HD-PVR is killing me....

[Brent]

Originally Posted by joe123

However, the 1.5.6.1 drivers work well with the TMZ software the HD-PVR comes with.

Really? TMZ is great for recording video games but how are you testing to see if it handles scheduled recordings, changing channels, changing video feeds etc? I don't think it's very comparable to BTV or SageTV for this purpose.

If it is not SageTV's fault, then neither driver version should work or both driver versions work, but we have a mixture.

I'm not following the logic there. I think you're ignoring other factors that could be culprits like the set top box, type of video (output) fed into the HD-PVR, USB connection etc.

[HelenWeathers]

Originally Posted by joe123

COLOR="Blue" If it is not SageTV's fault, then neither driver version should work or both driver versions work, but we have a mixture. COLOR

With optical audio and 2 HD PVRs, I ran the 1.05.301 drivers for months without a problem and am currently running the 1.5.6.1 drivers (months w/o problem). SageTV 6.6.2. I think currently, all persistent HD PVR issues are hardware related - signal source, HD PVR itself or HD PVR/PC communication.

joe123: the blue type is really hard for me to read so sometimes I don't even read your posts. I'm getting old and my eyes aren't what they used to be. Please consider another color (black comes to mind).

[sleonard]

Originally Posted by Brent

Really? TMZ is great for recording video games but how are you testing to see if it handles scheduled recordings, changing channels, changing video feeds etc? I don't think it's very comparable to BTV or SageTV for this purpose.

I'm not following the logic there. I think you're ignoring other factors that could be culprits like the set top box, type of video (output) fed into the HD-PVR, USB connection etc.

Exactly. TMZ is definitely not PVR software that runs 24/7/365 while keeping the HD-PVR ready to record at any time. It was designed exclusively for manual recordings and the application stays closed when not recording. Even then people have reported these problems with it and the HD-PVR in the very long thread at AV Science.

All of the PVR applications that supported the HD-PVR have had these same problems with the HD-PVR. That alone points to the HD-PVR hardware, firmware and/or driver as the root cause(s). (I lean to the view that there is two issues: one has to do with the USB bus and the other how it handles audio and/or video anomolies in the feed)

S

[joe123]

Originally Posted by Brent

Really? TMZ is great for recording video games but how are you testing to see if it handles scheduled recordings, changing channels, changing video feeds etc? I don't think it's very comparable to BTV or SageTV for this purpose.

That was my point exactly. SageTV is much more demanding, lots of things going on, multiple recorders, etc.

I have noticed a pattern in that if I am recording 1080i with the HD-PVR and I start doing all kinds of heavy duty things on my server with SageTV, that I can make the HD-PVR skip and or lock it up.

If on the other hand, nothing is going on my PVR server, I don't get any skips nor lock-ups with my HD-PVR. This has been my observations.

When I say SageTV may be at fault, I meant that the HD-PVR was never meant for something like SageTV.

Maybe a better way of saying it, is that the HD-PVR was never meant (and why it it is not certified) for SageTV, Beyond TV, other PVR type of software. Thus why so many here are in HD-PVR Hell.

[joe123]

Originally Posted by Brent

I'm not following the logic there. I think you're ignoring other factors that could be culprits like the set top box, type of video (output) fed into the HD-PVR, USB connection etc.

Yes true. A while back, I found that my 1TB Seagate drive I had for recordings was causing the HD-PVR to lock up.

After upgrading the firmware on the Seagate Barrecuda drive, the mysterious HD-PVR lock ups went down a lot ( but not totally eliminated ).

What finally got rid of my HD-PVR lock ups was a fresh new install of the OS (Win XP). I have not had a single lock up in weeks. Time will tell, but I never went more than 5 days without one or more lockups until now.

[Brent]

Originally Posted by joe123

I meant that the HD-PVR was never meant for something like SageTV.

Maybe a better way of saying it, is that the HD-PVR was never meant (and why it it is not certified) for SageTV, Beyond TV, other PVR type of software. Thus why so many here are in HD-PVR Hell.

Not certified?

The original chip inside the HD-PVR - the ambarella one that makes it all possible was originally designed for camcorders - so it certainly is being pushed beyond its original purpose, but the HD-PVR was definitely designed to be used for PVR functionality. Other than TMZ, SageTV and BeyondTV were the first supported apps to use with it.

