Does GSYNC work with video players? [edit: yes, sometimes]

Talk about NVIDIA G-SYNC, a variable refresh rate (VRR) technology. G-SYNC eliminates stutters, tearing, and reduces input lag. List of G-SYNC Monitors.
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Re: Does GSYNC work with video players? [edit: Yes.]

Post by Valyrian » 25 Jan 2014, 13:27

RealNC wrote:Yes, that's where you create custom modes. I hope you were joking with the "virus-free"...
Unfortunately, I wasn't. They really went all out with that disclaimer.

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Re: Does GSYNC work with video players?

Post by RealNC » 25 Jan 2014, 15:13

This makes zero sense. You are claiming that NVidia tells you that they might ship a virus in the driver.

I'm sorry, but there's no way I can take you seriously :-P
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Re: Does GSYNC work with video players?

Post by nimbulan » 25 Jan 2014, 16:22

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The part about the viruses is at the bottom.

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Re: Does GSYNC work with video players?

Post by Valyrian » 25 Jan 2014, 17:38

Thanks for the post, nimbulan. So you see, RealNC, the question isn't how seriously you should take me, but how seriously we should take that disclaimer.

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Re: Does GSYNC work with video players?

Post by RealNC » 25 Jan 2014, 22:19

Valyrian wrote:Thanks for the post, nimbulan. So you see, RealNC, the question isn't how seriously you should take me, but how seriously we should take that disclaimer.
I don't take it seriously. If there was a virus in there, I am pretty sure it would not ask for permission first. Viruses don't tend to display "Hi, I'm a virus and about to do some damage; should I continue?"

A virus could also instruct the driver to overclock your GPU in an attempt to burn it. But why doesn't NVidia warn about it when installing the drivers?

That message is simply ridiculous. I've no idea what NVidia was thinking. Whoever wrote this must have been on crack cocaine :lol:
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Re: Does GSYNC work with video players?

Post by Valyrian » 26 Jan 2014, 03:17

RealNC wrote:Whoever wrote this must have been on crack cocaine :lol:
Or maybe just a lawyer who didn't really know what the utility was, so he just wrote down anything and everything he could think of ever going wrong with a PC or monitor in order to cover all his bases. Who knows. Either way I think I'll give this utility a try soon.

On the other hand, the fact that GSYNC does work with some video players so that I never have to manually switch refresh rates again is very enticing (plus all the gaming benefits obviously). I'm still debating though if I'm ready to spend $200 on it. If the rumors are true and NVidia really is selling a very expensive chip at a loss in that kit, I suppose the price will probably never go down, so waiting wouldn't help much. I'm just so torn... I want the shiny new toy, but I'm not sure I want it THAT bad.

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Re: Does GSYNC work with video players?

Post by nimbulan » 26 Jan 2014, 03:49

RealNC wrote:That message is simply ridiculous. I've no idea what NVidia was thinking. Whoever wrote this must have been on crack cocaine :lol:
Or it was just an employee with a sense of humor. I've seen things like that before.
Valyrian wrote:On the other hand, the fact that GSYNC does work with some video players so that I never have to manually switch refresh rates again is very enticing (plus all the gaming benefits obviously). I'm still debating though if I'm ready to spend $200 on it. If the rumors are true and NVidia really is selling a very expensive chip at a loss in that kit, I suppose the price will probably never go down, so waiting wouldn't help much. I'm just so torn... I want the shiny new toy, but I'm not sure I want it THAT bad.
I wouldn't jump on it just yet. It works, but since the vast majority of video framerates fall between 24 and 30 fps, the video player triggers G-sync's automatic refresh behavior every single frame which makes the picture a bit grainy (it's difficult to see, but it may depend on your eyesight and monitor brightness.) In addition framerates very close to 30 fps (such as the common 29.97) may visibly stutter. You can use motion interpolation software to increase the framerate, but I have pretty mixed results with those. What would be ideal is to just have a simple codec that duplicates every frame to double the framerate without any modifications so it would play nicer with G-sync, but I have yet to find one.

