Stutter During Playback - only when Recordings start

[jptaz]

Mark,

Try shutting down SageTV and finding this line in the Sage.properties file:
seeker/periodically_scan_library

and then set it to false....if it does not exist just add it:
seeker/periodically_scan_library=false

See if that changes anything.

John

[ben_95sl1]

it sounds like the same type of problems I was having. Try the debug_logging=TRUE command in properties file to see when it happens in the sage log. Also, in parallel, log cpu usage if your version of windows has that function. Also, look at task manager to see who the culprit is: i bet its sage.

Definitely disable the periodically scan thing: I forgot about that. Just remember to refresh library after you make changes.

Are you running the service or the default way? Try the service if your not doing so already, and make the front end above normal priority and see what happens.

[jptaz]

Just checking the obvious...make sure you have Anti Virus scanning disabled on the import and recording directories.

[mandrews44]

Thanks for the suggestions. However, they didn't work. I believe it has to do with the Scheduler because every night when the EPG is updated, you can't watch anything as it uses 100% CPU usage for over 20 minutes. I sure don't know what the problem is and hope they fix it quick. Anyone know where the EPG file is? Every version I try does this now.

Regards,

Mark

[jptaz]

Mark,

Did you per chance change the Schedule Look ahead setting in SageTV?

Sage.properties contains a "scheduling_lookahead"

The default value is 259200000 ( which is 3 Days ). If you have modified this value or it is large it can cause the huge amount of CPU you are talking about.

This would also happen most dramatically after an EPG update. I used to only have 4 Tuners and never had the issue with scheduling more than 3 days, but when I added the 5th and 6th tuner and more line ups it was not usable.

John

[jptaz]

Ok I went back and see you only have 2 Tuners. I would suggest that you contact support.

Since I know they will ask for it go ahead and stop SageTV and SageTV Service if you use it and edit the Sage.properties file and add "debug_logging=TRUE"

Restart SageTV and the service and a file called "sagetv_0.txt" will be generated. When you email this file to support tell them exactly what times the stuttering occurs. Also sned the System Information by Going to Setup > System > Information screen and hit the Info button (defaults to CTRL-I on your keyboard). A txt file named "SystemInfo.txt" will be created in your SageTV folder.

Email that and a description of your problem as well as a detailed desctiption of your hardware. I suspect that maybe your wiz.bin or sage.properties file may have gotten corrupt.

Hope this helps.

John

[ben_95sl1]

I was using the digicasa epg plugin for canada with 2.2.8 and after some time I started having problems exactly as you describe (20min 100% cpu with epg update, scheduler caused huge cpu spikes during normal operation as well). When I went to the new built-in epg in 4.x my problems disappeared (but I can't guarantee it was the epg).

This is of no help unless you're using an external epg setup....but either way, you should set the epg to update whenever you're not watching TV.

Good lluck

[Tiki]

I have just set-up a new PC to run Sage this week and am seeing (or hearing) the same problem you describe. I never had this problem with the old (much slower) PC.

Problem occurs when watching a previously recorded show if Sage starts recording a new show in the background. I think it's related to the Blaster changing the channels, because I can see the digits changing on the Cable Box when I hear the problem. Basically, the audio stutters and buzzes for a couple of seconds (exactly the duration it takes Sage to change the channel on the Cable Box).

Hardware:
1 Sempron64 3100+, 512MB RAM
2 PVR-150 with blaster to control cable box
3 PVR-150 directly tuning cable
4 PVR-150MCE directly tuning cable

[jptaz]

I initiallythought it was related to tuning the cable box too, but I tested and it happens when the 500 is starting a recording using its built in tuner. Oddly it only happens on the PVR 500. I can have 3 PVR 250s and my USB2 HD Tuner all start simultanwously without any audio or video stutter.

John

[aperry]

It is definitely NOT just during a cable box channel number change. I don't have that kind of setup at all on my system, and I'm having the problem as well.

[mandrews44]

Hi,

Thanks for everyone's input, it is greatly appreciated.

However, This is what I am seeing. First, an idea of what I am using.
I am using the latest drivers for the (2) PVR II PCI (PVR-250) cards and the latest JAVA. I have added as suggested the following line and sage is no longer scanning my import directories.

seeker/periodically_scan_library=false

I have checked the EPG look ahead and it is set correctly to 3 days. (BTW, that number is in miliseconds, not seconds and should be something like 259200000)

What I was using that caused the major studdering was a NetGear SC01 network server that supports 2 drives. DO NOT USE IT FOR SAGE! There are driver issues that cause 100% cpu utilization when you are sending / recieving more than one stream in any direction. This drive, while causing other issues, has assisted me in identifying what is causing the ~5 minute studder and studder every time a recording starts or stops. What elements you see of this all depends on your CPU load. I do not believe it is related to which card you are using because I can see the CPU usage rise to 75% or more every 5 minutes if I am doing nothing but looking at the main menu.

