DVD video jerky when 1730 on battery. Any suggestions?

After 15-20 min (a)video gets jerky, (b)video and
audio no longer in sync, and (c)audio breaks up.
Only happens playing DVDs at full screen, in
1920x1200 resolution, and while running on battery.

Dell tech has tried all the "usual" solutions without
success.

Power settings have been checked and rechecked.
Anything drawing power not needed has been turned off
or power minimized. Latest BIOS (A09) replaced. All drivers
are latest versions. Registry entries checked for corrupt code.
Dell tech even downloaded (NVIDIA) NTune utilities to test vid
card temp settings, etc.

Dell says there is a "known conflict" between wireless
card settings and DVDs playing, but that is not the issue
here.

Dell suspected battery cannot power 8700 video card at
correct voltage as it begins to drain. So they replaced
battery. Problem remains.

They then replaced motherboard, vid card, and lcd screen.
Again, problem remains.

Finally, Dell replaced "rebuilt" 1730. But... latest replacment
1730 has same problem!

No one knows what to do next. Any suggestions?

 

Try disabling SLI, and see if the problem persists.

 

i just wrote a guide on a possible solution crystall, check it out: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=301449

best of luck!

 

Do not have SLI version. But thanks for suggestion.

 

Reverted 1730 to XP Pro. (I have images for a "factory load" of XP Pro for my 1730 configuration. So XP Pro conversion only takes 25 minutes.) DVD playback issues persist. Going back to Vista OS.

Discussed procedure below with tech support. Second-level (senior) tech support insists disabling Powermizer will NOT resolve DVD playback issues on a 1730, and advise against this.

Anyone try disabling Powermizer (by modifying registry) on a 1730?

Any other suggestions?

 

Disabling powermizer would lead to better performance on battery, higher temps, and lower battery life.. It is worth a shot.. If it doesn't work, you can always revert to the previous values..

 

sure worked for my xps m1530, i seriously recommend you do the powermizer thing before taking further action, dell can insist it wont fix it, but fixing for dell is changing your motherboard, again and again...

if this doesnt work, then it must be an issue with your graphics card settings, maybe not kicking into higher clocks? maybe codecs are affecting the media player?

keep us updated so we can be of further assistance,

best of luck!

 

You asked me to keep you updated.

Another 1730 owner has reported....
"Apparently in Vista the nvidia powermizer runs off of the vista built in power controls. What this seems to be causing is a lack of gpu usage during gameplay or 'downclocking'".

As you know, other 1730 owners have reported increases in fps *in gameplay* after modifying their registry, disabling Powermizer.

And disabling Powermizer may also be the solution to the jerkiness in DVD playback (at full screen, at 1920x1200, on battery after 15-20 min of play), as you have suggested.

However.....
Dell tech support again repeated...in no uncertain terms...if I modified my registry (to disable Powermizer), they would not support their product until I did a PC-restore (which would obviously reactivate powermizer again).

They then advised if powermizer is determined to be causing the jerkiness in DVD playback during battery operation, (they claim) they are not responsible for providing tech support....as powermizer is operating within the NVIDIA specs!

Being a "no-win situation", I may as well return the 1730 (as Dell has suggested).

What else can I do, other than accepting DVD playback (on battery) at a much lower resolution?

 

dude, seriously, do the powermizer thing, if your lappy breaks Dell wont bother investigating your registry, they will just change the faulty part and thats it, in the worse of cases you might have to do a system restore, OH NO!!! NOW IM SCARED!!! pssshhhh...

 

Koer, I appreciate your suggestions, but as you know, tampering with the registry for a novice (me) is not a good idea.

Is there no other solution?
Like... tweeking the Power Options "advanced settings"?

---------
Called tech support tonight. Complained about the "jerky pic/audio breakup" DVD playback while on battery. Seems you get the Philipines 90% of the time lately. Anyway, tech could hear the audio breakup (when I held phone close to 1730 spkr). He admitted they cannot see the video during DVD playback, when connected via GoToAssist. He left phone for three minutes to talk to his supr. Came back and said his supr believes it is a corrupted registry. And wants me to do a system restore and call back if problem persists.

This tech assures me their "problem database/solutions" does not contain one report where the Powermizer feature of the 256mb 8700 NVIDIA card was determined to cause DVD playback issues.

This tech did admit reading user comments on Notebook Forum where the Powermizer feature was thought to be the culprit in affecting SLI operation during gaming. But he was quick to point out Dell has not seen one documented case.

 

That's mostly bull.. In the beginning, I was told that the ""System Hang on ejecting CD", on the 1330 was a "feature", and that the 1330 does not overheat at all..

Tech support is mostly useless.. modifying the registry could (at the most) lead to a corrupted windows install. Damaging hardware takes lots of work.. Do try out disabling powermizer to see if it solves your problem.. It could lead to lower battery life, though..

 

well crystal, ive made my suggestions, now its up to you to decide, you can do a system restore, but if the problem persists i can assure you its powermizer, and its no difficult task even for a novice, best of luck!

 

sesshomaru and Koer,
Appreciate your help. I know you is focusing on a "registry mod" as the solution. But....as others have pointed out, a "registry mod" only addresses disabling powermizer in Vista, not in XP.

And I need an XP solution.
I heavily use software that does not work in Vista, only XP.

I have since converted to XP (a 30 minute task, using Dell PC-restore images for a similary configured 1730) and disabled powermizer using the recommended approach for XP, which is... "Powermizer can be disabled in XP in the Nvidia Control Panel.."

see link below.
http://www.laptopvideo2go.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=19134

The DVD playback issues remain.

Overheating (causing a downclocking of the gpu) has already been ruled out.
Checked temps using Nvidia nTune software.

Any other suggestions?

Other than a dual boot (XP/Vista), modify the "registry mod" in Vista (assuming a "registry mod" solves the playback problems), and play DVDs there.