Usability questions

[ulf]

TV-Server Version: Mediaportal1.0 RC1 build 18951
MediaPortal Version: Mediaportal1.0 RC1 build 18951
MediaPortal Skin: default
Windows Version: XP Mediacenter
CPU Type: Intel Pentium E2160 Allendale 1.8GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E2160
HDD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint P Series SP2004C 200GB 7200 RPM SATA-300
Memory: Team Xtreem DARK 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
Motherboard:
Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100218L Radeon HD 2600XT 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP
Video Card Driver: ATI Catalyst 8.3
Sound Card: Realrek ALC888
Sound Card AC3:
Sound Card Driver:
1. TV Card: Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1600
1. TV Card Type:
1. TV Card Driver:
2. TV Card:
2. TV Card Type:
2. TV Card Driver:
3. TV Card:
3. TV Card Type:
3. TV Card Driver:
4. TV Card:
4. TV Card Type:
4. TV Card Driver:
MPEG2 Video Codec: MPV Decoder
MPEG2 Audio Codec: MPA
h.264 Video Codec: ffdshow
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case: SD30G2B
Cooling:
Power Supply:
Remote: Windows MCE
TV:
TV - HTPC Connection: Composite


I setup mediaportal in a Client/Server configuration, and everything works, sort of, but I see some oddities where I do not know if it is a user or a configuration problem or simply a design flaw.
At the moment I enabled on the client side the basic MPV/MPA settings.

1) FastForward
When I am watching recorded TV and use the FastForward/Backward buttons, I usually do not see any intermittent frames during the scan operation. It does not matter if I use 2x, 4x or any other speed. I just see that the time changes on the timeline, but the picture (frame) stays the same until I go back to normal speed.

Is this a bug or can this be improved because I would like to know where I am when skipping commercials.

2) Sound gets louder
I had sometimes (not always) the situation then when watching recorded TV the sound gets a little louder over time and sometimes a less loud.
It is not dramatic but I have to change the volume on the TV set

3) picture quality - composite cable
My TV is a old NTSC TV which has only Composite input and my Radeon HD 2600XT graphics card has a composite output. (Jumper on the card is set to NTSC)
I always have the feeling that any input (picture) coming from the graphics card through the compsite connector is a little bit blurry and not as sharp as compared with the antenna input. But it is blurry with every application, not only Mediaportal content.

Is there anything that I can do to improve the picture quality? For example I have only a cheap composite cable. Does it make sense to buy one of those $50 monster cables with better shielding?
Any other ideas?

4) recording back to back shows
It is not possible to record back to back shows with my analog TV card, because mediaportal always claims that they are overlapping. Even if I set the post time of the first show to 0. The moment when I schedule the following show, mediaportal asks which show to cancel. The previous or the current?
Is there a way to get this working?

5) I have a MCE remote control, and when watching TV it seems like I do not get the channel buttons (0 to 9) on the remote to work, meaning I have to step up and down one by one when IO want to change channels instead of entering the channel directly.
Is there a trick that I am not aware of to get this working?




Thanks,
Ulf