Error when trying to view TV

[Mooserator]

Hello fellow NextPVR users.  I am a fairly new user and things were going well until recently.  I had to swap motherboards on my PC and the new one refused to recognize my HVR 2250 PCIe card.  Ok, no problem...I ordered the WinTV-DualHD USB tuner and installed it.

Now I am struggling with a random and inconsistent problem where the screen goes white with a thin red X and a pop-up error when attempting to watch a TV signal.  The error reads "Object reference not set to an instance of an object."  It seems to occur ~75% of the time TV is launched from the menu, either through the Live TV link or the Guide.  I have tried reinstalling drivers, LAV filters, and using different decoders without success.  

The tuner is for OTA ATSC signals.  NextPVR version is 6.1.5.231022.  Hauppauge DualHD tuner drivers are 5.2023.1225.41362 dated 12/28/2023.  LAV Video Decoder version 0.79.2.  Currently using EVR as a decoder but have tried others and they seem to goof up aspect ratio when the window is resized.  I have three monitors - two using an ATI 6600XT video card and one using integrated video (AMD Ryzen 5 8500G).  Running Windows 11 and keep it up to date.

One possible pattern. The error almost always occurs when the desktop app is in full-screen mode. It happens less often if/when in windowed mode (but not zero).

What do I need to do to debug and resolve this issue?  I know how to find the log files (attached below) but not what to look for.  Some guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Regards

[Mooserator]

Would I have a better chance for a response or assistance if I posted in the Windows sub-forum?

[mvallevand]

Sub is pretty much the only support person for NextPVR.exe and intermittent problems are the hardest to diagnose.

Perhaps try an alternative client called yauiclient that has a completely different way of desktop playback

Martin

[sub]

Does it still do this if you run "nextpvr.exe -nogl"?

[Mooserator]

Does it still do this if you run "nextpvr.exe -nogl"?

Great question. I will give it a try and report back in a few days. Thank you for the response.

[Mooserator]

Does it still do this if you run "nextpvr.exe -nogl"?

The good news - I received my prior motherboard back after RMA.  Since reinstalling the original motherboard and HVR-2250, none of these errors have recurred.

The bad news - DeviceHostWindows is crashing 1-2x/day.  Once this occurs, the tuner becomes unresponsive and returns "Device failed to start" if attempting to watch live tv.  Along with this, System Interrupts consume 3-10% of my CPU.  I have not found a way to recover from this outside of rebooting the PC.  Does this indicate a signal issue with the broadcast?

The latest logs and a screenshot of the DeviceHostWindows.exe problem from the Maintenance page are attached.

I really like NextPVR and hope to work through these bumps. 

[mvallevand]

I suspect you have faulty BDA or Hauppauge drivers but that is totally unrelated to the NextPVR.exe client issue in this thread which is why opening new threads for new problems is less confusing. Uninstall and reinstall Hauppauge drivers to see if that helps.

Martin

[Mooserator]

I suspect you have faulty BDA or Hauppauge drivers but that is totally unrelated to the NextPVR.exe client issue in this thread which is why opening new threads for new problems is less confusing.  Uninstall and reinstall Hauppauge drivers to see if that helps.

Martin

Yeah, I debated on replying to this thread versus starting a new one.  I at least wanted to give closure to this thread -- > the error is not recurring, but I have switch back to the original mb and PCIe card instead of the USB tuner

Drivers, lol, exactly what I thought and where I started.  In the last week, I have uninstalled and reinstalled the HVR-2250 drivers multiple times...at least 5, probably more.  The last time I uninstalled them, I also ran the hwclear utility from Hauppauge, followed by a reboot, then combed through the registry deleting any remanents of the Hauppauge drivers.  Another reboot after registry cleaning, and then the HVR2250 drivers were reinstalled.  The driver version lists 7.9.1.34216 dated 3 Aug 2016.  I have 4 of these HVR-2250 cards and have tried two of them with the same results.  I am open to the possibility that I missed something, but it would be very obscure.

Glad to break this into a separate thread if that is preferred.

[mvallevand]

I know the OTA ATSC EPG quality is poor but quite honestly I think running an EPG-Update every hour is just asking for trouble. The EPG update is supposed to be scheduled outside normal usage time and as a result not many users North America bother with it. There might be issues in the ATSC EPG logic and sub has rrewritten some parsing for the next release but the date for this is not set so it is hard to say.

For now, definitely look at the wiki and look at alternatives to OTA. I would suggest getting a Schedules Direct trial and use it for a week to see if you still have this problem. Surely the time you have wasted would so far would be worth the subscription.

Martin

[Mooserator]

Fair point and great insight, thank you! I was not aware the EPG updates could be sensitive. The schedule has been updated to 9:09:00 and 15:15:00. This system is not kept on 24x7 so early morning hours aren't feasible. Will keep watch to understand if any recurrences coincide with one of the guide updates.