Poor playback on OTA reception

[jmilcher]

For all who read my threads and help thanks a ton!

I have mapped my digital channels after setting up the second OTA tuner. Now I have a few issues:

Viewing the OTA channels sometimes results in green blocks on the right side of the screen, and they randomly come and go

The aspect ratio is set through config to be 16:9, but the picture is way off center, and is very jittery at times.

I dont know if this has anything to do with the mpeg2 decoder, so I tried a few out, MPV and Dscaler and it really didnt seem to help much.

The quality of the digital channels is absolutely awesome when they come in! I just need some help figuring out these last problems.

Thanks guys and gals, without you this program wouldnt thrive like it does!

[sub]

I would have said to try different MPEG2 decoders, but I see you've already done that - though it might be worth trying some others. I usually hear about nvidia and cyberlink when it comes to high def.

Also, make sure you dont have ffdshow or other postprocessing utilities that could be causing this.

[jmilcher]

I would have said to try different MPEG2 decoders, but I see you've already done that - though it might be worth trying some others. I usually hear about nvidia and cyberlink when it comes to high def.

Also, make sure you dont have ffdshow or other postprocessing utilities that could be causing this.

Are those settings in gbpvr?

I have been thinking of purchasing the nvidia mpeg2 decoder, but I wanted to try the "free" ones out first. Is there a major difference between the Nvidia decoder and the "free" decoders?

Also, on a few channels I get some squiggly lines at the top, about an inch or so from the top. It looks like what happens when the tracking is off on a vcr... is there something I can do to correct that, or is that also the mpeg2 decoder's responsibility?

[gEd]

the nvidia purevideo decoder is very popular on this forum and will work well with your card. I think you can download a trial.

For nvidia cards you should set the rendered to vmr custom.

Could the artifacts that you are seeing be due to signal break up? Can you test the recording on another pc to see whether the artifacts are always in the same place?

VERY nice rig btw!

[flyswatta]

Do you have your antenna "zeroed" in on the broadcast tower? that can sometimes make for blotchy reception - pixellization and freezes. You can go to http://www.antennaweb.org to figure out where the broadcast towers are in relation to your house.
I've been trying to figure out the "lines" across the top of the video myself - it's intermittant and somewhat annoying. My HD Directtv reciever does it also - I finally just figured it was something in the transmission.

[jmilcher]

the nvidia purevideo decoder is very popular on this forum and will work well with your card. I think you can download a trial.

For nvidia cards you should set the rendered to vmr custom.

Could the artifacts that you are seeing be due to signal break up? Can you test the recording on another pc to see whether the artifacts are always in the same place?

VERY nice rig btw!

I suppose the breakup could be due to bad reception, since it only happens on OTA channels... I was under the impression (being the TV geek n00b that I am) that digital channels would either come in, or they would not. That said, I believed that it would either come in crystal clear, or not at all. Is this not the case?

Thanks for the comment on the rig, I come from a geeky computer builder type background lol. More of a hobby from necessity, I never had the $$ for million dollar processors, so why not overclock?:p

[jmilcher]

Do you have your antenna "zeroed" in on the broadcast tower? that can sometimes make for blotchy reception - pixellization and freezes. You can go to http://www.antennaweb.org to figure out where the broadcast towers are in relation to your house.
I've been trying to figure out the "lines" across the top of the video myself - it's intermittant and somewhat annoying. My HD Directtv reciever does it also - I finally just figured it was something in the transmission.

I was sure I read somewhere about a setting that can scale or cut some of the output off, like being able to weed out small issues like the lines up top, but I did not save the page:o

I am using a indoor antenna since I live in an apartment, but I have it right against a window. I hope it being so close to the window does not hinder performance...

I wish I had a house so I could mount a nice OTA antenna setup! I have been on antennaweb.org, but I have not found a sub $100 indoor antenna that would be of any use yet. Any recommendations for indoor HD antennas?

[gEd]

I suppose the breakup could be due to bad reception, since it only happens on OTA channels... I was under the impression (being the TV geek n00b that I am) that digital channels would either come in, or they would not. That said, I believed that it would either come in crystal clear, or not at all. Is this not the case?

unfortunately, that's a (digital) myth. A marginal signal can cause dropouts that can cause blocking and skipped frames. If the signal is bad enough, this may cause the gbpvr recording to fail/restart. As you are using an indoor aerial, this may well be the cause of your pain. In the UK, most DVB sites that I have read say that there is no suitable indoor aerial that will give you the signal that you need.

Thanks for the comment on the rig, I come from a geeky computer builder type background lol. More of a hobby from necessity, I never had the $$ for million dollar processors, so why not overclock?:p

likewise, which is why I am (still) running XP-M 2500+ processors and NF7-S mobos in both my main rig and my HTPC. Main rig at 2.3 (up from stock 1,8) and HTPC at around 2.0. Still good enough to record 3xDVb shows at the same time whilst watching another...

Time for a C2D and 8800 GTS for main rig soon me thinks, possibly after the anticipated intel price drops in July. :-)

[jmilcher]

unfortunately, that's a (digital) myth. A marginal signal can cause dropouts that can cause blocking and skipped frames. If the signal is bad enough, this may cause the gbpvr recording to fail/restart. As you are using an indoor aerial, this may well be the cause of your pain. In the UK, most DVB sites that I have read say that there is no suitable indoor aerial that will give you the signal that you need.



likewise, which is why I am (still) running XP-M 2500+ processors and NF7-S mobos in both my main rig and my HTPC. Main rig at 2.3 (up from stock 1,8) and HTPC at around 2.0. Still good enough to record 3xDVb shows at the same time whilst watching another...

Time for a C2D and 8800 GTS for main rig soon me thinks, possibly after the anticipated intel price drops in July. :-)

I jumped on the C2D boat the day of the launch of the 6300! Back when 1 gb of DDR800 cost nearly $200 USD!

But you cant go wrong with the c2d series! I almost upgraded to the 6600, and might go for the 6600 or the 6700 when the prices drop in July (if its anymore than a myth!)

When I build a new rig in April of next year, I will retire this rig to HTPC use only I hope!

Good luck, and you will love the 8800GTS, but dont go cheap, get the 640mb version, or the X1900XTX, as the 320mb 8800gts isnt the best performer for its current price bracket.

[flyswatta]

I know they sell an indoor directional antenna for around $25. Might also be worth figuring out if your window is facing the right direction - maybe a different window would do better!

Again, you can get that info from antennaweb. I haven't personally tried one (I have a roof mount) but some people swear by them online, and others hate them. I guess it's either hit or miss....