"Best" settings for a HDPVR

[zoltran]

I have sage working with a HDPVR rev C2. Using the latest Hpg drivers and recording sound over stereo. So far no real issues ..

But I do have a couple of tuning questions.

So ... any help with the following would be appreciated.

1) It takes 10 or more seconds to change channels. During this time the screen will flash the new chanel/then a shot from the prior channel/then settle down.
During this time audio stutters badly. Is there a way to improve this?
Definitely fails the WAF test.

2) Is there a way to have the HDPVR record at different bitrates for HD vs SD channels? ie, Great for HD, and fair/good for SD.. No point running a 3GByte per hour stream for SD tv. ?

Any other 'best practices' / suggestions ?



TIA /// Wes

----------------------------------------
Server AMD2600/WHS approx 2Terabytes of storage
HD-PVR/Starchoice/Motorola settop box and IR-blaster
Extenders and USB-UIRT enroute ...

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by zoltran

1) It takes 10 or more seconds to change channels. During this time the screen will flash the new chanel/then a shot from the prior channel/then settle down.
During this time audio stutters badly. Is there a way to improve this?
Definitely fails the WAF test.

I use firewire channel changing & then use this property to cause the HD-PVR to wait 9 seconds before starting to record, so that the channel change doesn't get recorded:

mmc/encoders/<some #>/delay_to_wait_after_tuning=9000

2) Is there a way to have the HDPVR record at different bitrates for HD vs SD channels? ie, Great for HD, and fair/good for SD.. No point running a 3GByte per hour stream for SD tv. ?

If SageTV detects SD resolution recording, it already lowers the recording quality to save space. (This won't have any effect if the STB is always outputting at HD res.)

- Andy

[Skirge01]

mmc/encoders/<some #>/delay_to_wait_after_tuning=9000

Should this line be in the properties file on the server, the client, or both?

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by Skirge01

Should this line be in the properties file on the server, the client, or both?

That goes in the sage.properties file (server), it controls how long Sage waits before trying to start a recording after issuing the channel change command. The HD PVR is rather sensitive to the stability of the input signal so the delay allows that to stabilize before Sage begins a recording. I set mine to 4000 (4 seconds) and it's been, I think, perfect since.

Originally Posted by Opus4

I use firewire channel changing & then use this property to cause the HD-PVR to wait 9 seconds before starting to record, so that the channel change doesn't get recorded:

mmc/encoders/<some #>/delay_to_wait_after_tuning=9000

Might I suggest that be made a default (or at least something > 0) for the HD PVR, if it hasn't already? It seems a lot of HD PVR problems are solved by this.

Which reminds me, I should try my custom max vbr quality now that I've gotten my HD PVR stabilized with this (and newer Sage/drivers than the last time I tried it).