Added a 2nd PVR250 - problems started

[Myro]

I've been running my PVR250 (15 version) in my HTPC for a few months. No problems at all. Just bought a 2nd card. It's a 16 version. Slipped it into the PC. Rebooted. Installed. Works fine. But sometimes, I get a recorded video where the bottom 3rd of the screen is filled with colored blocks. Anhy hints? Running drivers 1.17.390.21219

Myro :-)

[fidget]

It looks like you got farther than I did when I had a mix of chips. With me, whenever I added the -15 version card I got your symptoms, plus a very low quality picture. I could never get a good capture. My only solution was to remove my -15 version card. Fortulately for me, the -15 was my PVR-350 so I made a dedicated EPIA system for it to drive my TV set.

[mlbdude]

Try the newer drivers from Hauppauge. Also play with the order of the cards in the PCI bus.

[Myro]

Any hands-on experience with this? Which driver version works best? And should the -15 be before the -16?

[mlbdude]

I worked on a system for my friend and he got a 15 and a 16. Using the 1.6b drivers he now has them both running. It has been going well for many months. I do not remember the ordering, but try switching what you have.

[Myro]

And did you install both cards into the PC, booted and installed the drivers? Or install one card and drivers. Shutdown and install 2nd card and drivers?

[mlbdude]

I am going to get an exact list of steps we went through from my friend (just shot out an email). Since you can boot the PC with both in their and kind of get it working, I would play with different driver versions for now.

Try the 1.6b drivers form SHS's site. Or the lastest ones.

[mikbro]

You MUST use the latest set from (downloadable from www.shspvr.com). They specifically address using different revisions (15/16) in the same machine. Follow the instructions on the www.shspvr.com for how to remove completely your old drives and install new ones. If you go through all that and find Sage does not recognize either or both cards delete your sage.properties and sage.propertiesbackup files and restart Sage. You will have to resetup your cards, but that should take care of it.

The last several driver revs available have been very stable with excellent PQ for my systems.

[Myro]

Just removed everything and installed 1.7.21177 and seems to work fine for a while (as my previous install did).

I think I pinpointed the problem. If I record after a reboot, all is good. But my HTPC is set to go into hibernation after 10 mins of inactivity. When coming out from hibernation for a scheduled recording, that's when I get one of the recording with colour blocks. But If I reboot before the scheduled recording starts, image is perfect.

Looks like I'll have to "put on hold" hibernation until I solve this...

Myro

[mlbdude]

Sounds like you may have solved it but go my friends system and specs.

He did install one card at a time, loading the driver after each one (we don't remember which one first). He is running 1.6b.