PVR-150 Issues (Don't think it's sage).

[FidgetyRat]

I don't think this problem is with sage, but Hoping any other Sage PVR-150 users out there might have had a similar problem

I have been using 2 PVR-150s for quite a while and loved it enough to buy a third. I installed this card in my last PCI slot, windows used the same drivers as my other 2 and I added the video source in sage. The tuner reception is pure crap.

The picture is practically black and white with RGB static & moving lines. My other 2 PVR-150s are working perfect with no static.

I have replaced the cable going to to the new card with no avail and used the new cable on the old cards. They still work fine. Ruled out cable issues.

The static reminds me of the old Aerial tvs if you tune INBETWEEN two channels.


My first guess and what I will try when I get home, is to switch the PCI slots with one of my working cards to see if the OLD card gets the same crappy signal. Maybe it is interfearence from my AGP card which would horribly depress me since i would have to return the new card for lack of PCI

Any stories and/or advice? Maybe ways to shield inbetween two cards?

[blade]

Does it have the Samsung or Phillips tuners? The Samsung tuners are notorious for giving problems.

[FidgetyRat]

Not sure. How can I tell? Is it printed on the board somewhere?

[blade]

This thread should fill you in on the problems associated with the Samsung tuners and has pics showing what the different tuners look like on the PVR 500. I'm not certain if it's marked on the tuner or not, but you can probably compare what you see in the pics to your 150s and figure out which tuner they all have. Notice the size difference between the two.

Of course this may not be your problem, but it is a known issue that could cause what you're seeing.

[FidgetyRat]

Thanks blade, I really appreciate that

I will be posting results in this thread if anyone encounters this problem in the future.

1) When I get home from work today, the first thing I will try is a removal & re-detection of the PCI host bridge. Many people say this solves the problem.

2) Step 2 is to remove one of my good tuners and replace with the "bad" one. See if the bad one is still bad in a different PCI and also see if a good tuner is still working good in the bad card's PCI.

[Yalbik]

Originally Posted by FidgetyRat

Thanks blade, I really appreciate that

I will be posting results in this thread if anyone encounters this problem in the future.

1) When I get home from work today, the first thing I will try is a removal & re-detection of the PCI host bridge. Many people say this solves the problem.

2) Step 2 is to remove one of my good tuners and replace with the "bad" one. See if the bad one is still bad in a different PCI and also see if a good tuner is still working good in the bad card's PCI.

Also, try tuning using the WinTV software. If it comes in clear using WinTV, check out this thread for solutions.

I suspect that the Samsung tuner on the 150 is a bit screwed when it needs to fine-tune channels (e.g. if your cable company has shifted channel frequencies slightly). To fix the issue, you can use WinTV to determine the correct channel frequencies, then put these frequencies in the registry to force the tuner to use them. See the thread for more info...

[FidgetyRat]

Thanks, I'll add that as #3 on my to-do list. I wanted to avoid putting the hauppauge software on with sage, but if others have done it i guess it is safe to do.

Only thing I noticed is that these people complain about upper channels being fuzzy. Mine is EVERY channel practically unwatchable. Almost like when you were a kid trying to watch the naughty channels that were scrambled.

[FidgetyRat]

Update: After many hours of tinkering and replacing pci slots I determined that its just this card that is awful..

I contacted Hauppauge and they sent an RMA without even a single suggestion. He mentioned they are having alot of issues with mostly PVR-500s and some 150s.. So if you encounter these problems in the future, you might have one of these bad boards.