Video stops on recordings but sound continues

[fray_bentos]

Now i've searched but didn't come up with any solutions from the forums but i'm sure i've read about this before - perhaps not.

On certain recordings (i can't see any pattern) at periods of darkness or near darkness the video will stop but the sound continue. This has happened several times recently but i've checked and don't have logs for the time the recordings were happening.

I'm running 99.12, xp sp2, using the DVR-MS mux (the Cyberlink 5.0.0727 mux is installed but although shows up on MuxChecker whenever something tries to use it, e.g. mpvserver it says it can't find it). - I'm not using any commercial detection or processing.

I'm aware its really rubbish information, i'm going to try some different mux's but as its an intermittent problem knowing if its fixed or not is very much wait and see. If anyone has any suggestions i would be grateful.

[fray_bentos]

Sorry to bump this but I hoped someone might have a suggestion.

[sub]

Do you know if its a recording or playback problem? If you take the same file to another machine with different decoders, does the same thing happen?

Which decoder are you using? The decoder may be stalling for some reason.

[Braklet]

Sounds like a codec problem to me (i.e. playback).

Have you observed this problem watching the recording as it is being made (pending)?

Have you observed this problem watching the recording after it has completed?

Does the video change if you view the recorded file outside of GB-PVR, with Windows Media Player?

[fray_bentos]

If played on a different machine, the files (both ones with and without the video problem) sound is perfect but the video is best decribed as garbled. Its stretched diagonally across the screen. So that's not conclusive i guess (but i'm sure it used to be fine).

I had assumed it was a recording problem because the files that suffer from this problem have smaller file sizes than those of the same show from previous weeks (and play the same way in media player)

I was watching something earlier and the video stopped but it's the first time it's happened when i have been watching but i mostly just use it for recording and wathcing back.

The video decoder is set to System Default, can i find out exactly what it is using? The filter could be the problem as the Config.exe-native.log has a line "2007-06-06 20:18:33.390 VERBOSE FindFilterByName failed to locate filter: System Default".
Thanks.

[sub]

If played on a different machine, the files (both ones with and without the video problem) sound is perfect but the video is best decribed as garbled. Its stretched diagonally across the screen. So that's not conclusive i guess (but i'm sure it used to be fine).

I had assumed it was a recording problem because the files that suffer from this problem have smaller file sizes than those of the same show from previous weeks (and play the same way in media player)

The DVR-MS mux is pretty good, and very fault tolerant. Are you sure you're not suffering from weak signals? This would cause problems regardless of mux.

The video decoder is set to System Default, can i find out exactly what it is using?

The default is 'DScaler Mpeg2 Video Decoder' according to your logs. Worth trying others to see if it helps.

The filter could be the problem as the Config.exe-native.log has a line "2007-06-06 20:18:33.390 VERBOSE FindFilterByName failed to locate filter: System Default".

This is normal can be ignored when you have 'system defualt' selected.

[sub]

Sorry fray, I deleted your last post. I thought I was replying to your post, but had accidentally hit the 'edit' button instead of the 'quote' button.

[Braklet]

sound is perfect but the video is best decribed as garbled. Its stretched diagonally across the screen. So that's not conclusive i guess (but i'm sure it used to be fine).

I had assumed it was a recording problem because the files that suffer from this problem have smaller file sizes than those of the same show from previous weeks (and play the same way in media player)

I have seen cases with my ATSC tuner (similar, but not identical to your DVB-T) where marginal signal quality causes not only garbled video and smaller file sizes, but takes down the entire GBPVRRecordingService. Have you ever had a case where a Windows popup made a cryptic complaint after you witness the video problem?

Unfortunately I know of no software cure for those kinds of problems.

[fray_bentos]

No problem sub, i won't take it personally

My post was only really saying that it might be related to a software download for '4 on demand' from the UK TV channel, channel 4. I've just watched something while it was recording and it was fine, doing the same now. If i don't see the problem again for a week or so i'll attribute it to what i've just un-installed.

No Braklet, normally i have no idea there has been a problem until playback. The recording service is normally very solid.