[CanadianEh]

So, I was incorrect yesterday with my versioning

- SageTV Server - 6.6.2.218 running in Service mode
- Windows XP SP3 (32-bit)
- Java 1.6.0.10
- Quad-core AMD CPU with 4GB RAM
- Comcast SA 3250HD box locked to 720P output

Yesterday, I ran HWCLEAR again, reverted back to the 1.0.5.301 drivers (again), and verified I am still only using RCA inputs for sound (and the Optical cable is disconnected on both ends).

In the past, I have verified that power save mode is off on all USB ports and it's set to run at full speed.

So, I am now in the "wait and see" mode. Things I still have yet to try, per all the suggestions are:

- Cover the IR sensor - The server is in my basement and the only IR emitting device is the USB-UIRT that changes the channel specifically for this capture card..?
- NEC USB card - I guess I can pick one of these up.. what do I have to lose, other than more hair? lol
- Upgrade firmware on Seagate 1TB Drives. This isn't actually a bad idea - I hadn't even thought of that.

BTW, what is Hauppauge's policy on the HD-PVR's lately? Are they still replacing them with the newer rev's with an RMA even if the devices are older than one year old?


Thank you all for your suggestions, and making me realize I'm still not at all alone in my frustrations.

BTW, I don't blame SageTV at all for this. I think it's purely a hardware/driver issue.. perhaps a little integration with how it interacts with SageTV, but all of my other tuners (Hauppauge or not) have always been rock solid with SageTV.

[jerryt]

You can actually test how your motherboard USB controller handles the HD-PVR and determine your need for a NEC USB card.

WARNING - I am not responsible if you have to reinstall software, beware !!
1) Back up the computer Acronis, Ghost or other...
2) Ctrl, Alt, Delete so you have task manager open on the desktop, you will be monitor percentage of CPU.
3) Start a recording with HD-PVR, note the CPU %.
4) Then either a) Disconnect the USB cable to HD-PVR, b) Switch the HD-PVR off or c) Unplug the power to the HD-PVR.
5) Watch how the computer responds. If the CPU does not max out and Sage 6.6 gives you a error about the recording. Then your USB controller is Good.

But, if the CPU goes to 80 -100% and the computer becomes unresponsive, your USB controller is the problem. NOTE, this is where your software can get corrupted, YOU WERE WARNED.

Both my intel ICH9R and ICH10R controllers failed this test.

[skepticon]

FWIW, I too was plagued with HDPVR lockups. They were completely unpredictable, but would come in batches. I could go weeks without issue, and then I'd hit periods where they would keep locking up each day for the better part of week...then the issue would just go away for a while.

A few weeks ago I installed a PCIe NEC USB card and moved my 2 HDPVR cards onto it. So far so good. It's noteworthy though how much the NEC USB controllers hog the bus. After I installed the USB card, I was getting terrible audio cracking (Auzentech X-Fi Prelude). Some investigation revealed that the USB card was on the same IRQ as the sound card.
I moved the sound card to another PCI slot, and the audio is perfect again.

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by skepticon

FWIW, I too was plagued with HDPVR lockups. They were completely unpredictable, but would come in batches. I could go weeks without issue, and then I'd hit periods where they would keep locking up each day for the better part of week...then the issue would just go away for a while.

A few weeks ago I installed a PCIe NEC USB card and moved my 2 HDPVR cards onto it. So far so good. It's noteworthy though how much the NEC USB controllers hog the bus. After I installed the USB card, I was getting terrible audio cracking (Auzentech X-Fi Prelude). Some investigation revealed that the USB card was on the same IRQ as the sound card.
I moved the sound card to another PCI slot, and the audio is perfect again.

You've got it backwards. It's actually the X-Fi card that hogs the PCI bus. Creative Labs is notorious for creating cards that don't play well with others. They tend to leave their interrupts open longer than normal and as such have problems when they share an IRQ with other devices.

[Sparhawk6]

For these and other reasons (i.e. it's not a "real" solution), I have avoided the HD-PVR. Every day I check these forums, hoping for a cablecard announcement.