Video Decoders and HVR 1600

[probeGT]

Hey all. . .

I've just built a Vista machine for a friend, and I'm trying to set up GB-PVR on it with Hauppauge HVR-1600. I have same HVR on my machine, but with Windows XP. I've installed the Hauppauge software, but when I go into Config in GB-PVR and try to select a video decoder, only system default is listed. I tried installing a couple of the free ones recommended, and neither worked very well.

Now, on MY computer, I have three different ones listed: Intervideo Non CSS Video Decoder, MainConcept MPEG Video Decoder, and GPL MPEG 1/2 Decoder. I guess my question is, anyone have any idea where I got these, and how I might get them onto the other machine? Would they have been installed with something like Sony Vegas? Is Hauppauge 1600 supposed to install any?

Thanks!

[sub]

A couple of decent free video decoders can be found here:

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/MPV_Decoder.htm
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/Dsca...ilters.htm

[probeGT]

Those two are the ones I tried. The first one didn't seem to want to install in Vista, and the second one gave stilted playback.

[sub]

Both seem to work ok for me on Vista.

When you're registering the first one in vista, you need to run the regsvr32 command as administrator or it wont work. I start "CMD Shell" as administrator, and run it from there.

The 'GPL MPEG 1/2 Decoder' decoder, from your original list, can be found at http://sourceforge.net/projects/gplmpgdec. It will also need to registered as administrator.

[probeGT]

Aha! Success. . . thank you Mr. Sub. . . my problem was not registering the file as an administrator.

And, since I had to search around several places for the ultimate solution, I'll give a step-by-step. . . maybe save someone some time in the future.

1. Download and extract the MPV decoder from the link above (first post by sub).
   
2. Take the mpeg2DecFilter.ax file from the extracted RELEASE folder and copy it to your windows/system32 directory.
   
3. Under the Vista start menu, type cmd in the Start Search box. . . this will make a CMD icon appear above. Right-click this icon and select Run as Administrator.
   
4. This will open black command prompt window. Type regsvr32 mpeg2decfilter.ax
   
5. Hopefully you will then get a box saying you've successfully registered it. Now, under GB-PVR config, you should see the decoder.
   

[kremmit]

Aha! Success. . . thank you Mr. Sub. . . my problem was not registering the file as an administrator.

And, since I had to search around several places for the ultimate solution, I'll give a step-by-step. . . maybe save someone some time in the future.

1. Download and extract the MPV decoder from the link above (first post by sub).
   
2. Take the mpeg2DecFilter.ax file from the extracted RELEASE folder and copy it to your windows/system32 directory.
   
3. Under the Vista start menu, type cmd in the Start Search box. . . this will make a CMD icon appear above. Right-click this icon and select Run as Administrator.
   
4. This will open black command prompt window. Type regsvr32 mpeg2decfilter.ax
   
5. Hopefully you will then get a box saying you've successfully registered it. Now, under GB-PVR config, you should see the decoder.
   

First, thanks to sub and probeGT- I'm setting up my first PVR, and this decoder issue is one of the ones I'm running into. Found another post with sub's codec reccomendation, but without probeGT's instructions, and had the same error with registering the .ax file.

Second, I wanted to add to probeGT's instructions- when you do the search for "cmd", you have to open the "Advanced Search", set it to search your C: drive (or the drive with Vista installed on it, if it's not C, and check the box labeled "Include non-indexed, hidden, and system files (may be slow)". Just using the regular search does not find "cmd".

I still have no video, but I must be getting closer, right?

[sub]

I still have no video, but I must be getting closer, right?

Reproduce your problem then zip and attach the logs and I'll take a look.

[kremmit]

Reproduce your problem then zip and attach the logs and I'll take a look.

Seems like you end up saying that all the time.

Luckily for you, I'm one of those weirdos that does his homework and fixes his own problems. The Wiki and searching these forums has already gotten me through:

- Need an EPG
- Configure YApi2XML
- Vista UAC keeps YApi2XML from writing the .xml in the default location
- My (non-digital cable) channels were mapped wrong due to my having added channels 1-150 before I added YApi2XML; after adding it, it mapped the guide channels 1-99 to the channels 151-250. Had to remove all my channels from the Config Channels tab and the Capture Source, then re-run the tuning assistant. (figured this one out on my own)
- Need a decoder
- Vista UAC keeps me from registering the decoder
- I had no sound when playing back recordings, even though sound worked during live tv and replay of shows that were still in the process of recording. Installing Nero fixed it.

I started installing gbpvr last night, I watched my first successfully scheduled recording today.

I am currently working on how to improve quality; the picture I'm getting right now is roughly VHS quality. If I can't match the quality I can get with a commercial unit, The Wife Character will make me ditch the HVR-1600 in favor of a box from the cable company. But I'll start a separate thread for that if I need help, no need to take this one off-topic.

[sub]

I started installing gbpvr last night, I watched my first successfully scheduled recording today

Ok cool - glad you got it sorted.