TV3 picture quality (1 Viewer)

[phunqe]

TV-Server Version: SVN 11-03
MediaPortal Version: SVN 11-03
MediaPortal Skin: Blue Wide
Windows Version: Windows Vista Ultimate x86
Video Card: Gainward SilentFX 8600GT
Video Card Driver: 163.69_forceware_winvista_32bit
Sound Card: Auzentech X-Meridian 7.1
1. TV Card: FireDTV
1. TV Card Type: Firewire
1. TV Card Driver: Latest non-beta BDA driver.
MPEG2 Video Codec: Microsoft MPEG-2 Video Decoder
Satelite/CableTV Provider: ComHem Sweden
TV - HTPC Connection: DVI-HDMI 1080p

I've been carefully comparing the quality I get from the FireDTV viewer and MP's TV3. I constantly get slighter better picture in the FireDTV viewer. The picture looks less blocky. I don't know if it uses some kind of de-blocking, but I can't find any settings that would indicate it.
I'm using the Microsoft MPEG-2 Video Decoder codec. I've tried others as well, with the same result.

Is it possible somehow to improve the quality? Do you recommend running it though ffdshow instead and apply some processing? (which shouldn't be needed really).

Thanks.

 

[mrkaras]

it probably is a codec problem, MP is probably using a different codec to the FireDTV viewer (and quite possably not the one you selected either)

 

[phunqe]

Thanks. Yeah I noticed MP isn't using the codec I specify under Television in MP configuration. I tried setting it to ffdshow, but I never got the ffdshow tray icon to appear (only for audio), which tipped me off.
I would use graphedit to check the graph, but I'm under Vista and none of the graphedit versions I've tried seems to work (no graphs available to connect to).

I'm using TV3, does anyone know if you have to set the video codec somewhere else as well?

 

[killshoot]

I also have a problem with TVE3. I use a PVR500. How to know wich codec a really used by MP?

In fact with TVE2 I've very good picture quality BUT suttering every 1 min... With TVE3 no suttering but picture is "blow".

 

[phunqe]

It seems that TV3 uses the codec listed under Movie options and not the codec under Television (or at least this is what I read in another thread).
Haven't been able to test this yet, but if it's true I hope it will change asap or it will be useless (at least for me who want to use different codecs).

 

[killshoot]

@Phunque MMM very interesting

In conjuction with your answer and this post ( https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/q_tve3_poorer_pq_hw_analogue_card-t26567.html ) I'll hope to have a running TVE3 with my PVR 500 this evening


For you question, I'm using analog TV (720x576) resized with ffdshow to 1280x720 and I've a very good picutre quality on TVE2.

<off topic

If you manualy add an analog channel using the frequency, what need I to put into channel box?

off topic />

 

[jcm]

I would use graphedit to check the graph, but I'm under Vista and none of the graphedit versions I've tried seems to work (no graphs available to connect to).

You have to "regsvr32 proppage.dll" for GraphEdit to work under Vista.

 

[phunqe]

Excellent, thanks.

 

[noxx2]

i had a dbox2 before i try Mediaportal. and the quality of the dbox is much better as the quality of MP, unfortunately.

dvb-c has on my system the same quality as analog tv.

 

[robyf]

It seems that TV3 uses the codec listed under Movie options and not the codec under Television (or at least this is what I read in another thread).
Haven't been able to test this yet, but if it's true I hope it will change asap or it will be useless (at least for me who want to use different codecs).

This is true in older versions but not in latest SVNs. I think it's a codec problem, I also had poor quality using ffdshow, now I use cyberlink with hardware decoding and quality is really amazing.