Hauppauge HD-PVR v1.1 drivers released

[stanger89]

That's what the inf file in the drivers says.

[killervette]

cool, didnt get that far. i was expecting 1.1.x thanks

[Chriscic]

Is anyone getting reliable channel surfing with the new drivers? I mean really flipping channels around, not sure evey once in a while.

[big poppa pump]

Installed the new drivers a couple of days back. Absolutely no problems. Everything seems to be working perfectly, no video stuttering and perfect DD 5.1 output. Don't know much about channel changing with the HD-PVR since I use DirecTV with serial control.

[Chriscic]

To be clear, I don't mean the actual changing of channels via the IR Blaster, serial, USB-UIRT, or whatever. I mean does the video sometimes get choppy, the audio out of sync, audio drop out, signal losses, or things otherwise going to heck?

Or are you really just channel surfing away with zero issues?

Also, are you playing back via a HD100 or PC Client? Thx.

[bastian74]

I get choppy video if I watch "real time" but if I skip back 10 seconds it plays fine. However my IR remote keeps failing. I was able to restore functionality by downgrading and re-upgrading the driver, but it stopped working the same day.

I just downgraded to the factory drivers and the IR started working again. Upgrade to 1.1 and the remote doesn't work.
I have two different hd pvrs, seems similar for both.

Actually I think it might be sagetv. I was testing debug.txt while the computer was rebooting and it worked until sage started, then it quit.

[Chriscic]

Sometimes skipping back for me will fix the issue; sometimes it won't.

The IR blaster ceasing to work appears to be a common problem.

[OldPCGUY]

Hi Guys,

First I have been using SageMC on an HTPC with a Hauppauge 1800 for ATSC. This works great but VRM9 causes tearing. So I use Overlay and it looks great. The Audio 5.1 sound is perfect. So GREAT for the 1800 and Sage.

My PC
ASUS MN2-E AMD5600 4 GigMem
ATI 3850
Streamzap Remote
4 TB
Windows XP SP3 32

I purchased an HD-PVR and istalled it today here is what I did.

Installed HD-PVR REVD with 1.1 Hauppauge Drivers
I hooked up Audio Stereo not SPDIF just be safe
I did not run hcwclear.exe (from the Hauppauge CD)
Everthing worked fine except for channel changes in sage.

So I figured out this procedure which is seems to work reliably
1. Unplug the HD-PVR USB
2. Run hcclear.exe
3. Select (force device recovery)
4. Reboot
5 Plug the USB for the HD-PVR
6. Make sure ir.exe is running and resident
7. run Blastcfg.exe and change the channel to make sure it works
8. Make sure the IR is right on the Settop Detector(mine was 1 inch away and was failing until I got it right on there)
9. If that all works start Sage.

Sometimes the PVR gets lost when I swapping between sage and total mesdia extreme. This procedure always has worked so far today.

My Video looks very very good. Here are the settings I am using
Quality - BEST H.264
Video Renderer=Overlay
Mpeg Decoder= Sage-MPEG with Hardware accelleration
De-Interlacer OFF

I tried getting the spdif to sound right but it sounded wierd. Like jutter for audio only. The video looked great. I tried all the variations of the Audio Render and the Audio Decoder and nothing fixed it. I also found that there were some channels that I got no audio on. So I switched back to the 2 channel input and I am using my Stereo in Dolby II decode mode. It provides below par sound compared with ATSC 5.1 but it better than mono.

So for all you guys that purchased the HD-PVR. If you have SPDIF working on all your channels then please let us know how.

Does Sage need to charge a maintanence fee? It seems they have alot on thier plate and I would guess that they are short handed. I would be willing to pay a reasonable fee for upgrades if that meant we could get reliable HD Audio 5.1 and Video (EVR or VRM9) playback.

If I don't see a solution forthcoming then I am going to return the HD-PVR and foot the bill for an R5000 since that is a very good DISH option.

[Qusix]

I installed the updated drivers on 10/16. My SAGE has been running without any issues since then. I even had not had the occasional lockup that I used to get with the Beta 5.1 drivers that would cause me to have to unplug the HD PVR so that sage could see it.


I Have Sage set up on a WHS. I use 2 extenders for viewing. I watch a lot of football so I mainly view LIVE tv. I use the USB IRT to change channels. All is smooth in my world of SAGE.

The Vi

[OldPCGUY]

Originally Posted by Qusix

I installed the updated drivers on 10/16. My SAGE has been running without any issues since then. I even had not had the occasional lockup that I used to get with the Beta 5.1 drivers that would cause me to have to unplug the HD PVR so that sage could see it.


I Have Sage set up on a WHS. I use 2 extenders for viewing. I watch a lot of football so I mainly view LIVE tv. I use the USB IRT to change channels. All is smooth in my world of SAGE.

