Noticing pattern in HD-PVR lock-ups

[jarredduq]

I just submitted this as a bug to the SageTV team, but I want to see if anybody else is noticing the same pattern with their HD-PVR lock-ups.

BUG DESCRIPTION: HD-PVR lock-up
REPRODUCTION STEPS: Seems to follow network browsing issue of STP-HD200
USABILITY: I'm noticing a pattern when it comes to the failure of the HD-PVR capture. Whenever my STP-HD200 has the issue where it can't connect to the server, and I have to hard-reboot it, the HD-PVR fails on it's next use. For instance, I had to hard reboot my STP-HD200 at ~4:30pm on 6/21. At 5:00 a scheduled recording, which uses the HD-PVR failed.

I also found a way to reset the HD-PVR without rebooting the PC, or power-cycling the HD-PVR. This is done by shutting down the SageTV service, going into device manager, and disabling the HD-PVR and re-enabling it. Then I go into the BlastCFG software, and run a test blast to my cable box. After that I startup the SageTV service and all is well.

Another thing to note is I was away from home for several days, and the HD-PVR did not lock up at all, and there were a lot of recordings made utilizing it. As soon as I got home and started using my STP-HD200's, boom there was a capture issue.

[thorforyou]

Hi,

I was having the same problem and this fixed it for me.

1. Copy all codec in "C:\Program Files\ArcSoft\TotalMedia Extreme\Codec" to "C:\Program Files\Common Files\ArcSoft\Mpeg Engine" folder.
2. Open "C:\Program Files\ArcSoft\TotalMedia Extreme\TotalMedia Studio MV\CaptureModule.ini" in Notepad, then set "DevCount=0" in [SupportDevList] and [DefaultDevList]

I found this information on the shspvr site.

Good Luck.

[Clift]

link?

I wonder what those tweaks are supposed to do.

[cat6man]

yes, what is this new juju?
link please!

while i use btv for my recording (i'm here for hd200, which i love), i've been
perplexed by the fact that when recording, i almost always get some recording
bounce (red light on, off, on, maybe even another iteration) which indicates the
hdpvr is not getting locked onto the component signal on the first try.

yet(!), with TME i never see the red light bounce..............so some setting with TME is not carrying over to btv.............since this is copying something from the TME area to the 'common files' area, i wonder if this could be related?

edit: answered my own question.......here's the original link
http://www.arcsoft.com/forum/forum_p...?TID=1253&PN=3

[Serra]

Originally Posted by jarredduq

Another thing to note is I was away from home for several days, and the HD-PVR did not lock up at all, and there were a lot of recordings made utilizing it. As soon as I got home and started using my STP-HD200's, boom there was a capture issue.

Yes, I've noticed that too. If you don't use the system, it never locks up. The second you want to watch something, that is when it starts having issues. Which is somewhat odd, in that the HD-PVR isn't really involved in playback.

Every lock up I've had has been while I've been watching shows. I notice the stupid thing isn't recording for some reason and sure enough, it is locked up.

If there was a good alternative, I'd hit mine with a hammer today!

[Chriscic]

Originally Posted by Serra

Every lock up I've had has been while I've been watching shows. I notice the stupid thing isn't recording for some reason and sure enough, it is locked up.

If there was a good alternative, I'd hit mine with a hammer today!

I've noticed no such pattern. Locks up whether I am watching or not.

[joe123]

Ok, count me in too.

I just bought the HD-200 and the WinTV HD-PVR. Running SageTV 6.6.2.

If I use the HD-200 extensively or watching a recording which is in session, the HD-PVR stops recording.

Do we have a defective HD-PVR or HD-200 or what is the fix?

[Chriscic]

There's no indication that HD200s are related to HD-PVR lock-ups.

Unfortunately nobody has good answers on the lock-ups. That includes Sage and Hauppauge. Check out the other HD-PVR lock-up threads. Good luck.

[joe123]

I returned my HD PVR and got another new one.

The problem is definitely the HD PVR and not the SageTV HD Theather media extender.

I can record shows just fine using the software that came with the product ArcSoft TotalMedia Extreme (TME).

However, when using the HD PVR with SageTV, all is fine unless you do any type of work on SageTV OR if you watch a HD recording that is currently in session on HD PVR. When you do this, the HD PVR locks up.

