Home Build - Blu-Ray Help - Blu-ray Forum

cybergeo3 · 01-19-2009, 05:09 PM

Hello,

I recently built a new box for playing blu-ray discs. Everything is put together and working, but the blu-ray is not working properly. Here's a summary:

GIGABYTE GA-MA78GPM-DS2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
- onboard video ATI Radeon HD 3200 128MB DDR3 SidePort memory
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000 3.1GHz Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core Processor Model ADV60000DOBOX
LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-ray DVD-ROM SATA Model DH-4O1S-66
1 dimm of 2gb ddr2 kingston valueram (spec'd at 667 but it wouldn't run stable so I manually adjusted down to 500 in bios)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
50" Panasonic LCD HDTV 720p connected via hdmi

So I have tried both powerdvd8 ultra and totalmedia theatre. it would play in a choppy manner for about 10 seconds and freeze in both players. I installed anydvd and that doesnt seem to help. Now when I try to play the disc in totalmedia theatre, it won't begin to play.

Is the ram the source of my problem? When I bought all the stuff for the build online, I thought I already had ddr2 ram lying around, didn't and just bought a 2gig dimm at office depot to get the build done. Is there a minimum ram spec required for successful blu-ray playback? is it because I scaled it back to 500 causing a problem?

I have tested the drive and a regular dvd plays fine, no problems. Also, the blu-ray disc I am using to test is a free blu ray I got with a magazine with an episode of Coma starring Michael Madsen, I have not played it in another BD player so can't vouch for it, but I assume it's ok, and I'm waiting to actually buy a blu-ray disc until I confirm this drive will actually work.

I'd be happy to provide other info if it will help diagnose. I really appreciate any help you may be able to provide (because right now i'm sitting on $450.00 of non-working blu-ray

Nathan P · 01-19-2009, 05:16 PM

It could be the ram, i would suggest getting some proper DDR2 to see if that solves the problem. Also make sure you have all the latest drivers for your mobo and video card. Make sure your software is fully patched. After that you have only 2 things to look at. 1: update the firmare on your drive and your mobo BIOS. 2: Your video card might not be powerful enough to handle the decoding. I can't confirm at the mo as I currently use nvidia cards. Let me do some digging and I will get back to you.

Hope it helps.

cybergeo3 · 01-19-2009, 05:27 PM

I have upgraded the drivers and firmware. That didn't seem to help either. I actually tried a whole slew of different driver combos from ATI that I saw recommended on other forums, but the general consensus was that the catalyst center software was garbage and did more harm that good, so i reformatted and am trying with simply bare bones, only using the most up to date firmware for the drive, and drivers from gigabyte.
Thanks for the quick reply!!!

I should also mention I have successfully played a movie ripped into an 8gb 720p file. The system handles playback of that, just not official discs. go figure

Nathan P · 01-19-2009, 05:52 PM

If the system is playing back files fine from the hard drive then it is an issue with your BD drive, see if there are any newer updates for your drive and also any potential problems with your OS. Other than that the only thing I can think of is to return the drive and try a different model. Other than that I'm stuck

- but i throw out the problem to everyone else to assist you more

prerich · 01-19-2009, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybergeo3

I have upgraded the drivers and firmware. That didn't seem to help either. I actually tried a whole slew of different driver combos from ATI that I saw recommended on other forums, but the general consensus was that the catalyst center software was garbage and did more harm that good, so i reformatted and am trying with simply bare bones, only using the most up to date firmware for the drive, and drivers from gigabyte.
Thanks for the quick reply!!!

I should also mention I have successfully played a movie ripped into an 8gb 720p file. The system handles playback of that, just not official discs. go figure

My suggestion...You may not like it but I would buy an ATI HD4550 video card instead of using the onboard hd3200. Can you apply an extra 128-256mb of ram to the video side? If you can't here's where you can get the HD4550 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121281

trshaw · 01-19-2009, 11:18 PM

I'd start with the ram before moving to a vid card. having a single dim of DDR2 will cost you performance, think construction zones on highway. Close down one side and everything needs to slow down.

What version of Windows are you using? I'd strongly suggest adding a second stick of RAM (same specs) and that should help boost performance.

When it comes to DDR2 memory Always add/replace in pairs.

As DDR3 and the new i7 we'll have to start replacing in sets of 3

dadkins · 01-20-2009, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trshaw

I'd start with the ram before moving to a vid card. having a single dim of DDR2 will cost you performance, think construction zones on highway. Close down one side and everything needs to slow down.

What version of Windows are you using? I'd strongly suggest adding a second stick of RAM (same specs) and that should help boost performance.

When it comes to DDR2 memory Always add/replace in pairs.

As DDR3 and the new i7 we'll have to start replacing in sets of 3

WHAT?!?
Hate to break it to you, this machine(and many of others) have 3GB of ram.
That can be either 2 sticks where one is 1GB and the second is 2GB *OR* 3 1GB sticks.

Yeah, they're DDR2.

Please cite any reference to your post, Thanks!

prerich · 01-20-2009, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trshaw

I'd start with the ram before moving to a vid card. having a single dim of DDR2 will cost you performance, think construction zones on highway. Close down one side and everything needs to slow down.

What version of Windows are you using? I'd strongly suggest adding a second stick of RAM (same specs) and that should help boost performance.

When it comes to DDR2 memory Always add/replace in pairs.

