Stuttering Playback on just one channel

[Target]

Howdy all,

I'm a bit peeved here. I've got a serious stuttering problem here, and its very annoying. I'm using an HDHR, and and HD Media Extender. When pulling up VLC with the HDHR, there's no stuttering. On both the server, and the Media Extender, there is serious stuttering. Generally, its not all the channels. One week its just Fox, and the next its just CBS. Currently, CBS is unwatchable, while the other three broadcast networks look great. I've turned off VMR9 incoding, and just updated Windows. Any ideas? The wife is just about fed up with Sage, and I'm going to have to get a Verizon DVR if I can't fix this.

Target

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by Target

Howdy all,

I'm a bit peeved here. I've got a serious stuttering problem here, and its very annoying. I'm using an HDHR, and and HD Media Extender. When pulling up VLC with the HDHR, there's no stuttering. On both the server, and the Media Extender, there is serious stuttering. Generally, its not all the channels. One week its just Fox, and the next its just CBS. Currently, CBS is unwatchable, while the other three broadcast networks look great. I've turned off VMR9 incoding, and just updated Windows. Any ideas? The wife is just about fed up with Sage, and I'm going to have to get a Verizon DVR if I can't fix this.

Target

I noticed you didn't mention if you are using QAM or OTA....coud it be signal strength? I know VLC doesn't have the studdering, but it could handle poor signals better than Sage. What about your recording directories? Are they set to 64K? Do you notice it more when multiple things are recording? What about your network? How many hard drives do you have?

[kevine]

Recording or watching live with VLC. Make sure you open up a recording with VLC and not live to do the compare. Sage does nothing live. Even when you think you are watching live with Sage, you are watching a fraction of a second behind in a recording.

[Target]

I'm a Verizon Fios subscriber, so i don't think signal strength should be an issue.

The recording drive is formatted for 64k blocks.

The problem is very inconsistent. Last night, CBS was unwatchable from 8 to 9, but the show at 9:30 played perfectly. I have not tried a recording in VLC, but due to the inconstancy in the stuttering, I have a feeling it won't make a difference.

Target

[kevine]

Just because you have Verizon FIOS does not mean you are immune to signal issues. I won't debate the signal coming into the house because for all I know, FIOS could be perfect in every home. However, once inside the house, does it split? Are you using RG6 cables with good connectors? How many times does it split? Are you using amplified or non-amplified splitters? Just to name a few.

After you check VLC of a recording and confirm the stuttering ocurrs as it does in Sage you are left with 3 possible issues:
1. Saving to disk. You ruled out 64K blocks. So what activity going on at the same time. for example, comskip or compression running at the same time?
2. Network topology-Is your HDHR directly connected using a 2nd NIC. If you can, try this. That will rule out your network topology.
3. Signal streghth- You say it should not be a problem but check it in the HDHR config. It should be at least 85% or more. Mine is around 90-95 and I still get an occational stutter just to give you an idea.

Also, you could try recording with VLC. I do not know how this is done but I think it is possible. Then try and watch the recording. Does it playback the same as you were watching live?

Let me know how this turns out. If all else fails, report it to the Silicondust website forum. jafa is very responsive.

[Target]

In the garage, the signal is split 3 times. However, 2 of those go to locations in which nothing is plugged in, and there are no plans to connect anything. Can this degrade the quality? In the rack, there is another triple split with two streams going into the HDHR, and one dedicated to internet access.

The HDHR is connected to a 24 port gigabit switch along with all of my other equipment. I believe all interconnects are good, but I will check this, as I have made some of them myself.

I will also check signal strength when I get home tonight. However, does it make any sense to have such an erratic signal problem that goes from channel to channel, and even varies from hour to hour? I suppose it makes even less sense that its a software problem. All I know is that its bugging the hell out of my wife

The system itself is serving as a CQC server and Sage server. Overall, I don't think there is much of a load on it at all with the Media Extender.

As a side note, is there any way to adjust the size of recorded material? I currently have it set in the settings to record at 2Gigs/hour, but it refuses to do anything less than 6Gigs/hour! In the settings area I have it set at 2 for both the tuners and the default. I have no idea if this could affect anything, but 6G/hour is insane.

Thanks a ton for the responses. I REALLY don't want to shell out $20/month for a Verizon DVR.

Target

[Slipshod]

Originally Posted by Target

In the garage, the signal is split 3 times. However, 2 of those go to locations in which nothing is plugged in, and there are no plans to connect anything. Can this degrade the quality? In the rack, there is another triple split with two streams going into the HDHR, and one dedicated to internet access.

