MP2 - V2.1 MP2.1 Pre: Live TV playback has blockyness and out-of-sync audio (1 Viewer)

[Cordraconis]

Thanks for your tip! I should have tought about this myself, but once you dig yourself into the software you forget the hardware... anyway, I'll definately try this later!!!

This morning I did a "bull run" of all the settings from laptop to HTPC, including reboots etc... My toddler didn't like it, but I'll make it up with extra attention and coockies later. ;-)

The remaining settings of the LAV codec didn't make a difference, and the settings (i.e. prefer multichannel audio streams = off) inside Media Portal 2.1 either. Then I started copying audio settings inside Win7. (*enable* audio enhancements [bad for bitstreaming], set everything to stereo, change audio sampling rate to 16 bit 48k, etc...)

Thad DID make a difference! Sure, like every 13 seconds there is a 1-sec blockyness-catchup, but in between, the live TV is smooth! Audio is now 3 seconds in advance. So I have to play around inside win7! If I only knew this in advance.
There is still the chance of win7-Onkyo mismatch, but at least I now have found the 2 variables to play around with. (Why this is only with recorded and live TV and not with "normal" movie files and series is beyond my comprehension. I'll better test that too when I get around to it.)

Probably you'll get an update within a few days.

 

[HTPCSourcer]

Why this is only with recorded and live TV and not with "normal" movie files and series is beyond my comprehension.

Playback of live TV and recordings is working through a different process than the one for movie/series. The former uses a rtsp connection of a stream that is provided by the server part and to which the client connects, whereas the latter is a simple local, client-based replay of a file.

I believe that your audio and device combination is not good. Have you tried using the default device instead the AVR, etc.?

 

[HTPCSourcer]

The remaining settings of the LAV codec

Speaking of LAV: if you have 0.69 installed you may also try to downgrade it to 0.68.1. Simply uninstall 0.69 and run the 0.68 installer.

We have found that on some systems 0.69 causes stuttering, however, nothing similar to your issues.

 

[Cordraconis]

I'm at work now, but some quick replies:
- so when I look at a movie on laptop (=client only) it doesn't stream it from the HTPC to the laptop but uses a shared folder or something? strange that subtitles then won't work. I thought it streamed everything, but subs then wouldn't be streamed. On the HTPC itself it obviously works with subs, since they are then stored locally.
- LAV filters were automatically downgraded to 0.63 when I installed 2.1 Pre. I haven't changed it. Should I try 0.68.1 then?
- Can you elaborate what you mean with default device instead of AVR? In MP2 it is on default directsound device I think, and in windows I have selected the TX-NR818 directly.
- after my last post, I watched part of a movie on the HTPC and as expected no issues, then I tried live TV again and it was stuttering/blockyness and out of sync like before! So somehow the thing that I changed got "unchanged" after playing a movie. I ran out of time, but when I get behind the HTPC again, the windows settings will be the first thing I check again.

 

[Cordraconis]

Yesterday I tried lots of things. I'll try to put some logical order into it.

- HDMI-link: I disabled every possible audio-and video setting (denoise, auto color enhancement, ..) on both the TV and AVR so the signal is just pass-trough. Also I disabled the standby function of the AVR so each time a new HDMI handshake is forced. I even made a direct cable link between the HTPC and the TV.
NO effect and the issue still remained.
- Win7: changeing the audio settings around (24bit 192k to 16bit 44.1k, 2 vs 5.1 etc...) made NO difference. I have no idea why it suddenly worked a few days ago, but I definately lost "it". I also did some research on windows and HDMI, and on the neowin forum I found a link to LatencyMon: Resplendence Software - LatencyMon: suitability checker for real-time audio and other tasks I ran it and with a normal film/series it barely registered however with LiveTV and Recordings the latency rises. Once I got a warning that there could be a network issue, but I couldn't repeat it. There were some hard page faults in the Nvidea directx video driver and about a handfull in MP2.
- Network: Laptop/Client still works flawlessly, so by then the only thing I could try was investigate network issues. I ****** up the install a few times (ended up deleting the TeamMediaPortal folder in c:\program data and reinstalling) but now I installed ONLY the server on the HTPC and verified that the laptop still works.
I noticed that before the re-install when I was trying LiveTV from the HTPC I couldn't see any client connected to the server. (So again: server AND client were on the HTPC installed and with LiveTV I couldn't see myself connected. I renamed the client - how do you rename the server and WTF is www.007guard.com??? - but couldn't see myself connected.) My theory is now that a single-seat install connects differently to the server than a multiseat.
I tried (after the server-only install) to then install the client separately on the same machine, but the MP2 installer only gives the option to repair or uninstall.

