MALA Screen Saver

[Encryptor]

Ok! Is anyone else having problems getting the screen saver in MALA to work?

I go into the option/GUI/Screnn Saver check the box to use the screen saver, select pictures, point it to a folder where the pictures are. Then after 30 to 45 seconds I just see the screen flash and that's it. It keeps doing that every 30 to 45 seconds or so.

Do you have to have the windows screen saver turned on or something?

I just upgrade from RC9 to 1.04 and it still doesn't work. I'm running Tiny XP, P4 2Ghz 512MB ram. Anyone help please. It's a PIA turning off the monitor when I'm done playing. Thanks.

Encryptor

[mcfreak]

I had the same problem with mine and ended up switching to Mamewah because of it...

I even though it could be the video drivers/card but I swapped those at some point and it did the same thing.

Are you outputting to a TV/Arcade monitor/VGA Monitor?  I was connected to a TV over Svideo and thought it might have been an "Overlay" issue with the video drivers.

[Encryptor]

No I'm not going to a tv. Straight from the pc to computer monitor.

I love MALA. I'd hate to have to go to another frontend because of this.

Encryptor

[Green Giant]

This is a current issue that is being worked on.  Try and get all your information to swindus.

[loadman]

This is a current issue that is being worked on.  Try and get all your information to swindus.

Yes Indeed. Screen saver works fine for me.

So please:

1) Enable Log (See pic attached)

2) Post relevant section of log (mala.exe.log) here and/or to Swindus

[Encryptor]

loadman

Done and sent to swindus. I've attached it here as well. Maybe you can get something from it. Thanks.

Encryptor

[fatfingers]

I am able to successfully run snapshots as my screensaver with no issues.  However, I am still having issues with using videos as my screensaver.  It seems to run fine for quite a while but then eventually stops running videos and shows a screen that says "No Files Found" or something similar.  I am currently running it with logging enabled so I can eventually send the log to Swindus.

Good Luck!

[retrometro]

I am able to successfully run snapshots as my screensaver with no issues.  However, I am still having issues with using videos as my screensaver.  It seems to run fine for quite a while but then eventually stops running videos and shows a screen that says "No Files Found" or something similar.  I am currently running it with logging enabled so I can eventually send the log to Swindus.

Good Luck!

I never got the screen saver working with images nor videos via mala 1.04 so I just use xp's screensaver for images.  But i would VERY much like to get random videos playing as a screensaver / attract mode.

[fatfingers]

Can you post screenshots of your MaLa configuration and your file system layout?  That might help us figure it out.

[retrometro]

I am able to successfully run snapshots as my screensaver with no issues.  However, I am still having issues with using videos as my screensaver.  It seems to run fine for quite a while but then eventually

I never got the screen saver working with images nor videos via mala 1.04 so I just use xp's screensaver for images.  But i would VERY much like to get random videos playing as a screensaver / attract mode.

Okay, I've attached screenshots of the screensaver screens in MALA 1.04 and logs of MALA starting and quiting out and attempting to start screensavers using videos.

[fatfingers]

What, if anything, is different between those two screenshots?  Can you post a picture of your filesystem where the videos are at?

[retrometro]

What, if anything, is different between those two screenshots?  Can you post a picture of your filesystem where the videos are at?

Okay in my last post, I've updated the __2.jpg file with the options screen of mala's screensaver tab.

I've also added a screenshot of the videos path directory so you can see size, names, path, file type, etc.  they're the same videos i'm using for video previews and come straight from emumovies so i know they're good and have the correct codecs.

thanks for helping!

[fatfingers]

Well, I'm stumped.  Where's loadman when you need him?  Perhaps send him a PM to get him (back) into this thread?

[loadman]

Well, I'm stumped.  Where's loadman when you need him?  Perhaps send him a PM to get him (back) into this thread?

I've been away for 2 days and I only caught one fish 

..anyway.  I don't have any problems with the screen saver. I have it working fine on 4 PC's here.

So the screensaver can't be broken, just fussy perhaps.

Questions for retrometro :
1) Have you got the latests  XVID code isnatlled?  http://www.xvid.org/Downloads.43.0.html

2) Do you also have issues trying to play videos on start-up or in a layout?

[Green Giant]

Anyone have the screensaver working with the ledwiz plugins?

The xvid stuff on mine works just fine as I have the video's showing for the game lists, but the video won't play on system bootup.

[retrometro]

I've been away for 2 days and I only caught one fish 
..anyway.  I don't have any problems with the screen saver. I have it working fine on 4 PC's here.

