MP fails to record - sometimes (1 Viewer)

[kevin939]

MediaPortal Version: 1.2
MediaPortal Skin: blue3 wide
Windows Version: vista SP2
CPU Type: Intel E4500
HDD: samsung 2TB
Memory: 2G ddr2 PC-6400
Motherboard: Dell inspiron 530
Video Card: ati 5450
Video Card Driver: 11.7
Sound Card: ati 5450
Sound Card AC3: ATI 5450
Sound Card Driver: 11.7
1. TV Card: TBS 6891
1. TV Card Type: DVB-S2
1. TV Card Driver: 2.0.0.21
2. TV Card: Peak
2. TV Card Type: DVB-T
2. TV Card Driver: latest
3. TV Card:
3. TV Card Type:
3. TV Card Driver:
4. TV Card:
4. TV Card Type:
4. TV Card Driver:
MPEG2 Video Codec: ffdshow
MPEG2 Audio Codec: ffdshow
h.264 Video Codec: ffdshow
Satelite/CableTV Provider: Astra
HTPC Case: Fujitsu Scaleo (suitably dremelld)
Cooling: silent fans
Power Supply: 250W
Remote: generic MCE compatible
TV: panasonic 1080p plasma
TV - HTPC Connection: HDMI

I have an intermittent problem with MP - it fails to record as scheduled. Evidence would suggest that MP wakes up and thinks it started recording but the file produced is very small and does not contain the program.

I think the tv works when it wakes up (testing specifically standby/wakeup switch to tv works.

Latest case - recording the Korean GP at 06:00 and trying to watch at 9 while still recording proved fruitless and eventually I realised the recording was failing. Log suggest all is well (from an amateurs view at least)


Log attached (Amped skin and remote control plugin as this is not easily (if at all) reproducible)

all help appreciated

 

[Owlsroost]

As you say, nothing obvious in the logs....

I'd be tempted to try disabling the EPG grabbing while timeshifting/recording - see DVB EPG - MediaPortal Wiki

Tony

 

[kevin939]

thanks for the suggestion - tried it and set MP up to record the Korean GP again (3pm repeat). Failed miserably - this time it looks like the tv server or card didn't initialise properly following the resume - got "unknown error" when when trying to switch to the tv channel I was recording

Closed MP and took the logs (attached). rebooted and all is well. Looks like a restart problem. Have now increased the delay before detecting cards to 10s


cheers

 

[mm1352000]

Hi kevin939

Strange problem - as Tony says, there isn't much to go on in the logs. I do have a suspicion though: I suspect the tuner driver just stops producing the stream either because of signal corruption or incorrect tuning parameters.

Do you only have this problem with recordings on certain channels?
Do you ever have problems with timeshifting (no PMT found or no signal errors, or slow tuning)?

I mention signal because when I look back in your first set of logs to 2011-10-15 09:41:32 when you tune BBC 1 HD for something else I see quite a few continuity errors. Further, when you try to tune the channel at around 9 AM, there is no signal on the tuner that is meant to be recording (!!!). Later (~1:30pm) both tuners fail to tune BBC One HD and BBC ALBA (same transponder) with PMT errors - this is the same problem as I see after the resume for recording the rerun. All that is not enough to make me *really* certain that this is the problem, however enough to mention it. I note that your DVB-T tuner seems to have more signal discontinuities than your DVB-S tuners...

I mention tuning parameters because that particular transponder is DVB-S2 using non-backwards-compatible QPSK and yet you have set the modulation to "not set" on that channel. This is a little unusual because tuner drivers often rely on the modulation parameter to determine whether a transponder is DVB-S2 or not. It should be set to either QPSK or *maybe* NBC-QPSK. In fact, other channels on that transponder that I see you tune have modulation set to either QPSK (ITV1 HD) or NBC-QPSK (BBC ALBA). How has this mismatch happened?

At this point I don't have any firmer proof for my theory than that. I think increasing the delay as you've done is a good move. Also try changing the modulation for BBC One HD. You could try the DVBS network provider instead of the generic one too (preferred network provider - wiki).

mm

 

[kevin939]

Thanksfor the suggestions - I will try them over the next few days

As to how there is a missmatch - no idea. All I have ever done is tell MP its an S2 card & then scan. I must admit it didnt find BBC HD which I put in by had....possibly wrongly - but bbc1 hd is what MP found.

 

[mm1352000]

Are you able to comment briefly on the other two questions:

Do you only have this problem with recordings on certain channels?
Do you ever have problems with timeshifting (no PMT found or no signal errors, or slow tuning)?

 

[kevin939]

sorry for not answering - I basically missed them....

I think (trying to get some consistency in the tests) that it occurs on DVB-S only but on more than one channel

I have had problems where after resume I cannot get any tv channel to work (no signal) (which I assume is time shifting). Reboot fixes it

For testing I have been putting the computer to sleep and then wakening it, tuning a channel from EPG screen , stopping tv and then repeating expecting it to work or object in some way. Mostly it appears to work but I just got a case where the system woke up but tuning to a channel produced a blank screen. Pressing stop worked fine (return to EPG screen). Choosing another channel just sits there as if its tuned but not displaying - stop works and epg interactive again. I have attached log but nothing in it makes sense to me

I will reboot and repeat this test more cautiously

 

[kevin939]

Re: MP fails to record - sometimes (TBS6891)

I have struggled with this TBS6891 card since I bought it and had recently determined that the problem was resuming from suspend. It looked like the card would stop supplying data around 1min 10s after starting to record.

Well I am no longer convinced - I now think the card is at fault and basically it locks up

Evidence for this is that I have reduced the cards fitted to just the tbs6891 (TBS admit a problem with coexistence - I had the problem with a Hauppauge card). I have turned off the powerscheduler. I now set up a series of recordings. The first 8 worked then lock up and the following 8 all fail (MP wont tune). I try to tune manually but the card just wont respond. I tried the TBS viewer but that just wont do anything in that mode (its not very good at the best of times). Reboot and all works again

I have tried all the silly things - disc checks, memory checks and ensuring all updates are applied (including the latest tbs driver) Unfortunately nothing fixes this. I am about to disable the card completely and repeat the checks using an external peak USB tuner.