Strange problem - hard to describe

[pratt733]

I'm running Sage 6.0.19 and, up until now, have been using a single Hauppauge PVR150 connected to a cable STB. Everything's been fine.

I recently added an NVIDIA DualTV card. Since I didn't have extra blasters at the time, I ran the STB into input 1 of the NVIDIA and used the Hauppauge blaster to control that. I ran cable into the tuner of the Hauppauge card temporarily and that worked just fine (I could record two shows at once).

I then added the Microsoft MCE remote and blaster, using EXEMULTITUNER and HIP to do the tuning. It was tough to set up, but it works just fine. I am now running two STBs into the NVIDIA and straight cable into the Hauppauge (no longer using the blaster). Before I did this, though, I reloaded my machine and installed the latest NVIDIA driver (1.34 I guess - had that before I reloaded the machine) and the latest Hauppauge driver. I can record three shows at once now and everything seemed to be fine.

What's happening, though, is that if the NVIDIA is recording more than one show at once (using both SVIDEO inputs) and the shows aren't at the same time (first encoder records from 9-10 and the second records from 9:30 - 10) when the second show starts, the recording on the first encoder seems to switch to a random channel (usually 92) but it isn't the blaster that's changing the channel and the other recording isn't on channel 92 (I don't even get that channel). It's almost as if the graph gets screwed up?? This happens for about 20 seconds and the recording is fine after that.

Additionally, if I'm watching live TV and the other encoder (could be either the NVIDIA or Hauppauge) starts recording, it switches to that card instead of staying on the show I'm watching (it still has another 30 minutes).

I've been thinking that it's a weak cable feed and maybe it's really the STB that's getting confused (my recordings on the Hauppauge are never screwed up).

Does anyone have any idea what's going on?

I should also mention that when the recording seems to go to the random channel, the audio continues from the correct channel and it's just the video that's wrong. That continues for a few seconds and then the video goes black for a few seconds (still with the correct audio) and then everything's fine for the rest of the recording.

[pratt733]

Update:

I connected a TV to the Composite output of the offending cable box and the TV displays the same wrong channel so it's definitely a cable box issue and not a DualTV/graph issue.

I think installing an amp and switching out the box should solve it.

[naln]

Not sure I understand the problem completely- but the problem seems to be with your Nvidia tuner setup. If your recordings revert back to normal in a few seconds - then it should not be the STBs....they do not have a way of changing back the channels once the IR blaster has done its job....and I'm assuming here that the blasters are well 'IR isolated' wrt to each STB that they control!

I am not familiar with the nvidia card- but you should check if you have the correct drivers and if sage has setup this card properly.....and if you can get the dual tuners to work under some other software- ie WinTVR etc..

Maybe this thread is of help to you.