Need better resolution with PVR 350

[jettman]

1. I am using my Hauppage PVR 350 to record TV. I just recorded the West Wing and the resolution is not very good (I should tell you that I am using my monitor instead of my TV). I recorded it at the DVD 3.25GB/hr setting. I am using the InterVideo Video Decoders. I set this up for the MPEG 2 Video Decoder Filter. I see that there is a choice for the "InterVideo NonCSS Video Decoder for Hauppauge". Also some Sonic Decoder. Should I be using either of these and what is the difference between them? Any other ideas to get the resolution to be better?

2. Also, I don't understand decoding very well. When I record TV with my Hauppauge 350, is it using a decoder? Or are decoders used only for playback? I need a quick lesson.

3. What is the difference between Overlay and VMR?

[utica]

When recording, you are encoding to MPEG2 via the hardware encoder.

When playing back and using the Tv-Out on the Pvr-350, you are decoding MPEG2 via the hardware decoder.

When playing back using your VGA card, you are MPEG2 decoding via software, try the different decoders. Check your CPU usage to ensure that you have a fast enough processor....

[jettman]

Originally posted by utica
When recording, you are encoding to MPEG2 via the hardware encoder.

When playing back and using the Tv-Out on the Pvr-350, you are decoding MPEG2 via the hardware decoder.

When playing back using your VGA card, you are MPEG2 decoding via software, try the different decoders. Check your CPU usage to ensure that you have a fast enough processor....

Thanks for the info. I need clarification on two issues.
1. What is the difference between Overlay and VMR?

2. What does the NonCSS mean in the InterVideo NonCSS Video Decoder for Hauppage mean? Is this a software decoder? (sorry, I am just very new to all of this.)

[stanger89]

1) Overlay uses special "Overlay" hardware on your video card to display video, where as VMR uses the 3D engine (for VMR9 at least) to display video.

2) The NonCSS means the decoder doesn't have the DVD decrypting capabilities included in the full Intervideo/WinDVD decoders. Basically means you can't play DVDs with it.

[jettman]

Originally posted by stanger89
1) Overlay uses special "Overlay" hardware on your video card to display video, where as VMR uses the 3D engine (for VMR9 at least) to display video.

2) The NonCSS means the decoder doesn't have the DVD decrypting capabilities included in the full Intervideo/WinDVD decoders. Basically means you can't play DVDs with it.

Thanks for the reply.
How do you know if you video card supports Overlay or VMR9? I have an ATI AIW 8500DV and Geforce 2 MX440 cards.

[stanger89]

Just about every card supports Overlay, and VMR9 will work to varying degrees on just about any card, but will generally only work well (read without tearing) on new, rather powerfull cards like GeforceFX 5700+, it's even iffy on some Radeon 9600s.

The strange thing is that some people with Pre-DX9 cards (like yours) have reported that VMR9 works just fine for them.

I'm not entirely sure what the difference between VMR9 and VMR(7) is. From what I understand VMR9 uses DX9 to draw video with the video card's 3D engine while VMR/VMR7 uses directdraw somehow.

The important difference is that VMR7 works on anything (haven't heard of any problems yet) but is considered inferior to VMR9/Overlay in PQ, where as VMR9/Overlay are essentially equal, sometimes one is better than the other.

[laurenglenn]

Originally posted by jettman
[B]1. I am using my Hauppage PVR 350 to record TV. I just recorded the West Wing and the resolution is not very good (I should tell you that I am using my monitor instead of my TV). I recorded it at the DVD 3.25GB/hr setting. I am using the InterVideo Video Decoders. I set this up for the MPEG 2 Video Decoder Filter. I see that there is a choice for the "InterVideo NonCSS Video Decoder for Hauppauge". Also some Sonic Decoder. Should I be using either of these and what is the difference between them? Any other ideas to get the resolution to be better?

Add the following to your Sage.Properties file (when Sage is not running):

mmc/python2_encoding/MyDVD=videobitrate\=4500000|width\=720|height\=480|audiobitrate\=224|vbr\=1|peakvideobitrate\=8000000|outputstreamtype\=10|closedgop\=1

seeker/recording_qualities/LG=MyDVD,224,48000,8000000

After adding those two lines, change recording quality to "LG" -- you change the LG in the second line to whatever you want to call it. You might want to use a single word (i.e. no spaces)

You'll get a decent picture without taking up a lot of space (2.2GB per hour). You should be able to get 2 hours on a DVD+RW or other DVD format and still have it look very good.

Lauren

[jettman]

Originally posted by laurenglenn
Add the following to your Sage.Properties file (when Sage is not running):

mmc/python2_encoding/MyDVD=videobitrate\=4500000|width\=720|height\=480|audiobitrate\=224|vbr\=1|peakvideobitrate\=8000000|outputstreamtype\=10|closedgop\=1

seeker/recording_qualities/LG=MyDVD,224,48000,8000000

After adding those two lines, change recording quality to "LG" -- you change the LG in the second line to whatever you want to call it. You might want to use a single word (i.e. no spaces)

You'll get a decent picture without taking up a lot of space (2.2GB per hour). You should be able to get 2 hours on a DVD+RW or other DVD format and still have it look very good.

