SageTV 7.1.9 + Win7 + HD-PVR + HVR-950Q = a problem

[meisner]

I have been using SageTV 7.0 for quite a while now on WinXP and using a HD-PVR (and the ExeMultiTuner plugin). Everything was working fine...so I couldn't leave well enough alone...

I rebuilt the server and installed Win7 Ultimate and added a second tuner: an HVR-950Q. I cannot get any audio from the HVR-950Q...video no problem.

I installed WinTV on a second computer and first run there was also no audio. I tried it again, audio started working. So I moved the 950Q back to the Sage computer...again no audio.

I am reluctant to install WinTV on the Sage computer (I looked at the install log on the test computer and it's amazing how infectious the WinTV install was). But I tried anyway...the WinTV install procedure failed because my mini-ITX MB appears as a Netbook to the installer and it tells me I have to call Hauppauge.

So 2 questions:

1. Is it because I don't have WinTV (and all the codecs) installed that I am not getting audio under Sage?
2. Is there anyway to install JUST what is needed instead of all of the WinTV app/files? Maybe manually?

Otherwise, everything is working great on Win7 and using SageTV 7.1.9. I did uninstall Microsoft's Media Center before all of this.

Thanks,
Steve

[meisner]

I should also mention that I had installed the HD-PVR first and verified it worked. Then I added the 950Q. The same drivers were used to support the it as the HD-PVR (1.5.6 drivers). Since I got no audio, I went to Hauppauge's site and downloaded the latest 950Q drivers and installed those. Still no audio.

[meisner]

Well I tried install the WinTV app software (in addition to Hauppauge's drivers) and the WinTV app works as far as video & audio. At first it didn't and I needed to disable the HDMI interface (which I thought was hopeful). But when I tried watching under Sage using the HVR-950Q device, again...NO AUDIO!!

I don't get it. The HD-PVR works fine. It's just getting audio with the 950Q. Why won't this work?

Is there anyone else out there running both the HD-PVR and the HVR-950??? What process did you follow to install your devices?

this is getting boring replying to my own posts....

[meisner]

An update...

I installed the Arcsoft AsVid.ax and AsAudio.ax files, but it didn't help.
I got Hauppauge's WinTV to fully install (and used the latest version from their site), no difference...I think.

After playing with the setup, I have discovered that if I reboot Win7, running WinTV works. Then if I run SageTV7 and then exit, WinTV doesn't play audio anymore.

I tried rebooting, and then ran WinTV (watching live TV...with audio working) and then started SageTV. I then shutdown WinTV and everything worked fine in Sage. I now have two tuners with audio!!

Can anyone explain what is going on here? Is there a default codec being replaced by Sage that WinTV was relying on...and that doesn't work right with this tuner under Sage?

Remember, I am running Windows 7 SP1, 32-bit, SageTV 7.1.9, HD-PVR and a HVR-950Q.

I really wish someone would comment on this thread.

[meisner]

I am running SageTV 7.1.9 on a new Windows 7 Ultimate system. I have uninstalled Windows Media Center. I am using an HD-PVR, which is working perfectly. When I built this new system, I added a Hauppauge HVR-950Q (with a USB-UIRT to tune it). This is working as far as video, but no audio.

Originally, I only installed the driver for both the HDPVR and the 950Q. Since then I have also installed WinTV (from the CD that came with the 950Q). Still no audio on the 950Q, even if I played the MPG via VLC. It appeared as though the audio was blank. According to the properties of the MPG file, an audio track was present.

When I reboot Windows, and the run WinTV, I get audio. If I first start Sage and then run WinTV, no audio.

I discovered something interesting. If I start WinTV and, while WinTV is still running with working audio, I then start Sage and THEN exit WinTV, I then get audio from the 950Q.

Anyone have any idea what's going on here and how to fix it?

I can post my sage.properties if that makes sense.


[Note: There is alreay a thread I started when I thought this was hardware related...but NO ONE was replying...and I now think it's software related. Here's the other thread:
http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56583 ]

* merged *

[wbarber69]

create a system image. reinsall windows. install all laest hauppauge drivers
reboot. reinstall sagetv. then see if you still have issues. Also check that your hdpvr and hvr are not on he same usb channel

[karhill]

Originally Posted by meisner

An update...


After playing with the setup, I have discovered that if I reboot Win7, running WinTV works. Then if I run SageTV7 and then exit, WinTV doesn't play audio anymore.

I tried rebooting, and then ran WinTV (watching live TV...with audio working) and then started SageTV. I then shutdown WinTV and everything worked fine in Sage. I now have two tuners with audio!!

Can anyone explain what is going on here? Is there a default codec being replaced by Sage that WinTV was relying on...and that doesn't work right with this tuner under Sage?

Remember, I am running Windows 7 SP1, 32-bit, SageTV 7.1.9, HD-PVR and a HVR-950Q.

I really wish someone would comment on this thread.

You are not alone. I'm having the same problem, with the same behavior using a 950Q and SageTv. There is also a thread at http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...ght=950q+audio that indicates others have the same problem. I'm trying to work out a solution.

[karhill]

I'd like to get a better handle on what exactly is happening. It may be something that can be fixed.

As it is, for now, I'm using a crude workaround: The SageTV service is not configured to auto-start. Instead, Hauppauge's WinTV is started first, then the SageTV service is started, then WinTV is closed.

[karhill]

Regarding getting working audio with sagetv and a hvr-950Q:

There are subtle timing issues and driver state that makes this work-around (starting wintv before sage and then closing wintv) a bit tricky.

I'm enclosing a powershell script that I run on my sagetv server to get the sagetv service started with working audio. The script runs as a "startup" item and the host auto logins a user with this startup item. Note that the sagetv service should be configured as "manual" start, not auto start for this to work. Also you may need to adjust timing parameters and program paths for this to work on a different host.

# Start wintv7
# (Wintv7 should be configured to auto-start-tuning and playing a channel on the 950Q.
# Give the system time to get booted. Driver state may not be correct if we
# start wintv too fast.
Start-Sleep -Seconds 10
$wintv = Start-Process "C:\Program Files (x86)\WinTV\WinTV7\WinTV7.exe" -PassThru
# Sleep for a bit, letting wintv7 start.
Start-Sleep -Seconds 20
# Start SageTV service.
net start sagetv
# Sleep for bit, letting sagetv start.
Start-Sleep 15
# stop wintv7.
# Using "Stop-Process -InputObject $wintv" is too forceful. Driver
# state gets messed up. Therefore we have to simulate a user clicking the
# close window button.
$wintv.CloseMainWindow()