So the screensaver can't be broken, just fussy perhaps.

Questions for retrometro :
1) Have you got the latests  XVID code isnatlled?  http://www.xvid.org/Downloads.43.0.html

2) Do you also have issues trying to play videos on start-up or in a layout?

Thanks man.  Let's see...

1)  Yes, I've just downloaded the latest xvid and still no change in behavior.

2)  I've not tried but it turns out I do have problems playing videos on startup.  however, videos play just fine in the layout.

Here's my layout on youtube with the videos:



did my log and configs look ok?

[loadman]

Anyone have the screensaver working with the ledwiz plugins?

The xvid stuff on mine works just fine as I have the video's showing for the game lists, but the video won't play on system bootup.

The Plug-in should make no difference.

did my log and configs look ok?

Yep.

So if everyone is happy with the videos in the layout maybe it's just a full-screen issue on some systems.

What video cards have you guys got?  I have mine working fine on NVidia based cards under XP.

[retrometro]

did my log and configs look ok?

Yep.

So if everyone is happy with the videos in the layout maybe it's just a full-screen issue on some systems.

What video cards have you guys got?  I have mine working fine on NVidia based cards under XP.

I'm running Windows XP SP2 w/ the latest Windows side patches as of last month.

Nvidia 4200 Ti AGP8X version with 128mb RAM
Pentium 4 2.4GHz with 768mb RAM

The only things installed after Windows and drivers are:

MALA
MAME
XVID
DIVX
Quicktime
Adobe Flash
802.11g NIC client

While it's not a "lite" XP install, it's relatively uncluttered.

[loadman]

You definitely don't want DIVX!!      

make sure divx is uninstalled before installing the xvid codec

I thought that tip was on the Wiki?  I must check...

[LATER]

Fixed

http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/MaLa_FAQ#Video_Screensaver_and_Layouts.__What_codec_should_I_use_.3F

[retrometro]

You definitely don't want DIVX!!      

make sure divx is uninstalled before installing the xvid codec

I thought that tip was on the Wiki?  I must check...

[LATER]

Fixed

http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/MaLa_FAQ#Video_Screensaver_and_Layouts.__What_codec_should_I_use_.3F

Oh man I thought that would be it.  I uninstalled DIVX and then reinstalled the latest XVID rebooted and still no go on intro video and screen saver.  I even changed directories to a directory with only 4 videos just in case i had too many for mala to enumerate.

Finally, I unchecked full screen mode for video screensavers and still no go... :-(

[loadman]

You definitely don't want DIVX!!      

make sure divx is uninstalled before installing the xvid codec

I thought that tip was on the Wiki?  I must check...

[LATER]

Fixed

http://wiki.arcadecontrols.com/wiki/MaLa_FAQ#Video_Screensaver_and_Layouts.__What_codec_should_I_use_.3F

Oh man I thought that would be it.  I uninstalled DIVX and then reinstalled the latest XVID rebooted and still no go on intro video and screen saver.  I even changed directories to a directory with only 4 videos just in case i had too many for mala to enumerate.

Finally, I unchecked full screen mode for video screensavers and still no go... :-(

Have you got another PC your can try it on?

[retrometro]

Have you got another PC your can try it on?

I do but I'm not sure how much further along we'd be in figuring this out.  Let's say I came back to write that it worked on the other machines.  I might tell you they're the same configs and we'd be right back here just like several folks that's gotten it working here and several others that do not have it working.

Thanks for trying though...

[ARTIFACT]

Same issue as described... Screen flashes and .. nothing

BTW RC8 version workes just fine... on my way to go back to RC8 now (I have many other issues... posted a separate thread for these)
Wish me luck

[loadman]

Have you got another PC your can try it on?

I do but I'm not sure how much further along we'd be in figuring this out.  Let's say I came back to write that it worked on the other machines.  I might tell you they're the same configs and we'd be right back here just like several folks that's gotten it working here and several others that do not have it working.

Thanks for trying though...

Yes that is right...

Some have it working and some don't.

I suspect it's just very fussy about the Codec install.

We must be close to cracking the formula of what works all the time with all PC's   

If you can afford the time  re-install windows and only install your video card driver and Xvid. No other codecs.   That fixed the only PC I ever had trouble with running Vids in MaLa.

[retrometro]

I suspect it's just very fussy about the Codec install.

