Question HEVC decoding issue :/

[Ichisuke]

So... Just to be clear this is not an issue with an old computer not able to handle h265 videos.
These are my specs for short:
Gigabyte Z370 hd3p, i5 8400, 16 gb ram and a RX 580 GPU I'm using win10 x64 build 1909
The problem.... Trying to play 4k videos with pot player (or the integrate windows app) sometimes lead to serious choppiness and gpu usage up to 99%.... The only thing I can do is reboot and everything is fine. This problem happens randomly.
In pot player the issue persist both using hardware or software decoding.... and even in software mode the GPU load goes to 99%...
I'm not able to find a solution apart from formatting (I really don't want to do that) or as I said rebooting when this happens...
Since I don't have many 4k videos maybe this problem has always been there and I neverd noticed it.

Can someone point me in the right direction?

Hope so, thank guys!

 

[Ralston18]

Reinstall pot player. May be corrupted or buggy.

Use Task Manager or Resource Monitor to observe system performance while doing other things and then while watching 4k videos.

Look for some bottleneck that develops when watching the videos.

What PSU is installed: make, model, wattage, age, condition?

 

[Ichisuke]

Reinstall pot player. May be corrupted or buggy.

Use Task Manager or Resource Monitor to observe system performance while doing other things and then while watching 4k videos.

Look for some bottleneck that develops when watching the videos.

What PSU is installed: make, model, wattage, age, condition?

The problem happens both in pot player and in the video app of windows 10 so I don't think is a pot player issue. I'll try a full uninstall and reinstalling it.

As soon as it happens again I'll try monitoring the system, I should try launching a game and see what happens.

The PSU is a cooler master mpx5501, it's reaching its one year old.

 

[Ralston18]

When you monitor establish a baseline:

1) Monitor with the window open and the system just idling. Watch to determine if any updates, backups, or AV scans launch in the background. Or some app just "phones home".

2) Monitor with the window open while doing working or just browsing the internet.

3) Monitor with the window open while gaming.

Also add up the combined wattage requirements of all installed components. If a component has a listed wattage range then use the highest value. Total up and add 25% more.

How close is that total to 550?

 

[Ichisuke]

When you monitor establish a baseline:

1) Monitor with the window open and the system just idling. Watch to determine if any updates, backups, or AV scans launch in the background. Or some app just "phones home".

2) Monitor with the window open while doing working or just browsing the internet.

3) Monitor with the window open while gaming.

Also add up the combined wattage requirements of all installed components. If a component has a listed wattage range then use the highest value. Total up and add 25% more.

How close is that total to 550?

I've used a website to calculate the power consumption. It tells me that my load wattage should be of 468watt. Anyway the issue happen as soon as I start windows. So the system (at least the gpu) is in idle and it's not doing any "work".

 

[Ralston18]

468 with or without an extra 25%


Does the following link show your motherboard?

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813145040

Pull the GPU.

Try using one of the motherboard's integrated video ports.

Do the problems continue?

 

[TerryLaze]

468 with or without an extra 25%


Does the following link show your motherboard?

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813145040

Pull the GPU.

Try using one of the motherboard's integrated video ports.

Do the problems continue?

It's very hard to believe it could be the power if a reboot fixes it.
The closest would be that some power hungry app hangs while trying to watch these videos and even then it would be the apps fault for freezing.

Trying the iGPU is a very good suggestion,even though integrated it fully supports decoding of 4k hevc ,could tell you if it's a GPU driver that's causing the problem,make sure to download the newest drivers from intel before trying this though.

Windows 10 also allows you to select the GPU for each program so you don't even need to pull the GPU.
https://www.top-password.com/blog/enable-high-performance-gpu-for-windows-10-apps-or-games/

 

[Ichisuke]

468 with or without an extra 25%

I've remade it https://outervision.com/b/mjAxqQ



Sorry guys I'm lost in transition here... What do you mean by pulling the gpu in this scenario? x'D
Removing it from the motherboard?? x'D

The closest would be that some power hungry app hangs while trying to watch these videos and even then it would be the apps fault for freezing.

Trying the iGPU is a very good suggestion,even though integrated it fully supports decoding of 4k hevc ,could tell you if it's a GPU driver that's causing the problem,make sure to download the newest drivers from intel before trying this though.

Windows 10 also allows you to select the GPU for each program so you don't even need to pull the GPU.
https://www.top-password.com/blog/enable-high-performance-gpu-for-windows-10-apps-or-games/

-I don't have any apps apart from the default one within windows 10 and pot player.... and both give me the same issue at the same time....

- I cannot select the intel gpu at the moment because it's not "detected" with my current configuration. I have to use the motherboard HDMI and then I'm able to "switch" between iGPU and the radeon one. But I'm gonna trying to see if I have the same issue with the iGPU. I didn't think about that....

