Pixellation on live TV every few seconds (2 Viewers)

Ross

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Hello, my live TV picture pixellates every few seconds. Sometimes it plays ok for a little while then the issue comes back. I have attached log files.

I am using an August dvb t202 with Media Portal 1.22.

Intel core i7-2600
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
16 GB RAM
Windows 10 (64 bit)

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
 

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  • MediaPortalLogs_03_07_19__23_11.zip
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CyberSimian

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    my live TV picture pixellates every few seconds.
    I have downloaded and looked at your log files, but they are pretty much gobbledegook to me (I am not a TV expert).

    Pixellation is usually a symptom of a TV signal that is too weak, and the "TSReader" log file shows many continuity errors which indicates (I think) that data packets have been lost (i.e. not received by the tuner).

    Sadly, the TV tuners available for PCs usually have tuners that are much less sensitive than those used in TV sets. This means that you need a stronger signal to receive channels using a PC TV tuner. So the advice is to install a better aerial system (external at roof level if possible, internal in the loft otherwise).

    -- from CyberSimian in the UK
     

    Ross

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    Hi CyberSimian thanks for the reply.

    I live in a ground floor flat, with 2 floors above. I put the coaxial aerial cable into the usb adapter. This is something which has been working fine for years. I previously used Windows Media Center. Then I noticed it started pixellating on Windows media center so I thought it was a problem with that. So I tried to use MediaPortal and it still has the same problem.

    I have had this problem before with the pixellation on Windows Media Center, and for some reason it sorted itself out. But now it doesn't seem to be going away.
     

    CyberSimian

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    I have had this problem before with the pixellation on Windows Media Center, and for some reason it sorted itself out.
    Atmospheric conditions can affect the propagation of radio waves -- sometimes better, sometimes worse. Or to put that another way, the weather can affect reception. :( The weather pattern that we are experiencing at the moment may be causing the problem, but it won't last long.

    Since WMC had the same problem with that tuner, and you have had problems with it in the past, I think that that confirms the suspicion that the problem is with the quality or strength of the signal. Do you have an ordinary TV set? Is that free from pixellation?

    As you live in a flat, I guess that the questions are:

    (1) Is there a single aerial shared by all flats, or does each flat have its own aerial?
    (2) Who is responsible for the aerial(s)? The flat occupant, or the leaseholder?

    So, depending on the answers to these questions, you might need to persuade the occupants of the other flats to share the cost of installing a new aerial system, or you might need to persuade the leaseholder that the existing aerial is inadaquate and that he should pay for the installation of a new aerial system. So, there is no easy solution. :cry:

    -- from CyberSimian in the UK
     

    Ross

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    I thought I might have solved the problem yesterday. I read on another thread on here where someone solved pixellation by installing Flash player. I thought I already had it installed, but I checked and I didn't. So I installed it, and after a couple restarts it seemed like the problem had gone. Today I tried it again, and it was ok, but the pixellation came back a bit. Although it does seem better now, and after the last try the pixellation seemed to go away. I guess this is more evidence that it's signal strength?

    I don't have an ordinary TV set. I used to, and there was no problem with it.

    I'm pretty sure it would be a single aerial shared by all flats. I don't have responsibility for it so it would be the owner of the building.

    It's strange because like I said, it worked fine for years so I'm not sure what's wrong now. I'm not sure if it would be the weather as I first noticed it a few months ago and our weather has varied.
     

    CyberSimian

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    If WMC and MP both suffer from the problem of occasional pixellation, it might be worthwhile trying a third media center application, to see if it too suffers from the same problem. If it does, it is further evidence that there is a problem with your hardware, i.e. the aerial system, or a tuner with too-little sensitivity.

    I have not used it, but NextPvr is free for personal use, and has had favourable reports on the WMC forum from people migrating from WMC (due to support for Windows 7 ending in a few months time). If you do decide to try NextPvr, you will need to deactivate "TV Server", otherwise it may hog the tuners, making them unavailable to NextPvr.

    -- from CyberSimian in the UK
     

    Ross

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    Ok thanks I'll download NextPvr and check. How do I deactivate TV Server? Is it like temporarily turning it off?
    I just tried MediaPortal again today and now it's saying TV channel not found.
     

    CyberSimian

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    How do I deactivate TV Server? Is it like temporarily turning it off?
    "TV Server" is designed to start when the system boots, and run continuously. For a temporary stop, you can use the "Stop Service" button on the "Manual Control" panel:

    Manual Control

    This should be enough to install and trial NextPvr. But remember that when you reboot, "TV Server" will start again (at least, I think it will; I have never actually tried that).

    For a longer trial of NextPvr without uninstalling MP, you would probably want to deselect all of the tuners on the panel that lists the tuners, so that "TV Server" has no tuners that it can use. Then it won't conflict with the tuners that NextPvr wants to use.

    I just tried MediaPortal again today and now it's saying TV channel not found.
    This is probably the current weather causing too much degradation in the signal for the channel to be receivable.

    -- from CyberSimian in the UK
     

    azzuro

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    This should be enough to install and trial NextPvr. But remember that when you reboot, "TV Server" will start again (at least, I think it will; I have never actually tried that).
    need to gon in windows service and set it to "disabled" for doens't have restart or set it to "manually"

    This is probably the current weather causing too much degradation in the signal for the channel to be receivable.
    i had myself pixel corruption on streaming ( one of my 2 dvbt card) , i checked only now, and for me was the F connector than was badly screwed.
     

    Ross

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    I downloaded NextPVR, still the pixellation issue. Also sometimes the picture goes blank and crashes.

    As for the channels / tuner not found, I used to get that every now and then with WMC. I found that if I shut down the computer, unplugged the usb tuner and then plugged it back in again it seemed to work. That's also what I had to do to get NextPVR to actually find the channels.

    Do you think it's worth buying another dvb tuner? I got the one I have 4 years ago and it worked fine for a few years.
     

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