We must be close to cracking the formula of what works all the time with all PC's   

If you can afford the time  re-install windows and only install your video card driver and Xvid. No other codecs.   That fixed the only PC I ever had trouble with running Vids in MaLa.

This machine is close to that... a fresh windows install with video card driver, xvid, divx and quicktime (in this order).  then divx was removed and xvid was reinstalled just in case.

I wonder though... since videos in the layout work just fine and there are no complaints in the log, why would we still suspect codecs?  Does MALA 1.04 somehow treat screensaver videos and layout videos differently even if both are set to do non-fullscreen, etc.?

[loadman]

I suspect it's just very fussy about the Codec install.

We must be close to cracking the formula of what works all the time with all PC's   

If you can afford the time  re-install windows and only install your video card driver and Xvid. No other codecs.   That fixed the only PC I ever had trouble with running Vids in MaLa.

This machine is close to that... a fresh windows install with video card driver, xvid, divx and quicktime (in this order).  then divx was removed and xvid was reinstalled just in case.

I wonder though... since videos in the layout work just fine and there are no complaints in the log, why would we still suspect codecs?  Does MALA 1.04 somehow treat screensaver videos and layout videos differently even if both are set to do non-fullscreen, etc.?

Dunno?  Maybe the problem is playing vid's fullscreen if it is not happy with the codec?  I dunno I have it workinbg on three PC's here and my cab 

[retrometro]

I wonder though... since videos in the layout work just fine and there are no complaints in the log, why would we still suspect codecs?  Does MALA 1.04 somehow treat screensaver videos and layout videos differently even if both are set to do non-fullscreen, etc.?

Dunno?  Maybe the problem is playing vid's fullscreen if it is not happy with the codec?  I dunno I have it workinbg on three PC's here and my cab 

I've checked the full screen option on and off for videos as a screensaver and still no go.  BTW, I can tell that mala tries to kick in screen saver mode though by a flicker and as indicated in the logs.

Maybe the next version of mala will magically fix the problem.  At least videos play fine in the layouts.  Unlike our other computers, I don't usually leave the arcade cab turned on all the time anyway.

[loadman]

I wonder though... since videos in the layout work just fine and there are no complaints in the log, why would we still suspect codecs?  Does MALA 1.04 somehow treat screensaver videos and layout videos differently even if both are set to do non-fullscreen, etc.?

Dunno?  Maybe the problem is playing vid's fullscreen if it is not happy with the codec?  I dunno I have it workinbg on three PC's here and my cab 

I've checked the full screen option on and off for videos as a screensaver and still no go.  BTW, I can tell that mala tries to kick in screen saver mode though by a flicker and as indicated in the logs.

Maybe the next version of mala will magically fix the problem.  At least videos play fine in the layouts.  Unlike our other computers, I don't usually leave the arcade cab turned on all the time anyway

Yeah that checkbox is still fullscreen but just does not stretch.

Did you say you could play still pics as a screensave using mala ok?

[ARTIFACT]

OK now it works "kind of"

but it "Freezes" the video almost right away
and after that, the computer is frozen ... reboot !

Note: video previews/attract in the MALA list work FINE... so it's not like the computer can't play the videos...

[diverdown]

My problem is the same as encryptors


Snap files will not show up in screen saver.... mala flashes but no image comes up.

I dont want vid files.... i just want screensaver and attract mode with ledwiz

[retrometro]

Yeah that checkbox is still fullscreen but just does not stretch.

Did you say you could play still pics as a screensave using mala ok?

Screensaver for mala 1.04 does not work with snaps nor videos.  Although snaps and videos work perfectly fine in the layout.

[loadman]

My problem is the same as encryptors
Snap files will not show up in screen saver.... mala flashes but no image comes up.
I dont want vid files.... i just want screensaver and attract mode with ledwiz

Are you unsing the latest version of MaLa and the Plug-in (which Led-Wiz plug=in)?

Screensaver for mala 1.04 does not work with snaps nor videos.  Although snaps and videos work perfectly fine in the layout.

C'mon retrometro, I know you are frustrated but state it correctly.

The screensaver does not work on SOME set-ups.

EG I have it working perfectly on my Cab and three other PC's. Do you want me to post something on YouTube?

Swindus has it working as well so this is hard to diagnose.

Ideally we all should work together to find the common element(s) on the PC's that the screensaver fails.. 

[retrometro]

Screensaver for mala 1.04 does not work with snaps nor videos.  Although snaps and videos work perfectly fine in the layout.

C'mon retrometro, I know you are frustrated but state it correctly.

