Moving objects flashing - interlace issue?

[lbeagley79]

I recently built a new computer using a PVR-250. My system is up to par: athlon x2 3800+, 1 GB RAM, geforce 6600GT (component out), 32" HDTV ready, and lots of storage.

I've been reading non-stop the past few days trying to fix a video issue I've encountered. Here's some background on what I've tried:

1. Enable DXVA and HWMC in registry.
2. Added "BOBWEAVE = 1" in registry.
3. Component input on video card set to SDTV 480i
3. Intervideo codec, NVIDIA codec, FFDSHOW, and every combination of deinterlacing possible in Sage.
4. Every combination of hardware on/off in Sage and NVIDIA post processor.
5. Installed all the latest drivers and mpeg decoder from Hauppauge along with older drivers to try and resolve the issue.

I've attached some images that show the problem I am encountering. I would GREATLY appreciate any feedback you may have. I'm at my wits end trying to find a fix and/or combination of settings that have not been tried yet.

Thanks in advance,
lbeagley

[Lucas]

This is not deinterlacing related!

Have you tried removing ffdshow from the loop?

[lbeagley79]

Thanks for the reply. I have removed ffdshow as suggested and am still getting the video artifacts.

If this is not interlaced related, what should it be called? I haven't been able to find an actual description of the video error I am seeing.

[Mahoney]

Have you tried playing the MPEG files back using something other than Sage? Something that you know normally plays MPEG files OK? Try recording a short clip with the problem and emailing it to someone and see if they see the problem playing it in Windows Media Player. That way you would know for sure whether it's a recording or a playback issue, so you could focus your efforts. If it's a recording issue then it might be as simple as a hardware fault with the way your PVR-250 encodes to MPEG.

[Lucas]

Yeah it does look like it might be an encoding issue. I saw something similar on a very weak analog OTA channel once.

[lbeagley79]

Thanks again for the help.

I took your suggestions and copied a sample mpeg over to both my laptop and another desktop. I played both back using windows media player and saw the artifacts.

To help diagnose the problem, I disconnected the component out from my video card and hooked up the s-video cable. This seemed to eliminate many of the colors I was seeing but there still are some elements present.

I also did the quartz.dll replace trick and changed the temp filter setting in the registry. I didn't notice much of a change since edges still have the flashing colors.

I'm still trying older drivers and other codecs but still no resolve. Maybe I'll get lucky and come up with the right combination of registry changes with the right codec/drivers - just experimenting until then...

[Mahoney]

Codecs, quartz.dll and whether you output component or S-Video won't solve the problem, by the sound of it - it sounds as if it is a problem with recording, which is done by the Hauppauge alone, not with playback which needs a decoder (codec). So the only thing worth playing with is Hauppauge drivers. But it does sound like a hardware issue... have you asked at the Hauppauge forums whether anyone else has experienced this when recording?

[lbeagley79]

Mahoney,

No I haven't asked on the hauppauge forums. Actually, I didn't even know they had their own forums! I'll give it a try and see what I find.

I've had some luck after re-installing ffdshow and using s-video. My colors were off even after using the histogram and descaler color calibration, but now my colors are much richer (after tweaking using ffdshow picture settings). I still have slight color artifacts around fast moving objects. The edges still have some pink/green hue but it is much less now. Think I was lucky with the following drivers:

hcwsmd04_21154.exe
pvr250_18_22037.exe
pvr250_18_inf.zip

I'm currently using 'good' settings for my PVR-250 in Sage - might try bumping this up to great and see if that makes any difference.

Once again, thanks for the advice. I'll take some more screenshots and post them soon.

[gplasky]

Your drivers are way old! Use these:

2.2.22301

Follow the instructions in this thread:

http://www.shspvr.com/smf/index.php?topic=6679.0

Gerry

[lbeagley79]

Ya, those drivers of mine are WAY old but they seemed to work better than the latest hauppauge drivers at least for me.

I have yet to try the drivers you suggested - that's next on my agenda. I'll post some results after I try them out. BTW, that's an awesome pug pic. A little off topic, but I used to have one that looked just like it!

[gplasky]

Thanks. That's Louie! It was the wife's birthday present a year and 3 moths ago. We love him. He's quite the character. A real people person..err..uhh..dog.

I think you'll find the drivers will do the trick for you. Make sure to follow the thread, uninstall the old drivers and run hwclear. Also follow the tips to clean the registry to.

Gerry

[lbeagley79]

Hey everyone,

I took Big Gerr's advice and re-installed the drivers linked above for the base CD. I followed the exact steps for removing the old files then installing the new drivers and mpeg decoder.

I am still seeing the moire effects (ie. green/pink borders on many objects). So I took it one step further and imported some other video files to sage. Every single file I played back was NOT recorded using the PVR-250, was rendered using ffdshow, and played back flawlessly. No artifacts at all. I also eliminated the satellite box as the culprit by hooking it back up directly to the TV - playback was terrific using s-video.

The video problems I am seeing are a result of when the files are being recorded I've concluded. The strange thing is, this card used to work great in my old computer. I'm wondering if there is some incompatability with my new motherboard? It seems all the driver/codec combos I've tried have similar results. My satellite system feeds to the PVR-250 via s-video and then is connected to my TV via s-video now. I have not tried using a composite video in to the PVR-250 or composite out to my TV. I'm under the assumption that s-video should always produce better imagery than composite but maybe it's causing the problem?

Any other ideas? Thanks for listening...

[lbeagley79]

Just a follow up message. I found an article that kind of explains the video problem I am seeing. Also attached is a short movie clip illustrating the problem. I had to zip the file so it could be uploaded.

http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/vidcomb.htm

[Mahoney]

My satellite system feeds to the PVR-250 via s-video and then is connected to my TV via s-video now. I have not tried using a composite video in to the PVR-250 or composite out to my TV. I'm under the assumption that s-video should always produce better imagery than composite but maybe it's causing the problem?

The link from the computer to the TV is not, as you've established, the problem.

The problem might actually be in your satellite box; have you tried linking up your satellite box direct to the TV using S-Video and seeing if the problem is still there? Try linking it direct using S-Video, composite and RGB if the satellite box supports it, and see whether you get the effect from any of those outputs from the satellite box. Obviously if that's what the satellite box is kicking out, the Hauppauge will be recording it correctly. In that case you need to get your satellite box sorted.

If the satellite box is putting out a clean signal then it might be worth trying the composite video in to the PVR-250, I guess; but if that doesn't fix it, and neither do different Hauppauge drivers, then it looks like your card is just a bit broken now, and you need a new one.

[gplasky]

I would try replacing the s-video cable with a new, better one. Or borrow someone's that you know is good and use that. (I thought the drivers would take care of you-sorry. But then again you have the latest drivers. Almost always a good thing.)

Gerry

[lbeagley79]

Hey Gerry,

You know, it's funny that you should mention the s-video cable

I just happened to be messing with all my cables thinking it might be EMI. Low and behold I swapped out the s-video cable from my satellite to the PVR-250 and wow! There's my clarity again!

Saturation, hue, brightness, and contrast all look great at their default settings! Man am I relieved. I've probably put more time in troubleshooting this problem than I have at work this week!

Once again, I can't thank everyone enough for their help. Guess I'll give those nvidia codecs a try again...