Does anyone know a way around this? I am thinking of copying folders from the laptop to the HTPC so I can get a "separate" client there. (I'll also try inside a VM later, but I already know that works.)
Tip: maybe modify the installer so that a separate client install is possible?

 

[HTPCSourcer]

- Network:

The most likely reason of your issues. Are you running Virus solutions? Then you need to define exceptions for the respective MediaPortal applications, shares and the timeshift folder.

WTF is www.007guard.com???

Did you ever use SpyBot or anything similar? Check your local Hosts file and remove any reference to it.

My theory is now that a single-seat install connects differently to the server than a multiseat.

This theory is wrong

I tried (after the server-only install) to then install the client separately on the same machine, but the MP2 installer only gives the option to repair or uninstall.

You can't reinstall the client on top of an already existing installation. Simply uninstal and then reinstall by selecting "Client and Server". Any data that you have will stay untouched.

modify the installer so that a separate client install is possible?

As I just explained: The additional hassle to uninstall and reinstall will take you five minutes.

 

[breese]

now I installed ONLY the server on the HTPC and verified that the laptop still works.

On the server machine, open the Setup TV and move the Timeshifting folder from the C: drive to your Raid.
Restart the MP2-Server process and then retest.

 

[Cordraconis]

2 days ago I actually did a Malwarebytes AM scan which was negative. I also reset my firewall then, so now I am locked out of VNC untill I get back home. LOL!

At your request I am right now letting Malware, Spybot, Clam AV and Stinger chew trough my HDD, but I expect no problems. When it is finished in a few hours, I'll uninstall the server-only and re-install the server+client and we'll see.
When I looked at the laptop-client, I saw something like 'client "latop-client" is connected to server "www.007guard.com" at "host". But the HTPC is not named "host" and I never heard of that 007guard, hence I think something went wrong with the auto detection. (Edit2: with this, the laptop-client works, but I think the HTPC-client from *before* the server-only-install must do something wrong.)
I can give a name to the MP2 client, and in both the server and client I can manually input an IP adress with whitch it will *respond*, however I cannot input an IP adress in the client to tell it where to find the MP2 server! In a borderline case like mine, this would be a very welcome feature, and I understand you put the auto-mp2-server-detection there for normal users, but in this case I think it fails.
Is there a .xml file where I can find/edit the actual IP adress that the client uses?

The HTPC has 6 network interfaces: 2 LAN, 1 wireless, and 3 virtual ones. In theory all of them should lead to the same MP2 server, but I can imagine that the installer gets confused and a manual option would be nice. Also this machine is designed and built to Serve (yes, pun intended ;-) ), but maybe the path MP2 takes is now that convoluted to cause sufficient lag or disruption...

@ breeze: thanks for the tip, but my timeshifting folder is on my Ramdrive. (8 GB IMdisk??? I'm now at work and cannot check from here atm.) The raid would be slower. Also it is a software raid (I have enough cores) and only used when I need the higher troughput like a x264 encoding.

Edit: and BTW thanks for sticking with me on this.

 

[HTPCSourcer]

At your request I am right now letting Malware, Spybot, Clam AV and Stinger chew trough my HDD, but I expect no problems. When it is finished in a few hours, I'll uninstall the server-only and re-install the server+client and we'll see.

This is a misunderstanding. I was not suggesting that you run a malware scan, rather the contrary.

When I looked at the laptop-client, I saw something like 'client "latop-client" is connected to server "www.007guard.com" at "host". But the HTPC is not named "host" and I never heard of that 007guard, hence I think something went wrong with the auto detection.

A previous virus scan probably left an entry in your local hosts file.

• Click on the Start button, type "notepad" and press CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER. Acknowledge the UAC dialog.
• Type CTRL+O. Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc. Select "All Files" in the bottom right corner.
• Now you see the hosts file. Select and open it. Check for unwanted entries, make your changes and save it.

my timeshifting folder is on my Ramdrive.

Is this disk as well as transfer from and to it excluded from any anti-virus solution you might be running, including MS Defender?

 

[HTPCSourcer]

There is one more thing to consider: MP 2.1pre2 installs LAV 0.69. We have had a few reports about TV stuttering, which went away when downgrading LAV to 0.68.1. Might be worth a try.