No videos after upgrading to PinballX ver 6.99

[keithhov]

with 7.02 and latest nvidia drivers my videos do work but massive slowdown, most if not all my videos are 4k and 60 fps....

trying to figure out if I should experiment with 2k videos or will pinballx eventually go back to video playback that uses hardware excelleration, I don't mind waiting a few weeks or months but if theres no plans for it I will just make new videos.

[Tom Speirs]

On 3/17/2026 at 7:53 PM, keithhov said:

with 7.02 and latest nvidia drivers my videos do work but massive slowdown, most if not all my videos are 4k and 60 fps....

trying to figure out if I should experiment with 2k videos or will pinballx eventually go back to video playback that uses hardware excelleration, I don't mind waiting a few weeks or months but if theres no plans for it I will just make new videos.

yes, again it is to be expected right now. I am working on a directx11 solution with ChaptGPT. if it is producing good code it shouldn't be long.

[Tom Speirs]

latest nvidia drivers are still bad by the way.

[Mike_da_Spike]

15 hours ago, Tom Speirs said:

, again it is to be expected right now. I am working on a directx11 solution with ChaptGPT. if it is producing good code it shouldn't be long.

For a second I almost believed you were letting an AI rewrite your DirectX11 code… and it’s not even April 1st yet. Nice try though!

[Tom Speirs]

15 minutes ago, Mike_da_Spike said:

For a second I almost believed you were letting an AI rewrite your DirectX11 code… and it’s not even April 1st yet. Nice try though!

No joke. lol.

[Draco1962]

AI has its place in development. It can do many of the repetitive and tedious coding tasks quickly, even quicker than the best coders. But, the best coders know that AI is only as a tool, and the outcome is dependent upon them to thoroughly test the results.

[Tom Speirs]

2 hours ago, Draco1962 said:

AI has its place in development. It can do many of the repetitive and tedious coding tasks quickly, even quicker than the best coders. But, the best coders know that AI is only as a tool, and the outcome is dependent upon them to thoroughly test the results.

Absolutely but you will be surprised at the current state of chatgpt pro as of today.

[Mike_da_Spike]

9 hours ago, Tom Speirs said:

Absolutely but you will be surprised at the current state of chatgpt pro as of today.

To be honest, I don't use AI as I dont trust it. I have Copilot on my PC, and it is always crashing. The subscriptions for AI are pretty expensive (for me and my usage).

I tested Google AI Studio, which created a complete web app just by giving some prompts, but the output had a lot of errors.

I tried to use NVIDIA Docker images to run an AI tool locally. I made myself a script, which requires an  input video file and output a translated SRT file so I could watch a tv show which isn't translated to dutch. With testing, etc., it looks fine, but trying to use a translated SRT and watch a TV show, it didn't work out that well. 

I'm not a developer,  but just an enthusiastic user, but I still want to understand my functions. The only way is to create it myself (and maybe I have too much free time to do it like that)

I hope ChatGPT Pro can guide you through DirectX11, Tom. I always assumed you’d be the last person to team up with Skynet for world domination 😜 

[Tom Speirs]

Its not looking hopeful but a good learning experience.

I really just used ChatGPT for the first time and it was helpful, so wanted to see what I could do with it. its produced some useful things.

It can write a complete visual studio console application or a class with a single prompt in about 40 minutes.

I'm pushing it too far with a complete and complex backend API conversion though I think.

I think ill leave the DirectX 11 upgrade and continue with 'Unity.

ChatGPT did allow me to move to some cross platform image handling in PinballX automatically and I am keeping that code.

Its good to know this stuff and know what it can and cant do and how to use it.

[Draco1962]

16 hours ago, Tom Speirs said:

Its good to know this stuff and know what it can and cant do and how to use it.

I "journal" my queries in Notepad++ and will often find that my earlier queries become deprecated as I begin adapting to how the AI "thinks." I will run the same queries to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot and have found that one may be better at certain aspects of an issue over another.

[Tom Speirs]

5 hours ago, Draco1962 said:

I "journal" my queries in Notepad++ and will often find that my earlier queries become deprecated as I begin adapting to how the AI "thinks." I will run the same queries to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot and have found that one may be better at certain aspects of an issue over another.

yeah, as i have been trying to get it to do the conversion task i have been just slightly modifying one single prompt. It may still work out for usage in PinballX as its generally simpler but it can't handle the GameEx requirements.

