Client/Server Setup

[millers_35]

Hey guys, long time reader and first time poster here. I have been running sagetv for a couple months now and have decided to add in a client with 2 additional tuners. My SageTV server is running on a:

Abit IC7-Max3 mobo
P4 2.8ghz HT
2 X 512MB Corsair PC-3500 ram
Geforce 6800 Ultra AGP
2 X 400GB Raid 0 HD's
OP is on a 160 GB PATA drive
Audigy 2 ZS Soundcard
1 Hauppage PVR-150 (no-FM tuner)
Firefly remote
Nvidia DVD Decoder 4.0.44.0
AC3Filter for sound


I have the client setup on a:

PIII 733mhz proc
1 512MB Kingston PC-133 Ram
EVGA Geforce 6200 AGP
2 X Hauppage PVR-150 (no-FM tuner)
Some noname ALS4000 Soundcard
Latest Nvidia Purevideo Decoder
AC3Filter for sound
MCE Remote

Latest Java on both of them
XP SP2 on both

Everything on the servers works fine by itself my problem is mainly with the client. I have the tuners setup so the server can see them that are on the client with 2 instances of SageTV Recorder(Trial) running. Sometimes playing live tv with the client the A/V is a little choppy until I hit pause for like 3 seconds and then hit play again, after that is seems to run fine. All MPEG2 stuff like recordings and divx files play fine.

Problem/Question 1. Now when I go to my ripped DVD's I get a Playback Exception error saying it is having a problem with the audio rendering. I have tried every audio decoder I have with no luck. Could someone explain what this error is referring too?


Question 2. With my client playback and menus a little sluggish would I benifit by moving the SageTV Server to the slower machine and putting all 3 tuners in it and just use my main/gaming computer as a client? I just dont really know if it is fast enough tho. Anyone have any previous experience with this?


Sorry so lengthy I appreciate any help.

Thankyou,

Miller

[lovingHDTV]

I can't respond to your 1st question, but for the second one I do think you would be better off using the PIII computer as the server. If you are not viewing material on the server the PIII is fast enough for 3 tuners.

The CPU requirements come from playback, not recording.

The caveat here is that you are using hardware tuner cards, like the Happauge PVR250/150 style. If you are using software encoders then it will take more CPU to record and your PIII may not be powerful enough.

hope this helps,

[blade]

Originally Posted by millers_35

Question 2. With my client playback and menus a little sluggish would I benifit by moving the SageTV Server to the slower machine and putting all 3 tuners in it and just use my main/gaming computer as a client? I just dont really know if it is fast enough tho. Anyone have any previous experience with this?

The 733mhz machine is plenty fast enough for a server unless you're going to do transcoding. I have 4 tuners in my server which is a celeron 366 with 320 mb of ram. As lovingHDTV said, capturing doesn't require much power if you're using hardware encoding.

The main problem with older hardware on a server is hard drive support. My server's motherboard only supports up to 40 gig hard drives and does ata 33. So you may need an IDE-Controller card depending on your motherboard.

You shouldn't be using Sage Recorder, it's an older product that I believe isn't actively being developed. Just put all of your tuner cards in the server and get rid of Recorder IMO. If you really need to keep the tuner cards in a seperate PC I think you'd be better off setting up SageTV to use network encoders.

[millers_35]

lovingHDTV, Thanks for the reply.

I was kind of thinking the same way, however I was thinking about moving the PIII into the living for playback use. I guess this will just something I will have to test around with. As for the audio renderer idk either, I was thinking maybe it was the crappy soundcard but if it was that then I wouldnt think it would play the audio from the mpeg2.

Also one other thing to mention about that the movies are ripped with only the AC3 5-Ch English Audio, which I thought would be fine. spdif passthrough on the server(which works fine) but only 2-channel on the client with the noname soundcard.


Miller

Blade, if I move the server to the PIII which with the replies I believe I will. And the HDD compatibility wont be a problem as I will be leaving them in the P4 2.8 in Raid 0. As far as SageRecorder thats why I didnt buy and was only useing the trial mode because I wasnt sure.
Blade do you also use that celeron for Playback as well?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by millers_35

Problem/Question 1. Now when I go to my ripped DVD's I get a Playback Exception error saying it is having a problem with the audio rendering. I have tried every audio decoder I have with no luck. Could someone explain what this error is referring too?

What decoders and renderers (audio) do you have available for selection?
What ones do you have selected?

[millers_35]

Renderer:

Microsoft RDP Audio Driver
Default Directsound Device "Selected"
Default Waveout Device
Directsound: Avance Sound (Emulated)

Decoder:
AC3Filter "Selected"
MPEG Audio Decoder
Nvidia Audio Decoder
SageTV Audio Decoder

Sorry I wont be able to test right now as I am at work but am able to remote admin to my comp and home for the info.


Miller

[blade]

No, I doubt it would be able to handle playback and I know the video card in my server is junk as well.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by millers_35

Microsoft RDP Audio Driver

Checking from work eh (remote desktop).

Are you using S/PDIF out?

What are your AC3Filter settings?

Which version of AC3Filter?

[millers_35]

Ok guys a little update here. I have decided to just use the P4 as the server so I have added one of the pvr-150's into the server having a total of 2. I cant add the other one right now because the only available slot I have is being block by my 6800U and its NV Silencer 5. So what I was thinking about doing is taking the Audigy 2 ZS out and replacing it with another pvr-150 (and just using the onboard spdif optical out for my reciever) and putting the audigy in my client machine. Will I still get the same quality sound through the onboard soundcard (Going to a Pioneer VSX1015TX reciever)?

I think a lot of the stuttering on the client machine has to do with the fact that my server machine has been terribly sluggish since I moved it into its new P-180 case, so it will be getting formatted b4 the week is up. And 1 other question on that. I have a Abit IC7-Max3 using the onboard raid controller with a raid 0 setup(2X400gb). And the OS is running on a 160gb IDE drive. If I format the 160gb and reinstall the OS on that same drive am I gonna lose the data in my raid array?

Also I am using AC3Filter 1.01a and "no" spdif out on the client machine. Just line out.

And for the client I am now having problems with the purevideo decoder on playback for anything, only works with sage decoder. I have tried upgrading to v. 4020.196.0.0 and still have no luck. Everything works for the sage decoder except for the DVD rips.


Miller

[millers_35]

Just wanted to say I have fixed my issues and everything is running smoothly. The problem was with the Nvidia decoders and the way they were installed. First they was installed under the administrator account and then later on I created another user acct(with admin priv). And started having these problems. But I didnt realize at first what was causing it. I tried uninstalling STV Client, Java, and all decoders and starting fresh but was still unsuccessful and when trying to install the nvidia decoders under the user acct. I would get an error saying NvDECCtrl.dll could not be registered: Access is denied. So I got to thinking and logged back into the admin account and reinstalled java, NV Decoders, April release of DX9, and STV Client. And now all is well. Playback on everything is very smooth now. Server and Client both ran all night with no problem.

I only have 2 tuners installed atm as I have to make room in my server for the other tuner I have.

FSE seemed to be doing alright as well. (except for the windowed to fullscreen) which I will never be doing on this client machine.

Once again thanks for all the help and suggestion. And I will try to start contributing to the forums with any knowledge I have learned.


Miller