Hauppauge Colossus HD-PVR

[KeithAbbott]

Originally Posted by mistergq

Thanks for the update. I would like to see the next driver, but I also don't want to waste time installing it, uninstalling it, and reinstalling an older driver if it is less stable then what we have now...not that I want to have the out sync audio and video that i have.

I'm in complete agreement, I'd rather wait and get a solid driver as an end product, rather than rush it through and still have various problems.

Speaking of various problems, is anyone able to get AAC audio working properly, either via SPDIF or HDMI? I am using HDMI input with the 29111 driver, and everytime a show comes on with AAC audio, the audio cuts out and the video becomes super choppy. All other audio types seem to work fine, including AC-3.

[metzz71]

Originally Posted by KeithAbbott

I'm in complete agreement, I'd rather wait and get a solid driver as an end product, rather than rush it through and still have various problems.

Speaking of various problems, is anyone able to get AAC audio working properly, either via SPDIF or HDMI? I am using HDMI input with the 29111 driver, and everytime a show comes on with AAC audio, the audio cuts out and the video becomes super choppy. All other audio types seem to work fine, including AC-3.

I am in agreement with you folks, however is it too much to ask for a stable driver out of the gate?

[sleonard]

Originally Posted by metzz71

I am in agreement with you folks, however is it too much to ask for a stable driver out of the gate?

Apparently, it is when Hauppauge is concerned. or should that be or

S

[SHS]

Originally Posted by metzz71

I am in agreement with you folks, however is it too much to ask for a stable driver out of the gate?

To date no one's has stable driver or app's not even game's or hardware we alway have some kind of bug.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by SHS

To date no one's has stable driver or app's not even game's or hardware we alway have some kind of bug.

a television recorder that doesn't record television is, well, more than a bug (to me at least). It's a malfunctioning product.

I've had this card for over four months now. That's a long time to be working on drivers. It is more likely the cards are defective, but you know they will never admit to that - so I guess that's it for Hauppauge for me.

[jptheripper]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

a television recorder that doesn't record television is, well, more than a bug (to me at least). It's a malfunctioning product.

I've had this card for over four months now. That's a long time to be working on drivers. It is more likely the cards are defective, but you know they will never admit to that - so I guess that's it for Hauppauge for me.

I am sorry tvmaster, i respect your opinion and experience, but in this instance, I believe you are mistaken.

I use my card 8-10 hours a day. reboot maybe once a week (for non-sage reasons). DD optical audio. It just works.

If the cards were defective, most would be complaining. Most are not.

A few are, legitimately, having problems. That stinks, but does not a majority make.

If you have a defective card, RMA it with Hauppage.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by jptheripper

I am sorry tvmaster, i respect your opinion and experience, but in this instance, I believe you are mistaken.

I use my card 8-10 hours a day. reboot maybe once a week (for non-sage reasons). DD optical audio. It just works.

If the cards were defective, most would be complaining. Most are not.

A few are, legitimately, having problems. That stinks, but does not a majority make.

If you have a defective card, RMA it with Hauppage.

Sorry man but a memory leak has nothing to do with hardware which is the problem many of us me included are having

[jptheripper]

Mem leaks stink, yes. I was mostly referring to the "cards are defective" comment.

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by jptheripper

I am sorry tvmaster, i respect your opinion and experience, but in this instance, I believe you are mistaken.

I use my card 8-10 hours a day. reboot maybe once a week (for non-sage reasons). DD optical audio. It just works.

If the cards were defective, most would be complaining. Most are not.

A few are, legitimately, having problems. That stinks, but does not a majority make.

If you have a defective card, RMA it with Hauppage.

Every single time I switch between 480 and 1080 channels I get blue-screen recordings - without fail, repeatable and definitive. That to me indicates a hardware failure. If it's a driver failure, then fix it. Otherwise, I stick to my beliefs.

[Ender]

Originally Posted by tvmaster2

Every single time I switch between 480 and 1080 channels I get blue-screen recordings - without fail, repeatable and definitive. That to me indicates a hardware failure. If it's a driver failure, then fix it. Otherwise, I stick to my beliefs.

If that is the case, in the interim, why do you not lock you STB to 1080i output only? I as all of us would love to have a bulletproof solution, but given the myriad of different hardware configurations it is hard to get everything perfect.

I get the occasional mistune (about once a month), and I have been getting halts in the first recording of the day occasionally (which sage support told me to increase the delay from 4s to 6s) I just have not done it yet.

Basically what I am saying is sometimes using a work around is better than being obdurate. Knowing Hauppauge, they will try to fix it, if it cannot be fixed it will be a "feature".

[tvmaster2]

Originally Posted by Ender

If that is the case, in the interim, why do you not lock you STB to 1080i output only? I as all of us would love to have a bulletproof solution, but given the myriad of different hardware configurations it is hard to get everything perfect.

I get the occasional mistune (about once a month), and I have been getting halts in the first recording of the day occasionally (which sage support told me to increase the delay from 4s to 6s) I just have not done it yet.

Basically what I am saying is sometimes using a work around is better than being obdurate. Knowing Hauppauge, they will try to fix it, if it cannot be fixed it will be a "feature".

Obdurate - nice.
Initially, the unit did NOT do this, so it's likely either Sage software (so that's a moot point now) or Hauppauge drivers. Without Sage to police Hauppauge, that's not a good thing.
I guess I will be stuck with locking the STB, but what if the STB didn't have that feature (my Cox Motorola doesn't to my knowledge)?