Yes, it can. The splitter itself will introduce loss in the signal, it doesn't matter if anything is plugged in on the other legs. I don't remember the exact number for a 3:1 splitter, but a 2:1 is about 3.5dB loss. 3:1 is probably around 4.5dB.

[paulbeers]

Okay first off, HD doesn't matter what you pick as your default. It is what it is....6GB-9GB is standard. The choice of what to record at is only for the SD content.

As for your splits, you have a 3 way splitter that you are only using 1 leg off of and then you have another 3 way split after it? Take out the first three way split with a barrel connector.

For a 2 way splitter you lose 3.5DB of signal. On a 3 way signal it goes up to something about 6.5DB. The DB loss is on a logrithmic scale, so your signal thru each 3 way splitter means you only have about 25% of your signal. Now take 25% of your 25% and you are down to only about 6% signal! And YES a limited signal could vary.....

[jerryt]

Does the stutter go away with when you switch from VMR9 to overlay?

What video codec filter are you using?

Do you have Closed Captions turned on?

Reread original post, using a media extender would rule out the above three items. So signal strength and 64k blocks on the recording drive would be things to check.

[Target]

I took at the first 3 way splitter last night. We will see how things work tonight. I'm hoping that will fix things. For the last couple of nights the stuttering has been terrible from 8 to 10, and then it goes away. Could it somehow be tied to increased traffic during prime time? I will double check the 64k blocks, though I distinctly remember doing that. I'll check back in tonight after making sure those two things are set.

Target

[kevine]

You said you were going to check the signal strength. Did you do that before you removed the 1st splitter?

[Target]

I did not. Things got busy last night, and I didn't have time. If it isn't fixed tonight, I'll do a comparison.

This is slightly off topic, but I am interested in potentially using Sage in a commercial setting. Is this sort of isolated stuttering a typical problem? Is Sage solid enough yet to install in a customers home?

Target

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by Target

I did not. Things got busy last night, and I didn't have time. If it isn't fixed tonight, I'll do a comparison.

This is slightly off topic, but I am interested in potentially using Sage in a commercial setting. Is this sort of isolated stuttering a typical problem? Is Sage solid enough yet to install in a customers home?

Target

This studdering is not an issue with strong signals, a good network, and using media extenders. I have set this up for multiple family members with no problems and very little support from me (other than one box overheated in the cabinet it was being held in and we had to rebuild).

[Target]

Alright. American Idol went flawlessly last night. The real test will be tonight. I'm cautiously optimistic because Fox prime time has been the worst channel, and it looked great. I think that taking out that first splitter did it. Two quick questions.

1. If I need to put it back in, do I call the cable company and ask them to amplify the signal?

2. I'm 99% sure that I have 64k blocks set on the media drive, but is there any way to verify this?

Thanks a ton guys.

Target

[kevine]

Originally Posted by Target

1. If I need to put it back in, do I call the cable company and ask them to amplify the signal?

You can try but I doubt they would. They only time they want to do amplification or inside wiring it is to their cable boxes.

Originally Posted by Target

2. I'm 99% sure that I have 64k blocks set on the media drive, but is there any way to verify this?

chkdsk at the command prompt

[Target]

65536k in each allocation unit. I think I'm good. I'll probably only post back if something else goes wrong. I can't thank you all enough.

Target

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by Target

1. If I need to put it back in, do I call the cable company and ask them to amplify the signal?


Target

As Kevine stated, probably not. You will most likely need to buy a coax amplifier. I would highly recommend you stay away from the radio shack brands and any other low grade ones should you need it. This is one place where you really do get what you pay for. I use a Signal Vision 8 way amplifier mainly because that is what my cable company uses for products. Otherwise I would highly recommend Electroline.

[Target]

Four days of flawless playback now. I can't thank you all enough for the help. The fact that it was only one channel at a time completely threw me off from thinking it was signal.

Target

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by Target

Four days of flawless playback now. I can't thank you all enough for the help. The fact that it was only one channel at a time completely threw me off from thinking it was signal.

Target

Glad to hear it. Computers have always been my hobby and they are difficult enough to figure out what is going wrong, and then you throw in video capturing from coax/stb's/etc. It just adds a whole new layer of difficulty.

[Target]

Sorry to reopen the thread, but I don't think things are quite fixed. Tuner '0' works flawlessly, so when we are only watching one show, everything is copacetic. Unfortunately when a second show is recording on tuner '1,' it plays back stuttering. I'm guessing, from everything that I have learned here, that this is from signal loss. As such, would one of thesesatisfy my needs?

On a related note, a friend living in an apartment cannot get internet, because the signal strength coming into her apartment is so weak that she can barely get cable, and she can't split the feed to get internet also. Would one of these devices help her as well?

Thanks a ton,

Target