HD-PVR lock-up roll call

[HelenWeathers]

Post #55 and Post #59 both failed. One is with Sage 6.4.6 (#55) and one is with Sage 6.4.7 (#59). Both of those are with Win XP MCE, MCE services turned off.

[Opus4]

I haven't had a lock in a few days (so it is bound to happen now that I've mentioned it), but I periodically get recordings that look like stop frame animation w/only a few frames per second. The audio plays normally, though. I don't remember seeing this one on the forum, but I may have missed it.

I'm also getting recordings where the audio/video sync seems to come & go with the sync discrepancy varying over time. I think I've seen posts about sync issues.

They aren't locks, but I figured I would toss them out there.

- Andy

[spacecadet]

Originally Posted by Opus4

I haven't had a lock in a few days (so it is bound to happen now that I've mentioned it), but I periodically get recordings that look like stop frame animation w/only a few frames per second. The audio plays normally, though. I don't remember seeing this one on the forum, but I may have missed it.

I got this one for the first time last night (the "stop frame animation" issue), so you are not the only one who has seen this.

Over the past week, I've also gotten a couple of lock ups. I only have one HD-PVR (but two Hauppauge devices total).

[jerryt]

Could we have a poll on the the number of people with lock up's and other Hauppauge devices installed?

PVR-150, 250, 500, etc...

Got a HD PVR being shipped now and it is going to be worthless if it is not 100% rock solid.

[eeto]

For me, I've pinpointed a frame lock issue due to a USB extension setup for me.

computer > usb extend 5ft > usb extend 10ft > usb hub > usb extend 10ft > hd-pvr

taking out the first usb extend 5ft solved my problem. However, I haven't solve the problem for recording 9hrs ... last time i check 7.5hrs was still fine.

[HKme]

Hi Andy, I get the stop-frame animation thing about once a week. I have two HD PVRs, but they are connected to different computers:

1) WHS, SageTV 6.4.5, USBUIRT, Hauppauge DMB-T USB tuner + 1 HD PVR connected via s-video, 576i signal for all channels, 1 HD extender

Been running for several weeks. The stop-frame animation thing is the only issue I have. I've only seen it when watching "live" tv and it can be fixed by hitting stop twice and then retuning the channel (changing channels doesn't help).

2) WHS, SageTV 6.4.7, USBUIRT, Avermedia DMB-T USB tuner + 1 HD PVR connected via component, 1080i signal for all channels I believe, 4 HD extenders

I only setup this machine a week ago, but have 2 issues. The first is in recordings where the picture/sound freezes for a minute or so, and then continues from a minute later, although there's a chance this is actually the STB freezing and not the HD PVR (the STB is IPTV and was installed at the same time as I setup the server last week so I've never run it direct to a TV). The second problem seems similar to what others are experiencing. Twice the extenders have been turned on and not been able to watch any channels on the HD PVR (black screen or an encoder problem message). Turning the power on the HD PVR on and off fixed the problem. Too early to tell if this is the lockup issue at this stage I guess. Details still a bit sketchy on the last issue as the machine isn't at my house so some of the feedback is second hand. Will see how things go and start logging over the next few weeks.

me

[sleonard]

I've also seen that stop-frame issue as well as lip sync, and other video issues as well. The recordings seem to always play fine in the Arcsoft player so I've assumed it was playback problems in Sage.

Is there a tool or method of analyzing the recordings to see if these issues are recording (bad/dropped frames, etc.) or playback issues (decoder, renderer)?

S

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by Opus4

I haven't had a lock in a few days (so it is bound to happen now that I've mentioned it), but I periodically get recordings that look like stop frame animation w/only a few frames per second. The audio plays normally, though. I don't remember seeing this one on the forum, but I may have missed it.
- Andy

Are you seeing this for the entire recording? My issue is I'll get the stop frame animation for about 3-5 seconds. But it can occur once or multiple times in a recording. But this only shows up on the HD100. Not on any of the PC clients.

Gerry

[Opus4]

I've sent a sample of the stop motion effect to SageTV. It is throughout the entire recording & I only play them on the HD100. If it isn't happening in the Arcsoft player, then either the extender playback can be checked or there's another driver issue where the file is not getting written properly for hardware decoders, like the issue where frames are skipped every few seconds for 720p & maybe other resolutions. I'm told the audio/video sync issue is known by Hauppauge.

- Andy

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by Opus4

I've sent a sample of the stop motion effect to SageTV. It is throughout the entire recording & I only play them on the HD100. If it isn't happening in the Arcsoft player, then eirther the extender playback can be checked or there's another driver issue where the file is not getting written properly for hardware decoders, like the issue where frames are skipped every few seconds for 720p & maybe other resolutions. I'm told the audio/video sync issue is known by Hauppauge.

- Andy

I gott he stop motion effect 1 time with a recording off of the HD-PVR. Once in a while I get severe audio/video sync issues (audio is off by a half second), but for the most part the audio is either spot on or a few ms behind (almost unnoticable unless I really pay attention).

