TV is black & white since RC3

[pocketpal]

Area: Media Portal Program
MediaPortal Version: 0.2.0.0 RC3 (2006-03-18)
MediaPortal Skin: MetalMedia
Windows Version: Windows XP (SP2)
.NET CLR Version: 2.0.50727
DirectX Version: 4.09.00.0904 (9.0c)
Audio Codec: MPEG/AC3/DTS/LPCM Audio Decoder
Video Codec: Mpeg2Dec Filter
CPU Type: AMD Athlon - 1.1GHz
Memory: 511 MB
Motherboard: A7V400-MX (ASUSTek Computer INC.)
TV Card Model: Hauppage PVR 500
TV Card Type: Hardware
TV Card Driver: 20.35.23348
Video Card Model: All-in-wonder 9600 Series (128 MB)
Video Card Driver: 8.221.0.0
Video Card Resolution: 800x600
Video Render Type: VMR9
Audio Card Model: SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio
Audio Card Driver: 5.12.1.3663
Synopsis::

Since updating to RC3, TV is always in black & white, even when scanning for channels within setup/config. I had the same problem with multiple RC2 CVS versions, and finally ended up just rolling back to standard RC2; I had hoped that RC3 would magically fix whatever my problem is.

I have tried updating the drivers for my tv tuners and video card, windows updates, deleting and rescanning for channels in MP, different codecs, etc., all to no avail. I searched the forums and could find no one with the same troubles, so I am stumped. :?

[Taipan]

What country are you in? This sounds like you are trying to view NTSC video on a PAL display?

[pocketpal]

I'm in the USA, using standard analog cable, and if I am, in fact, somehow trying to view NTSC through PAL, I certainly don't know how MP got the idea to change it... or where. It worked fine in RC2, and I only had this problem when I started trying to use the RC2 CVS versions and now RC3 without any CVS.

[pocketpal]

Update: I downloaded and installed the latest CVS last night (3-21-06), as I'd read that some others were having problems with the channel frequencies being off, which caused a fuzzy picture; this was supposedly fixed in the latest CVS's, and I thought maybe my problem was related. Unfortunately, it didn't help me at all... not that I really expected it to.

Just for good measure, I also then: removed my tuners from MP, uninstalled them from Device Manager in XP, rebooted, the tuners were reinstalled automatically, I readded them to MP, ran autoscan, and the picture still has no color. I tried specifying that a channel was located in the United States and the type was NTSC-M, which also didn't make any difference.

Obviously, this is something in the MyTV module that was changed sometime shortly after RC2. DVD's and videos play just fine in full color; only TV (and timeshifted or recorded TV) is affected. I believe that my TV tuner card (Hauppauge PVR 500) is fairly standard and most certainly supported. Please, at this point any theories would be appreciated! :cry:

[Paranoid Delusion]

So just that we have got it right

RC2 no cvs colour even if you go back from later version.
RC2 with cvs Black & White RC3 B & W

what i mean by go back, is overwrite the mediaportal folder with a saved version of RC2 does that give you your colour back, or reinstalling RC2 from scratch restore colour. Also what display/TV are you viewing on and what cable connection?

8)

[pocketpal]

Yes, I think you understand correctly. When I went back to "RC2 no cvs" from "RC2 with cvs," I simply deleted the one folder and replaced it with my RC2 backup folder, and then the color was back. To be clear, I did not reinstall RC2. I should probably also mention that I have color when using the WinTV application, which I just recently installed.

My TV is a crappy old 25" standard-def with a coax jack as the only input. I use S-Video on an RF modulator device to interface between the HTPC and TV. My cable connection is bypassed through a digital cable settop box to the Hauppauge PVR 500 tuner card. I have never taken the time to figure out the digital part, since most of the channels I care about are analog anyway.

Hope that helps...

[Marcusb]

In regards to RC2 with CVS or no CVS, can you try this test:
Install the CVS that breaks colour and then apply a very early RC2 cvs over the top. Does this restore colour?
Also, I know this is probably not the case, but it does bear asking, is the SVHS cable intact and working properly? One lead in a SVideo cable is just for colour. If that is broken you get black and white. Maybe the uninstalling and restoring is bumping a dodgy connection. Again, most likely not the cae, but an easy thing to test and will save you incredible amounts of work just in case.

[pocketpal]

Ok, I finally got the time and the gumption to try this out. I didn't install every single CVS until the color TV turned to B&W, but I didn't skip around too much. Whatever is causing the B&W started somewhere in between these two CVS releases:

mediaportal-cvs-01-02-2006--01-10.rar

and

mediaportal-cvs-01-14-2006--01-09.rar

When I tried to backtrack to several previous CVS releases that had worked in color previously, the color never returned.

[pocketpal]

WHOA...

I just uninstalled through Add/Remove Programs, then reinstalled plain old RC2 with the intention of narrowing down exactly which CVS did the damage, but now even when I'm supposedly running RC2 without CVS (which worked in color before), it's still in black & white!

:cry:

[pocketpal]

Please disregard this problem, as I have finally fixed it!

In the end, I not only uninstalled MP through Add/Remove Programs, but I also deleted the folder. Then I installed a fresh RC3. This caused me to have to completely redo my setup, but it was worth it to get color TV back.