HDHomeRun (HDHR) Prime + SageDCT

[razrsharpe]

forget to say... very nice writeup.. thanks for laying everything out in one place

RE processor usage: On my windows 2003 server (2.66 Core 2 Quad and 4gb of ram) SageDCT is hardly using any processor (1-8%)with 3 recordings going. Comskip is using 2-4% for each stream to comskip the recordings live.

[phelme]

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

forget to say... very nice writeup.. thanks for laying everything out in one place

RE processor usage: On my windows 2003 server (2.66 Core 2 Quad and 4gb of ram) SageDCT is hardly using any processor (1-8%)with 3 recordings going. Comskip is using 2-4% for each stream to comskip the recordings live.

What are your write and RTP buffer sizes for SageDCT if I may ask?

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by phelme

What are your write and RTP buffer sizes for SageDCT if I may ask?

RTP Buffer 131072 (Default)
RTP Delay 100

I changed the RTP from 0 because i thought it would help the potential race condition... i seem to remember reading a post by andy (maybe in the ceton thread) suggesting setting it to 100. Turns out that it did not really help my problem (back to back recordings on the same tuner... occasionally something does not recycle fast enough (probably the prime) and sage thinks the recording failed)

[phelme]

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

RTP Buffer 131072 (Default)

What's the default size for the write buffer? Anyone?

My high CPU is a bit of a mystery. it's probably NIC related, where none of the work is being offloaded to the interface. But I've tried 2 different cards and the motherboard based one and they all act the same. Jumbo frames are not supported on the Prime, so that's not it. There is apparently a bug in XP, where "Large Send Offload" is broken if you use the Windows firewall service. All the references to this bug talk about SP2, no idea if this was fixed in SP3. It's obviously working for some of you using XP. Argh....

I notice all the NICs I've tried are Realtek hardware, so maybe that has something to do with it. Time to try an Intel I suppose...

[tke743]

I've searched everywhere for this, does Sagedct support direct connection to the NIC form the HDHomerun Prime?

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by phelme

What's the default size for the write buffer? Anyone?

I did not change it so i assumed what it was set on my system is the default.

I notice all the NICs I've tried are Realtek hardware, so maybe that has something to do with it. Time to try an Intel I suppose...

for what its worth mine is an intel NIC... im a big believer in them.

[sflamm]

The default read and write buffer sizes depend on your NIC.
read is typically around 256 and write 512. These usually can be doubled to 512 and 1024 respectively, but some write only support 512 max.
Whatever is your max is what you should set... performance difference can be noticeable.

[phelme]

Originally Posted by sflamm

The default read and write buffer sizes depend on your NIC.
read is typically around 256 and write 512. These usually can be doubled to 512 and 1024 respectively, but some write only support 512 max.
Whatever is your max is what you should set... performance difference can be noticeable.

I meant the default write buffer size for SageDCT.

I've changed this thing so many times, I'm not sure what it was to start with.

[KJake]

Not sure if we're collecting working configs, but thought I'd toss mine in...

Write Buffer: 9216
RTP Buffer: 262144
RTP Delay: 0

Realtek RTL8167 Network Card

[jlmdxtv]

Phelme:

My config under XP 32-bit Service Pack 3 is:
Realtek PCIe GBE Family On Board Controller - 5.736.728.2009

SageDCT (2.1.8)
Write Buffer: 1024 (default)
RTP Buffer: 131072 (default)

Works dandy,
John

[phelme]

What I find fascinating is that when I record 3 simultaneous programs via the "test" mode of ConfigureSageDCT the CPU utilization of SageDCT is around 7%, but when I do the same with Sage, it's around 21%. Go figure.

[jlmdxtv]

Questions:
- You're not in anyway virus scanning the video files as they write?
- You're not running real-time comskip?
- You're running the latest Prime firmware?
- Do you have the old HDHomerun too? If so, what kind of CPU did that generate?

Other:
- You could run FILEMON (google it) to see exactly what's being accessed on your drive while you're writing. It may provide something you're missing.
- Others have mentioned turning off the plugins when something odd my be happening. You may want to try that.

