Extremely slow channel changes

lerebel · 2007-05-03, 04:45

Hi guys,

I am experiencing some very slow channel changes in MP, where it will take:

- 8 seconds to switch between HDTV channels with AC3 streams broadcasts
- 12+ seconds for HDTV channels, going from AC3 to stereo broadcasts or vice versa

What puzzles me, is that MCE2005 is able to change channels under the 5 second mark. Also the software that came with the card is able to change channels very quickly.

The card I use is a DVICO FusionHDTV Dual digital 4. My hardware is up to scratch, with all drivers up to date. I have installed a recent svn build of MP, with no improvement.

What can I do to improve this? Are others out there experiencing the same issue?

Regards,
Will.

MediaPortal Version: MediaPortal-svn--05-2-2007
MediaPortal Skin: BlueTwo wide
Windows Version: MCE 2005 RU2
CPU Type: AMD 3600+ dual core
HDD: Seagate 250G SATA
Memory: 2Gig Dual Channel 667Mh DDR2
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-55sli-s4
Motherboard Chipset: Intel 865
Motherboard Bios: 2.01
Video Card: Nvidia 7600 GS
Video Card Driver: Nvidia v93.71
Sound Card: RealTek
Sound Card AC3: coaxial out
Sound Card Driver: 5.12.01.6150
1. TV Card: DVICO FusionHDTV Dual Digital 4
1. TV Card Type: DVB-T
1. TV Card Driver: 3.61
MPEG2 Video Codec: Intervideo
MPEG2 Audio Codec: AC3Filter v1.11
HTPC Case: Thermaltake Mozart Sx
Cooling: Zalman
Power Supply: Zalman
Remote: DVICO FusionHDTV
TV: Samsung LCD 1360x768
TV - HTPC Connection: SVGA

Taipan · 2007-05-03, 05:29

There are a few other posts on this same topic, and most of the users seem to be Dvico owners ...

I think that the last conclusion reached was that the Dvico BDA drivers were the culprit, and Dvico claimed to be working on improvements. However, that doesn't explain why you get different results between using MCE and MediaPortal, as they both use the same BDA drivers?

What method are you using (keyboard, remote, OSD....) to change channels in Mediaportal, as the OSD parameters (set in MediaPortal Setup) can slow the channel change?

Also, can you post the section of your MediaPortal.log file around the time of a typical channel change as that may provide a clue - it should show what tasks/events are gobbling up the time?

lerebel · 2007-05-03, 06:19

Thanks for the reply.

All methods of channel zapping are about the same on my system (keyboard, OSB, remote). I can definitely rule out the input devices or overlay issues.

I traced this problem a little while back, and about 4 seconds were spent in the channel change itself, and the rest was spent rebuilding the graph. I will post the log output tonight when I get home.

Otherwise, I have compiled and traced this issue before from the svn source code (I am software engineer), so if you have any pointers I am happy to try and contribute.

Regards.

lerebel · 2007-05-05, 09:01

Hi guys,

I have enclosed my logs, essentially I start MP, watch an AC3 HD channel, then swap to an mpeg HD channel. I annotated the logs to make it easier to read.

From what I can see, the DVICO driver is not to blame, the card is able to lock on a new channel in 3 seconds. The rest of it is spent rebuilding a graph, restarting the timeshift buffer and presenting the video stream to directx.

What are your thoughts guys?

Regards.

ThaClown · 2007-05-08, 14:03

I resolved this by installing and using the TV server V3 with a reinstall of Codecs and MP.

You could try it, form me it works perfect now.

lerebel · 2007-05-08, 16:56

For sure, TVServer looks promissing. I have tried it several times, last time last week, but unfortunately the timeshift buffer is not working properly just yet (when switching channels, the buffer plays all the way from the beginning).

I am that desperate that I am currently installing Vista MCE tonight... I'll see how this one goes....

Lomax · 2007-05-17, 08:07

Yeah I'm getting the same issues.

Channel changes too slow, and timeshift buffer not working properly.