There is a process (confirmed by testing) that is being triggered 1> Every ~5 minutes, 2> before you watch a video 3> When you press Stop Playback 4> When a recording starts and 5> when a recording ends scans all video folders (not import). I have not seen sage wake up a sleeping drive yet but I hear all 7 of my hard drive do heavy seeking every time I start or stop a video. (Not just the drive the video is sitting on).

I have found a setting that keep the CPU usage below 100% and only periodically pauses the video when recordings start and stop. If I change anything like MPEG video decompressor to NVidia instead of what I am using, sage will push the CPU to 100% and cause heavier pauses or pausing more often. If all depends on the load of your PC, how much Cache windows is using for your drives and wether or not windows had to physically get the directory from the drive or from cache. If all cache is fushed due to you just recoreded 2+ videos and watched 2 and windows has to read the drive, Sage is going to studder. If you are doing an EPG update, it will happen even worse.

I hope one of the developers can chime in and assist us with this 5 minutes phantom. They are the only ones who can tell us why the drives are scanned every 5 minutes. Again, not talking about import folders. Sage is rescanning video folders every 5 minutes and I would like to turn it off. How often are the folders going to change anyway for such an agressive routine? Before, after and every 5 minutes? Wow. I have 1000's of files, over 800 Gigs of videos and the process hogs by 2.5ghz processor every time it runs this routine.

BTW, I have 1.4TB online (1400GB in 7 drives)

Regards,

Mark

[Narflex]

There's a new property added for the next version which will allow you to disable this scanning.

[BBCritical]

Is this scanning used to update the recordings interface?

[mandrews44]

Originally Posted by BBCritical

Is this scanning used to update the recordings interface?

While I do not know for sure, I believe it does. The recording interface should be updated real time. While I am guessing, I can see it being used for network recorders. If this is the case, why not write a routine for the recorders to add (post via tcp/ip) a new recording into the recording interface (Database)? It would be much less intensive for the server.

Just a guess.

Jeff: Thank you for your excellent support and an excellent product. We love / addicted to SAGE!!!

BTW, The product that does not work well with Sage is the "NetGear SC101 Central Storage". Until they fix the driver to handle more than one stream (read or write), it can't be used for sage. I am taking mine back.

Regards,

Mark

[aperry]

FWIW, I checked on my system, and when a recording starts (or I change channels in live TV mode), the sound stutter happens and my CPU pops up to 100%. There's also about a 1 second pause when a new program starts in live TV mode, but I'm assuming that it is basically the same thing as starting a new recording.

Hope that helps somewhat...

[krbaugh]

1 gig amd proc 256 meg of memory 2 80 gig hard drive and 1 Hauppauge 500 card

[MattHelm]

Originally Posted by jptaz

I suspect this is a PVR-500/150 issue seeing as I am not the only one with the issue. Either SageTV is not doing something right with the PVR 500 / 150 or it is a problem with the way the drivers work.
...
John

John, I am having the same problem with a PVR250/PVR500. Every time I get a stutter, I look up at the clock, and it is almost always on the top of the hour, when I KNOW something started recording.

I'm not sure if it did it with older versions, but then I upgraded to 4.x right after I got the PVR500.

David

[MattHelm]

Originally Posted by jptaz

Sage.properties contains a "scheduling_lookahead"

The default value is 259200 ( which is 3 Days ).

Yikes, mine is set to 259200000 (Direct copy!!!) But it is being used, so can't shut down right now!!!

David

[Opus4]

BTW: as someone else noted above, 259200000 is the correct value -- it is the # of milliseconds for 3 days.

- Andy

[dflachbart]

Hi,

I was just about to post a new thread when I stumbled upon this one, and it seems to describe the problems I am having pretty well. I am relatively new to Sage, and had my system (Celeron 3Ghz, 512MB, MX4000, PVR-150 S-video to cable box) up and running fine for over a week now, without any audio issues. But after I added a second PVR-150, the audio problems described in this thread began ...

I have one PVR-150 connected to my cable box via S-video, the other is using its own tuner and connected to the coax. Both cards are configured for different EPG providers (digital / analog lineup), but share all channels < 100. For test purposes, I set it up so that some channels are only available for tuner1, and others only for tuner2. Here is what I am experiencing:

• when I switch channels on the card using the built-in tuner during LiveTV (channels ony available to this card), there is no audio issue
  
• when I switch channels on the card fed by my cable box via S-video (again only using this card), I get audio stutter and crackling until the channel change is complete
  
• when I watch LiveTV using one card and a recording starts using the other card, I hear a loud weird distorted sound (similar to the sound when an app has crashed and the last sound is 'stuck' in the sound card) until the channel change is complete. The same thing happens when I flip from a channel on one card to a channel on the other card
  

These problems are really annoying, and make the otherwise great PVR experience less enjoyable... I tried a vanilla Sage install, but this didn't change anything. I didn't try to physically uninstall the second card yet, but I am pretty sure the problem will go away - since everything was working fine with only one card ...

Anything else (settings?) I can try ? I will also submit a report to support, and really hope that this issue can be resolved soon, since obviously a lot of people face the same problem ...


Dirk