[tourettes]

What can I say more, if TVServer crashes DVB-drivers?

No program itself can crash a driver. Its always a bug in a driver code that is triggered by the using application. Looks like some other applications aren't using the drivers exactly the same way as TVE3 as they dont trigger the same driver crash. Dont blame the software for bad drivers.

Sorry, a bit lazy to spend more time to answer other complaints.

[bounguine]

Originally Posted by tourettes

Its always a bug in a driver code that is triggered by the using application. Looks like some other applications aren't using the drivers exactly the same way as TVE3 as they dont trigger the same driver crash. Dont blame the software for bad drivers.

Thanks!

Is there any chance for the team to find that something that triggers driver crash?

[asd7000]

Originally Posted by tourettes

No program itself can crash a driver. Its always a bug in a driver code that is triggered by the using application. Looks like some other applications aren't using the drivers exactly the same way as TVE3 as they dont trigger the same driver crash. Dont blame the software for bad drivers.

Sorry, a bit lazy to spend more time to answer other complaints.

Can´t accept that. There are many applications that can crash drivers. Ok most of the time it´s the fault of the driver programmers. Just often seen by AMD/ATI. But at moment i am very frustrated with MP. MediaPortal does some strange things. Like not deleting directshow graphs after usage and some more like that. But at moment the biggest crap is the tv-server. If is running it´s just a very nice app but i´m missing many options or messages when problems occure. Ok it allways give you a note but that note is often unknown error
Ok lets not forget it´s OpenSource and for free but if you count all that hours needed to get tv running you could buy a mediacenter software. Ok there is the next problem MediaPortal seems to be the best software for HTPCs. And don´t get me wrong if you forget all that tv-crap MediPortal is nearly perfect! In my opinion it´s time to do a new start for the tv-server. Ok its better than the old inbuild engine but it´s just based on that.

But what i don´t understand is why they are working hours over hours on such things like a non linear strech ( i can´t see any use for that ) but the tv-server has the same problems since i use MediaPortal. I started with RC1. For me there was absolutly no update in the tv-servers use or behaviour. Than one word on hybrid cards. Some of the dev team members mean that they are only crap. No not the cards are crap the tv-server is the problem. Ok the Hybrid Cards without Hardware Encoder are something i wouldn´t buy. But in Germany its a big problem to get a standalone DVB-T card. They are all hybrid cards. Why not? First you can use them for the analog tv and the start using dvb-t. Other apps like Power Cinema are working nice with hybrid cards. The newest version of Power Cinema has even an own tv service that is working out of the box! Scan channels and use it. Zapping is faster than MediaPortal. Even the ugly Windows Media Center can handle ybrid Cards correctly why not MediaPortal? Why i stay with MediaPortal? It´s the only app were i can see that my VFD-Display makes sence. While Windows Media Center only shows "TV" while watching tv, or "Movie" while watching a movie MediaPortal gives detailed Informations. At least MediaPortal is nearly complete usable with only the VFD. For hearing music i don´t need the beamer, navigations is just very handy using the VFD Display. For me MP will get a place in the kitchen as standalone music player but if i stay with it for the living room i can´t say. And the dev team of Windows Media Center i would ask if the think we are all stupid. Well i can see that i´m watching tv, i don´t need a VFD showing me that
At moment i think about a hdd recorder. My dad has one. He can watch and record dvb-t, watch and record dvds and even DivX Movies or DVDs from an usb stick aren´t a problem. Well he can power on that recorder with the remote and starting for scheduled recordings works even. That thing cost him 200 Euro, now lets see what of all that my 500 Euro Scaleo E with MediaPortal can. Watching and recording dvb-t well sometimes one of that works but nearly never both at the same time. Power-On via remote, nope. Watch and record dvds, watching yes but recordings is very very unhandy. Watch DVDs or DivX from USB Drives, DivX yes DVDs no!
And the best of all he has absolutely no knowledge about building a mediacenter, he has the working solution and i´m working on a solution

[jmbillings]

Interesting topic this, as I'm experiencing something similar!

My satellite dish aims through the edge of a tree and I've not been able to sort it yet- it's fine all winter and in ok weather, but the wind and rain now we have leaves on it mean the signal is very poor.

Our old Sky box upstairs frequently gives "no satellite signal is being received", but after a few seconds, the program usually returns.

MP is a different kettle o' fish though. A slight glitch is ok, the picture breaks for a sec, but worse signal problems cause all sorts of trouble, either I get a black screen and no sound, or I get a frozen picture with sound continuing.

Both problems need a reboot, nothing else works (ctrl alt del ineffective). Sometimes, it will crash the ATI display driver too (bluescreen)!

