DirectX Information Provider

In the eventuality that you are unable to hear sounds, launch 3D games or play videos properly, then chances are the one of the first things you do is access the diagnostic tool of Microsoft's DirectX. Although useful in learning whether the hardware and drivers are installed correctly, DxDiag solely presents you with very light information about your cards and drivers.
DirectX Information Provider is an application designed to provide you with a report about your video and sound card as well as the drivers that can be found on your system.

Intimidating looks, but straightforward functionality

The program does not entail a setup and you are ready to use it as soon as you download it. Unfortunately, the GUI is not much to look at and could intimate some users, mainly because it resembles CommandLine.
You should know that despite the looks, the app is straightforward and does not entail knowing commands in order to operate it. You can learn a great deal of information about your system as soon as you confirm you want to retrieve it as a plain text log on your desktop.

It includes more data than DxDiag

While you can argue that the utility presents you with information about the same devices and software as Microsoft's diagnostic tool, the truth is that the app includes a lot more data. For instance, in addition to the name, product ID, manufacturer and version, the utility also include info such as filters, streaming tea, splitter devices, compressors, renderers and the capture sources.
It is important to note that the application also displays the name and path of the video and sound drivers that are installed on your PC. Therefore, if you are dealing with a bad patch, you can find it easier on your computer and make sure to remove all corrupted data before reinstalling a previous, more stable driver update.

A simple tool that provides a comprehensive DirectX log

In case you are looking for a utility that can give you more data than whether certain parameters are enabled or disabled with your graphic or video card, then perhaps DirectX Information Provider could lend you a hand.