Flickering and Pixelation with HD-PVR

[dibs]

Ok, I'm so close to perfection with my setup, but I get minor pixelation and a flicker with the video both recorded and live about every 10 to 20 seconds. Please let me know what you think might be causing this.

My setup is a WHS box with the recording drive at 64k clusters (I used the Windows disk manager) connected to an OLD Linksys BEFW11S4, and then an STX-HD100

I am running the beta versions of both Sage and the Extender firmware.

There are a few different things I can think of that might causing the flickering:

1. I am using a 10ft USB 2.0 extender to connect the HD-PVR to my server. Would that cause a performance difference?

2. I have a faulty HD-PVR. It get's really hot, but seems to work as long as i have it on it's side.

3. My router is ancient. If I get a new gig switch, do I just connect one of the ports on the switch to the linksys router to give everything a correct address and a link to the internet? Then just use the switch to connect the nodes (extender, server)?

I've read about the NIC card's power management to improve performance, but i checked it and it's off. It is a 10/100/1000 NIC, so I may try to pick up a cheap gig switch. What do the experts think?

Thanks a ton. This as been so exciting for me as a first HTPC setup.

[B-Figgy]

I'm seeing this behavior with my HD PVR as well. The tricky thing is that it seems to be working fairly well otherwise although it has locked up on me once or twice after long stretches of recording. You already seem sure that yours is a faulty model so perhaps that's the explanation after all.

[zoop]

Originally Posted by B-Figgy

I'm seeing this behavior with my HD PVR as well. The tricky thing is that it seems to be working fairly well otherwise although it has locked up on me once or twice after long stretches of recording. You already seem sure that yours is a faulty model so perhaps that's the explanation after all.

I am also seeing this, more like a quick 1-frame video-only stutter every 10-15 seconds while watching HD-PVR content on the HD extender. Otherwise it's quite beautiful and I have had no heat-related or other issues with my HD-PVR. I have submitted a bug report for 6.4.4.

[Fluffdaddy]

Originally Posted by zoop

I am also seeing this, more like a quick 1-frame video-only stutter every 10-15 seconds while watching HD-PVR content

Yep, the same. Growing pains of a new product I guess

[appelm]

I've been using my HD-PVR for a week now with great success and no pixelation. But I just switched my audio connection from dual RCA to optical and then re-configured SageTV to component-SPDIF. All of a sudden I'm getting the pixelation and some stuttering every now and then. I switched back to RCA and everything's fine again. Are you all using optical?

[B-Figgy]

I'm using RCA here. With that said I'll do the opposite and switch to optical to see if the problem persists.

[dibs]

Wondering what drivers you guys are using. I'm using the "Latest Drivers" beta drivers from the thread in the general discussion. Maybe I should trying going back to the drivers on the disc. Also, I am using optical. I will try to go RCA and see if that makes a difference.

[zoop]

i am using the drivers that came on the disc, and RCA for my audio..

[dibs]

Anybody get this problem to go away? Mine is still doing it with 6.4.4. Thinking about calling Hauppage, as I see more an more people having the same issue, and others are fine.

[Addict]

I'm using default drivers.

It's a blip in video every 5 seconds, almost like clockwork.

It happens on my HD Extender AS WELL AS the ArcSoft Total Media Extreme...so I do not believe it to be a SageTV issue...I believe it to be a recording issue.

I have a 10ft USB extension cable.

I have a PCI USB 2.0 card.

RCA from my cable box to my HD-PVR to my Extenders.

[zoop]

Originally Posted by Addict

I'm using default drivers.

It's a blip in video every 5 seconds, almost like clockwork.

It happens on my HD Extender AS WELL AS the ArcSoft Total Media Extreme...so I do not believe it to be a SageTV issue...I believe it to be a recording issue.

I have a 10ft USB extension cable.

I have a PCI USB 2.0 card.

RCA from my cable box to my HD-PVR to my Extenders.

what resolution are you recording in? i was seeing this at 720p and was advised to switch to 1080i... will check tomorrow morning to see if that improves things.

[Addict]

Originally Posted by zoop

what resolution are you recording in? i was seeing this at 720p and was advised to switch to 1080i... will check tomorrow morning to see if that improves things.

I have to assume I'm recording at 1080i. That's what the TME software said when I tested with that, and that's what my cable box says.

Is there another setting somewhere I'm missing?

[zoop]

Originally Posted by Addict

I have to assume I'm recording at 1080i. That's what the TME software said when I tested with that, and that's what my cable box says.

