Advice from HD-PVR Users Please

[smajor]

I've just converted to an HD-PVR. My current computer specs are a 3GHz P4 HT with 3GB RAM and an nVidia 7900GT with 256MB RAM running XP.

I'm having some very minor video stuttering, not clipping, with the HD-PVR.

I'm currently waiting on delivery on a new 8500GT with 512MB RAM.

Does anyone think that 8500 will tip the scales for this problem, or is there something else I should be doing? Different playback drivers than what was shipped with the HD-PVR? Using a different VMR?

Thanks in advance for any input.

[TonyXL]

What's the CPU usage when playing back video?

[smajor]

What's the CPU usage when playing back video?

CPU never exceeds 30%. I think the CPU is okay, it's the video card.

Of note, I forced my HD Cable box to 720p (it was in 1080) and the stuttering is all but gone except for "quick action" on screen. I'd still like to go full 1080, maybe I can hit that with the new video card. If that's the issue.

[zed]

Three words...
Pop Corn Hour



Whoa! 500th post...

[smajor]

Three words...
Pop Corn Hour



Whoa! 500th post...

Okay, lets say I don't want to buy another piece of hardware.

[zed]

Good luck...

[gazoo]

If you are running 30%, then it's a codec thing. Even if you are NOT getting hardware acceleration (HA), you can still have a smooth running software codec.

Please state if you are having problems with MPEG2 HD or H.264 HD. Are you in the U.S.? And what codecs you are using. Are you using Vista or XP?

I use CoreAVC for software decoding for H.264 and the ATI codec for Mpeg (even though I'm supposed to get HA, it does it in software no problem).

***EDIT**
Sorry, I noticed you are using the HD-PVR...sounds like the Hauppauge box, correct? That is an H.264 box if I'm not mistaken. Although I don't have that hardware, let us know what codec you are using. If it's the one that comes with it and you are still having problems, try the MPC codecs. I don't have the link handy for that right now.

Also, it sounds as if that CPU % is a little low for a 3GHz machine - I would imagine more like %60-70 for H.264 720p content. Of course, I'm not familiar with video stream rate or the profile of the codec so that might be valid.

[mvallevand]

I posted a link to a sample here http://forums.gbpvr.com/showpost.php?p=2...stcount=18 It isn't quite the same now because of the audio format but it does give an idea of what is needed to play it.

Martin

[smajor]

If you are running 30%, then it's a codec thing. Even if you are NOT getting hardware acceleration (HA), you can still have a smooth running software codec.

Please state if you are having problems with MPEG2 HD or H.264 HD. Are you in the U.S.? And what codecs you are using. Are you using Vista or XP?

I use CoreAVC for software decoding for H.264 and the ATI codec for Mpeg (even though I'm supposed to get HA, it does it in software no problem).

***EDIT**
Sorry, I noticed you are using the HD-PVR...sounds like the Hauppauge box, correct? That is an H.264 box if I'm not mistaken. Although I don't have that hardware, let us know what codec you are using. If it's the one that comes with it and you are still having problems, try the MPC codecs. I don't have the link handy for that right now.

Also, it sounds as if that CPU % is a little low for a 3GHz machine - I would imagine more like %60-70 for H.264 720p content. Of course, I'm not familiar with video stream rate or the profile of the codec so that might be valid.

Hi, thanks for writing, yes, it's the Hauppauge HD-PVR and I'm using the codecs that came with it. The ArcSoft decoders. The CoreAVC yields just a black screen.

Yup, 30% confirmed while watching FOX in 720p.

I use XP. My MPC, do you mean as part of Media Player Classic here? http://www.free-codecs.com/Media_Player_...wnload.htm

I too suspect it's just a matter of codecs and maybe video card horse power, the problem is finding a set that work with well with this Hauppauge hardware.

[smajor]

Just a follow up: I switched from the codecs that came with the HD-PVR to the latest CodeAVC. Holy smoke, what a difference. Here is what I've learned:

The ones that come with the HD-PVR do hardware acceleration leaving the CPU at 30% or less. However it seems that neither my nVidia 7900GT nor 8500GT can keep up well with HA. If there was a way to buffer the stream, that'd help. But I'm probably dreaming here.

The CoreAVC ones don't seem to give me HA, jumping the CPU to 65%, however with 3GB of RAM and a P4 with hyperthreading at 3GHz, I seem to have power to burn for software decoding.

The once "glitch" I've noticed is if I'm watching GB-PVR during a full EPG update (that also calls mc2xml) my live TV goes to crap. Stuttering, incoherent crap. That's okay, I think. My EPG update is schedule for a time when I'm typically not recording or watching live TV. It also doesn't take too much background activity to cause a single stutter. I had Antivirus software installed on this box and just the act of it doing a quick update check - not even a download - caused a couple of pauses.

The nVidia PureVideo stuff came with one of my cards, so I may give that a try too.

The quality with CoreAVC seems pretty good, I think the other stuff was a bit better. Knowing what I know now, I might try to disable HA completely via the nVidia Control Panel for GB-PVR and give that a whirl.