Here is what I did to repeat the Lock UP:

Use TME and start a recording at the highest MB. Everything is fine so long as you don't do anything else. Now as the TME is recording, open up the folder where TME is writting to. Create a new folder and copy the current on-going live recording to a new file in the new folder and BANG! HD PVR locks up too with TME like it does with SageTV.

[sic0048]

Just for a sanity check, did you install the HD-PVR per the instruction in the thread listed in my signature? Installing it per those instructions has cleared up issues for a lot of users.

The biggest part that most people do not do is to uninstall SageTV prior to installing the HD-PVR.

[razrsharpe]

@joe.. it really sounds like perhaps your disk is read/write limited. You are writing to the disk (TME), then reading and writing to the disk again (copying the file form / onto the disk). If your disk subsystem is not up to par (or heavily fragmented, slow read/write times) and the hdpvr has trouble writing to the disk this could cause lockups... i would run some read / write tests on your disk subsystem (specifically simultaneous read/write if you want to watch the file live)...

[joe123]

Originally Posted by sic0048

Just for a sanity check, did you install the HD-PVR per the instruction in the thread listed in my signature? Installing it per those instructions has cleared up issues for a lot of users.

The biggest part that most people do not do is to uninstall SageTV prior to installing the HD-PVR.

Yes - to the letter!

[joe123]

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

@joe.. it really sounds like perhaps your disk is read/write limited. You are writing to the disk (TME), then reading and writing to the disk again (copying the file form / onto the disk). If your disk subsystem is not up to par (or heavily fragmented, slow read/write times) and the hdpvr has trouble writing to the disk this could cause lockups... i would run some read / write tests on your disk subsystem (specifically simultaneous read/write if you want to watch the file live)...

Could be! I have 8 drives, lots and lots of recordings. Some drives are much faster than others, so I will have to do a real test using the slower drives. I forget on which one I did the test on.

Good catch!

[joe123]

I think I am ready to cry from happiness.

I installed hdpvr1.0.5.301_whql ( no hcwclear ), rebooted and I got 2 recordings without any lock up!

Too early to tell, but before, I could not even get a single HD recording without the HD PVR locking up!

Thanks to all of you for your help! I will report back later on if the water holds - too early to tell but looks promissing!

[JetreL]

Fingers crossed I am going to try this tonight...

[joe123]

Originally Posted by JetreL

Fingers crossed I am going to try this tonight...

Good luck.

I almost cried when I saw the HD PVR no longer locking up.

Please note that I did not run the hcwclear, simply ran the hdpvr1.0.5.301_whql to install the driver, rebooted (reset the HD PVR) and have not a single lock up after several continuous HD recordings.

Best,
Joe

[jarredduq]

After many months of reliable service, once I installed a USB-UIRT to control my cable box, the HD-PVR started locking up several times a day.

I'm trying the 1.0.5.301_whql driver as well, and I'll see if it saves the day. My marriage is riding on this. I know it's just TV, but...

[JetreL]

Well I can officially tell you that both of my boxes are running great with this firmware. (I had one scheduled to RMA)

Like joe123 said it may be a little to early but I have went 12 hours without a lockup and both boxes are streaming fine and I was getting this stability with either. Funny thing is with the other drivers one box was doing horrible and the other was intermittent? Which makes really no sense.

I guess it's if things keep going this way.

Happy Holidays!

[Chriscic]

Originally Posted by jarredduq

I'm trying the 1.0.5.301_whql driver as well, and I'll see if it saves the day. My marriage is riding on this. I know it's just TV, but...

Thanks goodness my wife is more forgiving or I would have been divorced thrice over from my HD-PVR woes

[jarredduq]

So far going back to the older driver has fixed the problem for me as well. The strange thing is that I had been running the 1.5.6.1 driver since the beginning of October with no issues.

All of sudden on 12/19/09, I started having chronic problems with the HD-PVR locking up on every attempted recording. I had not made any changes to my SageTV. In fact I was away on business. It seems like everytime I'm away from home, Sage decides to have issues .

Not fun for the people left at home. Thank goodness for having TeamViewer on my SageTV PC, so I could remote into it and troubleshoot the problem.

Also, I want to thank everybody who participates on this forum, because without that I would be up a creek without a paddle.