Sound problem at startup and some other problems

[aquafrank]

First; I hope my poor english writing not is the biggest issue It`s not my stronges site

My first, and biggest problem is;
When I reboot my computer, I`m loosing sound at all tuners. The only way I have solved this issue, is by starting all tuners with other software (BeyondTV).
I hoped this problem would solve itselves with the newest release, but not.
I also hoped installing on a new disk, with new OS would help, but not.
Have tried out all kind of different settings in config, no help at all.
To create the right logs, I have to reboot my computer. That is something I can`t do today...

Tuner cards: Hauppauge PVR500*2 (totally 4 tuners).
Motherboard with integrated sound, MSI K9N-Neo
OS: Win XP home


I belive I have all the filters - and some more - nessecerry.


Second problem:
At the new installation, I only can record at 3 of my 4 tuners at the same time. This was earlier a problem with my old installation, but I made to fix this (do`nt ask me how....)

Third problem:
Sometimes, one of the tuners deliver som horiffic quallity at start (5sec too 20min). I`ve tried all drivers available, no help.
Perhaps the card have som internal problems, I don`t know (but I hate it!!!)
See pictures.
1 sec: like it is at start.
5 sec: a bit better, but still not normal.
1 min: still a bitt bad.
5 min: better, but colors not normal
normal: This time it took 17min before the recording was normal.

Please help me with these issues :o

Thanx from a stormy place in freecing Norway

[SLR_65]

In regards to your picture quality . . . I get that sometimes too, but mine clears up much faster. I have cable but I have two channels that always seem low in signal strength and don't have as sharp a picture as the others. Those two channels are over the air channels from 100+ miles away that the cable company pickups and puts on cable. They appear low in signal and of lesser quality no matter what's tuning them in - the tv, Polaroid DVR, etc. and they look that way for everyone in town. The TV and Polaroid occasionally have that black and white picture with color banding for an instant, but usually they just tune in a crappy picture right away. My Hauppauge PVR-150 though always seems to have trouble on those channels. It does tune in quickly though (always within a minute as I use the default 1 minute prepad and it's always locked in the picture before the show starts) and once it tunes it it gives as good as, or maybe a little better, picture than anything else.

Soooo, in a nutshell, I would guess maybe low signal strength is the issue? I dunno what to do about that except maybe install a good quality signal amplifier (which I have, but if you're amplifying a crappy signal you still have a crappy signal coming out of the amplifier!).

TTYL,

Steve

[aquafrank]

Hi, thanx for your reply, SLR_65. All help is good help at this stage

At fist, my problem was like yours, the problem dissapeard in some seconds.
It`s the last 2-3 weeks it could appear as long as 20min...

This problem is mostly with one channel, but sometimes it appears at all the others.
The problem is only with 1 or 2 tuners, that`s the reasson I don`t think signalstreanght is the reasson alone.

An amplifier totally ruins the signal here, have tried out some, always with same result.

[SLR_65]

That is interesting, I'll be curious to see if anyone has any experience or advice on this.

One thing I notice is that it may have something to do with waking up the card as I seem to notice it more on recordings made over night than while watching live tv with it.

[Jaggy]

First; I hope my poor english writing not is the biggest issue It`s not my stronges site

While not perfect it is completely understandable & better than a lot of native English speaking users messages I have read.

Tuner cards: Hauppauge PVR500*2 (totally 4 tuners).
Motherboard with integrated sound, MSI K9N-Neo
OS: Win XP home

Second problem:
At the new installation, I only can record at 3 of my 4 tuners at the same time. This was earlier a problem with my old installation, but I made to fix this (do`nt ask me how....)

I also have 2 PVR500 in my machine & they need to be setup a device#1, device#2, device#3 & device#4 as they all use the same driver. I found mine are device#1 = first tuner/first card (PVR500) device#2 = first tuner/second card (PVR500) device#3 = second tuner/first card (PVR500 fm) device#4 = second tuner/second card (PVR500 fm). I did have one faulty (new) card that had one tuner not working properly & to test I just disabled all but 4 channels on all cards then as the tuners are used to record from the top down as they are listed in the config it made it easy to setup recordings in different orders to find out which tuner was faulty.