2007-05-03, 04:45	#1 (permalink)
lerebel Portal Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Perth Posts: 17 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country: My System	Extremely slow channel changes Hi guys, I am experiencing some very slow channel changes in MP, where it will take: - 8 seconds to switch between HDTV channels with AC3 streams broadcasts - 12+ seconds for HDTV channels, going from AC3 to stereo broadcasts or vice versa What puzzles me, is that MCE2005 is able to change channels under the 5 second mark. Also the software that came with the card is able to change channels very quickly. The card I use is a DVICO FusionHDTV Dual digital 4. My hardware is up to scratch, with all drivers up to date. I have installed a recent svn build of MP, with no improvement. What can I do to improve this? Are others out there experiencing the same issue? Regards, Will. MediaPortal Version: MediaPortal-svn--05-2-2007 MediaPortal Skin: BlueTwo wide Windows Version: MCE 2005 RU2 CPU Type: AMD 3600+ dual core HDD: Seagate 250G SATA Memory: 2Gig Dual Channel 667Mh DDR2 Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-55sli-s4 Motherboard Chipset: Intel 865 Motherboard Bios: 2.01 Video Card: Nvidia 7600 GS Video Card Driver: Nvidia v93.71 Sound Card: RealTek Sound Card AC3: coaxial out Sound Card Driver: 5.12.01.6150 1. TV Card: DVICO FusionHDTV Dual Digital 4 1. TV Card Type: DVB-T 1. TV Card Driver: 3.61 MPEG2 Video Codec: Intervideo MPEG2 Audio Codec: AC3Filter v1.11 HTPC Case: Thermaltake Mozart Sx Cooling: Zalman Power Supply: Zalman Remote: DVICO FusionHDTV TV: Samsung LCD 1360x768 TV - HTPC Connection: SVGA

2007-05-08, 14:03	#5 (permalink)
ThaClown MP Donator Join Date: May 2006 Location: Amersfoort Age: 27 Posts: 713 Thanks: 143 Thanked 14 Times in 12 Posts Country: My System	I resolved this by installing and using the TV server V3 with a reinstall of Codecs and MP. You could try it, form me it works perfect now. __________________ Work PC: Lian Li V2100 B Plus II Black, Asus P5E , Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, Arctic Freezer 7 Pro, 250 GB, 3x 500 GB, Tagan TG480 480W, GeForce 8600GTS Silent, 4096 MB DDR2, Vista Ulitmate x64. Server PC: Some black Midi case, MSI K9AGM2, Athlon XP 3200+, AC CPU Freezer 64 lp, CM Silent Case Fan, 512MB DDR2, HighPoint RocketRAID 2320, 4x Samsung HDD 1TB 32MB SATAII in RAID5, FireDTV-C, Windows XP pro. My second build... My HTPC and Server...

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2007-05-03, 05:29	#2 (permalink)
Taipan Portal Tester Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Melbourne Posts: 1,929 Thanks: 4 Thanked 15 Times in 15 Posts Country: My System	There are a few other posts on this same topic, and most of the users seem to be Dvico owners ... I think that the last conclusion reached was that the Dvico BDA drivers were the culprit, and Dvico claimed to be working on improvements. However, that doesn't explain why you get different results between using MCE and MediaPortal, as they both use the same BDA drivers? What method are you using (keyboard, remote, OSD....) to change channels in Mediaportal, as the OSD parameters (set in MediaPortal Setup) can slow the channel change? Also, can you post the section of your MediaPortal.log file around the time of a typical channel change as that may provide a clue - it should show what tasks/events are gobbling up the time?

2007-05-03, 06:19	#3 (permalink)
lerebel Portal Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Perth Posts: 17 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country: My System	Thanks for the reply. All methods of channel zapping are about the same on my system (keyboard, OSB, remote). I can definitely rule out the input devices or overlay issues. I traced this problem a little while back, and about 4 seconds were spent in the channel change itself, and the rest was spent rebuilding the graph. I will post the log output tonight when I get home. Otherwise, I have compiled and traced this issue before from the svn source code (I am software engineer), so if you have any pointers I am happy to try and contribute. Regards.

2007-05-05, 09:01	#4 (permalink)
lerebel Portal Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Perth Posts: 17 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country: My System	Hi guys, I have enclosed my logs, essentially I start MP, watch an AC3 HD channel, then swap to an mpeg HD channel. I annotated the logs to make it easier to read. From what I can see, the DVICO driver is not to blame, the card is able to lock on a new channel in 3 seconds. The rest of it is spent rebuilding a graph, restarting the timeshift buffer and presenting the video stream to directx. What are your thoughts guys? Regards.

2007-05-08, 16:56	#6 (permalink)
lerebel Portal Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Perth Posts: 17 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country: My System	For sure, TVServer looks promissing. I have tried it several times, last time last week, but unfortunately the timeshift buffer is not working properly just yet (when switching channels, the buffer plays all the way from the beginning). I am that desperate that I am currently installing Vista MCE tonight... I'll see how this one goes....

2007-05-17, 08:07	#7 (permalink)
Lomax Portal Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Sydney Age: 32 Posts: 15 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country: My System	Yeah I'm getting the same issues. Channel changes too slow, and timeshift buffer not working properly.