Is there another setting somewhere I'm missing?

if you look at the detailed information for the recording it will tell you what resolution the file was recorded in.

fyi after switching from 720p to 1080i last night my video stuttering went away. ymmv

/jer

[Addict]

Originally Posted by zoop

if you look at the detailed information for the recording it will tell you what resolution the file was recorded in.

fyi after switching from 720p to 1080i last night my video stuttering went away. ymmv

/jer

Huh, never noticed that. I was recording HD at 480i. <laughs> The quality still looked really good though... Anyway, by changing resolution, I assume you mean via SageTV video quality settings...which I bumped from Good to Great. Now my recordings are showing 1080i. We'll see how that works over the next couple days, that's for the tip!

Are there any other settings I should be aware of? Does making changes within the TME recorder affect non-TME recordings?

[Chriscic]

Originally Posted by Addict

It's a blip in video every 5 seconds, almost like clockwork.

I had this issue at first. Changing USB ports fixed it for me (I think... the issue did stop then). My unit was defective with lockups also but it would record ok for 2-5 minutes.

[otakucode]

Have you tried using different codecs? The ArcSoft codec is pretty terrible I'm finding. Quality issues, it's written like crap and eats CPU, etc. I'm trying to figure out what Sage does that causes CoreAVC (an excellent h264 decoder) to not work right.... something is still eating CPU, possibly the ArcSoft Audio codecs... really confused as to why Hauppauge included this terrible codec with this product when many other competent h264 codecs exist (Cyberlink, CoreAVC, even ffdshow works better than ArcSoft).

[snyderbunch]

I'm having this same issue. I get a flicker every 10-15 seconds. It is very slight, so slight that my wife can't see it. I am recording in 720p with optical out. I did notice that when I transcode the video to DVD quality 480p with AC3 using the Sage built-in converter, the flicker doesn't carry over to the transcoded video. I assume from this that the problem doesn't lie with the encoding on the HD-PVR or with the USB transfer to the server. The problem must either be with the Sage software, my HD100, or with my network bandwidth. I don't think that is the problem since I have a gigabit switch and the flicker occurs on all 3 of my HD100's. What do you guys think? Is it a Sage software or HD100 firmware issue?

[Addict]

Originally Posted by Addict

Huh, never noticed that. I was recording HD at 480i. <laughs> The quality still looked really good though... Anyway, by changing resolution, I assume you mean via SageTV video quality settings...which I bumped from Good to Great. Now my recordings are showing 1080i. We'll see how that works over the next couple days, that's for the tip!

I'm still having the issue. No luck changing video quality settings to highest in Sage.

Are there any other settings I should be aware of? Does making changes within the TME recorder affect non-TME recordings? If so, should I modify that to something in particular?

[civerson4]

This may help someone track down the problem with stutters every 5-10 seconds--but I sure haven't found the answer yet

I have an Sage Server (AMD Quad 6600, Nvidia 8600 GT, 4 GB Ram) connected to the HD-PVR. The server is DVI->HDMI out to a Panny 50" Plasma with a 720P native resolution. If I set the cable box to output 720p (in my case a Motorola DCH 3300), I get a perfect picture. No stutters, crystal clear scroll bars (like the bottom of the screen on CNBC).

BUT, both of my HD 100 Extenders get a stutter every 10 secs (Both set at 1080P output via HDMI).

If I switch the cable box to output 1080i, the extenders are perfect, but I get stutters on the 720p plasma running off the server.

This occurs with both live TV and recorded material.

I really think it is a scaling/de-interlacing/decoder problem--not a recording issue (at least in my system). I am going to try uninstalling the Arcsoft decoders and looking for an alternative--maybe that is it??? I don't see this issue with either of my HDHR boxes, which are rock solid.

Any other ideas? Hope this helps someone alot smarter than me figure this one out.

This sure feels like the "early" days of the HDHR when it was almost perfect and surprisingly annoying that we were almost at HTPC nirvana, but not quite close enough!!!

[Flash69]

This is a very interesting thread.

I received my HD-PVR today and I too was having the stuttering. I switched my sat box to 1080i and it stopped. I had to re-route the power wire for the HD-PVR and when I plugged it back in I was getting the stuttering (of video only) again. I turned the power off on the front of the HD-PVR and then back on and now it seems fine.

I am not really sure what the deal is. My unit is a Rev C2 (updated version).