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Re: Does GSYNC work with video players?

Post by Valyrian » 26 Jan 2014, 05:15

Yes, I have heard that GSYNC can be problematic in the 25-30fps range, but few people actually explained how so, except to say that it didn't look very good. I assume there would be other drawbacks of being an early adopter as well, at least temporarily, like relatively basic functionality, lack of an OSD, SLI problems, etc.

Strangely enough, what tempts me most towards the upgrade kit is precisely the fact that so many exciting new developments seem to be just around the corner. With Oculus Rift, GSYNC, 4K, and 1440p 120Hz+ all in their infancy, and the possibility of 120Hz+ IPS in the not too distant future, it seems the world of display technologies is heading for some significant upheavals over the next couple years. So my dilemma is whether the upgrade kit might be the best way to try at least one of those technologies, while waiting until all of them become widely available, and we can see who comes out on top once the dust settles.

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Re: Does GSYNC work with video players?

Post by Chief Blur Buster » 26 Jan 2014, 13:26

nimbulan wrote:
RealNC wrote:That message is simply ridiculous. I've no idea what NVidia was thinking. Whoever wrote this must have been on crack cocaine :lol:
Or it was just an employee with a sense of humor. I've seen things like that before.
Valyrian wrote:On the other hand, the fact that GSYNC does work with some video players so that I never have to manually switch refresh rates again is very enticing (plus all the gaming benefits obviously). I'm still debating though if I'm ready to spend $200 on it. If the rumors are true and NVidia really is selling a very expensive chip at a loss in that kit, I suppose the price will probably never go down, so waiting wouldn't help much. I'm just so torn... I want the shiny new toy, but I'm not sure I want it THAT bad.
I wouldn't jump on it just yet. It works, but since the vast majority of video framerates fall between 24 and 30 fps, the video player triggers G-sync's automatic refresh behavior every single frame which makes the picture a bit grainy (it's difficult to see, but it may depend on your eyesight and monitor brightness.) In addition framerates very close to 30 fps (such as the common 29.97) may visibly stutter. You can use motion interpolation software to increase the framerate, but I have pretty mixed results with those. What would be ideal is to just have a simple codec that duplicates every frame to double the framerate without any modifications so it would play nicer with G-sync, but I have yet to find one.
Good question. It would be a very interesting thing to add to a player so that it plays nice with GSYNC. Maybe you should post some messages on doom9.org and other places, maybe referring to this thread, to let video player authors know of the GSYNC 30fps to 144fps sweet spot for smooth playback.

Technically, 24fps should be perfectly smooth with GSYNC, since the repeat refresh is finished. 24fps is a frame time of about 42 milliseconds. The 30fps rate is a frame time of about 33ms. A GSYNC repeat refresh pass is 6.9ms (takes 1/144sec to finish refreshing), so 33ms+6.9ms is still less than 42ms. Which means 24fps should play smooth with GSYNC. The amplified stutters occur at approx ~25-29.999fps, and stops erratically stuttering at 30fps and greater.
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Re: Does GSYNC work with video players?

Post by nimbulan » 26 Jan 2014, 13:59

Valyrian wrote:Yes, I have heard that GSYNC can be problematic in the 25-30fps range, but few people actually explained how so, except to say that it didn't look very good. I assume there would be other drawbacks of being an early adopter as well, at least temporarily, like relatively basic functionality, lack of an OSD, SLI problems, etc.
When in G-sync mode, the monitor automatically refreshes if it has not received a new frame in 1/30s since the picture degrades and may cause visible flickering if the screen is refreshed slower than that. After this refresh, it will be unable to refresh again for 1/120s or 1/144s depending on your refresh rate and if a new frame is ready in that time frame it is delayed, causing stutter. As Chief Blur Buster explained, 24 fps video should be just fine since the framerate is low enough, the new frame is not ready until after the automatic refresh block has passed so there is no delay. You do still have to deal with the grainy picture cause by the automatic refresh which may or may not be visible to you.

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