NVIDIA Graphics Update 2009 Improves Cursor Movement, HD Playback

[MacRumors]

Apple released an update for owners of NVIDIA (unibody) MacBooks, MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs.

This update improves cursor movement when using the Apple Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter with the Mini DisplayPort enabled MacBook Air, MacBook and MacBook Pro.

It also improves playback of HD video running on systems with NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT or GeForce 9600M graphics.

The update should be available in your Mac OS X software update.


Article Link: NVIDIA Graphics Update 2009 Improves Cursor Movement, HD Playback

[Kilamite]

Hurray.

Maybe 1080p content will playback much better on the 9600GT.

[Nermal]

Originally Posted by Kilamite

Hurray.

Maybe 1080p content will playback much better on the 9600GT.

I hope so. I have a 1080p HD DVD (from DVD Studio Pro) and it drops frames all over the place on my 9600. I'm looking forward to trying this update once I get home.

Edit: Problem not solved.

[wuzelwazel]

Originally Posted by Nermal

I hope so. I have a 1080p HD DVD (from DVD Studio Pro) and it drops frames all over the place on my 9600. I'm looking forward to trying this update once I get home.

Edit: Problem not solved.

This seems like a stupid question with an obvious answer, but you have an external HD DVD drive?

Edit: The reason I ask is because while you can play HD DVDs through a standard DVD drive, they aren't capable of handling the higher streaming data rate well, hence stuttering.

[goMac]

Originally Posted by wuzelwazel

This seems like a stupid question with an obvious answer, but you have an external HD DVD drive?

Probably not. HD-DVD supported burning content onto standard DVD's.

[Kilamite]

Originally Posted by wuzelwazel

Edit: The reason I ask is because while you can play HD DVDs through a standard DVD drive, they aren't capable of handling the higher streaming data rate well, hence stuttering.

Think Nermal is saying that on the 9400M, the playback is fine, yet on the 9600GT it isn't.

And it is down to the graphics drivers, which we were hoping this update would fix. But obviously not..

[tabsaid]

I think more people need to start using PLEX for 1080p content. It has a muti-threaded h264 decoder which VLC and quicktime lack. The issue isn't our video drivers, its the single threaded decoders in these media players. Watch activity monitor and you'll see. PLEX and the XBMC team are a godsend for us mac users.

[Nermal]

Originally Posted by wuzelwazel

This seems like a stupid question with an obvious answer, but you have an external HD DVD drive?

Edit: The reason I ask is because while you can play HD DVDs through a standard DVD drive, they aren't capable of handling the higher streaming data rate well, hence stuttering.

The drive isn't the issue; I'm using a tower with a third-party HD DVD drive and 9600 GT.

Originally Posted by Kilamite

Think Nermal is saying that on the 9400M, the playback is fine, yet on the 9600GT it isn't.

And it is down to the graphics drivers, which we were hoping this update would fix. But obviously not..

No 9400 in my system so I can't compare it. I suspect that DVD Player is no good, although I find it strange that Apple would advertise HD DVD support if it can't actually handle it!

[J the Ninja]

Okkkayy......now SystemUIServer is segfault'ing and crashing roughly every 2 minutes, and iStat Menu's doesn't work.....at all.

Anybody do this one successfully?

Nvm, fix'd.

[flyinmac]

Originally Posted by J the Ninja

Okkkayy......now SystemUIServer is segfault'ing and crashing roughly every 2 minutes, and iStat Menu's doesn't work.....at all.

Anybody do this one successfully?

No problems on mine yet (system specs in my signature)

[uni]

Let's hope it fixes my screen tearing issue with flash content and hd content, something that I have seen all macbook pros exhibit in the local apple store..

[Kilamite]

Originally Posted by J the Ninja

Okkkayy......now SystemUIServer is segfault'ing and crashing roughly every 2 minutes, and iStat Menu's doesn't work.....at all.

Anybody do this one successfully?

Updated fine for me too.

Need to see if HD stuff plays back smoother. Interesting to see if this boosts performance in any games.

[SimonTheSoundMa]

Nothing for the 8600M GT then.

We are still lacking major features such as MPEG4/.h264 hardware decoding, decent performance and glitchy graphics.

[Thiol]

Does anyone know if this solved the 30 inch monitor image quality problem?

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=636416

[The Samurai]

Hope this irons out some of the external display flickering issues.

[bella92108]

Originally Posted by Thiol

Does anyone know if this solved the 30 inch monitor image quality problem?

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=636416

I can confirm it does NOTHING for this issue. I updated, rebooted, power cycled the adaptor, and the issues still exist on both a Dell 3007WFP and a 30" Apple Cinema Display. This update does not see to do anything in response to all of the issues surrounding the Dual Link DVI adaptors.

Bummer, I got excited, thought I'd actually be able to turn my monitor off then on and not have garbled screen snow :-(

[Eidorian]

Originally Posted by SimonTheSoundMa

Nothing for the 8600M GT then.

We are still lacking major features such as MPEG4/.h264 hardware decoding, decent performance and glitchy graphics.

No mention of the 7600GT either...

[akbc]

Working fine on Unibody MBPro.

[Stridder44]

Originally Posted by SimonTheSoundMa

Nothing for the 8600M GT then.

We are still lacking major features such as MPEG4/.h264 hardware decoding, decent performance and glitchy graphics.

Yay Apple!

[katarchaea]

I installed, and for the first time, my unibody 15" MBP will occasionally recognize my 19" Samsung external LCD display over VGA (and nearly always over DVI) using the 9400M. It's always recognized it using the 9600M GT. Sigh. Maybe the next update - if there is one - will allow it to recognize the display *ALL* the time. I feel for everyone here trying to make the dual-link adapter work...

[lftrghtparadigm]

Hmm, wasn't even aware the new products had such issues.

My iMac with ATI craphics plays HD content just fine, wonder what was up with the NVIDIA chips. Glad I didn't jump on one of these early, sounds fishy to me

[J the Ninja]

Heh-heh, figured it out. Nothing to do with the update, everything to do with the first time I'd rebooted since screwing around with some menu extras. Carry on!

[zorinlynx]

Installed. No problems noticed yet, but no apparent improvements either.

My Mac Pro has an ATI Radeon X1900XT and also an Nvidia 7300GT in it, the Nvidia card feeding my HDTV via a really long DVI to HDMI cable; I use it to watch movies.

Is the performance improvement only with Quicktime, though? I haven't noticed lower CPU usage or any difference when playing .mkv files with VLC, which is mainly what I do. I know VLC uses some hardware acceleration for colorspace conversion, but I don't know to what extent this could possibly help.

[Drumjim85]

sorry arn, the white plastic macbook now also has NVIDIA graphics (NVIDIA GeForce 9400M). Not just the unibody.

[peepboon]

I have juse installed the update and now my external monitor keeps on flicking. It seems to have trouble finding/locating the signals from the MacBook...

Anyone else with the same problems?