HD300 Black Screen Lag when starting most videos

[frontlinegeek]

When I start playing a show recorded from my HDHR in MPEG2 or from some video library imports, there is a 2 to 4 second delay where the screen goes black and sometimes even results in the HDMI signal dropping. The video then starts playing and the HDMI signal comes back.

I am running the last firmware from the version 7 days. The server is version 9.18 running on a WHS2011 server with 8GB of DDR3 and an FX4100 processor. Everything is Ethernet and not wifi.

Should I do a factory reset on the HD300?
Is there a client side set of files I can delete off the server?
Am I hooped and I need a new client device? (This HD300 is from 2010 so all good things...)

Thanks in advance!

[fidget]

Is the video on a drive that has spun down?

[wnjj]

Post your log file after starting a video (sagetv_0.txt).

[frontlinegeek]

Originally Posted by fidget

Is the video on a drive that has spun down?

Nope. I don't have this issue with any of my PC clients. The playback is as good as starting instantly as matters.

Originally Posted by wnjj

Post your log file after starting a video (sagetv_0.txt).

I'll do this when I get home today.

[fidget]

You can look at the network traffic with wireshark. There may be some network errors with that extender.

[frontlinegeek]

Originally Posted by fidget

You can look at the network traffic with wireshark. There may be some network errors with that extender.

But I don't have any troubles while it is playing or if I pause or ff or rw. Only when I start playing the file.

[KryptoNyte]

Did this lag just start recently, maybe after some change to the server or network? Be sure that you have rebooted all of your network hardware if you haven't already done so.

[frontlinegeek]

Originally Posted by KryptoNyte

Did this lag just start recently, maybe after some change to the server or network? Be sure that you have rebooted all of your network hardware if you haven't already done so.

I am quite sure it started with the rebuild of the server. I moved the sage installation from one server to another and not a fresh start. I never clued in for weeks as it was summer and vacation and going to the range on nice days and so on...

As for everything being restarted, oh for sure that happened. We were hit by two big wind storms in the last few weeks and the power was out.

I still plan to upload a log file after playing a video here this evening.

[frontlinegeek]

I should note that the server change was to much more powerful hardware across the board. From a dual core X2 5200 to the FX 4100, from 4 GB DDR2 to 8 GB of DDR3 and all the goodies that the change in motherboard delivers.

[frontlinegeek]

OK, here is the file after playing the SageTV recording of the TV show Bull, Season 3 Episode 8.

Started the playback at about 10:10pm in the lig and stopped it after about 20 seconds. So you will want to look to the end of the log file. I don't know these files so I really don't know what to look for in them.

[frontlinegeek]

Did anyone have an idea?

[wnjj]

When you started that Bull episode, how long was the delay. I see about 1.5 seconds from the 'press play' to the last thing logged that looks like it's going. Is that the delay you're concerned with?

[JustFred]

A bit of an educated guess, but from the log, it may be related to the HD300 switching between 1080p and 1080i. Probably happens when it starts to play 1080i content.

Test by comparing playback of content with the two different resolutions.

[fidget]

Originally Posted by JustFred

A bit of an educated guess, but from the log, it may be related to the HD300 switching between 1080p and 1080i. Probably happens when it starts to play 1080i content.

Test by comparing playback of content with the two different resolutions.

Or fix the output resolution at 1080p. Not a nice solution, but it would be a quick way to tell.

[JustFred]

Originally Posted by fidget

Or fix the output resolution at 1080p. Not a nice solution, but it would be a quick way to tell.

I suspect the "native" resolution of the HD300 is currently set to 1080p. The log shows the server sends a cmd to switch to 1080i when the Bull episode starts to play (at Mon 11/19 22:09:51.888).

Manually changing the "native" resolution of the HD300 (on the box's Setup screen, not Sage Setup) to 1080i will probably avoid the delays when playing 1080i content. But the delay will then occur when switching to play 1080p content. Choose your poison. My HD200/300's are set to default to 1080i, since most of my content is 1080i. YMMV.

[fidget]

Originally Posted by JustFred

I suspect the "native" resolution of the HD300 is currently set to 1080p. The log shows the server sends a cmd to switch to 1080i when the Bull episode starts to play (at Mon 11/19 22:09:51.888).

Manually changing the "native" resolution of the HD300 (on the box's Setup screen, not Sage Setup) to 1080i will probably avoid the delays when playing 1080i content. But the delay will then occur when switching to play 1080p content. Choose your poison. My HD200/300's are set to default to 1080i, since most of my content is 1080i. YMMV.

Locking the resolution to 1080p will cause the HD-300 to transcode the other resolutions. That is why I said it wasn’t an ideal solution, but would be a quick way to tell if resolution switching was the problem.

[frontlinegeek]

Well son of a diddly...

With all the comments, I got to looking in the settings of the SageTV client side of the HD300 and discovered that either it or I (Very easily could have been me) changed the "Native Output Resolution Switching" to enabled. I changed it to disabled and presto, chango! Everything is insane responsive again!

Thanks for all the help regardless!