As I'm writing the issue is there. I've tried launching some different games.... didn't notice anything weird while gaming.... I didn't try playing a game while the video is playing...

I'm gonna cleanup the amd driver and reinstall those first. See if the problem it's still there.
And then I'm gonna switch over to the iGPU if I notice something again... ...

 

[TerryLaze]

-I don't have any apps apart from the default one within windows 10 and pot player.... and both give me the same issue at the same time....

So you have at least two apps that could have some task freezing, multiplying the power draw every time you open it again,all software is multithreaded now they can have a thread lock up and still continue to behave normally.

- I cannot select the intel gpu at the moment because it's not "detected" with my current configuration. I have to use the motherboard HDMI and then I'm able to "switch" between iGPU and the radeon one. But I'm gonna trying to see if I have the same issue with the iGPU. I didn't think about that....

Yes you have to connect a monitor to the mobo,this can still be your normal monitor if it has multiple inputs you can change them from the monitors menu.

 

[Ichisuke]

So you have at least two apps that could have some task freezing, multiplying the power draw every time you open it again,all software is multithreaded now they can have a thread lock up and still continue to behave normally.

Yes you have to connect a monitor to the mobo,this can still be your normal monitor if it has multiple inputs you can change them from the monitors menu.

Oh I've found out I can actually keep the connection to the hdmi of the AMD. In the bios I can enable the iGPU but then I have another option where I must select if I want to use the video outpu of the GPU or the iGPU. At the moment I'm still using the HDMI of the AMD, but now I can choose in windows 10 if I want pot player to use the AMD or Intel video. As soon as I get the issue I'm gonna try switch the option and see what happens.... Now I'm gonna still wipe the amd driver.

But why both video apps should behave like that? It must be a GPU or driver issue.

 

[TerryLaze]

But why both video apps should behave like that? It must be a GPU or driver issue.

Yes that's what I'm saying ,there could be a problem causing the decode thread to freeze when you stop playing a video so it keeps drawing power,then you start it again and it draws even more power and so on.

 

[Ralston18]

From your original post:

"In pot player the issue persist both using hardware or software decoding.... and even in software mode the GPU load goes to 99%..."

Use Task Manager to what watch the Processes tab with respect to the GPU. Remember that you can click the column header to sort the data: low to high or high to low.

You should be able to see what Name(d) process is taking/grabbing the CPU The Performance tab can also be helpful - scroll down to the GPU(s).

If you right click that Name(d) process one of the displayed menu options is "End task".

The overall idea being if you can spot one or more identifiable (video) processes grabbing GPU % you may be able to end that task and consequently see the GPU % drop.

Especially, if a process is appears to be running multiple times.

You may discover as the GPU % increases (precluding the eventual freeze) that you can intervene with an "End task". Hopefully lowering the GPU % accordingly. If the process returns and GPU % increases then you will know that something is wrong with that process.

What you are looking for is some behavior per @TerryLaze's post (#11 above).

 

[Ichisuke]

Yes that's what I'm saying ,there could be a problem causing the decode thread to freeze when you stop playing a video so it keeps drawing power,then you start it again and it draws even more power and so on.

The problem happens instantly as soon as windows 10 boot and I start a 4k video. So there isnt't anything playing before. Anyway I'm monitoring the situation. Now I have enabled the intel gpu. But I'm still connected to the 580 and I can see that pot player is actually using it. No issue from yesterday.... I'm waiting for the issue to occur and then changing to the igpu and see what happens.

 

[Ichisuke]

Ok guys. The problem is still there. Switching betwee gpu in windows 10 a sstated above doesn't solve the issue with the AMD. I mean that with the intel gpu I have no issue but switching back to the AMD the issue is still there.
I made some screenshots
here the video is playing in the background
It's actually a video I've made with my smartphone, but it does the same with other 4k sources
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FrL87-7Zm0kNWpKBUbH6umTSu339S_oO/view?usp=sharing

Here I'm also playing RE2 demo while letting the video play
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BJPc2CoSq0_gIDzJUjyC9KKqGRc-KInu/view?usp=sharing
BTW the game was playing fine

I've already clean up the AMD driver with the clean tool provided by AMD and reinstalled the latest version.

Do you suggest I could try hooking up the hdmi cable to the motherboard and let the intel gpu "passthrough" the amd and see if the issue remain?

I didn't noticed anything strange in the process tab... Didn't make screenshots of the performance tab but there isn't anything eating resources...
Some other screenshots

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oJoyJ4J2hVb6eD_u-OxrtEWjSLrSJhN9/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FhtXMWA2dxfX53rOXawPspgmQ1HxVKp-/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YAdj2nppXlwnXOjLTlMsktSyEGaSkcbR/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eQRvPiZHXXC3SnVtTQE19mFWuBOl0GwD/view?usp=sharing