[Tom Speirs]

Looking at it a bit more, since i only need 2D anyway, Direct2D maybe a better option over DirectX 11 and is more feature compatible with what i have too. I am looking.

[Mike_da_Spike]

28 minutes ago, Tom Speirs said:

Looking at it a bit more, since i only need 2D anyway, Direct2D maybe a better option over DirectX 11 and is more feature compatible with what i have too. I am looking.

So no VR, or at least VR in 2D?

[Draco1962]

5 hours ago, Tom Speirs said:

yeah, as i have been trying to get it to do the conversion task i have been just slightly modifying one single prompt. It may still work out for usage in PinballX as its generally simpler but it can't handle the GameEx requirements.

Same here. I will get what I know are incorrect assumptions by the AI model and sometimes have to tell it to re-review the query for output and considering the correct information. Something as simple as asking Copilot "Which is a better thermal treatment for laptop GPU - Thermal Grizzly Kryosheets of Thermal Grizzly Duronaut thermat paste?" would result in giving me a comparison to Kryonaut thermal paste. I would then ask it to repeat the query, considering that Duronaut does exist (and providing the URL as proof), and I would then get good results.

[Mike_da_Spike]

Isn't the complete AI part still in its infancy? (The Dutch phrase is funnier, as we say: "Isn't it still in children's shoes?")

I thought I read not so long ago that AI could be compared with a grown-up with an IQ of 87. Not too bad, but not good. Only the AI has a large amount of data it can look into, and that is much faster than a person with an IQ of 135. That's why AI looks smart, but doesn't understand words/sentences right.

Anyway, I hope it helps Tom with the video playback

 Not offensively, but if David Paiva found another way of showing multiple videos on screen without using VLC, could any good code programmer do it? (And Tom is one of the best; he is at the top of my list.)

[Draco1962]

My former company has put most of their development eggs in AI baskets and are still sorting out some severe issues with the coding disclosing PII data. It is a tool. It cuts through quickly to what it can access, but it cannot replace the human element. Or Tom.

[Tom Speirs]

Okay, i think ive finally nailed it.

Using Media Foundation sharing textures with DirectX 11 and DirectX 9 ex. Its fast enough, uses the GPU and works well here after a lot of work.

Well, you can render DirectX 11 textures to OpenVR and that was my thinking. I don't know if a shared textures will work yet but i could likely blit it to a compatible one.

[Tom Speirs]

Its done. Im uploading it here if anyone has time to give it a longer soak test with multiple displays. Makes NVidia fly again with 4k 60fps videos.

It should switch to media foundation playback automatically buy you can also force it on under video help in the setup wizard if you want to see if it works better for you. All this effort wasn't really a big win as it should work anyway.

To do this I had to move to DirectX 9ex along with creating a DirectX 11 device. The improvements offered with DirectX 9ex caused issues so its just a requirement. We also lost full screen exclusive mode. i couldnt get that to work either.

Its more going to affect GameEx but Media Foundation lacks codecs.

Please take a look.

VMR 9 is faster on my laptop GPU. No real wins here, its just a big fix.

PinballXSetup.zip

[keithhov]

Perfect!!!!  7.10, latest nvidia drivers, 200+ tables, dmd and blackglass  on a 3 screen set up all recorded in 4k at least 60 fps and a high bitrate, smooth and speedy....and exiting tables seems a tad quicker as well.

Thanks so much,  I get better customer service/communication and no ads on this free site compared to rest of the pay for everything world we live in.........Donate - Spesoft Forums is the best 40 dollars I have spent in years!

[Mike_da_Spike]

4 hours ago, Tom Speirs said:

Its done. Im uploading it here if anyone has time to give it a longer soak test with multiple displays. Makes NVidia fly again with 4k 60fps videos.

It should switch to media foundation playback automatically buy you can also force it on under video help in the setup wizard if you want to see if it works better for you. All this effort wasn't really a big win as it should work anyway.

To do this I had to move to DirectX 9ex along with creating a DirectX 11 device. The improvements offered with DirectX 9ex caused issues so its just a requirement. We also lost full screen exclusive mode. i couldnt get that to work either.

Its more going to affect GameEx but Media Foundation lacks codecs.

