Colossus 2 + SageTV Review

[SHS]

Be sure you reboot after add the hdpvr2_sagetv_fix patch
You download showbiz from here this link
Click on format uncheck the disable HDMI AC3 support
Make you check in
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\Class\{4D36E96C-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\
Find "isAC3enabled" make sure it set to 1 if not then change it and reboot
Then you should see if Showbiz see it as AC3.
The Hauppauge Tool come with EDID that tool build in check under adv setting.

[SHS]

Originally Posted by patja

I may have figured out how to get the HDMI 5.1 audio. I re-read some of SHS' posts and saw he said something about an EDID tool in the Hauppauge capture software. I poked around in the capture software and found in the advanced settings a checkbox for "disable AC3 audio on HDMI". It was checked!

It took a few tries for me to get it to stay unchecked, but after restarting Sage I was able to make a recording in 5.1:

Encoded by: Hauppauge Siena Video Capture Best-H.264
File Format: MPEG2-TS[H.264 16:9 1080i@29.97fps, Dolby Digital/384Kbps@48kHz 5.1, AAC@48kHz Stereo]

I am proceeding with some burn-in tests of heavy recording with lots of channel changing to see if this thing can be brought to its knees like its predecessor.

Yup some times it can be a pain in rear
Yup that how it should look in this set of driver that 2nd audio will be = AAC@48kHz Stereo and will be fix next driver up date.
Good luck with that I was able to after 2 week of still run
PS let know how HD300 works in Live TV mode with both AC3 and AAC cilp

[patja]

Overnight I recorded a dozen programs. Two of them were bad: stop motion effects like a typical bad colossus recording. A split second of motion, then freeze, repeated for the whole recording.

I've got the delay after tuning set to 6000 and am upping it to 10000

Live viewing is also a mixed bag. Sometimes it is fine, sometimes no audio (with the detailed info showing a video stream but no audio stream). Once just a black screen. I don't really watch live though so from my perspective this was a bit of an academic exercise.

Are custom recording quality settings recommended for the HD-PVR 2 similar to the custom settings most use for the Colossus? For the Colossus I added these custom quality settings to the sage.properties:
mmc/python2_encoding/Colossus\ Max\ Constant\ Rate=videobitrate\=20000000|vbr\=0|outputstreamtype\=1
mmc/python2_encoding/Colossus\ Max\ Variable\ Rate=videobitrate\=13500000|vbr\=1|peakvideobitrate\=20000000|outputstreamtype\=1

But for the Colossus 2 I've been using the standard "Best H.264"

[SHS]

Wow it manage to last 2 weeks all this morning clip where all goof how ever SageTV couldn't play them back but VLC could I see there where of wall error there and there so I'm so not sure if was the card or HDMI splitter.

patja don't max the card and max is 13.5 just like the HD-PVR 2
Yes you should change delay after tuning set to at least 8000 to 10000 and had min set at the stock 4000 for testing how ever to day reset back to 8000 today.
It need to be more this
mmc/python2_encoding/Colossus\ Max\ Constant\ Rate=videobitrate\=13000000|vbr\=0|outputstreamtype\=1
mmc/python2_encoding/Colossus\ Max\ Variable\ Rate=videobitrate\=8000000|vbr\=1|peakvideobitrate\=13000000|outputstreamtype\=1

[patja]

I did get the "bad" recordings to play on my Dune media player. They play fine on it.

It feels like the problem in Sage might be related to the additional audio track. When I demux it it is unplayable. SHS, you mention this redundant AAC audio track should go away in the next driver release...do you have any other info on that, such as when it is expected or what other changes might be in the pipeline?

[SHS]

Originally Posted by patja

I did get the "bad" recordings to play on my Dune media player. They play fine on it.

It feels like the problem in Sage might be related to the additional audio track. When I demux it it is unplayable. SHS, you mention this redundant AAC audio track should go away in the next driver release...do you have any other info on that, such as when it is expected or what other changes might be in the pipeline?

I agree it may have some thing to do with additional audio which is for Microphone this will get fix in next driver update.
But I haven't done any demux on any of my clip.

[SHS]

Here the update driver for fixing 2nd audio steam when no microphone is hook up.
http://www.shspvr.com/ftp/download/c..._1.6.33105.zip

[patja]

Originally Posted by SHS

Here the update driver for fixing 2nd audio steam when no microphone is hook up.
http://www.shspvr.com/ftp/download/c..._1.6.33105.zip

Thanks I was just getting ready to pull the card but I will give this a try. Most of my recordings from last night had the problem where it plays with no sound in Sage but plays fine outside of Sage. In Sage these problematic files are reported as having only the video and stereo AAC audio track, even though MediaInfo and VLC see the AC3 track as well.

