Switching from WMC to MP1 (Hauppauge HVR-1290) (1 Viewer)

[onepoorguy]

I should probably also mention that the service is HD. So I think I can do better than 480.

 

[mm1352000]

Hello again

Should I uncheck the "CVBS" channels that I see in the "TV Channels" section?

In answer to your question: that's up to you.
If you don't want to see them in MediaPortal then you can either uncheck or delete them.
Note: "CVBS" are the composite inputs.

When I run MP it goes to one of those channels and I can't seem to select any other.

Sorry, I don't understand.

There are two S-Video channels displayed.

Presumably one is the input on the card's input/output plate (ie. the one you're using) and the other is for the white break-out connector on the card.

All channels in that section say "on 3", which is odd. Can't have multiple sources on the same channel, I wouldn't think.

"...on 3" means "from tuner with ID 3"... which means it is normal, because all your inputs are coming from the same tuner/card.

Note: you can rename the channels to whatever you like in the TV Channels section of TV Server configuration.

I found the channels and was able to select S-Video#1. The others (including #2) are dead.

As above. The other channels correspond with other inputs on the card. If they're not connected to anything then it's no surprise they don't work. You can either uncheck or delete them.

Two things I notice about the picture is that it stutters, and the aspect ratio is wrong. I assume I can adjust the aspect in step 12 above.

Okay.
This may be due to a combination of things including:

1. Video standard, aspect ratio and frame rate settings (yes, you're right ). You can modify these and see if they help. If I were you I would reboot after each change to ensure the change is applied before testing. I wouldn't bother trying anything other than NTSC_M or PAL_B for video standard, 25 or 29.97 fps for frame rate, or one of [ 768x576, 720x576, 720x480, 704x576, 704x480 ] for aspect ratio. The others are highly unlikely to be correct/relevant.
   
2. The encoders you're using. You can try to use Configuration.exe to uninstall MainConcept and install something else (remember to reboot after changing). Encoders can be a bit finicky (which is why we don't "officially" support the analog inputs on tuners like yours). For example, they may work with some tuners but not with others. In my personal experience the ATI/AMD ones are pretty good. Maybe try them.
3. TV codec choice in MediaPortal configuration. I'd recommend you use the "LAV..." option for all. If you haven't installed those codecs, you can install them via the MP Extension Installer/Manager. Shortcut/link should be somewhere on your desktop or in your start menu. Search for the "LAVFilters" extension.

If none of that helps, you could provide log files.
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_MEDIAPORTAL_1/16_Support/3_Forums/2_Log_Files

Presently it seems distorted, does not go full-screen and there is a large green bar at the bottom of the screen (below the actual TV image). But the stuttering is annoying.

This is all probably connected. I've seen similar things before when the aspect-ratio/frame-rate/video-standard combination is not compatible with the encoder. I've described what you can do/try above. Sorry, it's a bit trial and error. There's no way for me to tell you exactly what to do to fix it.

WMC did not do this, so it shouldn't be my card or other hardware.

Yeah, it isn't your card or STB. It is config, encoder or codec choice (unlikely), as above.

I'm still thinking I should uncheck the other channels. What's the point if they're dead? Better just to deal with the live channel I would think.

As above. You can do this. Either uncheck or delete. It's completely up to you. Not a big deal. You can always get them back if necessary by clicking "add s-video channels" again.

Many thanks getting me this far. If we can fix the start/stop of the image and get it full screen (with no green bar) I think I will be good to go!

Happy to help.
Let's focus on the green bar and start/stop first. We can deal with full screen later.

I should probably also mention that the service is HD. So I think I can do better than 480.

You can't do better than 480 with your current setup. S-video (and composite) are inherently SD; they can't carry HD. So, the input to your set top box (STB) may be HD, but the link to your PC is down-converting to SD. The only way to get HD into your PC would be using something like a Hauppauge Colossus or HD-PVR, connected to your PC with HDMI or component + S/PDIF:
http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/prods_hd-recorders.html

 

[onepoorguy]

All "codecs and renderer" are set to "LAV Video Decoder" (except the last three items which aren't codecs, they're filters and renderers).

Yeah, about 5 minutes after I sent that last post I realized S-Video doesn't support HD. Neither does my TV card. Just coax, S-Video, and standard audio jacks. No HDMI option there.

And I am set for NTSC_M (not _MJ). PAL is the European standard, though that may not matter here. I assume if I change to the PAL/SECAM I would also have to change my frame rate to 25 PAL, and then change the standard to one of the PALs (there are a LOT of them!). I should probably try the other NTSC frame size option first.

Or maybe spend the $129 and get the Colossus card with HDMI and go through this all again. :-(

 

[mm1352000]

All "codecs and renderer" are set to "LAV Video Decoder" (except the last three items which aren't codecs, they're filters and renderers).

Sounds like you're looking at the "video codecs" tab. Please ensure you've configured the "TV codecs" tab. The difference is important.

And I am set for NTSC_M (not _MJ). PAL is the European standard, though that may not matter here. I assume if I change to the PAL/SECAM I would also have to change my frame rate to 25 PAL, and then change the standard to one of the PALs (there are a LOT of them!). I should probably try the other NTSC frame size option first.

Yes, definitely - try the frame sizes first. They're the most likely to help.
NTSC M + 29.97 should be right... though it is possible you may need to use PAL, just to satisfy the encoder (and yes, you'd use 25 fps for any of the PAL options).

Or maybe spend the $129 and get the Colossus card with HDMI and go through this all again. :-(

I think you're pretty close to getting stuff working... but it's up to you.
One thing to be aware of with the Colossus and HD-PVR...
Set top boxes these days often apply copy protection (HDCP) on the HDMI inputs. None of the Colossus or HD-PVR models can accept HDCP protected inputs. So, you may buy a Colossus only to find that it can't handle the output from your STB. There are ways to work around problems like that, but it can be a pain in the backside and cost more money.

 

[onepoorguy]

Success. An additional reboot appears to have fixed it. Don't know why. I was going to start fresh and it was working.

 

[onepoorguy]

Something odd...I'm noticing that the sound and video are losing sync. Often by several seconds. My WMC isn't doing that. I think it started synced, but after several minutes it was off. And I may be hearing some weird music faintly in the background (that I do not hear with WMC).

 

[mm1352000]

Something odd...I'm noticing that the sound and video are losing sync. Often by several seconds.

This is typical of encoder problems, and it's yet another reason why we don't officially support or recommend such cards.
I can only suggest to:

1. Try different encoders.
2. Ensure you're using the correct frame rate setting.
   
3. Try reducing encoding quality: http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...n/02_TV_Servers/5_Scan_Analog#Quality_Control

And I may be hearing some weird music faintly in the background (that I do not hear with WMC).

Sorry, I don't have any advice for this. To the best of my recollection, nothing similar has ever been reported In all the years I've been associated with MediaPortal.