The screensaver does not work on SOME set-ups.

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I was responding to your previous message directly with what I'm experiencing.  You had asked if *my* screensaver was working with snaps before.

[loadman]

Screensaver for mala 1.04 does not work with snaps nor videos.  Although snaps and videos work perfectly fine in the layout.

C'mon retrometro, I know you are frustrated but state it correctly.
The screensaver does not work on SOME set-ups.

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I was responding to your previous message directly with what I'm experiencing.  You had asked if *my* screensaver was working with snaps before.

Opps.. So you are. Sorry

Cool, I'm just sensitive as I want to squash the issue but I have not way of testing other than feedback of different set-ups that are experiencing a problem

[diverdown]

Currently using Mala 8 and old version of ledwiz.  I am about to go try the new ledwiz app u posted for me.

I was having issues with later versions of mala, having ipac lose focus, but am about to hive the latest another go......

Thanks for the work u r doing.


BTW i looked at mala log and it states "starting screensaver"  and then no errors reported after than...... only the shutdown commands, so mala thinks it is working ok

[loadman]

Currently using Mala 8 and old version of ledwiz.  I am about to go try the new ledwiz app u posted for me.

I was having issues with later versions of mala, having ipac lose focus, but am about to hive the latest another go......

Cool. Swapping mala versions is easy.  You can having multiple mala.exe's in the directory to test. Just re-name it

Eg mala1.exe
mala2.exe

etc

[headkaze]

loadman: you may have video playback okay on all 3 PC's but that might be because you have the same video snap pack and codec on each machine.

But I would expect loadman is right about codecs being the cause of the problem. GameEx for example had issues with the official DivX codec minimising it when playing a video. The cause was DivX's icon tray util stealing focus. The fix for that was to add it's executable to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\DivXNetworks\DivX\SMExclusions registry entry.

Also it's no good having all sorts of different codecs/packs installed as they can cause conflicts (one example is running the video graph through two filters making the video upside down!). Find a codec pack that works and stick with it.

Generally we recommend the ffdshow codec pack (ffdshow-20051129.zip) because we know it works with GameEx, and that usually resolves any video playback issues users may be having. Personally I use the K-Lite Codec Pack but others recommend the CCCP Codec pack. I moved from ffdshow to K-Lite because I was having problems with newer versions of ffdshow in GameEx. But in all honesty I don't notice any different to the 2005 ffdshow pack to the current K-Lite 1.67 pack I'm using now.

So the bottom line is avoid the official DivX codec (and XVid for that matter too). Uninstall all codec's and packs and pick one pack and install it. They will have DivX and XVid codecs bundled in them minus all the crap that comes with the official downloads.

Try one of these packs:

- ffdshow
- CCCP (Combined Community Codec Pack)
- K-Lite Mega Codec Pack

Once you have a consensus on a pack that is Mala friendly you can be sure to recommend it next time. If things are really messy you might like to take a look at the CODEC Reset Utility but generally running the uninstaller for each codec/pack is sufficient to remove it from your system.

[loadman]

Thanks for those constructive ideas.   

I will try all of those packs and see which works best on my machines and give feedback here. (after uninstalling all codecs loading on mys systems allready of course)

Others may want to try HeadKaze's idea too

[loadman]

   

OK NOW WE ARE GETTING SOMEWHERE!!!!

I just tried the CCCP pack and it changed my perfectly good working system and made it worse..

But the point is for the first time I experienced symptoms that have been described by others that I have never seem before
Ie * Video in the layout works fine but the screen saver fails....

So it's a confirmend Codec issue with MaLa!!! As it behaves differently depending on the Codec

I will continue to experiment and report back here.

[retrometro]

I just tried the CCCP pack and it changed my perfectly good working system and made it worse..

But the point is for the first time I experienced symptoms that have been described by others that I have never seem before
Ie * Video in the layout works fine but the screen saver fails....

So it's a confirmend Codec issue with MaLa!!! As it behaves differently depending on the Codec

I will continue to experiment and report back here.

Thanks Loadman and HeadKaze for trying to help the rest of us figure this out!

Incidentally, I've just uninstalled my Xvid install and installed the latest K-Lite mega codec pack but no luck.  When the screensaver kicks in, the screen blanks for a second (full screen or not) and then returns to the menu.

Fortunately, videos in the layout still works.  One added bonus though...  the videos for the game consoles seem to play correctly now.  Before, it would always pause a few seconds before playing and now it goes instantly.  Mame videos always seem to work properly.