Cannot get stable picture & audio

[JonBest]

Hi, this is the first time i've attempted to setup a tv tuner so at this point i'm not sure where the issue lies. I'll detail what I have done and hopefully someone can confirm if i've done it right or made any glaring errors:

Installed TBS6902 DVB-S2 card into pc running Windows 10 and installed the Windows 10 driver from their website
Installed NextPVR & went into Device Settings. The tuner card was present and enabled showing 2 tuners
Went into device setup & set settings on "Single Satellite" and "0282 Astra 2E/2F/2G (28.2E)"
Scanned the channels, updated the EPG and the settings were copied to the second tuner
Recording & Live TV Buffer pointed to a folder on an SSD. So far so good.

I then tried to watch a Live Channel and was told the Windows MPEG2 could not be used. Downloaded FFDSHOW and enabled mpeg2. Loaded the channel again and got a pixelated mess with audio cutting in and out. I then re-installed the Windows MPEG2 decoder using the cmd line & powershell (found a tutorial) and when I switched over to that decoder I had the same result (pixelated image and skipping audio).

I then installed SAF 6 using the tutorial which uninstalled FFDSHOW installing the Auto refresh plugin also. This provided about 3 other decoder choices and I tried them all but the issue persists.

Confident that the issue was not decoder related having tried so many I looked to the cabling. I had tested the cabling the day before the card installation on a Sky box and it showed high signal strength and quality so I doubted this was the issue but wanted to be thorough. I moved the pc into the living room to test with the cables in there (Sky box has been running on this cabling for 6 years with no issues). The result was exactly the same bad picture and audio.

So I turned my attention to the drivers however there are not much to choose from. A windows 32 & 64 and a Windows 10 32 & 64. I tested them all with the exact same result. I also tried Media Portal 2 in case the issue was NextPVR with no improvement. One thing I have not figured out how to do is check the signal strength & quality when the cables are connected up to the pc, can this be done in NextPVR or do I need another utility?

At this point I am at a complete loss unless the problem is the tuner card itself?? Does anyone here have this card and is using it for UK Freesat? Is there anything else I can try before returning the card and trying another brand? Something obvious I have missed that should have been completed?

Many thanks in advance.

Jon

[sub]

Try doing a recording, then play the resulting .ts file in another player like VLC. This will tell use if it's recording (signal etc) or a playback problem (decoders).

[JonBest]

Sorry, I did try that but forgot to mention it. The recording was identical to the live tv (all pixelated etc).

[sub]

Did you play it in another player though? Like VLC? ie, to rule out playback issues with decoders etc in NextPVR.

[sub]

If you're get pixelated playback in other players, then it'll likely be signal related.

[JonBest]

Hi, yes I ran it through VLC. That's what made me reconsider if the signal\cabling was at fault. But having tested the new cabling with a Sky box and then moving the pc to the living room with the old cabling which I know has been fine for years (still in use) I can't see the signal being the problem.

It would be good to measure the signal on the pc but I haven't find a way to do so yet. That only seems to leave the tuner card being the issue unless there is anything else I can try?

[sub]

Yeah, possibly the tuner card. Best bet is to check it in some other software.

[JonBest]

I installed media portalwith the same results. Very odd, I've ordered a different card so I'll test that tomorrow. I'll past back the results, thanks for your help.

[JonBest]

Well I have installed the new DVBSky S952 card and everything appears to now be fine. Going to finish the setup

Thanks for you help

Jon