Question: How should I install the files in your zip archive?

[SHS]

Originally Posted by patja

Thanks I was just getting ready to pull the card but I will give this a try. Most of my recordings from last night had the problem where it plays with no sound in Sage but plays fine outside of Sage. In Sage these problematic files are reported as having only the video and stereo AAC audio track, even though MediaInfo and VLC see the AC3 track as well.

Question: How should I install the files in your zip archive?

Device manager update the drivers

[patja]

Originally Posted by SHS

Device manager update the drivers

doh! Makes sense.

Initial test recording shows an improvement. Only one audio track now and it plays through my extenders. I'll continue to test a heavy recording schedule.

Thanks for your help with this SHS. You are a true pillar of the SageTV community! A community which I trust will continue to thrive and grow with the open sourcing of the SageTV software.

[KryptoNyte]

What is it with Hauppauge's products? Do they purposely shoot for mediocrity in their engineering? I can't believe that we're on the 4th or 5th generation of these devices and they still can't get it right.

The only device that I've really had very little trouble with is the original HD-PVR1212.

Frustrating.

[KryptoNyte]

... at the same time, SHS, I do very much appreciate your involvement, and constant help here in the Sage community getting these things to work.

[KeithAbbott]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

What is it with Hauppauge's products? Do they purposely shoot for mediocrity in their engineering? I can't believe that we're on the 4th or 5th generation of these devices and they still can't get it right.

+1

[Evil_Attorney]

Originally Posted by patja

doh! Makes sense.

Initial test recording shows an improvement. Only one audio track now and it plays through my extenders. I'll continue to test a heavy recording schedule.

Thanks for your help with this SHS. You are a true pillar of the SageTV community! A community which I trust will continue to thrive and grow with the open sourcing of the SageTV software.

Just to clarify, do you an SHS think that the extra microphone audio track was the reason for the "no sound" on live TV with the extenders? Just wondering if that would be the issue the HDPVR2 had. Still have a pair of them collecting dust on my shelf, but would love to bust them out again.

[SHS]

Originally Posted by Evil_Attorney

Just to clarify, do you an SHS think that the extra microphone audio track was the reason for the "no sound" on live TV with the extenders? Just wondering if that would be the issue the HDPVR2 had. Still have a pair of them collecting dust on my shelf, but would love to bust them out again.

That possible as I don't have one but hope lee a I get a loaner soon, soon as he come sent it to me.

[SHS]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

What is it with Hauppauge's products? Do they purposely shoot for mediocrity in their engineering? I can't believe that we're on the 4th or 5th generation of these devices and they still can't get it right.

The only device that I've really had very little trouble with is the original HD-PVR1212.

Frustrating.

Did you forget how long it take them to just the 1st generation to work right
Let also keep in mind SageTV is way date with mp4 codec that need addressing also keep mind that we have to use HDMI splitter which may also causes issues if they get to hot so it going be very to fig out what doing it I just wish my sat box had component output.

[Evil_Attorney]

Originally Posted by SHS

That possible as I don't have one but hope lee a I get a loaner soon, soon as he come sent it to me.

Actually, thinking about it, that couldn't be the case. My HDPVR2 doesn't have a mic input on it. I think only the gaming edition does.

[patja]

Things have been going pretty well the last few days. No reboots or service restarts, and flawless recordings (knock on wood)

I did manage to create some bad recordings when I first updated the drivers. I was jacking around with things too much I think, starting and stopping manual recordings and channel changes to try to stress the Colossus. The bad recordings are produced with a video stream that plays well but no audio stream at all. Then I decided to reboot and just let it follow the schedule and since then it has been great. This is all with HDMI straight from my DirectTV box, a mix of 5.1 and stereo recordings.

[SHS]

Originally Posted by Evil_Attorney

Actually, thinking about it, that couldn't be the case. My HDPVR2 doesn't have a mic input on it. I think only the gaming edition does.

There are newer HD-PVR 2 but only found newer HD-PVR 2 Gaming Edition Plus models that do have mic input and remove that other A/V input and change it to DIN style A/V plug

[SHS]

Originally Posted by patja

Things have been going pretty well the last few days. No reboots or service restarts, and flawless recordings (knock on wood)

I did manage to create some bad recordings when I first updated the drivers. I was jacking around with things too much I think, starting and stopping manual recordings and channel changes to try to stress the Colossus. The bad recordings are produced with a video stream that plays well but no audio stream at all. Then I decided to reboot and just let it follow the schedule and since then it has been great. This is all with HDMI straight from my DirectTV box, a mix of 5.1 and stereo recordings.

How are things going on your end? patja