The Vi

USB IR recceivers are not equal. My ATI remote kept getting lost. The Stream ZAP has been rock solid for months. The HD-PVR IR blaster seems a little weak. Getting a USB IRT and girder this weak for a few other things.

Can you tell us about the folowing in your settup.

Settop Type (Dish, DirectTV, or Cable)
Audio Renderer Setting in Sage
Audio Decoder Setting Sage

So no Issues with PCM either?

What's a WHS?

[Qusix]

Originally Posted by OldPCGUY

USB IR recceivers are not equal. My ATI remote kept getting lost. The Stream ZAP has been rock solid for months. The HD-PVR IR blaster seems a little weak. Getting a USB IRT and girder this weak for a few other things.

Can you tell us about the folowing in your settup.

Settop Type (Dish, DirectTV, or Cable)
Audio Renderer Setting in Sage
Audio Decoder Setting Sage

So no Issues with PCM either?

What's a WHS?

The USBIRT was a huge improvement over the IR Blaster for me. It reduced my channel changing time.

I use time Warner cable. I have a 3200hd box.

You don't have to set the Audio render and decoder for extenders. So I have never touched those settings. I don't even think they show up for extenders.

I'm not sure if PCM is the same as using the SPIDF or not, but if it is I have not had any issues with it. Prior to using hte SPIDF I used the RCAS. I actually still have the RCAS plugged in along with the SPIDF.


WHS = Windows Home Server

[OldPCGUY]

Originally Posted by Qusix

The USBIRT was a huge improvement over the IR Blaster for me. It reduced my channel changing time.

I use time Warner cable. I have a 3200hd box.

You don't have to set the Audio render and decoder for extenders. So I have never touched those settings. I don't even think they show up for extenders.

I'm not sure if PCM is the same as using the SPIDF or not, but if it is I have not had any issues with it. Prior to using hte SPIDF I used the RCAS. I actually still have the RCAS plugged in along with the SPIDF.


WHS = Windows Home Server

Thanks!
Extenders solve alot of problems. Wish I could buy 2 right now. But I will have to wait.

I suspect the extender will not solve the audio problem I have as I think the Dish Networks VIP612 SPDIF out to the HD-PVR is not recording the spdif properly.

I have another trick I am going to try with AC3 and a different setting on VIP612 SPDIF settings. AC3 can reduce Audio Jitter noise which is exactly what I think I have.

[johnyc]

why does the IR blaster not work after these drivers are installed?

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by Chriscic

Sometimes skipping back for me will fix the issue; sometimes it won't.

The IR blaster ceasing to work appears to be a common problem.

Are you using a fixed resolution output on your STB or a variable (meaning 480i, 720p, 1080i?). Sounds like you need to do the fix where you add additional time padding before playback if you are using variable output.

Just a thought...

[Chriscic]

I'm pretty sure my Comcast box is putting out only 1080i (that's what's reported by my PJ on any channel).

One trick I did find last night is that even on a live channel you can hit "stop" on the HD100 remote and then reselect the channel. This got the video playing smoothly again on the MLB game (vs. no sound and 1 second video moving, 1 second paused, over and over again when I first tuned to the channel). I only tried this once but hopefully it will work in most if not all cases.

Maybe I'll try the padding as well.

Something else I noticed on my recording of Conan the other night... there was a 2 minute gap in the recording. Something happened and then the HD-PVR must have reselected the channel because then the program info (on the Comcast box) popped up after the skip foreward, which told me the channel has been reselected. Someone else had mentioned something like this as I recall; I hope it isn't a recurring problem.

This thing is approaching usability. Will have to use it for a while longer to see what all the current problems are.

I'm thinking at this point the HD-PVR is recording properly but maybe it's Sage bugs I'm now seeing.

[stanger89]

Have you tried disabling fast_mux_switching?

[Clift]

Has anyone experienced slow channel changing? By that I don't mean IR blaster or firewire, but that when I change channels, the picture changes (i.e. STB changes channels), then freezes for about 2-3 seconds and then the picture and sound start.

[Chriscic]

Yes. That's par for the course. I didn't even consider that to be a bug.

[OldPCGUY]

Originally Posted by Clift

Has anyone experienced slow channel changing? By that I don't mean IR blaster or firewire, but that when I change channels, the picture changes (i.e. STB changes channels), then freezes for about 2-3 seconds and then the picture and sound start.

This is typcal and is not a bug. Looking at my VIP622 for DISH straight into the TV and using the Dish remote I see a channel change delay of about 1.0 seconds.

StreamZAP Remote USB to PC- HDPVR-Blast VIP622- New Component Video Out to HDPVR - Through USB to PC - SAGE PLay Back - Through Video Card HDMI to TV. About 2-3 seconds

[OldPCGUY]

Does anyone have flawless 5.1 playback with REV 1.1 Drivers using Sage on an HTPC and not through an extender from a Dish receiver (VIP211, 622, 722)?

What are your settings for Total Media Extreme, and Sage Audio Renderer and decoder?