Randome Live TV playback problems

[Fuzzy]

So, did a new install of my server last week (replacement motherboard), and not my clients (2 of them) are having random problems playing back live tv. Upon starting a playback, it will either work perfectly right away, or will give the spinning circle for a bit, followed eventually by a PlaybackException: ERROR (-3.0x80004005): There was a problem accessing the filesystem for playback. I have gone through many iterations of settings, from recording to UNC paths, to mapped drive letters, to unshared folders to force sage's built-in streaming. All have the same results. About 2/3rds of the time, it will give the error. repeatedly trying to play the same recording will eventually work, and once playing back, plays flawlessly. The recordings are pristine, and can be watched without any problem after the are completed.

Has anyone experienced this before? I've tried setting a new recording folder up, with a fresh wiz.bin, and it sitll does the same thing. I did a complete reinstall on one of the clients, and it still does the same thing.

At this point, I'm about to look into network problems, but dont' really have an idea where to even look in that regard. playback works fine in any other app. There seems to be a problem with how sage is opening up the files while live (that is different once not live).

[graywolf]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

At this point, I'm about to look into network problems, but dont' really have an idea where to even look in that regard. playback works fine in any other app. There seems to be a problem with how sage is opening up the files while live (that is different once not live).

Know what you mean about tracking down Network and other issues.
Get sporadic Spinning Circles when the wife manually sets recordings, or sometimes just going thru the menus.

Or sporadic pauses during playback, think that is related to files moving to the NAS although not sure why that is happening.

Have you tried shutting everything down (computers, extenders, switches, routers, modems, etc) , unplug it all, then start from the Wall (Modem/router) and work your way out, giving it time to set the connections before going to the next piece of equipment? Had a sporadic network issue about 9 months ago and after several weeks trying to track it down, out of frustration I just shut everything down and did as I said above. Problem went away. No clue WHAT the problem was but glad it was gone.

[waynedunham]

Was the SageTV software a *new* install, or did you re-use your properties file? Do you have multiple types of tuners? Does it always happen on certain channels, or any channel?

I wonder if one or more of the tuners might not be seen properly by SageTV if you re-used your old propterties file on a new mobo?
The only times I've seen these kind of errors is when SageTv can't use one or more of my tuners either through my own error, or in the case of my HD-PVR's when one of them loses their USB connection to the machine.

Go to the EPG and set up recordings so that SageTv will use all your tuners simultaneously. I'm going to guess that one or more of them will throw an error because SageTv can't use that tuner, or that tuner on that channel.

If that didn't work, then you may have to "trick" SageTv. Find a channel that causes the problem on live tv and then set up as many manual recordings as there are tuners that can tune that channel. If at all possible, find a channel that all your tuners can tune and set up that many simultaneous manual recordings on that channel.
Setting up manual recordings is the only way I've found to test out multiple tuners on the same channel at the same time.

Good luck, and let us know what you do or don't find.

[Fuzzy]

I never reuse .properties files. Fresh start every time on those. only brought over the wiz.bin, though it does this on a fresh wiz.bin as well. This has also happened with any tuner - like I said, it's not affecting the recording of the file, and they play back fine every time on the server, just no client can reliably play it back WHILE LIVE. I've been using sage for a long time, and this is the first time I've seen/heard of this one. The common factor here is Playback from a PC Client, the network, and the server. Next step will likely be a redo of the server, as perhaps something in the server's network setup got hosed up.

[maceie]

Check the time on the server matches the clients.
I had spinning circles randomly for a while, would happen in menus, starting tv playback, etc.
Finally tracked it back to the server and the clients clocks being different by about 30 seconds.
Synced them each to a NTP source and problem went away.
Took me weeks to track it down too!

[graywolf]

Originally Posted by maceie

Check the time on the server matches the clients.
I had spinning circles randomly for a while, would happen in menus, starting tv playback, etc.
Finally tracked it back to the server and the clients clocks being different by about 30 seconds.
Synced them each to a NTP source and problem went away.
Took me weeks to track it down too!

Interesting. I'll need to check that out. Wonder if that also applies to the extenders (hd200/hd300)

Anyone know how I can setup the extenders (hd200/hd300) to use NTP and have it persist between power off/on?

[waynedunham]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

I never reuse .properties files. Fresh start every time on those. only brought over the wiz.bin, though it does this on a fresh wiz.bin as well. This has also happened with any tuner - like I said, it's not affecting the recording of the file, and they play back fine every time on the server, just no client can reliably play it back WHILE LIVE. I've been using sage for a long time, and this is the first time I've seen/heard of this one. The common factor here is Playback from a PC Client, the network, and the server. Next step will likely be a redo of the server, as perhaps something in the server's network setup got hosed up.

I see in your signature line that you are using PC's for clients. I'd check your Video renderer selection in setup on all your boxes. I had a problem on my server not being able to show video after an install a few years ago and found that although all files, live tv, etc would play fine on my extenders (HD100's at the time) I could not get any playback on the server. It ended up being a renderer issue. Once I changed the renderer I could get video on the Server.

Since you are running full clients I'm guessing that setting is also there. It isn't on the SageTV HD Extenders.

The only way I can see that being the possible answer is if you have multiple types of tuners that record under different formats. Maybe the resolution of the program might make a difference also I guess. (480p/720p/1080i*p)?

The pure randomness has me scratching my head also.

[Fuzzy]

Yeah, it isn't a playback issue. There just is something preventing proper opening of livetv files that I've never seen before. The same current recording will work 50% of the time, and after it is not longer recording, it will work 100% of the time. The problem I'm getting is a file access issue, not a decoding/rendering issue. Something about the SageTV File Source filter not being able to open the file. I'm hoping to give the server a rewipe, and see what happens. (I am using two VERY different tuners - one R5000HD, the other HDHR - and it affects both about equally).

[waynedunham]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

Yeah, it isn't a playback issue. There just is something preventing proper opening of livetv files that I've never seen before. The same current recording will work 50% of the time, and after it is not longer recording, it will work 100% of the time. The problem I'm getting is a file access issue, not a decoding/rendering issue. Something about the SageTV File Source filter not being able to open the file. I'm hoping to give the server a rewipe, and see what happens. (I am using two VERY different tuners - one R5000HD, the other HDHR - and it affects both about equally).

That sounds like there may be a permissions issue with the way the clients are accessing the server. Sounds like that for whatever reason the server is not allowing the client access to all the files/folders and/or processes that it needs.
As to why that would happen with live vs. fully recorded data then your guess is as good as mine.
Do you have multiple recording directories? If so I'd check the permissions and/or sharing on those drives/paths. Just a guess, but if you have more than one recording directory could all the "problem" files be on a specific directory?

Again, just pulling more WAG (wild A** guesses) out of the ether here.