PlaceShifter - Black video after hibernation

[Moskus]

I have a Kohjinsha SA100 computer (low spec: 600 MHz, AMD Geode graphics), but it's small and always with me.

The first time I start PlaceShifter and go to "Stream Live TV" it works.

However, after I set the computer in hibernation and wakes it up again, the Image is black.


What can I do? I would hate to restart my machine every time I plan to use PlaceShifter...


Thanks for your help.



EDIT: After testing some more I find that the video can be black even after a fresh restart.
Is this a "decoder issue"? Are there any free (good) decoders?

I've read the trouble shooting FAQ but it seems a little outdated...

[Moskus]

I think I figured it out. I need to set my video card to 16 bit. I'm not sure but I think that's it.

If anybody has a better solution, I'd be happy to hear it. I'm closing in on buying a license.

[Moskus]

Awww, crap! I thought I had it, but no...
What really annoys me is that it works on my other computers.


It's like the stream doesn't reach the computer.



Any pointers at all? I'm getting desperate...

[gplasky]

Use a different PC. A 600Mhz and AMD Geode graphics isn't really going to cut it as a client. A Sage server can use a low end PC if all you're going to do is record, store and server the recordings. You want a decent powered client for regular recording and a high-powered client if you're playing HD. A good video card with hardware assisted decoding actually becomes more important to have.

Gerry

[Moskus]

Well, thanks for your opinion...

Of course I woul like to use a different computer but
1) this one is small and always with me, and
2) it does work!

I had it working a couple of hours ago. It even worked after a hibernation. But then I set the computer to hibernate, waited 3-4 hours and tried again. Then it didn't work again, so I just don't know what to do to make it work all the time.


If I could afford a powerfull and small computer it would perhaps not be a problem. But then I wouldn't be asking this question, would I?

[gplasky]

Good point. Do you need to hibernate? What properties does you video card and the network card have? Sometimes those devices don't handle sleeping or hibernating so gracefully. I never let the network card sleep. Maybe try sleep instead of hibernate.

Gerry

[Moskus]

Thanks for staying with me on this one, gplasky.

Hibernation is an excellent feature for this computer, as most of the time I use the stationary computer at work or at home, but would like the battery on the mini-tablet to be as good as possible when I actually need it.


Yesterday I sat for a few hours trying to figure it out. Then all of the sudden it worked. When it works, the video and audio quality is good and the playback is smooth, so I am in no doubt that this (fairly crappy) machine can handle it.


And now it works again. I don't know why, I just woke up the computer after 9 hours of sleep. But now I know for a fact that I don't get picture without setting the video adapter to 16 bit. That's nice to know...

But other times it seems like the stream just doesn't start...


Is there a difference between connecting to the Sage server on a local IP and a public IP (other than having to enter a username and password)?
Is the video being transcoded over a "public IP connection" and not over a local IP connection? Could that be it?
And how would I change that?


(And will SageTV play every video I have codecs installed for?)

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by Moskus

Is there a difference between connecting to the Sage server on a local IP and a public IP (other than having to enter a username and password)?
Is the video being transcoded over a "public IP connection" and not over a local IP connection? Could that be it?
And how would I change that?

If SageTV detects that it is a local connection, then it knows it doesn't need to transcode the video like would need to be done for a remote connection. In the Placeshifter's Servers Manager, there is a Settings button to open a settings dialog with a few options on a couple tabs.

- Andy

[Moskus]

I'm sure this is a completely newbie question, but where Placeshifter's Server Manager?

Is it where you can select which server to connect? I've seen that one, and I've set both video and audio to a low bitrate...




And now it doesn't work again... This is really annoying!
Why can't it just work?!

[Moskus]

Yet again I believe I have figured it out.

I told you I had adjusted the video and audio stream. Well, at the same time I had changed the "frames per second" ratio to 25. So far it looks like 30 frames per second is much better...


Is there a difference in codec used for video when streaming over LAN and streaming over the internet, or is it the same one just bith the streaming rate adjusted?

[Moskus]

Just to let everybody know, the issue is fixed. Remember to use the same framerate on every PlaceShifter installation, people!