As DDR3 and the new i7 we'll have to start replacing in sets of 3

Unless the OP is using a 64bit OS getting a second 2gb stick of ram does no good (32bit windows can't use more that 3gb of ram). Two GB of ram should be plenty (I've ran BD off of 1gb of ram before - I've always used at least a 256gb video card). As an A+ Technician there is no rule on ddr2 having to be "replaced in pairs" - that was a rule for rambus memory. The only reason to use pairs is to access the dual channel option - which if the OP is using 32bit windows - would mean 1 GB sticks (x2).

saljr · 01-20-2009, 07:37 AM

AeroCool M40-BK Black w/ quiet fan 3-80mm & 120mm
ASUS M3N78-EM w/ XP Pro 32bit
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5050e w/Scythe SCMNJ-1000
SAMSUNG 2.5" 32GB SATA II SSD
ASUS Black 6X Blu-ray Model:BC-06B1ST
ASUS EAH4670/DI/512M w/ZALMAN VNF100
DViCO FusionHDTV7 RT GOLD HDTV
G.SKILL PI Black(2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 4-4-4-12 1.8V

All for under $1k and super fast & quiet.

01-19-2009, 05:09 PM	#1
cybergeo3 New Member Member since:Jan 2009	Home Build - Blu-Ray Help Hello, I recently built a new box for playing blu-ray discs. Everything is put together and working, but the blu-ray is not working properly. Here's a summary: GIGABYTE GA-MA78GPM-DS2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - onboard video ATI Radeon HD 3200 128MB DDR3 SidePort memory AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000 3.1GHz Socket AM2 89W Dual-Core Processor Model ADV60000DOBOX LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-ray DVD-ROM SATA Model DH-4O1S-66 1 dimm of 2gb ddr2 kingston valueram (spec'd at 667 but it wouldn't run stable so I manually adjusted down to 500 in bios) Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive 50" Panasonic LCD HDTV 720p connected via hdmi So I have tried both powerdvd8 ultra and totalmedia theatre. it would play in a choppy manner for about 10 seconds and freeze in both players. I installed anydvd and that doesnt seem to help. Now when I try to play the disc in totalmedia theatre, it won't begin to play. Is the ram the source of my problem? When I bought all the stuff for the build online, I thought I already had ddr2 ram lying around, didn't and just bought a 2gig dimm at office depot to get the build done. Is there a minimum ram spec required for successful blu-ray playback? is it because I scaled it back to 500 causing a problem? I have tested the drive and a regular dvd plays fine, no problems. Also, the blu-ray disc I am using to test is a free blu ray I got with a magazine with an episode of Coma starring Michael Madsen, I have not played it in another BD player so can't vouch for it, but I assume it's ok, and I'm waiting to actually buy a blu-ray disc until I confirm this drive will actually work. I'd be happy to provide other info if it will help diagnose. I really appreciate any help you may be able to provide (because right now i'm sitting on $450.00 of non-working blu-ray

01-19-2009, 05:27 PM	#3
cybergeo3 New Member Member since:Jan 2009	I have upgraded the drivers and firmware. That didn't seem to help either. I actually tried a whole slew of different driver combos from ATI that I saw recommended on other forums, but the general consensus was that the catalyst center software was garbage and did more harm that good, so i reformatted and am trying with simply bare bones, only using the most up to date firmware for the drive, and drivers from gigabyte. Thanks for the quick reply!!! I should also mention I have successfully played a movie ripped into an 8gb 720p file. The system handles playback of that, just not official discs. go figure Last edited by cybergeo3; 01-19-2009 at 05:31 PM.

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01-19-2009, 05:16 PM	#2
Nathan P Active Member Member since:Dec 2007 Location:Island of Jersey	It could be the ram, i would suggest getting some proper DDR2 to see if that solves the problem. Also make sure you have all the latest drivers for your mobo and video card. Make sure your software is fully patched. After that you have only 2 things to look at. 1: update the firmare on your drive and your mobo BIOS. 2: Your video card might not be powerful enough to handle the decoding. I can't confirm at the mo as I currently use nvidia cards. Let me do some digging and I will get back to you. Hope it helps.

01-19-2009, 05:52 PM	#4
Nathan P Active Member Member since:Dec 2007 Location:Island of Jersey	If the system is playing back files fine from the hard drive then it is an issue with your BD drive, see if there are any newer updates for your drive and also any potential problems with your OS. Other than that the only thing I can think of is to return the drive and try a different model. Other than that I'm stuck - but i throw out the problem to everyone else to assist you more

01-19-2009, 11:18 PM	#6
trshaw Member Member since:Jun 2008	I'd start with the ram before moving to a vid card. having a single dim of DDR2 will cost you performance, think construction zones on highway. Close down one side and everything needs to slow down. What version of Windows are you using? I'd strongly suggest adding a second stick of RAM (same specs) and that should help boost performance. When it comes to DDR2 memory Always add/replace in pairs. As DDR3 and the new i7 we'll have to start replacing in sets of 3

01-20-2009, 07:37 AM	#9
saljr Active Member Member since:Nov 2006 Location:Stockton,California	AeroCool M40-BK Black w/ quiet fan 3-80mm & 120mm ASUS M3N78-EM w/ XP Pro 32bit AMD Athlon 64 X2 5050e w/Scythe SCMNJ-1000 SAMSUNG 2.5" 32GB SATA II SSD ASUS Black 6X Blu-ray Model:BC-06B1ST ASUS EAH4670/DI/512M w/ZALMAN VNF100 DViCO FusionHDTV7 RT GOLD HDTV G.SKILL PI Black(2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 4-4-4-12 1.8V All for under $1k and super fast & quiet.

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