TV-Server on WHS - Collection of fixes and workarounds (4 Viewers)

[mhund]

AW: TV-Server on WHS - Collection of fixes and workarounds

I did a fresh install of rc2 onto whs. works great.

 

[mguebert]

I was thinking more of the upgrade, I am afraid to try it because for the most part the system works with very few glitches. The only annoyance I have is the occasional stuttering, I can back up in the file 15sec and the stuttering does not return for that part of the file, so it is not in the recording.

I was thinking of waiting to the full release before messing with it.

 

[Schicksal]

AW: TV-Server on WHS - Collection of fixes and workarounds

i did ann upgrade from rc1 to rc2. works fine for me.

 

[limpwhizkid]

Just a moment:
Did you said WHS-pool?

SO you use a whs-share folder for all records?

If that's the case:
This is a very bad idea, as the pool-shares are quite loaded with background processes from WHS.
I recommend you install a dedicated HDD, completely unused by the pool. This can be done via the Windows HDD manager as a new partition.
If you want to have network access to the HDD, this can be done as normal network share.


And as a side-note: Try to avoid power management for the HDD's in WHS. My experience is that this is also disturbing smooth playback/records. When checking afterwards recorded files, there were a significant number of bad sections. Windows (not only WHS) seems to be unable to buffer sufficient data when a HDD (and this could be any HDD, not only the one for recording) spins up and stalls data transfer.


Cheers,

Hi All
I am updating my current TV-server setup which is
- TV-server and client in office on a HP laptop (NW8440) with core2duo 2.0 GHz, running Win XP SP3 (32bit), 3 FireDTV DVB-C tuners are connected to the laptop. All 3 timeshift to OS HDD and record to external USB2 HDD.
- MP client in living room Asrock ION 330HT-BD.
- Media server for long term storage of recorded TV, as well as DVD, music and photos is a HP Mediasmartserver EX475 (1.6 GHz single core, "GB ram) running WHS.
- Gigabit network connects everything.

I plan on building a new Media/TV server running WHS, based on the Tower system here:Guide to Building a HD HTPC - Page 437 - AVS Forum
I will use an older Antec TWR and start out with 6 HDD which the MOBO has SATA connections for. This will cost me 296$ (incl. OS HDD) + storage drives. I can expand as desired later.

Now, I am in doubt as to how many dedicated drives I need for the 3 HDTV tuners...
Requirements:
I need to be able to record 3 HD channels simultaneously, while either
- watching (timeshifting) a HDTV channel or streaming a recorded HDTV program on 2-3 clients,
- or streaming a HD movie (from recorded TV or Blu-ray rip) to 1-2 clients while timeshifting a HDTV CH to another client.

I tested how TV server uses the cards. One card can actually record two channels (on same freq.) while timeshifting live TV of one of the channels. As it is, this is a very realistic scenario with the TV channels I have and normally watch.

Worst case, this will require 3 HDTV streams being recorded to the same harddisc (saving to HDD), while streaming 1-3 recordings from same harddisc (reading from HDD), all the same time.

So I need to figure out how to minimize the bottleneck.

Should I have:
1) one HDD pr. tunercard, and timeshift and record to same HDD (three HDD in total, maybe 500 GB a piece)?
- this will give a worst case scenario, as the example above will 3 x read and 3 x write to same HDD.
2) one HDD for recordings from tunercard 1, one HDD for timeshifting from tunercard 1 (maybe a SSD?), and one HDD for recording AND timeshifting for card 2 and 3.
- this will use 2 HDD for the load from the example above.
3) tuner 1 to record to pool (tuner 1 is always the first one used, and therefor also the one with most recordings to read/stream), and timeshift to dedicated HDD from tuner 1 (maybe a SSD?). Tuner 2 and 3 can share a dedicated HDD for recording, and share a dedicated HDD for timeshifting.
- this will spread the load from streaming (reading) and recording (saving) from tuner 1 out to the pool, while timeshifting
(live TV) is optimized. If Tuner 2 is recording and timeshifting at the same time, it will use two HDD fot these tasks.
When tuner three comes in play (seldom, but it happens), it will share with tuner 2...

Thoughts:
- Solution 3) differs from 2) in using the pool rather than a dedicated HDD for recording from tuner 1. If the load is high, as in example above, won't this be better than a dedicated HDD?
- However, if I stream a blu-ray rip from the pool at the same time, the load on the pool in solution 3) is suddenly a lot higher, which might influence recording..? This would not matter in solution 2.

OK, shoot away, both theoretical anwers and answers based by experience are welcomed

Cheers,
Jacob

Anyone one dare to comment?
I would really appriciate some good advice!

the bottleneck is easy to fix..

use a good SSD (solid state drive) for operating system and for timeshift files.
use a raid setup with some normal big harddisks to record to and your done..

i have like 5 clients doing everything without a problem at the same time, while recording, pause on live tv, stream anything from music to movies etc..

no problem at all..

dont have experience with WHS though... i use windows 2008 R2...

 

[joit]

Re: AW: TV-Server on WHS - Collection of fixes and workarounds

i did ann upgrade from rc1 to rc2. works fine for me.

+1

 

[TommySharp]

I must say that I've had endless problems with stuttering when view live or recorded TV on my clients connected to MP rc2 on my WHS.

Having been pulling my hair out trying to figure out what's causing it. Even splashed out on a quad core CPU to see if that helped... Nope....

Am just building a vail WHS server on a test box to see if that's any better.

Any other suggestions?

I've done everything as per all the instructions in the forums like making sure recordings go to a drive outside of the pool etc.....

On the client, if I use "My Videos" and browse to the location of my recordings which I've shared then there are no issues really which is strange...

 

[joit]

do you use SAF codecs? they work.
do you have your timeshift also on the drive which is not added to the pool?

 

[TommySharp]

do you use SAF codecs? they work.
do you have your timeshift also on the drive which is not added to the pool?

Yep do use the SAF codecs and also have the timeshifting on a dedicated drive.

Have also set the demigrator.exe task to only start up after midnight and shut down at 8am to reduce on the HDD activity.

 

[joit]

can you view live tv directly on your whs box to check if there is stuttering, too?

 

[Schicksal]

AW: TV-Server on WHS - Collection of fixes and workarounds

which saf are you using?
with 4.00 i had many problems. with 5.00 everything works fine for me without any hdd outside of the pool etc.