Sometimes I feel like a beta tester

[phatjew]

First, I really like SageTV -- I chose it over all the competitors, and I paid for it. I still feel incredibly empowered when I skip through commercials.

However, I have found a few small quirks that can really distrupt the TV watching experience. Maybe I am doing something wrong -- if so, please let me know. So many people are so happy with SageTV that this can't be happening to everyone. I'd really appreciate any advice that experienced users might have.

1. random freezing. I'll be watching fine for an hour, then suddenly everything freezes (the picture, not the application). Sometimes the picture resumes after a few seconds, sometimes I have to FF or REW a little bit to unstick it.

2. Loss of sound. Sometimes after skipping through some commercials I don't hear any sound. Just like with #1, a little FF or REW usually fixes this.

3. Streamzap remote quirk. I'll include this here because the remote came with my SageTV package, even though it may be a problem with the remote itself. What happens is that when I am using the arrows to navigate through the LiveTV guide or through my list of recordings, all of a sudden I am on the main menu. I am absolutely sure that I am only pressing the Down arrow, yet it acts as if I pressed the Menu button.

My setup:
SageTV v 2.0.20
AMD AThlon XP 3200+
1GB PC3200 RAM (2 X 512 DDR)
OS drive - WD Raptor SATA 10,000rpm 36GB
Data drive -- Seagate Barracuda SATA 7200rpm 200GB
Sapphire Radeon Atlantis 9600 256MB (fanless non-pro)
Two Hauppauge PVR250-MCE
Driver -- Driver Release 1.18.021.22254 (09/10/2004)
Windows XP Pro
Currently playing on my computer monitor through VGA.

[mlbdude]

Well, #1 and #2 are probably decoder issues. Playing back MPEG2 requires you to use a decoder. Unfortunatlely, Sage has no direct control over how stable the one you choose is.

Have you tried using the forums or posting your configuration (especially decoder configuration)?

[stanger89]

3) Yeah, I've seen that too, I'm not sure what it is, but every once in a while I end up in a menu I didn't try to enter.

[mls]

The remote problem must be a flakey remote because that should not be happening.

As for the other problems...

If using VMR9 try Overlay instead.

If using nvDVD for video decoder, do not use it for audio, use another decoder for audio (there seems to be a problem when using nvDVD for audio).

Try changing 3D Acceleration on or off (one way might work better than the other).

If using Norton, disable virus checking of mpeg files on the video storage drive (actually, Norton is a system hog, I'd recommend Grisoftp's AVG instead).

Disable the Recycle Bin and System Restore (at least for the video storage drive).

Try using a different decoder for video and audio. I prefer PowerDVD's Cyberlink decoder on mine, but others may work better for you.

Hopefully, one or another of the above (or some combination) should help solve your problem. It can take some trial and error to find a combination that works best with your own hardware. Be sure to make backup copies of the properties and wiz.bin files though before you get to carried away with changing things.

Good luck

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by mls

The remote problem must be a flakey remote because that should not be happening.

I completely agree, I think it may have something to do with the way the buttons are molded and the way the physical switches are layed out in the streamzap, that it's possible activate two buttons by pressing one. Or it could be that the IR codes are very similar and when you send a bunch really fast, the reciever grabs part of one and part of the next and reads it as something else. Not sure what it is, but it is somewhat annoying.

[mls]

Could check the StreamZap web site for a newer version of the software/driver. That might help. Otherwise, something in the remote itself may be messed up.

[JasonJoel]

Actually, I don't think that is it either (kinda).

With my Streamzap if I point farily directly into the IR receiver, I NEVER have issues.

But, I've seen MANY times that if I get set up at too much of an angle to the ir receiver, it acts very erratically. I'll get screens I did not act for, etc.

So for me it seems to be purely an angle of remote versus IR receiver. Not a physical wiring issue in the remote, rather a poor remote encoding algorithm.

