Black screen w/Hauppauge NonCSS decoder?

[rrussell]

Hi, all -

I would just like to know if this behavior is "by design..."

Last night I moved my PVR250 out of my dedicated PVR box and into a server in the other room. My aim is to make a Sage client/server setup as I'm sure dozens of you have done...

Thing is, after removing the PVR250, the "Intervideo NonCSS Decoder for Hauppauge" isn't making any actual video. I can hear sound but the screen is black.

SOooooo... my question is, does anyone know whether the NonCSS decoder links itself to the actual presence of a PVR card? If it does, then I'm sad, because that decoder used the least CPU of the bunch, and since I have a lowly epia M9000 motherboard, this is an important thing.

I've fallen back to the normal Intervideo decoder that came with PowerDVD (or is it WinDVD... I can't remember... ANYWAY) and it's not quite maxing out the CPU at 90-95%. It's not stuttering the way the SageTV decoder does, but it's certainly not at the 60% that the NonCSS decoder used.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks,
Rob

[rrussell]

Bump. Nobody?

Well, in that case would upgrading to an nvidia fx5200 and using its drivers help offload the CPU? (I do not want to start another discussion vs. the XCard, thanks )

[Wheemer]

You can't install the nonCSS decoder without a hauppage card being installed, I know that from experience. So it's conceivable to think that it would stop working if the card was removed.

Since the Nvidia decoder has a free 30 day trial, why don't you give it a try? Not sure if it'll work well with your current video chipset though...

[rrussell]

Thanks, Wheemer - I might just do that. I ordered an nvidia pci vid card anyway. TO say that the the m9000 onboard video drivers suck is an insult to all other sucking things...

[rrussell]

Well, the FX5200 arrived yesterday and I slapped 'er in, and am having godawful troubles with it.

Unsolicited advice: Run screaming from the M9000 motherboard. It looks good on paper, but VIA's tech support is so lacking that... well... um. But I digress.

With the 5200 installed, the NonCSS decoders DO work, but they're significantly grainier than the old video, which is a bummer. The regular WinDVD decoder also works, but stutters. I installed the nVidia decoders, and those lock up the box. On an nVidia card, go figure!

It might be related to the STOP 0x0000001E that I'm getting whenever I have Direct3d enabled. Microsoft's (un)support site says basically, "Yeah, sometimes you get that with nVidia cards and VIA chipsets. Sorry." nVidia has nothing to say about it.

Meantime, I'm down and out. At least the server is still recording...