[ncohafmuta]

i have a c2 version (got about a month ago) and can verify it locks up when on for a while, not recording for a while, just powered on. sagetv will just sit there with a black screen spinning its wheels. sometimes even turning the power on/off on the hd-pvr doesn't work, have to actually pull the plug. using vista x64 with sage 6.4.6.
opened its case yesterday, and yeah, you guys called it, that stupid little fan they put in there is crap, against the wall are you kidding me? i'm just gonna cut a 1.5" square or so out of the top of the case over the analog chip and goop that fan up in there.
ridiculous, this is like cooling 101.

-Tony

[TallMomof2]

I must have cursed myself when I said I had had no lock problems (in the poll). After recording the Olympics overnight, I could not get my HD PVR to work in SageTv at all. The program wasn't finding it. Powering off and on didn't help. However, I was able to access the HD PVR from TME and record. Rebooting didn't make a difference.

Ended up uninstalling SageTV and the Hauppauge drivers (using their uninstall utility on the driver disc) and reinstalling everything. Seems to be working fine... for now.

[markvl]

I get the stop-frame issue at least once a week. I have the problem in my
recordings only, live tv has been fine. The stop-frame issue has been through
out the entire recording. The recordings play fine in the Arcsoft player.
I only play them on the HD100.

Mark

[Opus4]

Update on the stop frame effect: SageTV says it looks like a dropped frame issue where the driver isn't writing the stream properly with the info needed for hardware decoders -- see this post for more info. Hopefully, the next HD-PVR driver update will fix this.

I didn't think it was that problem initially because I thought that issue would just have skipped frames every few seconds instead of only playing a few frames per second.

- Andy

[spacecadet]

For those of you that have modified your HD PVRs to improve the cooling, has that solved the lock up problems?

I guess I'm curious as to whether the problem is heat or a conflict with other Hauppauge devices (as some have speculated)...

[HelenWeathers]

Originally Posted by spacecadet

For those of you that have modified your HD PVRs to improve the cooling, has that solved the lock up problem?

The short answer to your question is no, at least with multiple HD PVRs and SageTV. Sage can't ommunicate properly with 2+ PVRs until Hauppauge gets their drivers straight.

The cooling in the HD PVR is not what it should be. There needs to be another heat sink on the Analog Devices chip, the case fan needs to be better placed and there need to be openings for air exchange.

Like neuron2, I feel better having done the mods. I want my units to last.

[royhuang]

Hi Andy.

My experiences with my single HD PVR.

Prior to either the v6.4.6 release, my HD PVR would usually work on the first channel selected and then lock up the next channel selection. I had to force kill SageTV. Also, the red LED would sometimes show and sometimes not.

With v6.4.7.182, everything works perfectly:
1) red LED always shows
2) delay in showing the channel from HD PVR's part seems faster
3) the included Hauppauge IR Blaster LED doesn't stay in a continuously lit mode as much (still does some times but I'm not sure whether it's hardware or software related yet)
4) never had to force crash SageTV due to HD PVR problems.

As for HD PVR reliablity, my HD PVR is c2 and was from a fresh batch directly sent from Hauppauge late July. It's been on ~70% of the time since then because I have to bypass my STB component outputs through the HD PVR to my HDTV since Time Warner Manhattan cable STBs still have HDMI issues. I read on the forums of it breaking down so I recorded for about 90 mins. with no overheating or problems. However, the HD PVR does slightly stutter sometimes so I assigned the HDHRs for all the unencrypted HD channels and the HD PVR for only the other HD channels.

[Clift]

I think the problem is with Sage. I can get the HD-PVR working then after a hile it'll get jittery and lock up. Then no matter what I do I get the (-4,0x80040217) there was a problem rendering or something, but the HD-PVR will still work in TotalMedia extreme and in GBPVR. I'm about to give up on this whole thing and return the HD-PVR or sell it on eBay. I have set this thing up so many times over the past week and a half to have it working in sage then fail again...

[royhuang]

Originally Posted by Clift

I think the problem is with Sage. I can get the HD-PVR working then after a hile it'll get jittery and lock up.

It probably is SageTV as my HDHR tuners + HD-PVR work fine but my internal AverMedia M792 tuner does stutter a little.

Some things to check though: (1) have you defragmented the partition of the HD where the videos are recorded? (2) did you try the lowest recording quality settings for the HD-PVR to reduce the throughput? (<--I'm trying this now to see if I can solve my internal tuner video stutter) (3) Is your CPU/HD fast enough to handle high-def video? Do you have a HDHR to see whether the HD channel will play via VLC player?

[spacecadet]

Using 6.4.8, I am still getting the lockups. I have a single HD PVR, but also have a Hauppauge PVR-150. The HD PVR doesn't feel particularly hot when it locks up, so I am inclined to think that its the multiple Hauppauge devices causing the trouble (as others have indicated). Hopefully the next driver update from Hauppauge will correct the problem.