Lauren

I see that the width is 720 and the height is 480. Do I have to have the resolution on my video card set to this?

[Deadbolt]

Originally posted by laurenglenn
Add the following to your Sage.Properties file (when Sage is not running):

mmc/python2_encoding/MyDVD=videobitrate\=4500000|width\=720|height\=480|audiobitrate\=224|vbr\=1|peakvideobitrate\=8000000|outputstreamtype\=10|closedgop\=1

seeker/recording_qualities/LG=MyDVD,224,48000,8000000

After adding those two lines, change recording quality to "LG" -- you change the LG in the second line to whatever you want to call it. You might want to use a single word (i.e. no spaces)

You'll get a decent picture without taking up a lot of space (2.2GB per hour). You should be able to get 2 hours on a DVD+RW or other DVD format and still have it look very good.

Lauren

Does this format allow for DVD recording without transcoding? Is it in DVD format?

Thanks!

[laurenglenn]

Originally posted by jettman
I see that the width is 720 and the height is 480. Do I have to have the resolution on my video card set to this?

Set the Aspect Ratio to 4x3 and Sage will stretch the video to fit within a 4x3 monitor and/or TV.

Lauren

[jettman]

Originally posted by laurenglenn
Add the following to your Sage.Properties file (when Sage is not running):

mmc/python2_encoding/MyDVD=videobitrate\=4500000|width\=720|height\=480|audiobitrate\=224|vbr\=1|peakvideobitrate\=8000000|outputstreamtype\=10|closedgop\=1

seeker/recording_qualities/LG=MyDVD,224,48000,8000000

After adding those two lines, change recording quality to "LG" -- you change the LG in the second line to whatever you want to call it. You might want to use a single word (i.e. no spaces)

You'll get a decent picture without taking up a lot of space (2.2GB per hour). You should be able to get 2 hours on a DVD+RW or other DVD format and still have it look very good.

Lauren

I added these lines into my sage properties file when sage was not running but it isn't showing up in sage. Here is my sage properties file. sageproperties

[laurenglenn]

Originally posted by jettman
I added these lines into my sage properties file when sage was not running but it isn't showing up in sage. Here is my sage properties file. sageproperties

When I copied it, it must have put spaces in there. I attached a text file. Use Notepad, copy the text, and then paste it into your Sage.Properties file. Let me know if that works.

Lauren

(added 5/20/04) -- If there are spaces in the text, remove them after you paste it into the Sage.properties file

[laurenglenn]

Originally posted by Deadbolt
Does this format allow for DVD recording without transcoding? Is it in DVD format?

Thanks!

The "OUTPUTSTREAM=10" is supposed to be DVD format encoding. The MPEGs show up in my ULead DVD authoring program as DVD format, so I would assume this means no transcoding.

Lauren

[jettman]

Originally posted by laurenglenn
When I copied it, it must have put spaces in there. I attached a text file. Use Notepad, copy the text, and then paste it into your Sage.Properties file. Let me know if that works.

Lauren

Unfortunately that didn't work again. Not sure what to say. I am opening that file with Notepad and copying it straight out of there. I made sure Sage was closed when I did this. Still not showing up in Sage. I have put my new sage properties file on my FTP server. Sage Properties

[laurenglenn]

Originally posted by jettman
Unfortunately that didn't work again. Not sure what to say. I am opening that file with Notepad and copying it straight out of there. I made sure Sage was closed when I did this. Still not showing up in Sage. I have put my new sage properties file on my FTP server. Sage Properties

I can't seem to get that file from that web site. When you reply, there's an option on this forum at the bottom to upload a file. If you use that, I'll test it out over here and upload it back.

Lauren

[jettman]

Here is the sage properties file attached. I added a .txt to the end of the file.
Thanks

[laurenglenn]

Originally posted by jettman
Here is the sage properties file attached. I added a .txt to the end of the file.
Thanks

Try this file.

Lauren

[jettman]

It worked! Thanks a lot. I am going to record the West Wing and then compare the files, so hopefully it looks better.

[jettman]

Lauren, thanks a lot for the info and my Picture quality looks better. next question I have is, how do I make my recorded shows look even better or another way to say it is how do I make my recording have an even better PQ? Do I adjust the settings on the two lines that you gave me?

[laurenglenn]

Originally posted by jettman
Lauren, thanks a lot for the info and my Picture quality looks better. next question I have is, how do I make my recorded shows look even better or another way to say it is how do I make my recording have an even better PQ? Do I adjust the settings on the two lines that you gave me?

You can try changing the 4500000 to 6000000 in the "MMC/PYTHON" line.

That would increase the average bitrate and should make the picture look better.

Lauren