PS:
In the end, I wouldn't sweat the 21% figure you're seeing for 3 HD streams. Just a few short years ago my CPU would be over 50% encoding a single SD analog signal.

john

[jbuszkie]

This may be a stupid question.. but can SageDCT output in MPG instead of TS?

I did a quick search of mpg and I came up with nothing on this thread. My comskip script is failing now because it's not a .mpg file.

Jim

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by jbuszkie

This may be a stupid question.. but can SageDCT output in MPG instead of TS?

if you use pbda tuning it will be an mpg (default is UPnP)... only works on windows 7 and still not the recommended capture method by Andy (iirc)

I did a quick search of mpg and I came up with nothing on this thread. My comskip script is failing now because it's not a .mpg file.

I adjusted my sjq3 ruleset to look for what tuner encoded the file... Here it is... if you're using SJQ3 or SJQ4 (with some modifications) you might be able to leverage it.

//HDHR Comskip
if [IsObjMediaFile == true && $.IsTVFile{} == true && $.IsNotManualOrFavorite{} == false && FileExists != "%d%/%p%.edl" && $.GetMediaFileEncoding{} =* "Silicondust HDHomeRun Tuner"]
{
   :PRIORITY 15
   COMSKIPHDHR
}

//HDPVR Comskip
if [IsObjMediaFile == true && $.IsTVFile{} == true && $.IsNotManualOrFavorite{} == false && FileExists != "%d%/%p%.edl" && $.GetMediaFileEncoding{} =* "Hauppauge HD PVR Capture Device"]
{
   :PRIORITY 10
   COMSKIPHDPVR
}

//HDHRPRIME Comskip
if [IsObjMediaFile == true && $.IsTVFile{} == true && $.IsNotManualOrFavorite{} == false && FileExists != "%d%/%p%.edl" && $.GetMediaFileEncoding{} =* "SageDCT-HDHomeRun Prime Tuner"]
{
   :PRIORITY 10
   COMSKIPHDHRPRIME
}

[voorhees]

Originally Posted by jbuszkie

My comskip script is failing now because it's not a .mpg file.

I have had no problem at all with comskip running the ts files produced by SageDCT. However, I do have the donator version of comskip, which I got to process the ts files from my HD-PVR.

[jkohn]

I'm using the free version of Comskip for HDPrime TS files without problem (been thinking about the paid version for faster processing time, though). I just had to add the TS extension to the list of extensions picked up by Comskip Monitor (was only looking for MPG's before).

[mistergq]

Originally Posted by jbuszkie

This may be a stupid question.. but can SageDCT output in MPG instead of TS?

I did a quick search of mpg and I came up with nothing on this thread. My comskip script is failing now because it's not a .mpg file.

Jim

Two things: 1) you need update your script to .ts file. Comskip has supported .ts for years.

2) I recommend you get the donator version. It is much faster and can process these and other files better.

[phelme]

Originally Posted by jlmdxtv

Questions:
- You're not in anyway virus scanning the video files as they write?
- You're not running real-time comskip?
- You're running the latest Prime firmware?
- Do you have the old HDHomerun too? If so, what kind of CPU did that generate?

Other:
- You could run FILEMON (google it) to see exactly what's being accessed on your drive while you're writing. It may provide something you're missing.
- Others have mentioned turning off the plugins when something odd my be happening. You may want to try that.

No virus checkers, no real-time comskip (current donator release doesn't do that anyway), latest Prime firmware.

I don't think I was having this kind of CPU hit with the HDHomeRun. Certainly when I get streams from my network encoder SageTV server PC running an HD-PVR the CPU hit is negligible, so it's likely not any of the NIC's I've tried. The local HD-PVR doesn't generate anything like this either. The high CPU usage seems to come from some interaction with SageDCT and the SageTV service itself, since recording streams straight through SageDCT doesn't show the same results.

PS:
In the end, I wouldn't sweat the 21% figure you're seeing for 3 HD streams. Just a few short years ago my CPU would be over 50% encoding a single SD analog signal.