Sorry I can't help you with your sound problem but do the recording have sound when played back with Windows Media Player?

[aquafrank]

Thanx for your replies

I`ve been thinking a lot the last day. Perhaps Steve`s theory not is too bad.
The problem with damaged recording has been worse the last time - at the same time the cable-signal hasn`t been the best.
I`ll talk a bit with my supplier, too se if they can fix this.

The problem with only 3 of the 4 tuners, is not related to same device at more than one tuner, I`m afraid. Somthing worse is the issue here...

Sound-problem: All recordings done before I run all tuners in BeyondTV are without all sound. Have not recognized any difference in filesize - only because I not do many recordings without sound :eek:

The logs is attached, perhaps they help.

BTW: PVR-500 is a card who loves high temp. When I cool down my case to a temp harddrives likes, the recordings allways gets worse.
The best operatingtemperature in my PC is when the casetemp is above 45`C (113`F).
This is might be your problem, Steve?
This is also the reason my PC always is turned on...

[SLR_65]

Hmmm, temperature, that's an interesting thought!

I have been leaving mine on though, but I don't know what the temps are - I'll have to install the Asus monitoring software and see.

I have an Antec NSK-2480 case and have the fans set on low. I'm also using the stock cpu cooler. The Seagate 750gb Satas I've read tend to run hot though.

It happens to me most frequently on the lower signal quality channels, though it seems to happen more often when I make recordings which led me to wonder if it had something to do with waking up the card, but I'm not putting the pc to sleep so it should be good to go. Most of the recordings are late at night so perhaps the signal strength then just sucks too. I dunno, if it gets more prevelent I'll dig into it further. As it stands it never goes beyond a minute for me and I use a minute pre-pad so it never effects the shows I want to watch.

A couple more issues that pop up every now and again - if you run through the channels quickly using the mouse (by rolling the roller quickly) GBPVR seems to get grumpy and the video gets very stuttery and pixely. Exiting to the main menu and back fixes it. Occasionally I'll get that just changing channels with the remote, but it's very infrequent and is fixed also by exiting and coming back to live tv. It's never happened on a recording.

Well, off to get the temperature monitoring utilities loaded up!

Take Care, good luck!

Steve

[SLR_65]

OK, my system has been on since late yesterday afternoon and my temps are running 29-32 for the cpu and the mb is at 37 rock solid, hasn't moved up or down a degree.

I played with the channels that do this for me and found something interesting. When I come from the main menu to one of those channels (I'd previously left it on that channel so it opens that one when I re-open the live tv) it does the tuning in thing and takes a couple seconds to give a good picture. Now if I stay in live tv and change channels and then come back the channel looks fine. If it has to tune again it's really fast and you just barely catch any oddity in the picture. Change channels, come back, it's still good. Stay on that channel and exit to the main menu and then come back and it seems it's gotta lock in the picture again. I wonder if GBPVR doesn't keep some tuning information when in live tv and then clears that info when you leave it so it has to figure it out again when you enter live tv? If so then the recording service probably has to do the tuning thing every time which is why I notice it more on recordings?

Interesting, but like I said it just happens on a couple low signal channels for me so I'm not too worried about it.

TTYL,

Steve

[aquafrank]

You have a cold PC, Steve :p My CPU runs at 45-55`C all the time :eek:
When transcoding, it raises up to 65`C....

I`ve worked day and night (mostly nights, sleeping isn`t necessary)
The sound issue; I`ve tried all the trix I can, nothing helps. Unless someone have a godd idea, it seems I`ll have to start mine tuners with BeyondTV, Nero etc.

The issue with 3 of 4 tuners; no luck so far, perhaps I`ll try another reinstallation later. I`m sick and tired at the moment.

Damaged recordings: At first I`ll try to change my cables.
I`ve orderd 2 of these from Ebay, only one recived so far, but this one elliminated some noice at some channels.
Not bad, for a cable at this pricerange (0,01$+S/H) :p
My cabel-supplier have promised they will take a look at the signal strenght, but if I know them right, this happens in januray....
I`ll see in a week or so, if new cables from my splitter helps something.

Thanx for all help, I`ll be back as soon as I have something new to fill in