[KeithAbbott]

Originally Posted by Ender

If that is the case, in the interim, why do you not lock you STB to 1080i output only? I as all of us would love to have a bulletproof solution, but given the myriad of different hardware configurations it is hard to get everything perfect.

I get the occasional mistune (about once a month), and I have been getting halts in the first recording of the day occasionally (which sage support told me to increase the delay from 4s to 6s) I just have not done it yet.

Basically what I am saying is sometimes using a work around is better than being obdurate. Knowing Hauppauge, they will try to fix it, if it cannot be fixed it will be a "feature".

Actually, I'm with tvmaster2 on this one. I have four 2250s, one HD-PVR and one Colossus. I am using only 2250s on my production server because the HD-PVR and Colossus are too unreliable. There are only two combinations that, in my experience, are reliable:

• Component input + analog (stereo) audio, STB resolution locked to 720p or 1080i
• HDMI input + stereo audio (not quite sure how you attain this combination, at least not without special equipment)

With the Colossus, using component input without a locked input resolution will result in blue screen recordings roughly 50% of the time or more. Using 5.1 audio will result in no audio+stuttering video every time AAC audio is present.

I've ordered extra equipment, which will (hopefully) allow me to get the reliability to the point where I can use the Colossus. Even then, I won't be able to use 5.1 audio, due to the fact that I can't control when channels decide to broadcast audio in AAC.

However, none of that eliminates or even reduces my desire for the Colossus to work the way that it is supposed to. And I'm at a loss to understand the "shut up and just live with it" mentality displayed over and over again on this forum.

I would think getting the Colossus working properly would be in everyone's best interest. Sweeping it's problems under the rug will not get us closer to that resolution, in my opinion.

[jptheripper]

Originally Posted by KeithAbbott

Actually, I'm with tvmaster2 on this one. I have four 2250s, one HD-PVR and one Colossus. I am using only 2250s on my production server because the HD-PVR and Colossus are too unreliable. There are only two combinations that, in my experience, are reliable:

• Component input + analog (stereo) audio, STB resolution locked to 720p or 1080i
• HDMI input + stereo audio (not quite sure how you attain this combination, at least not without special equipment)

With the Colossus, using component input without a locked input resolution will result in blue screen recordings roughly 50% of the time or more. Using 5.1 audio will result in no audio+stuttering video every time AAC audio is present.

I've ordered extra equipment, which will (hopefully) allow me to get the reliability to the point where I can use the Colossus. Even then, I won't be able to use 5.1 audio, due to the fact that I can't control when channels decide to broadcast audio in AAC.

However, none of that eliminates or even reduces my desire for the Colossus to work the way that it is supposed to. And I'm at a loss to understand the "shut up and just live with it" mentality displayed over and over again on this forum.

I would think getting the Colossus working properly would be in everyone's best interest. Sweeping it's problems under the rug will not get us closer to that resolution, in my opinion.

Ok, its not a shut up and live with it attitude. Its a "just b/c your system is broken doesnt mean the hardware is fundementally flawed" mentality.

I use component + spdif . It works. My settop is locked at 720p, dolby digital. Maybe Comcast in my area only puts out dd5.1 (i have an rng150). Or maybe it never uses AAC.

I am glad you are troubleshooting your system.

Consider mine (component, spdif, settop locked) as one of the WORKING scenarios.

[Ender]

Originally Posted by KeithAbbott

However, none of that eliminates or even reduces my desire for the Colossus to work the way that it is supposed to. And I'm at a loss to understand the "shut up and just live with it" mentality displayed over and over again on this forum.

I would think getting the Colossus working properly would be in everyone's best interest. Sweeping it's problems under the rug will not get us closer to that resolution, in my opinion.

I think you have the wrong impression here. I was not attempting to infer that all was dandy, and one should "deal with it", rather I was proposing an interim solution.

I as well would like to have DD 5.1 audio, but for now I can accept analog stereo. After all I remember mono audio, 13" screens, and being the remote, so just may be my perspective, and possibly it is I who is obdurate, and stuck in my ways...

Hopefully Hauppauge can fix it's drivers. I was just commenting on how given the individual nature of one's setup it is difficult to get reliable results, so I am giving Hauppauge the benefit of the doubt, and hoping for a better driver soon.

As for Sage, well I am not certain we will ever see a true fix from their end, and frankly I am not going to fault the hardware for that.

Tvmaster2, if you truly believe that the card is defective, why don't you RMA it? It is still under warranty. As for your set top box, it would be unfortunate if there is not a method to lock the output resolution.

On the other hand have you tried contacting Hauppague support on this matter, and if so what did they recommend?

[TechBill]

For those who said it the "hardware" issue, I don't think it the hardware because it works fine in Windows Media Center without any of those so called problems.

So it either the drivers or SageTV itself.


Bill

[bmh]

After 2 months, Hauppauge finally releases an updated driver...29168

http://www.hauppauge.com/site/suppor..._colossus.html

[toricred]

Except that the file isn't there to be downloaded.

[PLUCKYHD]

Originally Posted by bmh

After 2 months, Hauppauge finally releases an updated driver...29168

http://www.hauppauge.com/site/suppor..._colossus.html

Bummer nothing in the release notes about fixing the memory leak that requires the service restart....sigh

[sleonard]

The download link does not work.

Finally enabled full bitrate but now Sage is dead and default 20Mbit setting will never be added Guess I gotta find those instructions for adding it manually.

S

[toricred]

Plucky were you able to at least download it?