Please take a look.

VMR 9 is faster on my laptop GPU. No real wins here, its just a big fix.

PinballXSetup.zip 327.15 MB · 2 downloads

I gave it a try as well, and within the front end it works flawlessly.
With over 1000 VPX tables in my list, I went through many of them and only noticed twice a brief black screen lasting half a second between switches, but otherwise transitions were very quick.
The only thing I observed was that the transition between loading video and VPX shows a black screen on the playfield for 1–2 seconds. Is it a showstopper? Definitely not, but I do prefer a clean transition between the loading video and the VPX table. I loaded multiple games and they all worked fine.
(maybe this can be a configuration setting as well, so show the loading media a bit longer before switching to VPX ?)
Anyway, great job, Tom (and chatGPT ?) !

 

log.txt

[Draco1962]

@Mike_da_Spikea question regarding the brief black screen - is it consistently between switches of the same tables? Same question for when transitioning between loading video and of same VPX tables?

[Mike_da_Spike]

1 hour ago, Draco1962 said:

@Mike_da_Spikea question regarding the brief black screen - is it consistently between switches of the same tables? Same question for when transitioning between loading video and of same VPX tables?

The brief black screen in when scrolling the wheel was randomly. Not a specific video. 

The black screen after the loading videos is constant the same for differrent tables

[keithhov]

11 hours ago, Mike_da_Spike said:

The brief black screen in when scrolling the wheel was randomly. Not a specific video. 

The black screen after the loading videos is constant the same for differrent tables

 

18 hours ago, Mike_da_Spike said:

I gave it a try as well, and within the front end it works flawlessly.
With over 1000 VPX tables in my list, I went through many of them and only noticed twice a brief black screen lasting half a second between switches, but otherwise transitions were very quick.
The only thing I observed was that the transition between loading video and VPX shows a black screen on the playfield for 1–2 seconds. Is it a showstopper? Definitely not, but I do prefer a clean transition between the loading video and the VPX table. I loaded multiple games and they all worked fine.
(maybe this can be a configuration setting as well, so show the loading media a bit longer before switching to VPX ?)
Anyway, great job, Tom (and chatGPT ?) !

 

log.txt 10.88 kB · 0 downloads

I do have some of the black screen for 2-3 seconds when table loads on many tables....what I have is more of a vpx/pinmame issue I think.   Started a few months ago when I updated to one of the vpx betas or a dreaded update to windows......hard to explain but I thought it was more of a "focus" issue where the backglass loads, then the playfield screen disappears for a second to a black screen, then comes back.... seems to happen less If  have regualar pinmame dmd off any screen or disabled in table script .

But again this happens as well running vpx as standalone so might be something different from what Mike is experiencing..... either way tables load and exit the quickest and smoothest for me in a year or so and I am pretty picky when it comes to quick loading and exits. 

[keithhov]

I am having issues recording new videos on 7.10 and latest nvidia drivers.... for years I would just use the create videos option in game manager and it would record all 3 screens perfectly, I would use the use gpu option in settings.  I do remember years ago I had to change some small settings in the nvida app for things to work correctly but as of now not having any luck. 

The nvida notification of recording started and recording saved does show up, but most of the time there is no video in the nvdia gallary, but occasionally there is one.

 Kinda stumped right now.   Seeing all kinda errors in the log when trying to capture videos..... 

 

 

log.txt PinballX.ini

[Mike_da_Spike]

1 hour ago, keithhov said:

I am having issues recording new videos on 7.10 and latest nvidia drivers.... for years I would just use the create videos option in game manager and it would record all 3 screens perfectly, I would use the use gpu option in settings.  I do remember years ago I had to change some small settings in the nvida app for things to work correctly but as of now not having any luck. 

The nvida notification of recording started and recording saved does show up, but most of the time there is no video in the nvdia gallary, but occasionally there is one.

 Kinda stumped right now.   Seeing all kinda errors in the log when trying to capture videos..... 

 

 

log.txt 6.63 kB · 1 download PinballX.ini 7.54 kB · 0 downloads

As a workaround, try using the record option in DataBaseManager. It has a separate recording engine that doesn’t rely on FFMPEG..
I (and @Tom Speirs I believe  as well) would be curious to see what error message appears when you run the FFMPEG command from the command line in your PinballX folder.