VPE enable/disable ?

[®®®]

Hi,

after reading about the new VPE3 on FX5700GO, vpe2 (all other FX5x00GO) and vpe1 (4x0go), i wondered why in my original and your inf the VPE is disabled by default. Why did nvidia disabled the video processing engine when they say at the same time:

"Integrated high-definition Video Processing Engine delivers the highest quality DVD, video, and display output available in the market today. Integrated hardware MPEG2 decoder reduces CPU utilization for DVD playback to provide a longer viewing experience"

and

"Industry?s most complete hardware MPEG2 decoder:

- offloads CPU for reduced power and longer playback on battery

- VPE for full-screen, full frame rate HDTV/DVD playback. Supports up to

1920x1080i ATSC format"

Any suggestions for vpeenable 1?

[LSudlow]

dontknow, I've always wondered the same thing. I'm sure Teraphy and Pieter are following tradition here, since literally every mobile inf I've ever seen has this option disabled. But you have to wonder why.

Just for fun, I've now enabled it on my FX Go5200. I'll post any behavior differences, if I see any.

[®®®]

but how to test it, if it does good during "video and display output". It says there is a MPEG2 decoder, so when looking DVDs the VPE "offloads cpu cycles". That is a thing which can be benchmarked, i think. There you'll see a difference maybe.

[LSudlow]

Maybe so. Otherwise I can't see any difference. There's no change in 3DMark scores and no visible difference when playing DVDs. I'll dig around and see if I can find a video benchmark somewhere.

There is one other possibility. Most of the references to it also refer to High Definition. Perhaps it's only useful when processing a true High Definition video source.

[Teraphy]

As LSudlow says, it is pretty much tradition. Every single OEM has placed VPEEnable in the file and it's always set to 0. I have not seen it in a desktop manufacturers file so perhaps in this case it won't be crazy to assume default = 1/on? But this could be crazily false.

It's all about the DVD resolution being displayed on a higher resolution LCD or external monitor and battery life -- starting with the 4Go's. "The video decode function represents up to 45% of today?s CPU overhead, if

handled entirely in software."

[mobilenvidia]

I've just uploaded 53.03 v11.65 beta 3.

In this beta I've enabled VPE, so the masses can decide.

I must actually try this on my TV and see if there is a difference.

Another related setting is HKR,, VPVer, %REG_DWORD%, 1

I assume that this set the version of VPE (1, 2 or 3) ??

Pieter.

[®®®]

yes, i read and compared some vpe-related .PDFs and nVidia marketing stuff and as i wrote as conclusion in the first post, there are three versions:

VPE3: on FX5700GO

VPE2: all other FX5x00GO

VPE1: 4x0go

[LSudlow]

According to this site:

http://www.sysopt.com/articles/gftweak/index4.html

VPEEnable doesn't refer to "VideoProcessingEngine", but to "VideoPortExtensions".

"Vpeenable: Enables DirectDraw video port extensions for increased performance for DirectX video applications"

[Teraphy]

I do believe they are in reference to same idea. Port extensions being a Microsoft software terminology while processing engine is what nVidia has termed the hardware for the mobile line. Both are meant to accelerate video.

[mobilenvidia]

Well, what ever it stands, for I've had it enabled since, 11.64 (I think).

No one has complained yet.

Would seem odd that nearly all INFs have this disabled, I havn't seen an INF with it actually enabled.

Must be enabled by default.

Pieter

[®®®]

GoodMorning,

Must be enabled by default.  

Yes i think so, too. Must be enabled by hardware.

Furthermore, and beat me for it, i still think that vpe stands for VideoProcessingEngine, cuz the above mentioned links/website is almost 3 yeasrs old and nvidia abreviated it as following:

Enhanced Video Processing Engine (VPE)

Enables superior quality DVD/video playback. Super-efficient DVD decoder and advanced digital pixel processing techniques result in consumer-quality video for notebook users (http://www.nvidia.com/page/fx_mobile.html)

[mobilenvidia]

video port extensions (VPE)  

The video port extensions to DirectX®. Driver developers for devices with a hardware video port should implement these extensions. The hardware video port is a dedicated connection between video devices, typically between an MPEG device or NTSC decoder and the video card. This dedicated connection carries horizontal sync (Hsync) and vertical sync (Vsync) information with the video data. The hardware video port and overlay can use this sync information to flip automatically between multiple buffers, writing to one surface while the overlay displays another. This allows tear-free video without burdening the application.  

Or look here : http://www.sysopt.com/articles/gftweak/index4.html

This is the most likely explaination of what VPE means, but it could also be this :

http://www.nvidia.com/object/LO_20020201_6003.html

Pieter.

[®®®]

nice descriptive pdf you found there, pieter.

maybe some driver developer guy from nVidia reads our postings and can bring some light in our problems/questions.

[®®®]

I now think that VPE has sth. to do only for Quadro Cards.

When browsing the 52.22 inf for the following GPUs

NVIDIA_NV05.DEV_0028.1 = "NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 2X AGP"

NVIDIA_NV05.DEV_0028.2 = "NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 4X AGP"

NVIDIA_NV05.DEV_0028.3 = "NVIDIA RIVA TNT2 Pro"

NVIDIA_NV05.DEV_002D.1 = "NVIDIA TNT2 M64 4xAGP"

NVIDIA_NV10.DEV_0100.1 = "ELSA Synergy Force"

NVIDIA_NV11.DEV_0113.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro2 EX"

NVIDIA_NV15.DEV_0150.1 = "32MB DDR NVIDIA GeForce2 GTS"

NVIDIA_NV15.DEV_0153.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro2 Pro"

NVIDIA_NV17.DEV_0178.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro4 550 XGL"

NVIDIA_NV17.DEV_017A.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro NVS"

NVIDIA_NV17.DEV_017A.2 = "NVIDIA Quadro NVS "

NVIDIA_NV18.DEV_018A.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro NVS with AGP8X"

NVIDIA_NV25.DEV_0258.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro4 900 XGL"

NVIDIA_NV25.DEV_025B.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro4 700 XGL"

NVIDIA_NV30.DEV_0309.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 1000"

NVIDIA_NV34.DEV_032B.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 500"

NVIDIA_NV34.DEV_032B.2 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 500 "

NVIDIA_NV34.DEV_032B.3 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 500 "

NVIDIA_NV35.DEV_0338.1 = "NVIDIA Quadro FX 3000"

there is the following entry under [NVIDIA.Mfg] l

%NVIDIA_NV05.DEV_0028.1% = nv4_WSApp2, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0028&SUBSYS_5A001092

%NVIDIA_NV05.DEV_0028.2% = nv4_WSApp2, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0028&SUBSYS_5A401092

%NVIDIA_NV05.DEV_0028.3% = nv4_novpe_WSApp2, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0028&SUBSYS_006010DE

%NVIDIA_NV05.DEV_002D.1% = nv4_novpe_WSApp2, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_002D&SUBSYS_000110DE

%NVIDIA_NV10.DEV_0100.1% = nv4_novpe_WSApp2, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0100&SUBSYS_0C481048

%NVIDIA_NV11.DEV_0113.1% = nv4_novpe, PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0113&SUBSYS_007010DE

What they did is VPEEnable 0 (disable VPE) for the pre-Geforce GPU generation. And they let it enabled by default for all Quadro Cards. So they explicitely implement this feature in that inf here for Quadro cards.