First, My Setup: I have a Dell 2.8GHz PC with 1.25GB of RAM running Windows XP with current Service Packs. It has a 500GB disk attached via USB2.0 for storing programs recorded by GBPVR. I have Hauppauge 150 and 350 cards to encode the programs and use a Media MVP and a Popcornhour to view programs on televisions in other rooms. I am running GBPVR version 1.3.11. I have GBPVR set up to automatically run Comskip on each program right after it is recorded.
I use this setup because it does all the encoding and decoding via hardware with little demand on the PC. I use the PC as my everyday PC for all my computing (email, browser, word processor, spreadsheet, Turbo Delphi compiler, etc).
The Problem: Most times (maybe 95% of the time), the setup works flawlessly and I can be working on my computer while it is recording two programs simultaneously and, even while it is running Comskip, there are no ill effects.
Every once in a while, however, the computer will be doing something that keeps it busy for a few seconds (on the order of 3-10 seconds) with a flurry of disk activity. When this happens the recorded program files have skips when played back. Comskip reports them as Audio PTS Jumps of several hundred to over a thousand frames.
My Take on This: I assume that while the computer is busy, it is falling behind the data stream from the Hauppauge cards and that is why it has the discontinuities in the recorded files.
Possible Solutions: I came up with several potential solutions.
[LIST= 1]
[*]Is it possible to set the priority of writing the data stream to the disk higher so it is not interrupted by other spurts of computer activity?
[*]Can a buffer be used/enlarged so the files are not butchered because the writes to disk are held up?
[*]Would a Network Attached Storage disk rather than one that goes through the PC via the USB port solve this problem? If so, what changes in the configuration would have to be made?
Further Thoughts: I thought about this more and realized that the data path from the capture card to the disk has to go through the PC so I don't think moving to NAS would have any effect on this problem. I got it confused with the MVP and PCH which might be able to bypass the PC if the recorded programs were on a NAS.[/LIST]
I use this setup because it does all the encoding and decoding via hardware with little demand on the PC. I use the PC as my everyday PC for all my computing (email, browser, word processor, spreadsheet, Turbo Delphi compiler, etc).
The Problem: Most times (maybe 95% of the time), the setup works flawlessly and I can be working on my computer while it is recording two programs simultaneously and, even while it is running Comskip, there are no ill effects.
Every once in a while, however, the computer will be doing something that keeps it busy for a few seconds (on the order of 3-10 seconds) with a flurry of disk activity. When this happens the recorded program files have skips when played back. Comskip reports them as Audio PTS Jumps of several hundred to over a thousand frames.
My Take on This: I assume that while the computer is busy, it is falling behind the data stream from the Hauppauge cards and that is why it has the discontinuities in the recorded files.
Possible Solutions: I came up with several potential solutions.
[LIST= 1]
[*]Is it possible to set the priority of writing the data stream to the disk higher so it is not interrupted by other spurts of computer activity?
[*]Can a buffer be used/enlarged so the files are not butchered because the writes to disk are held up?
[*]Would a Network Attached Storage disk rather than one that goes through the PC via the USB port solve this problem? If so, what changes in the configuration would have to be made?
Further Thoughts: I thought about this more and realized that the data path from the capture card to the disk has to go through the PC so I don't think moving to NAS would have any effect on this problem. I got it confused with the MVP and PCH which might be able to bypass the PC if the recorded programs were on a NAS.[/LIST]
