- January 2, 2008
- 19
- 0
- Home Country
- United Kingdom
My setup is 1 dedicated server + 1 dedicated client HTPC + client installed on my main PC.
For about 2 months whenever I try and watch live TV 90% of the time I get a blank screen with snippets of broken audio, the remaining 10% it works normally. HD Channels are worse than SD but both fail more often than not. Previously my server + client setup was working normally. Old recorded shows from before the problem started play fine, but newer ones are often corrupted and unplayable, with much smaller file sizes than normal. Other videos play fine. I've tried the following:
1) Transferred aerial from TV tuner to TV - all channels perfectly viewable (HD not tested because TV does not support it). Other TVs in the house connected to the same aerial + splitter/booster work fine also.
2) Disabled TVService and ran SmartDVB on server - all channels perfectly viewable, including HD.
3) Uninstalled MediaPortal 1.4.0 and reverted to 1.3.0 (clean install) on server and clients. Problem seemed to be solved - all channels worked reliably for a period of several hours, but the problem resumed the next day. Repeated steps 1 and 2: still fine.
4) Tried reverting to an older TV tuner driver, same problem.
5) Tried TV codecs other than LAV, same problem.
TVService and SmartDVB report signal level as ~5% (rather low) but quality as 100% consistently. Built-in tuners on TVs seem to tune reliably always regardless, and report a much higher signal level >90% and 100% quality (more sensitive tuners?)
6) Connected a standalone signal tester directly to the aerial and also to the lead coming from the booster to my server - both report low signal (1/8 LEDs lit) but this has always been so even when it works. I tried repositioning the aerial to receive a nearer transmitter offering a more limited service and got an OK signal (5/8), but had the same problem. Ordinary TVs and SmartDVB still fine.
The only measure so far which seems to have solved the problem, if only for a time, was reinstalling MediaPortal. This, coupled with the fact that SmartDVB running on the same server using the same TV card is always fine, suggests a problem with MediaPortal, but I'm starting to go a bit demented so could be completely wrong.
Logs are attached, if anyone can make sense of this I would love to hear from you.
For about 2 months whenever I try and watch live TV 90% of the time I get a blank screen with snippets of broken audio, the remaining 10% it works normally. HD Channels are worse than SD but both fail more often than not. Previously my server + client setup was working normally. Old recorded shows from before the problem started play fine, but newer ones are often corrupted and unplayable, with much smaller file sizes than normal. Other videos play fine. I've tried the following:
1) Transferred aerial from TV tuner to TV - all channels perfectly viewable (HD not tested because TV does not support it). Other TVs in the house connected to the same aerial + splitter/booster work fine also.
2) Disabled TVService and ran SmartDVB on server - all channels perfectly viewable, including HD.
3) Uninstalled MediaPortal 1.4.0 and reverted to 1.3.0 (clean install) on server and clients. Problem seemed to be solved - all channels worked reliably for a period of several hours, but the problem resumed the next day. Repeated steps 1 and 2: still fine.
4) Tried reverting to an older TV tuner driver, same problem.
5) Tried TV codecs other than LAV, same problem.
TVService and SmartDVB report signal level as ~5% (rather low) but quality as 100% consistently. Built-in tuners on TVs seem to tune reliably always regardless, and report a much higher signal level >90% and 100% quality (more sensitive tuners?)
6) Connected a standalone signal tester directly to the aerial and also to the lead coming from the booster to my server - both report low signal (1/8 LEDs lit) but this has always been so even when it works. I tried repositioning the aerial to receive a nearer transmitter offering a more limited service and got an OK signal (5/8), but had the same problem. Ordinary TVs and SmartDVB still fine.
The only measure so far which seems to have solved the problem, if only for a time, was reinstalling MediaPortal. This, coupled with the fact that SmartDVB running on the same server using the same TV card is always fine, suggests a problem with MediaPortal, but I'm starting to go a bit demented so could be completely wrong.
Logs are attached, if anyone can make sense of this I would love to hear from you.