[confirm] Problems with TV, stutters without framedrops, timeshift errors, random crashes (1 Viewer)

[Motionaddict]

MediaPortal Version: MediaPortal 1.1.0 RC 1
MediaPortal Skin: BlueWide
Windows Version: Vista 32bit
CPU Type: Intel Core 2 Duo E8200
HDD: Western Digital Caviar RE2-GP 500GB SATA
Memory: 4 x Kingston HyperX 1024MB (1GB) 800MHZ DDR2
Motherboard: MSI P45 NEO-F
Video Card: Asus EAH3650 SILENT MAGIC/HTDP/512M ATI
Video Card Driver: Catalyst 10.2
1. TV Card: TerraTec Cinergy C PCI HD
1. TV Card Type: DVB-C
1. TV Card Driver: 1.01.00.601
MPEG2 Video Codec: PowerDVD 9 (SAF 4.00)
MPEG2 Audio Codec: FFDShow (SAF 4.00)
h.264 Video Codec: PowerDVD 9 (SAF 4.00)
Satelite/CableTV Provider: Turun Kaapeli-TV
HTPC Case: Thermaltake DH101
TV: SONY BRAVIA KDL46W4000
TV - HTPC Connection: DVI - HDMI

Hi guys!
I have a few problems with my TV-setup, I really hope you guys could help me out.

The biggest problem I have is a random stutter on all channels (SD and HD) in live and recorded TV. The red graph makes a short dip every now and then (1-2 times per minute) but no frames are dropped and nothing seems to appear in the logs to help me track this problem. This incident makes a short but very noticeable and annoying glitch. Sometimes for a short period the graphs start bouncing up and down wildly for a short time also creating the stutter. (See the attached images)
I have tried different codecs and also VRM9 vs. EVR, but the problem seems to persist with all the tried settings.
The recorded TV-programs have similar stutters when I watch them with VLC. Avi:s and HD/FullHD mkv:s play just fine.

Another problem I have arises when zapping to the only HD channel I have. Sometimes the channel opens ok, sometimes I get a "Error to connect to graph", or "error in timeshift", or sometimes "No signal". Zapping to another channel and then back sometimes helps. Sometimes zapping the same channel again helps. Sometimes I can't get the channel to work at all.
I would believe that the signal quality is ok since the receiver in my TV opens the channel without any problems, and every time the zapping is successful in MediaPortal the channel works just fine (exept for the random stutters I get on every channel). There are both unsuccesful and succesful attempts to watch this channel in the logs:
21:23 Zapping to Nelonen HD unsuccesful -> Error in timeshift
22:14 Zapping to Nelonen HD succesful

And finally I have some random crashes of MediaPortal every now and then, MediaPortal just stalls and stops responding completely, mostly this happens after a long pause and then resuming, sometimes when skipping in the timeshift buffer while watching live-tv. See attached Watchdog logs for this crash.

Any ideas what I could do to improve the situation? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[elliottmc]

Hi,

Sorry, I don't have time to check right now, but have you tried this:

https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...playing-problems-rc1-tv-radio-avi-dxva-78501/

There have been a number of improvements since RC1 was released, and this is one of the major ones. However, keep reporting, as this will help resolve all issues before RC2.

Mark

 

[adams79]

I have the same problem with powerdvd codecs... This not hppens with Microsoft DVD-DTD decoder included in windows 7....

 

[Motionaddict]

Hi,

Sorry, I don't have time to check right now, but have you tried this:

https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...playing-problems-rc1-tv-radio-avi-dxva-78501/

There have been a number of improvements since RC1 was released, and this is one of the major ones. However, keep reporting, as this will help resolve all issues before RC2.

Mark

I tried the new core.dll. The stuttering does not occur in the same way it did before. Instead of a small hickup I now get strong pixelation for a short period, especially on the lower half of the screen. This happens about as often as the stutter did on the previous dll. No huge improvement but at least a bit better.
But another problem I ran into with this dll was that especially on HDTV after watching for a few minutes the picture gets totally pixelated and corrupted, and only jumping a step back and forth in the timeshift buffer corrects the image again. Weird.

Zapping to the HD channel is still very unreliable, sometimes it works, but mostly it doesn't. I think this problem might be related to the TV-card/drivers. I'll keep experimenting and if I find something reproducible I'll post the logs.

No crashes so far with the new dll so that is good news.

I have the same problem with powerdvd codecs... This not hppens with Microsoft DVD-DTD decoder included in windows 7....

I'm on Vista and currently using the SAF codec pack, but I'll try if I can find another codec that could ease the stuttering problem. Any suggestions for a reliable stutter-free codec for SD and HD TV in Vista?


Thanks again, guys!!

 

[adams79]

I've tested the divx h264 also and me is stutter free... it supports hardware deinterlacing also, but as I can see the PDVD pcture quality seems better...

 

[pantrax]

I experience the same pixelation and corruption you are explaining using pdvd with the "new" core.dll

 

[adams79]

I experience the same pixelation and corruption you are explaining using pdvd with the "new" core.dll

I've made a test with ne core.dll and Arcsoft HD decoder and there is no stuttering

 

[tourettes]

Please test with all 3rd party plugins uninstalled. At least info service plugin is creating huge load on the PC you are having.

 

[Motionaddict]

Please test with all 3rd party plugins uninstalled. At least info service plugin is creating huge load on the PC you are having.

Sorry about that, I didn't realize all those plugins were on by default, I never use them anyway. I disabled the plugins, (except for the Widgets installer, since MP did not start if it was disabled), but unfortunately the stuttering problem still remained.
I noticed that every time the hickup comes the framerate drops for a short period of time ( about 1s) and then gets back to were it was. With 25fps input the framerate dropped to about 22fps, with 50fps content to about 40fps. Audio has no hickup, only video. Usually these hickups don't cause frame drops. I need to confirm this but it seems these hickups are quite regular with around 30 seconds or so intervals. Might it be related to some buffering issue?
I have 50 Hz refresh rate but the actual framerate in the graph is always something very close but never exactly 50fps (49.997fps or 50.003fps or something like that and jumping around 50fps).
These observations are done with the old core.dll, since the graph does not work with the new one.

I've made a test with ne core.dll and Arcsoft HD decoder and there is no stuttering

I will have to test this one, is there an easy way to find this codec without installing any other Arcsoft software?`


Zapping to the HD channel is still somewhat problematic, but I noticed that if I start recording that channel from the EPG the recording always works, but sometimes it needs a couple of attempts before the zapping has succeeded. In these cases the REC button at the top left corner goes on and off for a couple of times before staying on.

Again, thank you all for your time and help!

 

[Mithrandir]

For some reason the arcsoft codec is the only codec for me that plays HDTV smoothly in RC1 as well.
Since RC1 PDVD8/9 are a nightmare.

However it seemed to randomly hang mediaportal as well. (Could be after hours, or after minute).