TV Stutters after 1 hour (1 Viewer)

[Taipan]

Wow, this is a strange problem....

I would still like to see what your CPU% and memory usage is at both the start and the "1-hour stuttering" points - even if it is to eliminate it completely.

Also, could you watch a TV recording for an hour plus, to see if the same stuttering occurs - this may help to narrow the likely source of the problem - i.e., is it to do with the TV card capture process, or the image display process?

It might also help if you post the MediaPortal.log file (as an attachment or at pastebin) which includes the time when the stuttering occurred and you had to turn the TV off and on again. Please note the time that the stuttering occurred so the precise point in the Mediaportal.log file can be identified.

Apart from that, I am running out of ideas....

 

[broadscott]

Could you monitor the CPU% and memory usage at the beginning and again at the time of the skipping - is CPU% hitting 100% for some reason?

Well the CPU doesn't spike during the stutters. It runs along constantly between 35% up to about 55%. Anymore ideas how to fix this. When I get time I will post some more logs if it will help.

 

[Taipan]

Here's a couple of suggestions (from my earlier post):-

Could you watch a TV recording for an hour or more, to see if the same stuttering occurs - this may help to narrow the likely source of the problem - i.e., is it to do with the TV card capture process, or the image display process?


Post the MediaPortal.log file (as an attachment or at pastebin) which includes the time when the stuttering occurred and you had to turn the TV off and on again. Please point out the time that the stuttering occurred so the precise point in the Mediaportal.log file can be identified.

 

[broadscott]

I made a few tests last night. I recorded an hour+ of TV but with the TV turned off in medial portal (ie. just had computer at Home screen with no TV be played while it recorded). No stuuters in recording. I then made an hour+ recording with the TV ON (ie watchedthe program while it recorded). After EXACTLY 50 minutes it started to stutter. So it seems the problem ONLY occurs when watching TV and occurs after 50 minutes. Below are some lines from the Mediaportal.log which occur during each stutter. I am not sure if they indicate a cause of the stutter or an effect, but hopefully it will help.

10/18/2006 10:30:29 PM 1 VMR9Helper: playing->repaint 1
10/18/2006 10:30:29 PM planescene: PresentSurface() frame:0 enabled:True allowed:False 1024x576
10/18/2006 10:30:29 PM planescene: PresentSurface() frame:1 enabled:True allowed:False 1024x576
10/18/2006 10:30:29 PM 1 VMR9Helper: repaint->playing 2
10/18/2006 10:30:35 PM 1 VMR9Helper: playing->repaint 2
10/18/2006 10:30:35 PM planescene: PresentSurface() frame:0 enabled:True allowed:False 1024x576
10/18/2006 10:30:35 PM planescene: PresentSurface() frame:1 enabled:True allowed:False 1024x576
10/18/2006 10:30:35 PM 1 VMR9Helper: repaint->playing 2

 

[Taipan]

Ah, so that has norrowed the problem down a bit....

Unfortunately, I have no idea what those lines in the MediaPortal.log file actually mean - hopefully someone else can interpret them....

A point of clarification - when you recorded the program while you were watching it and the stuttering occurred - was that same stuttering also in the recorded file?

 

[broadscott]

Ah, so that has norrowed the problem down a bit....

A point of clarification - when you recorded the program while you were watching it and the stuttering occurred - was that same stuttering also in the recorded file?

Yes - the stuttering you see when watching the TV also appears in the file.

 

[Taipan]

Yes - the stuttering you see when watching the TV also appears in the file.

OK, so my guess is that the problem is somewhere in the "TV capture engine", and has nothing to do with video decoders or displays.

Any suggestions from here on from me are just wild guesses, so please feel free to ignore them...

Do you have the latest BDA drivers for the Leadtek DTV1000 installed?

Can you move the Leadtek DTV1000 to another PCI slot (with a different IRQ)?

Have you checked that the PCI latency of your video card is set to 64 or less?

Does this stutter occur on ALL SD channels and always at around the 50 minute mark?

Do you have a wireless network card/USB dongle installed on this PC?

Are there any other PCI devices/cards installed?

 

[Munch]

Just hoping I can help a litte more here with an idea.l

Does the stuttering occur on anothe program I.E. the TV program that came with your TV card or MCE?

This can indicate if it's a problem with you're TV card or media Portal.

Also reinstalling Media Portal might help.
Make a backup of corse to restore if it doesn't help.

Munch

 

[Taipan]

I have just re-read this thread and realize that this assumption of mine:-

OK, so my guess is that the problem is somewhere in the "TV capture engine", and has nothing to do with video decoders or displays.

is NOT correct.....

To summarise, you get this stuttering while watching TV, and the stuttering is also in the recorded file of the program you were watching.

However, if you record a program and do not watch it at the same time (MP is sitting at the Home screen), then there is no stutter in the recorded file at all. Correct?

 

[broadscott]

I have just re-read this thread and realize that this assumption of mine:-

OK, so my guess is that the problem is somewhere in the "TV capture engine", and has nothing to do with video decoders or displays.

is NOT correct.....

To summarise, you get this stuttering while watching TV, and the stuttering is also in the recorded file of the program you were watching.

However, if you record a program and do not watch it at the same time (MP is sitting at the Home screen), then there is no stutter in the recorded file at all. Correct?

This is 100% correct