Disappointed

[phd]

Hi,

I have a WinTV PVR250.
I downloaded the trial and am rather disappointed in originally 3 items and now 4 items.
1. Audio volume is much softer than WinTV scheduler. Did not see anywhere to adjust.
2. If I attempt to program 2 programs sequentially. e.g. a 1 hour program at 8 o'clock and a second program at 9 o'clock, I receive a message that there is a conflict and won't set up the second program until I delete the first. However, if I schedule the 9 o'clock program first and then the 8 o'clock, it will accept both.
3. I set up a custom record template that matches the 1/2 D1 Variable 2000kbps template of WinTV that I normally record at. Compared the 2 and the A/V parameters match. The quality of the Sage Recorder is significantly poorer with regards to a very grainy picture as compared to normal WinTV Scheduler files. This in combination with the lower recorded volume does not sell me on purchasing your product.
4. This one came to light when I attempted to post on your forum. When I tried to submit a new post containing the above items, I was forced to register first rather than being able to log in as a guest. Very, very disappointed in this. I have not even agreed to purchase yet.

I would appreciate knowing if these items can be overcome.

[phd]

Does anybody have any solutions for these issues?

[rrussell]

Sounds to me as though your decoders are different between WinTV and Sage, maybe?

Just a guess, since I figure both programs are using the same ENCODER, namely the PVR card, the difference must be in the decoding...

[phd]

Using the same player for both files on the computer and burned onto the same DVD using Ulead Movie Factory.

The MPEG decoder on the computer should be the same. On the DVD its the same DVD on the same player.

Perhaps Sage is not accessing the card's parameters correctly?

[rrussell]

That's always possible.

Ya know, it just occurred to me that you're asking about SageRecorder, and probably 99% of the focus on this site now is on SageTV version 2, which is likely why this forum is being overlooked. They're bundling the Recorder functionality into that product, so I'm not sure what issues you're having now will persist into the new version.

Unfortunately, the only way to get a beta version of Sage 2 is to buy SageTV 1. You're sort of in Sage Recorder Limbo right now.

Back to the point, though - you mentioned a DVD in the last post but not the 1st. Are you burning the shows recorded from both sources and then trying to watch them through a 3rd program, and that's where the problem is arising?

What happens if you simply try to watch the recorded files, say, using Windows Media Player?

[rrussell]

PS could you post your machine's specs? Motherboard, cpu, video card, ram, OS, etc?