Performance not good

[markhkram]

I downloaded 2 DVR applications to use with my Hauppauge HVR 1600. Media Portal 0.2.3.0 RC3, and Snapstream Beyond TV 4.7.1. I first installed Beyond TV. Every Channel works flawlessly. HD content plays without flicker, and the 16x9 video displays in perfect preportion. Next, I installed Media Portal 0.2.3.0 RC3. HD content is very stuttery/choppy, and video/audio is out of sync sometimes. Also the 16x9 video isn't in preportion. It is squished into a 4:3 ration which looks awful. I also messed with the Change Aspect Ratio option. Every option looks horrible. It isn't in the proper preportion no matter what option I select on my 16x10 widescreen display. Also, when recording, no matter which option I select, it always records the HD content in 4x3. When playing back the recorded file in media player, the video is squished to a square screen and looks horrible.

I love Media Portals features. Everything works great except for the TV portion.

So here are my questions:

Anyway to make the video as smooth as Beyond TV?

Anyway to get the video to record & view in 16x9 on a 16x10 screen?

Thanks

[markhkram]

Anybody?

[revs]

MediaPortal simply uses whatever codecs you have installled and configured on your system to play TV/Video.
If theres a issue with the video it is likely down to a codec issue.

HD Video on my setup is smooth and in 16:9., I have no complaints.

I am using ffdshow for the codec.

[Andrew H]

RC3 is old... load the 0.2.3.0 "release" version. Next, MPV-Decoder squishes my display too -- you mentioned the 1600 -- it has a decoder included. Under the MP Configuration, Television, select the Hauppauge video decoder and I'll suggest you get AC3Filter (I know 1.09a works) and use it for your audio decoder. I've found the hauppauge remote works really well with MP. Even better than the ATi RW I had been using.

[mr_minning]

I had big problems with stutters when I watched TV through MP (using TVE2). The solution was to enable timeshifting.

[infinityloop]

Originally Posted by markhkram

Anyway to get the video to record & view in 16x9 on a 16x10 screen?[/b]

MediaPortal (or the MediaPortal TV-Server) records the stream as it is provided by your VideoCard (whatever brand/type that is )

the playback is a different story then.
in MediaPortal Configuration you can tell it which codecs should be used for DVD, Television, Movies.
you can specify codecs for

• video: mpeg2
• audio:
• HD: h.264

MediaPortal includes the opensource MPV/MPA mpeg2 codecs. but MPV has a know problem with the AspectRatio. it simply does not detect it.
if you install MediaPortal with MPV/MPA on your system then this will get the default mpg2 codecs in your system.
reason for that is the merit setting which was choosen by gabest who codec this filter(s).
this is the reason why any recording also looks wrong when you play it in WMP -> MPV is used.
if you use i.e. nvidiapurevideo, then this problem is gone.

the videoquality stongly depends on the codec you use. if you use DSCALER or ffdshow then you will most likey encounter issues.

a very good h.264 codec is coreavc in current 1.6 version.

[Andrew H]

[quote=infinityloop;206567]

Originally Posted by markhkram

MediaPortal includes the opensource MPV/MPA mpeg2 codecs. but MPV has a know problem with the AspectRatio. it simply does not detect it.
if you install MediaPortal with MPV/MPA on your system then this will get the default mpg2 codecs in your system.
reason for that is the merit setting which was choosen by gabest who codec this filter(s).
this is the reason why any recording also looks wrong when you play it in WMP -> MPV is used.
if you use i.e. nvidiapurevideo, then this problem is gone.

I've noticed this in WMP too and can't get WMP to select any other codec! I HAVE already set the MS codec Utility to the PureVideo (and also Cyberlink) but when I open a dvr-ms file it still says MPV-decoder in the File/Properties. What is this Merit stuff you mention? Can you point me to a utillity? Will changing the merit allow WMP to use the MS 'default' codec instead of that damn MPV-decoder? Should I simply DECREASE the merit of MPV, and from what to what do you recommend?

[infinityloop]

Originally Posted by Andrew H

I've noticed this in WMP too and can't get WMP to select any other codec!

you can not tell it what to use.
only way is to change the merit of i.e. MPV with the radlight filter manager.

windows (direct show) is selecting the "best" codec by the merit setting.
if windows finds multiple filters which can decode your video, then the filter with the highest merit value "wins" and is used.

the merit of MPV is very high, thats why it gets used.
if you set the merit of MPV to i.e. "unlikely" then it is lower then any other like purevideo and wont get used.

[Andrew H]

THANKS! I'll run a few tests/examples on this, this weekend.

[Andrew H]

I lowered the Merit to 0 -- Do Not Use and after a reboot WMP-11 now uses PureVideo as per the MS codec tool. All is good! Thanks!

Oh, and a side note, MP once again creates thumbnails for recorded TV shows. Are the two related? I'm guessing MPV was causing the thumbs to be NOT created by the dvr-msImageGrabber *somehow* or some related interaction... Hmmmm.....