Twinhan Alpha

[Dom]

This is a continuation of another thread, where I was trying to fix my NOVA-T card, gave up and got a Twinhan Alpha. The title of the old post is completely irrelevant to my continuing problems, so I thought I'd be tidy and start a new one.

Anyway, on my new Twinhan Alpha, I've been having a problem with recordings. Even if I'm not watching the recording (GB-PVR is not running, but the recording service is) an ActiveWindow pops up with the video in it, the file doesn't write (0Kb files) and the CPU hits 35% and stays there, long after the recording is over (the ActiveWindow stays too).

I posted my logs

and sub said:

Its something to do with the way a filter called "MainConcept (Nikon) MPEG Video Decoder" is installed on your machine. I recommend finding where it is installed on your machine, and uninstalling it.

Sub, this is new to me. I had nothing like this with the NOVA-T. How do I find out what has installed that decoder? I've uninstalled all the Nikon software that I've got, but it didn't help. How can I trace the offending software?
Come to that, why is GB-PVR calling this decoder if it doesn't need it? I'm only trying to write the stream to disk, not to play it back.

Also - I didn't have this problem with the NOVA-T. I've now got it with the Twinhan Alpha, so is it a difference in the way they work, or must have I installed something new recently with this decoder in it?

I have tried uninstalling all the Twinhan applications (as well as the Nikon ones). The card still works, and I still get this error, so it's not something that got onboard that way.

I'm not keen to keep experimenting with uninstallations as:

1. it's a pain
   
2. I don't know what I'm doing
   

Can you give any clues as to what I should do? Get a third card to try? I've got another 9 days, I think, before I have to take this card back to Maplins.

Thanks,
Dom

[sub]

Sub, this is new to me. I had nothing like this with the NOVA-T. How do I find out what has installed that decoder? I've uninstalled all the Nikon software that I've got, but it didn't help. How can I trace the offending software?

You could download the Directshow Filter Manager from http://www.softella.com. This will allow you to see where on your disk this file is, and allow you remove or disable this filter.

Come to that, why is GB-PVR calling this decoder if it doesn't need it? I'm only trying to write the stream to disk, not to play it back.

GB-PVR isnt trying to use this decoder. Some times the Directshow's automatic Intelligent Connect feature (a microsoft thing) gets it wrong, and inserts an inappropriate filter. Its usually because of the way the authors of the decoder have set it to install. This is often referred to as "codec hell".

This is a first time I've seen this happen in a recording graph, but I was able recognise the problem easily from your description an that snippet of log.

Also - I didn't have this problem with the NOVA-T. I've now got it with the Twinhan Alpha, so is it a difference in the way they work, or must have I installed something new recently with this decoder in it?

You must have installed something that includes this decoder.

I have tried uninstalling all the Twinhan applications (as well as the Nikon ones). The card still works, and I still get this error, so it's not something that got onboard that way.

I'm not keen to keep experimenting with uninstallations as:
it's a pain
I don't know what I'm doing

Can you give any clues as to what I should do? Get a third card to try? I've got another 9 days, I think, before I have to take this card back to Maplins.

Use the filter manager I mention above to disable the offending filter.

[Dom]

OK, fantastic. I'll give it a go. Knowing that I can identify the rogue software through means other than trial and error (mostly error so far) is very reassuring.
Thanks a lot sub,
Dom

[Dom]

OK, Ive uninstalled Adobe Premiere Elements 1.0, which is the program that was using that decoder.

I then went into GB-PVR - set it record 'The Avengers' which is on right now. I closed GB-PVR realised that the recording service wasn't on (because of the activewindow problems) - started the service and...


...instantly had an ActiveWindow up again. :confused:

Here are the recording service native logs:

[INDENT]19:37:12.427 INFO Log started
19:37:12.427 INFO BDARecorder:::StartRecording(Twinhan Alpha USB DVB-T, 1, E:\GB-PVR video\The Avengers\The Avengers_20051117_19001950.mpg, T:C63,810000,0,0,8~P:16832~V:201~A:401~PMT:702~N:>BBC FOUR)
19:37:12.458 INFO Initializing DVB-T tuning request.
19:37:12.458 INFO tuning@1
19:37:12.458 INFO tuning@2
19:37:12.458 INFO tuning@3
19:37:12.458 INFO tuning@4
19:37:12.474 INFO tuning@5
19:37:12.474 INFO tuning@6
19:37:12.474 INFO tuning@7
19:37:12.474 INFO tuning@8
19:37:12.474 INFO tuning@8
19:37:12.474 VERBOSE getSetting(BDAMultiplexer)
19:37:12.567 VERBOSE ConnectPins: 'MPEG2 Transport' to 'MPEG-2 Stream'
19:37:12.567 VERBOSE getSetting(EPGProcessingMode)
19:37:12.567 VERBOSE Mapping Video PID 201
19:37:12.567 VERBOSE Mapping Audio PID 401
19:37:12.583 VERBOSE ConnectPins: 'Video' to 'Input0'
19:37:13.627 VERBOSE ConnectPins failed!
19:37:13.627 VERBOSE ConnectPins: 'Audio' to 'Input1'
19:37:13.627 VERBOSE ConnectPins failed!
19:37:13.627 VERBOSE ConnectPins: 'Output0' to 'Input'
19:37:14.142 VERBOSE locked=0 present=0 strength=0 quality=0
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE getSetting(ListGraphFilters)
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE Graph contains the following filters:
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE - Video Renderer
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE - Default DirectSound Device
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE - MPEG-2 Sections and Tables
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE - BDA MPEG2 Transport Information Filter
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE - GB-PVR Writer
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE - Overlay Mixer2
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE - MPEG Audio Decoder
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE - InterVideo Multiplexer
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE - CyberLink DTV Video Decoder
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE - MPEG-2 Demultiplexer
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE - Twinhan USB2 DVB-T receiver
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE - Microsoft DVBT Network Provider
19:37:14.703 VERBOSE getSetting(SaveGraphFiles)
19:37:14.765 VERBOSE BDARecorder::StartRecording() finished[/INDENT]

