HTPC almost perfect.....recording hiccups and I need some help

[Dean_H]

Not sure where to post this, so I'll start here (admin's, please feel free to move this if it should go in the hardware section).

My HTPC is just about perfect right now. I've got a PVR-500, HVR-2250 and HD-PVR (all by Hauppauge). I've got all the channels working just fine, and can record from any/all without problem (well just one....coming).

I've installed the ArcSoft codecs, have the Cyberlink DVD8 codes as well as the typical Sage codes all installed.

I've got 4GB memory, a Q6600 CPU and an nvidia 8600 graphics card. For recording space I have just shy of 1TB (500GB on one drive and 400GB on another) with 64k clusters.

I've been watching the CPU load during recordings and playback and it typically shows well less than 10% load (usually around 3 or 4%).

The problem that I'm having is that during the recording of shows, every so often (maybe once a minute or so) the video and audio "hiccup" or "glitch" or "stutter" (whatever you want to call it). The video looks like bad bad macroblocking, and seems to happen on items on the screen that are moving in the frame (mostly). I've called out for the ArcSoft codecs in the sage.properties file for AAC and AC3filter for AC3.

I could use some help. I saw the word document for installing the cyberlink decoders in the registry, but have not tried that yet.....seems that some are recording just fine w/o this....


Edit:

I should not that I get this macroblocking on the HD-PVR (a lot) and a little on the 2250's