Is it possible to have smooth LIVE TV??

[kovert]

Alright, here are my system specs.

P3-750
256mb RAM
ATA100-30gb HD
GF3-ti200
PVR-250
SB-Live

Now no matter what settings I have tried I can't get live video to work smoothly. (THIS IS GOING THROUGH THE VGA TO MY PROJECTOR, NOT TV OUT). Everything I watch seems so digitized and fake. It's extremely difficult to sit down and watch anything, especially sports. Is there any way to ever get smooth LIVE TV. or would I have to pretty much get a new MB and Processor (If that's the case, I'll take back the 250 and get a tivo)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

BTW - recordings seem to work pretty good. Burned to DVD without a problem and they look ok.

[Cayars]

Deja Vu.

I have the distinct feeling I just read this some other place.

Seek the question/answer there.

Carlo

[Opus4]

Originally posted by kovert
recordings seem to work pretty good. Burned to DVD without a problem and they look ok.

The thing I don't get is this: if the recordings look good, why doesn't your live TV look good also? Sage is _always_ recording, so you are still watching a recoding even if you think you are watching it live... unless your other recordings are somehow set to use a higher quality recording setting. Have you paused the live TV for a short time so you aren't perhaps always running into the end of what is currently recorded?

- Andy

[mlbdude]

What decoder are you using? What is your CPU usage when watching LiveTV? This is easily possible with your CPU.

[kovert]

Hmmm, pausing it may be a good thing to try. That thought hadn't crossed my mind.

Here are the decoders I've tried

NVDVD - Seemed to look pretty good 60-75%
HAUPPAUGE Intervideo NonCSS - Not bad 70-80%
And WINDVD Intervideo - Seemed the best blend 55-70%

So the CPU didn't change much between them honestly. I tried the registry hacks, and it didn't really seem to do much until I tried WINDVD and enabled Hardware Acceleration. That's when the CPU dropped about 5-10% (numbers above reflect the drop)

Cayars - YEP , same problem with both PVR software trials.

Thanks all