LCPM works just fine. I have tested it myself. If he's talking about protected content, well the board supports PAVP but you need the player to support it as well and right now no software player does. Break that copy protection though.....

Updated players are coming from both arcsoft and cyberlink. But as it stands now you'll have the same issue with ANY board with the current state of software players.

I have also heard it will currently bitstream 5.1 but haven't tested it. Now if it could bitstream 7.1 i'd be a happy camper. With the new players though....

What are the other options? 780G is only 2 channel over HDMI. Most people can't get 7.1 to work on the Geforce 8200, and the ATI cards have issues with some receivers(Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon) where there is no audio(fixed with a gefen DVI detective).
The G45 works with my receiver(yamaha), I get good HA with my files and 7.1 LCPM. So for me it's the perfect solution.
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I've also heard good things about the 8300. The asus offering is out there and the zotac matx board should hit soon.
 
Intel is working with people on the AVS forums to come up with a solution for 1080p 24p stuttering and are currently collecting data from anyone who will offer it.
My understanding is not all software players or TV's support 24p. I read a post by an arcsoft engineer and something like that was why it was a low priority for them.

AVC acceleration works fine despite what the article may say as does 7.1 LCPM(the rest is up to powerdvd and TMT). So 24p is the only real issue left for Intel.


zerodeefex said:
I've also heard good things about the 8300. The asus offering is out there and the zotac matx board should hit soon.
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The 8300 is just an 8200 with a slightly faster GPU. People still have issues getting that 7.1 working. Unless you meant the upcoming 9x00 series chipset?
 
These are real issues but in practice they will not affect everyone.

Repeater problem - solved with AnyDvd, which is essential for an HTPC anyway.
24p - is not as big a deal as its made out to be. How many people even know about 24p mode and enable it on their tv and player.
picture quality - since this is an upgraded G35 which scored almost perfect, there is no doubt it will get fixed soon.

G45 is still the best solution because of the great HA, 7.1 support, a stable and cool chipset. Its too bad the review sites have focused on the negatives only and keep treating the IGP as a gaming card, which it was never meant to be.
 
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