initial support for Hauppuage HD-PVR (4 Viewers)

[WileECoyote]

I have made some serious changes to my HTPC this week, and ended up with an interesting side affect.... No jitter after channel changes.

It all started when I received my new receiver. I have been wanting HD Audio on my Blu-rays, so I ordered a new Harman Kardon reciever that handles Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD. I then ordered a new audio card (Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3 slim.) I couldnt fit the card into my slim HTPC, so I ended up replacing the motherboard from a Intel DG45ID to a Intel DP35DP. In so doing, I then had to install a video card (no onboard video) so I installed a NVidia 9600GTO card I had laying around. So this is what I ended up with hardware wise...

Intel 2.66 Core 2 Quad
4GB OCZ Memory
NVidia 9600GTO Video
Intel DP35DP Motherboard (Onboard Audio Disabled)
Asus Xonar HDAV 1.3 Slim Audio Card
Pioneer Blu-Ray/HD-DVD/DVD/CD Drive
Patriot Solid State 64GB Main Drive
Seagate 1TB Data Drive
Hauppauge HVR-1600 (QAM & FM Tuner)
Hauppauge HD-PVR's (Directv)

Okay, on with the story... So after installing the new hardware I installed the Total Media Theater software supplied with the Asus Xonar card. After a day of fiddling, I had no luck getting the software to even start. So I ventured over to the Arcsoft site and purchased the TMT 3 Platnum version for my BD playback (the Asus Xonar cards only work with TMT, not Cyberlink PowerDVD.) After installing the software I was able to play back my BD in Windows 7 with full DTS-HD & TrueHD audio!!! Woohoo!!

So after that victory, I went back into MP and to my displeasure, my Cyberlink video codecs were not working well at all. The screen would flicker constantly and if I were watching TV, anything I did (open the guide, browse MovingPictures, etc.) would cause the screen to do all kinds of wierd stuff. Since the video is now sent from the NVidia card and passed through the Asus Xonar card onto the receiver via HDMI, I was very suspicious that it was an issue with my new receiver. So I spent several hours searching for a working solution.

So two days later..... On a whim, I decided to switch my video codec from Cyberlink to Arcsoft and viola, everything started working great. Not only was the screen now stable, but there is no jitter between channel changes!!! Which change made it work I have NO idea, as many, many things have changed.

Before the change I had the following installed...
Arcosft TMT (version that ships with the HD-PVR)
Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 (to use video codec in MP)
Cyberlink PowerDVD 9 (For Bluray playback)
ffdshow audio Codec (TV & Video)

After the change I now have the following installed...
Total Media Theater 3 Platnum (for Bluray Playback)
Total Media Theater (that ships with the HD-PVR... now used in MP for video codec)
ffdshow audio Codec (TV & Video)

Im pretty sure that the H.264 codec in MP is still the old codec, but Im not 100% positive. Only one version shows up under the H.264 options in MP, and it doesnt identify the version in like the Cyberlink codecs do so I cant tell.

If there are any settings I have left out, or anyone would like more information let me know...

Wile E.

 

[antonehenry]

Awesome Wile E. When I was struggling to re set up my system, I downloaded a version of TMT 3.5 and it worked with the HD PVR. The problem, you pointed out, was not setting the input in schedules direct to Ybpr1 or whatever, and then I got the original software and reinstalled that. So I could have probably used TMT 3.5 and had saw the no jitter kinda thing.

Anywho. Now I'm stuck trying to figure out what could have possibly happened to MP by moving the entire setup. It makes it seem like a hardware issue that it happened only after moving the setup and the picture froze during the move and now won't come back on. But it doesn't make sense that picture shows just dandy in TME. Even in my TV.log it shows no error, I get "signal 100 percent" As far as MP is concerned, everything is working fine, but as far as I am concerned, it's not fine if no video is displaying. So weird.

EDIT::: Just did a full MP 1.0.2 install. Still the same issue. I can't even begin to think what the problem might be. It's gotta be hardware, right?

 

[sjeffrey]

Get the graph builder tool and command line recorder from here:
ARogan: Hauppauge HD PVR (model 1212)

See if that works or not.

 

[antonehenry]

what do i do with the file it makes?

i have no idea what to do with this stuff. it made a grf file, and then the tvcap thing's log said "done!" and that's it.

 

[sjeffrey]

When you build the graph you can then display different property pages.
Make sure that the correct video and audio inputs are selected.
After you save the file you can then use RCTVCap, if you just run the command line in a dos window it will show you the parameters.
It's something like
rctvcap hdpvrcap.grf "File Dump" 10 test.ts
This would use the graph you just built, use the file dump (not sure exactly what this does) and record for 10 seconds to test.ts file
You can playback test.ts to make sure things are working as they should. Only once you get this working should you worry about MP.

 

[antonehenry]

Figured it out. The test worked. Recorded 10 seconds. Now what?

 

[sjeffrey]

I've been trying to send you a private message but I keep getting an error after I click send (Chrome, IE and Firefox...)

Try install SAF, it's a great "codec pack" specifically for MP and GB-PVR
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...-filters-dxva-ready-mpeg2-h-264-vc-1-a-44614/

I'm using PowerDVD 9 codec. Send hoborg, the maintainer of SAF, a pm about unlock instructions, you will need them. (don't post in the thread about how to unlock)

 

[WileECoyote]

I just posted this on the bug forum thread for the HD-PVR...

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I've actually done some more testing and have narrowed it down to using SPDIF. I have the following machines setup...

A - MP Server with HDMI Video/Audio out to receiver. (Using Arcsoft Video & AC3Filter audio codecs)
B - Client with 6 channel speaker outputs to receiver. (Using Cyberlink PowerDVD 8 Video & AC3Filter audio codecs)
C - Client with stereo speaker outputs to TV. (Using Arcsoft Video & MPC audo codecs)
D - Client with stereo speaker outputs to TV. (Using Arcsoft Video & MPC audo codecs)

If I use the SPDIF out's to the receiver on machines A & B, I will see the jitter on channel change. Using the HDMI & Speaker outputs on machines A&B respectively there is no jitter. Machines C & D have never had an issue because they use the speaker outputs.

 

[antonehenry]

Thanks SJ for continuing to try and help me out.

I installed SAF and tried to get PDVD 9 Codec. I followed all the instructions just fine, but MP doesn't seem to know that the codec is sitting in my root. (my root is D So yes. Checked MP, just in case, still no video.

 

[sjeffrey]

Have you tried putting it in c:\?
even if you're root really is d:\ I suspect Hoborg might have coded it to c:\ in his installer.
You could also try the Arcsoft codec in MP, that should also work.