Smooth Picture

[fr600]

I'm new here and I just want to say that VLC Media Player is an excellent software and I've been using it for quite a long time. I just upgraded to the latest version and I see a new feature called Sharpen. I was wondering if you could include Smooth feature to the player. For example, when I use Media Player Classic or jetAudio, the videos are smooth but in VLC Player, when I watch low resolution videos, I can see blocks if you know what I mean. It would be great if the picture quality is more smooth.

[Jean-Baptiste Kempf]

You mean postprocessing?

[fr600]

I don't know what postprocessing means but this is what I meant:

This is a screenshot taken from Media Player Classic:


This is a screenshot takken from VLC Media Player:


Do you see the difference? MPC is much smoother than VLC. Is that what postprocessing is?

[VLC_help]

You can enable better scaling by selecting Tools -> Preference... (show settings: all) Video -> Filters and tick Video scaling filter from under Video output filter module and select wanted mode from Video -> Filters -> swscale (Lanczos for example should look better) (save and restart VLC after change)

[fr600]

Thanks for your reply. When I tick Video scaling filter from under Video output filter module, I can hear audio but no video. :S

[VLC_help]

Other filters work OK?

[fr600]

Yes, other filters seem to work. I haven't tried all the filters since there are too many but from a randomly selected few I've tried, all worked.

[CloudStalker]

There's something else you might want to look into: Video output module. Check to see if it's set to DirectX video output (Preferences -> (tab) Video -> Output modules). CloudStalker has noticed that the other output modules, like DirectX 3D, can cause that type of "blur", pixelation.

[fr600]

DirectX 3D doesn't help either.. :S

[CloudStalker]

Um... what CloudStalker meant to say is: "try using DirectX video output" (without the "3D"), also, make sure that driver is up to date.

[fr600]

Wow! That worked. It should be the default setting for the player. Well, that's just my opinion.

Thanks for responding. I have one more question though. How do I save Extended Settings such a video effects? Everytime I edit it and restart the player, it's gone... Does CloudStalker has an answer to that as well?

[VLC_help]

Extended Settings doesn't support saving. You have to use Tools -> Preferences and select the filter from there.

[fr600]

OK, thanks a lot.

[VvWolverinevV]

There's something else you might want to look into: Video output module. Check to see if it's set to DirectX video output (Preferences -> (tab) Video -> Output modules). CloudStalker has noticed that the other output modules, like DirectX 3D, can cause that type of "blur", pixelation.

VvWolverinevV has noticed this as well Unfortunately, DirectX video output is not compatible with Windows Aero. I'm not sure which is more annoying: the pixelation or the constant switching back and forth between video output formats. Do you know why DirectX 3D causes that pixelation?

Edit:
The OpenGL video output format seems to also get rid of the pixelation and is compatible with Windows Aero. There are some other downsides to OpenGL, however. For example, in OpenGL mode, I don't see the playback controls GUI during fullscreen playback.

[VLC_help]

Do you know why DirectX 3D causes that pixelation?

If you use Windows 7, then it is a display driver bug.

[CloudStalker]

Edit:
The OpenGL video output format seems to also get rid of the pixelation and is compatible with Windows Aero. There are some other downsides to OpenGL, however. For example, in OpenGL mode, I don't see the playback controls GUI during fullscreen playback.

CloudStalker has looked at them all very carfully and has noticed that OpenGL is a little blurry in comparison to Direct X Video Output. To CloudStalker, Direct X Video Output seems to be the best but then again he's an XP user and doesn't have the same problems as Windows 7 driver bugs or Aero incompatibility.