h.264 channel starts looping a corrupted 1/2 second of video.

[mcraenz]

TV-Server Version: Latest Public SVN
MediaPortal Version: Latest Public SVN
MediaPortal Skin: Blue Two Wide
Windows Version: Vista Ultimate SP1
CPU Type: Core2Duo E8400 Ghz
HDD: Seagate SATA 320gb
Memory: 4GB DDR2-800
Motherboard: Intel DP35DP
Video Card: NVIDIA 8600GT
Video Card Driver: Latest From Nvidia
Sound Card: Intel Onboard IDT (Optical)
Sound Card AC3: Intel Onboard IDT (Optical)
Sound Card Driver: Latest From Intel
1. TV Card: Technisat SkyStar 2 Rev 2.6
1. TV Card Type: DVB-S
1. TV Card Driver: 4.4.1.0 BDA
2. TV Card: Technotrend Budget S1500 + CI Interface
2. TV Card Type: DVB-S (in PESUDO DVB-T Mode)
2. TV Card Driver: 4.4.10.12 BDA
3. TV Card: Hauppauge PVR-150
3. TV Card Type: Analog Hardware MPEG2
3. TV Card Driver: 6.0.6000.16408
4. TV Card: Hauppauge HVR-2200
4. TV Card Type: DVB-T/Analog
4. TV Card Driver: 7.2.9.26105
MPEG2 Video Codec: MPV
MPEG2 Audio Codec: MPA
h.264 Video Codec: Cyberlink PDVD8 Ultra
Satelite/CableTV Provider: FTA + Irdeto Provider
HTPC Case:
Cooling:
Power Supply:
Remote: MCE Remote + Keyboard
TV: 19" LCD
TV - HTPC Connection: DVI

I've come up with a problem with my new DVB-T HTPC. Sometimes the video stream gets it self into a loop of about 1/2 a second of corrupted /artifact video. Audio keeps playing fine. I can skip forward a few seconds past the problem.

Very occasionally I see video artifacts when watching, most of the time the stream just keeps playing when it comes across these little faults.

It seems though that if the corruption is bad enough the stream goes in to this loop. If I turn off HW decoding on the cyberlink PDVD codec the problem doesn't occur.

I've confirmed this in graphedit. i.e. :

TsReader(30sec .ts file with a broken section)---->CyberlinkPDVD---->EVR

With HW decoding turned on graphedit plays the stream till it gets to the bad bit then starts looping. Turn off HW decoding and grahpedit will just skip over or drop the bad frames.

I also often see artifacts when changing channels.

I'm uploading the 30 second .ts sample to the tsdumps ftp server. (mcraenz)NZ_570000_T_TV3_.ts

I realize that this might not really a TVServer issue but I wonder can anything be done in TsWriter to stop this happening? After all this file is produced by TsWriter. Maybe its a signal problem? Hauppauge signal meter shows 100% signal.

[mcraenz]

I seem to be getting this with now even without HW decoding and with other codecs too It seems to happen almost every time I change channel.

[askelon]

I have the same problem. Im thinking its due to a bad signal level in my area though - mainly does it on TV3 and almost always after about 7 at night. Ive replaced my mb/cpu and it made no difference. I'd change the vid card to see but my 8800GT's way too noisy . - btw Ive tried both PowerDVD 7 & 8 and it made no difference. Havent tried turning off hardware accel though..

[mcraenz]

I thought signal too, but I'm just starting to test with DVBViewer and I've not yet seen the problem (yet). Will test more tonight. And since I can reproduce the problem with graphedit using all non-mediaportal components but using a .ts file that was created with TVServer this really only leaves TsWriter as a point of failure. Can anyone else with the problem try testing with a different App e.g. DVBViewer?

[askelon]

Im not 100% convinced its the signal - have you tried skipping back 30 secs and seeing if it does it again? Its been doing it so rarely for me lately I havent even thought about experimenting.. I do know it did the same thing on my previous incarnation of a comp and I thought maybe it was the CPU was a little slow (A64 3200+) and its definately happening less now but not completely gone.

[mcraenz]

Yeah if you skip back the will just happen again, it's a fault in the recorded file. Just started testing again with DVB Viewer and I'm seeing atifacts and break-ups however it's not going in to the loop and it changes channel fine whereas mediaportal seems to get into the loop everytime I change to an interlaced channel

[shacknasty]

This just started happening to me for the first time tonight - has been running fine for weeks.

Is this isolated to NZ DVB-T users??

Im on XP and not using EVR btw...

[1gkar]

Hopefully this is not considered a cross-post, here is my original post from Calling all MP New Zealanders (Both of you!!)


"I've been having major hangs when watching HDTV using the PowerDVD 8 Trial version of cl264dec.ax codec. The video would hang (stay static or loop frames) with the audio continuing. I changed my H.264 codec to software mode (fDDShow: latest version from the Sourceforge site) & the issue disappeared: sort of.

The video would still have issues: it would attempt to hang or skip, but get by the problem. I looked at the CPU useage & it varied between 28%-63% total useage with the Mediaportal programme between 20%-45% measured via Porcess Explorer. I changed back to the PowerDVD8 codec & the useages dropped to under 25% & up to 10% respectively. This issue appears worst on TV3.

I thought I would try & kill some processes (originally had 44 running) I started with MCE Standby & MP Tray. Guess what: well, I thought I had totally rectified the issue. But as I am writing this, the hang issue recurred. But is has improved. I am now able to escape (back button or stop on MCE remote) out of the hang & restart from hang position. And the time before the hang presents itself is significantly longer. However, I have just discovered that the more times I restart, the quicker it hangs. But I can just watch another video

Does anyone have any idea what could be causing the video frame skips or even where I should start looking? Thanks.

I need to add that the issues generally only present themselves when watching a recorded programme that has not finished, watching it via the guide when still recording, or watching it after it has finished. Watching Live TV does not present the problem, at least at the time of this edit."

I have been trying different configs with fDDShow but what seems to be the pattern is for some reason, the issue which causes the cl264dec.ax codec to hang/loop, the fDDShow codec will get past it. I see major blocking artifacts for about 1-2 seconds, then the video is slow, like it's missing frames, then is fine.

This is definetly arbitrary as I watched Without A Trace & not one issue. Am due to watch Bones, & TV3 is the real problem area. I have noticed the TV3 News is the worst for this occurrence. Also, it is far worse on MP fullscreen.

[askelon]

I had a heap of problems watching Dexter last night. Was recording TV1, Dexter, C4 & Prime.. Watching from live was pretty much useless, playing from the recording certainly fixed alot of the fault but not all. Im thinking Im going to set TV3/C4 to record to my second hard drive and see how things go.

[1gkar]

I've noticed whilst watching TV3 news, the CPU useage drops right off when the video suffers from stutters. Does this happen to anyone else? Any idea what this could mean?