I think what really happens is that the way the codes are encoded in the remote, some are very similar to each other. So if the IR receiver sees only part of the whole code, it getsd interpreted as a different code. Kind of lame, actually.

Try it yourself sometime. Need to get at a decent angle to it, but on mine it will do the weird 'random screen / button' thing every time I try that...

Jason Bottjen

[Narflex]

For #2, use the MPEG Audio Decoder instead of the Intervideo NonCSS Audio Decoder for Hauppauge and the problem should disappear. This is a known issue with that decoder.

[jptaz]

I agree with Jason on the Stream ZAP. I setup Stream Zap in girder and watched what command was being received. If I aim the remote directly at the Receiver I never see the menu command received, but if I aim the remote away from the receiver or against a wal opposite of the receiverl it happens really quickly.

Must be a really bad remote code scheme.

[Stobor]

Ditto on the streamzap problem, figured it was just a minor quirk in my system I'm suprised to see it's this common.

[mls]

Kind of suprised if it is such a common problem with the StreamZap that many others had not mentioned before somewhere. Weird. Could it be just weak batteries?

[phatjew]

Originally Posted by Narflex

For #2, use the MPEG Audio Decoder instead of the Intervideo NonCSS Audio Decoder for Hauppauge and the problem should disappear. This is a known issue with that decoder.

What about the NVidia audio decoder?

[phatjew]

Originally Posted by mls

Kind of suprised if it is such a common problem with the StreamZap that many others had not mentioned before somewhere. Weird. Could it be just weak batteries?

I'm probably just mor epicky than most -- it really isn't that big of a deal, but it sucks when it happens two or three times in a row, and you feel like you can't get anything done.

I don't think it's the batteries -- brand spanking new.

[mls]

Maybe there were differences in production runs. Anyway, if a lot of them were behaving that way I would have thought a lot of people would have been complaining about it. That would be very annoying to work with.

[phatjew]

Originally Posted by mlbdude

Well, #1 and #2 are probably decoder issues. Playing back MPEG2 requires you to use a decoder. Unfortunatlely, Sage has no direct control over how stable the one you choose is.

Have you tried using the forums or posting your configuration (especially decoder configuration)?

I guess that's what I'm doing now. =^)

This seems to happen whether I'm using the Intervideo decoders. Are there better decoders out there that I should be using? Where can I find them?

Thanks, by the way, for everyone's advice on this thread.

[phatjew]

Originally Posted by mls

Maybe there were differences in production runs. Anyway, if a lot of them were behaving that way I would have thought a lot of people would have been complaining about it. That would be very annoying to work with.

Agreed. What remote do you use?

[mls]

Silver Hauppauge on main Sage server (also has the StreamZap set up, but seldom used it). On my client machine I have an ATI remote (taken from the server machine that has an ATI AIW 9000 Pro, moved to the client that has an nVidia 5500... nice could just install the remote software seperate from all that other ATI junk).

[mlbdude]

Originally Posted by phatjew

I guess that's what I'm doing now. =^)

This seems to happen whether I'm using the Intervideo decoders. Are there better decoders out there that I should be using? Where can I find them?

Thanks, by the way, for everyone's advice on this thread.

NVDVD Audio decoder is probably the worst. Try the MPEG Audio Decoder as suggested. NVDVD Video decoder works real well though.

[matterw]

phatjew ,
I agree with you as well on #1 and #2. It seems that it freezes way too much and I hear this decoder or that decoder... I am not so sure about all that... Maybe Frey Technologies should put out an autorized this of decoders that it works with down the the version if it's really that sesitive...

Matterw

[phatjew]

Originally Posted by mlbdude

NVDVD Audio decoder is probably the worst. Try the MPEG Audio Decoder as suggested. NVDVD Video decoder works real well though.

There is another thread about this somewhere, but whenever I choose the nVidia decoder, the picture just freezes instantly. I have to use the intervideo decoders, it seems, because I can't figure out why the nvidia ones won't work.