The problems arise when comskip processes DO start running, once the shows have completed recording. As we know, maxing out the CPU has a detrimental effect on SageDCT and one will start seeing breaking up of the recordings. I've long ago ousted Handbrake transcodings from happening during any watch periods for that reason.

I'll try removing some plug-ins (most are GUI related that I have) and try out Filemon and see if I can discover anything further.

[bwallis]

Just got the HDHR Prime for Xmas. Set up with Cox was a little troublesome taking 4 calls and 2 days, but now everything is working great - except for playback. I have a beefy server running sage now with 8 tuners including the Prime+SageDCT. I have 1 HD300 Extender and 3 HD200 Extenders all connected wirelessly through a 5GHz connection. I have never had any streaming problems until now.

All recordings from the HDHR Prime are in .ts format. I also have the HDPVR, so this is nothing new to the system. However, only the HD300 can play the new recordings without stuttering. All the HD200 have issues with the new recordings. To troubleshoot, I tried to stream a recorded show using the HD200 native interface (not through Sage server connection) and had the same issues with stuttering. I even tried a direct cable connection to one of the HD200s and the issues remained. I was able to stream without stutter to all my PCs and the HD300 over wireless without issues.

I have been reading and thought this might be due to the audio limitations with the HD200. A 30 minute show is only about 3.3 GB so I don't think bandwidth is the issues and this should have been resolved with the ethernet connection test above.

Is there anyway to change the audio stream or find another way to eliminate the stutter? Any help is appreciated.

-Brent

[gplasky]

So I'm running the latest SageDCT (2.19x64) on WHS 2011. I only have 2 GB RAM (4 GB DIMM on order) but I seem to have a memory issue with SageDCT. When the server first starts i'm at between 60-70% memory used. Once the Prime starts recording I have watched the memory run up until it maxes out the 2GB and things slow to a crawl. SgaeDCT has got as high as using 1.4 GB of memory. It just keeps climbing. What logs do you need from me and do I need to enable debug on SageDCT and SageTV to help? I had this running very well on WHS v1 for awhile before getting the new WHS 2011 server up and running. I did not have this memory issue on WHS v1 with only 2GB RAM. I also have no plugins running save for comskip play and the jetty web.

I noticed this in the verbose log. But it does record the show so I'm not sure of the meaning of the error.