So - I know my signal problem exists, but it would be nice for MP to cope with a loss of signal better... an onscreen message simply saying "signal lost" until it returns would be ideal. I'm not sure at what point things are going wrong - whether it's the sat card drivers or MP itself, but other users' tests indicate other apps are perhaps more tolerant?

[The Doctor]

Originally Posted by jmbillings

Interesting topic this, as I'm experiencing something similar!

My satellite dish aims through the edge of a tree and I've not been able to sort it yet- it's fine all winter and in ok weather, but the wind and rain now we have leaves on it mean the signal is very poor.

Our old Sky box upstairs frequently gives "no satellite signal is being received", but after a few seconds, the program usually returns.

MP is a different kettle o' fish though. A slight glitch is ok, the picture breaks for a sec, but worse signal problems cause all sorts of trouble, either I get a black screen and no sound, or I get a frozen picture with sound continuing.

Both problems need a reboot, nothing else works (ctrl alt del ineffective). Sometimes, it will crash the ATI display driver too (bluescreen)!

So - I know my signal problem exists, but it would be nice for MP to cope with a loss of signal better... an onscreen message simply saying "signal lost" until it returns would be ideal. I'm not sure at what point things are going wrong - whether it's the sat card drivers or MP itself, but other users' tests indicate other apps are perhaps more tolerant?

I can confirm this, only I do not get blue screens. Also with some very weak signals DVB subtitle crashes MP, but not the tv server.

[rich110]

Originally Posted by jmbillings

Interesting topic this, as I'm experiencing something similar!

My satellite dish aims through the edge of a tree and I've not been able to sort it yet- it's fine all winter and in ok weather, but the wind and rain now we have leaves on it mean the signal is very poor.

Our old Sky box upstairs frequently gives "no satellite signal is being received", but after a few seconds, the program usually returns.

MP is a different kettle o' fish though. A slight glitch is ok, the picture breaks for a sec, but worse signal problems cause all sorts of trouble, either I get a black screen and no sound, or I get a frozen picture with sound continuing.

Both problems need a reboot, nothing else works (ctrl alt del ineffective). Sometimes, it will crash the ATI display driver too (bluescreen)!

So - I know my signal problem exists, but it would be nice for MP to cope with a loss of signal better... an onscreen message simply saying "signal lost" until it returns would be ideal. I'm not sure at what point things are going wrong - whether it's the sat card drivers or MP itself, but other users' tests indicate other apps are perhaps more tolerant?

I get a very similar problem to this as well. Sometimes if we are experiencing particularly bad weather, our satellite signal can become quite weak. Over the last month or two I've noticed thatwhen this happens, the picture on some channels becomes badly broken-up, with the bottom half of the screen all green and the sound clipping in and out. I often have to reboot several times to get the picture back.

Now, I totally understand that MP cannot display a good picture if the signal is weak, but what is really worrying is that MP seems unable to recover from a "weak signal event" (without a reboot) even once good signal quality returns. It almost seems to get stuck in a "weak signal state".

I have 2 DVB-S cards, a TechniSat SkyStar2 and a TT S-3200, and it only ever happens to the TechniSat card (I can check using the Tuning Details option). I'm no expert, and this could in fact be a card issue, but it seems that with such a popular card as the TechniSat I would have read similar issues from other users?

[fromaron]

[quote=rich110;421684]

Originally Posted by jmbillings

Now, I totally understand that MP cannot display a good picture if the signal is weak, but what is really worrying is that MP seems unable to recover from a "weak signal event" (without a reboot) even once good signal quality returns. It almost seems to get stuck in a "weak signal state".

I also can confirm the problem is not only with DVB-S but with DVB-T as well and I wrote about it in the forum before. Interesting thing is the problem is easy to replicate (at least with my setup) during commercials adds . It's not that I enjoy watching them it's annoying the signal doesn't recover after the commercial. The only way to get back to the good picture and non-squeking sound is to go back to the main menu which restores signal playback in a small window, then press stop button, to stop playing and then go back to the MyTv full screen. This works every time I do it, no need to reboot the PC.

[Al_Capone]

Same here - FloppyDTV S2:
If I cover the LNB for 2-3 seconds - Mediaportal can handle it.
If I cover it for 10 seconds the TV will freeze, and not return until the TV part is switched ON/OFF
I've also seen some TV server freezing that is related to poor conditions (dense snow)

I'd like to see these problem fixed.
It's a real showstopper with timeshifting.
If you are timeshifting 30minutes, and the show stops, you've already missed 30minutes of the movie just because the TV Tuner really stopped 30minutes ago.


extra $50 donation will be placed when I cannot reproduce this problem anymore.