Two TV-Cards: S/W record stutters, H/W record won't work (1 Viewer)

[nielsi]

MP Version: 0.1.3.0
Windows Version: XP Pro SP 2
CPU Type: Intel Pentium 4 - 3.2 GHz
Memory: 1 GB
Video Card: Nvidia GForce FX 5700
Video Render Type: Overlay
TV Card: Medion (7134) WDM capture
TV Card: E-Tech TV Capture Card
Optional References: X10 Remote Control (Girder + Plugin)

Hi,

I'm very eager to use MediaPortal since the moment I heard of it. I already owned a simple Medion 7134 TV card which came with my pc and quickly got it to work. It was recognized as a 'General S/W encoding card' and I could access channels and watch TV.

As I tried to record TV the recorded AVI files were of good quality but the image would freeze every two seconds, no matter what codec or codec setting I tried (an issue numerously discussed on this forum without a solution for as far as I could see), which made the recorded material useless.

Because I really see a lot of potential in MP I desided to buy an (extra) TV card that would have a hardware MPEG encoder onboard. So I bought an E-Tech TV Capture Card that was capable of 'realtime MPEG recording'. When I had it installed, MP discovered the following TV Cards:

713x BDA analog capture (General S/W encoding card)
713x BDA digital capture (General S/W encoding card)
713x BDA analog capture (General H/W encoding card)
713x BDA digital capture (General H/W encoding card)

Because I receive analog TV the digital cards would prompt an error. The analog General S/W card would give me a good image and sound, but the recording was exactly the same as with my older TV-Card (stuttering).
The analog General H/W card gave a black screen and I couldn't turn TV on. Sometimes opening my TV would give me sound and as I changed channels the sound would scramble for a short moment and then turn back to the same sound again.

Basically, buying the new TV Card gave me no better result than I got with my old TV Card. I've been working on it for days now but nothing seems to work as it should. MPEG recording with the enclosed software of the card works very good. It can make great MPEG recordings and use about 20% CPU capacity. So you would expect it to be possible in MP.

Is there anything I'm doing wrong?! Or did I just buy another TV Card without onboard MPEG encoder?

Thanks!



I'm pretty new to video stuff so any common mistake could be a cause too :wink:

 

[Callifo]

Well, from the look of that page, it doesnt say anything about a hardware encoder. Realtime encoding means it could be using a software encoder. Youd be probably better off firing an email off to the company and checking to see if it is (i checked google and got not hits for the card in english at all, so that didnt help).

If it is a hardware card, youll need to get support added which takes about 10mins and your off.

 

[nielsi]

Thnx, E-mail sent...
But could the discovery of a 'General H/W encoding card' after installing and the quick MPEG recording with the enclosed software indicate that it is in fact a hardware card?

And if it turns out to be a hardware card, what would be the next steps(how to get support added)?

 

[Callifo]

Not sure about that first bit as it always has that as an option for me (no software cards).

If it is a hardware card you need to do whats in the 'how to get my tv card supported' in the hardware support section.

 

[nielsi]

While waiting for a reply from E-Tech I want to try solving the S/W recording part. It doesn't seem to matter what codec I choose (XviD, DivX) or what settings I choose, the image keeps stuttering every two seconds. There must be a way to make good avi recordings. I know for a fact that my system can handle it because recording to avi has never been a problem with other software.

Something else related to installation: since I now have two TV Cards I would like to be able to watch TV using one card and record using the other. The TV cards work fine individually, but when I add both to the capture cards list I get a black image on my TV and won't be able to start it. It makes no difference whether I deselect 'use this card for viewing TV' at one and select at the other (and v.v. with 'use this card for recording TV') or select both on both.

So:
1. how to make a good avi recording?
2. how to use two tv cards, one for viewing, one for recording?

Thnx

 

[nielsi]

I took the E-Tech card back to the store and got a refund. The sales guy told me it had a hardware MPEG encoder but I got a reply from E-Tech telling me that it didn't.

Now I'm going to order a Hauppage WinTV-PVR-150MCE. The WinTV-PVR-500MCE is about twice the price so I figured if I would want to use the functionality of a dual tuner I can always buy a second 150MCE if it turns out to be very useful. Am I right?

I realise I can't record TV and watch a different channel with the 150MCE because it only has a single tuner but could I watch the channel I'm recording live? And what does "Stereo Bulk" mean?

 

[Khris]

Take back the PVR150 and go for the PVR500 or you'll regret it later.

I've got the 500 and and extremely glad I got it.