2011/12/31 18:28:16.07 : 6970 Bytes Received: 72
2011/12/31 18:28:16.13 : ProcessMessage 6970: GET_FILE_SIZE \\Plasmania\Recorded TV\NCIS-S08E20-TwoFaced-485363-3.ts
2011/12/31 18:28:16.18 : SageDCTTuner 6970 Send: ERROR The path is not of a legal form.
2011/12/31 18:28:16.19 : Before Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:28:31.18 : After Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:28:31.18 : 6970 Bytes Received: 72
2011/12/31 18:28:31.18 : ProcessMessage 6970: GET_FILE_SIZE \\Plasmania\Recorded TV\NCIS-S08E20-TwoFaced-485363-3.ts
2011/12/31 18:28:31.18 : SageDCTTuner 6970 Send: ERROR The path is not of a legal form.
2011/12/31 18:28:31.18 : Before Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:28:46.19 : After Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:28:46.19 : 6970 Bytes Received: 72
2011/12/31 18:28:46.19 : ProcessMessage 6970: GET_FILE_SIZE \\Plasmania\Recorded TV\NCIS-S08E20-TwoFaced-485363-3.ts
2011/12/31 18:28:46.19 : SageDCTTuner 6970 Send: ERROR The path is not of a legal form.
2011/12/31 18:28:46.19 : Before Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : After Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : 6970 Bytes Received: 72
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : ProcessMessage 6970: GET_FILE_SIZE \\Plasmania\Recorded TV\NCIS-S08E20-TwoFaced-485363-3.ts
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : SageDCTTuner 6970 Send: ERROR The path is not of a legal form.
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : Before Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : After Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : 6970 Bytes Received: 6
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : ProcessMessage 6970: NOOP
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : SageDCTTuner 6970 Send: OK
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : Before Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : After Accept: 6975
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : 6975 Bytes Received: 6
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : ProcessMessage 6975: NOOP
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : SageDCTTuner 6975 Send: OK
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : Before Accept: 6975
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : After Accept: 6972
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : 6972 Bytes Received: 6
2011/12/31 18:29:01.20 : ProcessMessage 6972: NOOP
2011/12/31 18:29:01.21 : SageDCTTuner 6972 Send: OK
2011/12/31 18:29:01.21 : Before Accept: 6972
2011/12/31 18:29:01.21 : After Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:29:01.21 : 6970 Bytes Received: 72
2011/12/31 18:29:01.21 : ProcessMessage 6970: GET_FILE_SIZE \\Plasmania\Recorded TV\NCIS-S08E20-TwoFaced-485363-3.ts
2011/12/31 18:29:01.21 : SageDCTTuner 6970 Send: ERROR The path is not of a legal form.
2011/12/31 18:29:01.21 : Before Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:29:01.23 : After Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:29:01.23 : 6970 Bytes Received: 6
2011/12/31 18:29:01.23 : ProcessMessage 6970: STOP
2011/12/31 18:29:01.23 : No active recordings in Stop - 6970
2011/12/31 18:29:01.23 : SageDCTTuner 6970 Send: OK
2011/12/31 18:29:01.23 : Before Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:29:01.26 : After Accept: 6970
2011/12/31 18:29:01.26 : 6970 Bytes Received: 146
2011/12/31 18:29:01.26 : ProcessMessage 6970: START SageDCT-HDHomeRun Prime Tuner 1311BD90-0 Digital TV Tuner|195|2650748282500|\\Plasmania\Recorded TV\NCIS-S08E20-TwoFaced-485363-4.ts|Great
2011/12/31 18:29:01.27 : StartRecording - 6970: Request - Channel: 195 File: \\Plasmania\Recorded TV\NCIS-S08E20-TwoFaced-485363-4.ts
2011/12/31 18:29:01.27 : No active recordings in Stop - 6970
2011/12/31 18:29:01.27 : StartRecording 6970 - USAHD  USA Netw
2011/12/31 18:29:01.27 : 6970 Channel: 195 FilePath: \\Plasmania\Recorded TV\NCIS-S08E20-TwoFaced-485363-4.ts
2011/12/31 18:29:01.34 : ExecuteAction - Device: HDHomeRun Prime Tuner 1311BD90-0 Service: urn:upnp-org:serviceId:urn:schemas-upnp-org:service:ConnectionManager Action: PrepareForConnection Refresh: False
2011/12/31 18:29:01.42 : Done ExecuteAction: PrepareForConnection
2011/12/31 18:29:01.42 : ConnectionID: 64634 AVInstanceID: 64634
2011/12/31 18:29:01.42 : ExecuteAction - Device: HDHomeRun Prime Tuner 1311BD90-0 Service: urn:upnp-org:serviceId:urn:schemas-upnp-org:service:AVTransport Action: Play Refresh: False
2011/12/31 18:29:01.48 : Done ExecuteAction: Play
2011/12/31 18:29:01.48 : ExecuteAction - Device: HDHomeRun Prime Tuner 1311BD90-0 Service: urn:opencable-com:serviceId:urn:schemas-opencable-com:service:CAS Action: SetChannel Refresh: False
2011/12/31 18:29:01.51 : Done ExecuteAction: SetChannel
2011/12/31 18:29:01.51 : ExecuteAction - Device: HDHomeRun Prime Tuner 1311BD90-0 Service: urn:upnp-org:serviceId:urn:schemas-upnp-org:service:AVTransport Action: GetMediaInfo Refresh: False
2011/12/31 18:29:01.57 : Done ExecuteAction: GetMediaInfo
2011/12/31 18:29:01.60 : RTSP Send: DESCRIBE rtsp://192.168.0.xxx:554/tuner0/current RTSP/1.0
2011/12/31 18:29:01.65 : DESCRIBE: RTSP/1.0 200 OK

Gerry