The service is still running - the window is still there. It's exactly as before, but this time, there's no MainConcept (Nikon) MPEG Decoder there.

Having said that, I don't like the look of:

19:37:12.583 VERBOSE ConnectPins: 'Video' to 'Input0'
19:37:13.627 VERBOSE ConnectPins failed!
19:37:13.627 VERBOSE ConnectPins: 'Audio' to 'Input1'
19:37:13.627 VERBOSE ConnectPins failed!

[sub]

Thanks just odd. Let me think about it for a few minutes.

[sub]

Can you try using a different mux? Download and register the Cyberlink mux from here: http://forums.gbpvr.com/showpost.php?p=5...stcount=41, then set GB-PVR to use Cyberlink Mux, then see if the problem still occurs.

[Dom]

Thank you so much, Sub!

It's... working!
I don't know if everything else will work, but it is recording in the background without the ActiveWindow, and the file is growing. I can go into GB-PVR and watch it OK, exactly as expected.

You're a star!

[sub]

Thats great!

There must have been something with Intervideo mux on your machine.

[Dom]

I've been trying to record a program and the recording keeps stopping.
I thought I had it all fixed, so I've been checking the video file size in Explorer, excitedly watching it grow, and grow, and grow, and...
stop.

ugh.
At first I thought it was because I was using the Cyberlink Decoder (not mux), which was clashing with the VMR9 so switched to Intervideo Decoder - but no joy, no change. It ran for longer, but didn't finish.

I can't see anything in the Recording Service logs to indicate a problem:

[INDENT]20:15:30.930 VERBOSE getSetting(BDAMultiplexer)
20:15:31.273 VERBOSE ConnectPins: 'MPEG2 Transport' to 'MPEG-2 Stream'
20:15:31.273 VERBOSE getSetting(EPGProcessingMode)
20:15:31.273 VERBOSE Mapping Video PID 2826
20:15:31.273 VERBOSE Mapping Audio PID 2827
20:15:31.289 VERBOSE Initialzing Cyberlink mux
20:15:31.289 VERBOSE Setting IID_IMpgMuxer
20:15:31.289 VERBOSE Setting IID_IMpgMuxer3
20:15:31.289 VERBOSE Setting IID_IMpgMuxerInfo
20:15:31.289 VERBOSE Finished initialzing Cyberlink mux
20:15:31.304 VERBOSE ConnectPins: 'Video' to 'Video In'
20:15:31.304 VERBOSE ConnectPins: 'Audio' to 'Audio In'
20:15:31.304 VERBOSE ConnectPins: 'Output' to 'Input'
20:15:31.335 VERBOSE locked=0 present=0 strength=0 quality=0
20:15:31.850 VERBOSE getSetting(ListGraphFilters)
20:15:31.850 VERBOSE Graph contains the following filters:
20:15:31.850 VERBOSE - MPEG-2 Sections and Tables
20:15:31.850 VERBOSE - BDA MPEG2 Transport Information Filter
20:15:31.850 VERBOSE - GB-PVR Writer
20:15:31.850 VERBOSE - CyberLink MPEG Muxer
20:15:31.850 VERBOSE - MPEG-2 Demultiplexer
20:15:31.850 VERBOSE - Twinhan USB2 DVB-T receiver
20:15:31.850 VERBOSE - Microsoft DVBT Network Provider
20:15:31.850 VERBOSE getSetting(SaveGraphFiles)
20:15:31.928 VERBOSE BDARecorder::StartRecording() finished
21:02:00.034 VERBOSE BDARecorder::StopRecording()
21:02:00.253 VERBOSE BDARecorder::StopRecording() finished
[/INDENT]

but the recording had definitely jammed. I've replicated this a few times.

[sub]

If it stops mid way through a recording, thats never a good sign. GB-PVR effectively setup the recording, starts it, then stays out of the way until its time to tell it to stop. Stopping mid way usually indicate something has stopped delivering data (the device, the USB chipset on your motherboard, the drivers etc).

You'll probably find the same thing happens with any BDA app you try.