Recording Quality Change after Upgrade to 1.5.36

[tiger66]

Hi,

This may seem strange, but after upgrading to 1.5.36 from 1.5.33, the quality of my analog recordings seems to have dropped (the bitrate is definitely lower). The only thing that changed, however, was the update to 1.5.36. This doesn't make sense to me, but does seem to be the case. Also, regardless of choosing <default>, <good>, <better> or <best> for the recording quality, the bitrate of the recordings seems to always be the same. I'm using Windows 7 on the PC and a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250. I can post logs if you like, but wasn't sure if recording quality bitrate was something that went into the logs. If someone needs more information, please let me know.

Thanks,
tiger

[sub]

Try tweaking the <Bitrate> and <BitratePeak> settings in config.xml (in <Analog> section).

Prior to 1.5.36, NPVR wouldnt set the bitrate at all, so you'd get the defaults for the device. Since 1.5.36, it now sets some application default bitrates, but you can bump them up if you need to.

[tiger66]

Thanks sub! I'll give it a try.

[tiger66]

That did the trick. Thanks sub!

On a related note, does anyone know the bitrates used for the different settings (fair, good, better, best) on the Hauppauge cards? At one time I knew this, but have forgotten. I did some searching around for the information, but couldn't find anything concrete.

Thanks,
tiger

[imilne]

Assuming it's a constant bit rate they record at, couldn't you just take some fixed time recordings (eg 1min, 10mins etc) and then do the sums to work it out (based on file size)?

[sub]

On a related note, does anyone know the bitrates used for the different settings (fair, good, better, best) on the Hauppauge cards?

The real driver default bitrate varys from card to card, dependent on the chipset being used.

The bitrates used by the recent WinTV software uses fair=3500000/4000000, good=4500000/5000000, better=6000000/6500000, best=9000000/9500000. I'm pretty sure the maxium for a WinTV-HVR-2250 is 6500000, so anything above that will end up being 6500000.

[tiger66]

Thanks again sub! I appreciate it.

tiger

[shaunpatrick77]

Just after a clarification ( for 2.1.5)

Does the setting in the config <Analog> section also control what we get for live (analog) tv or is that different?

Does the <good> <better> <best> recording setting actually do anything, and does the <default> setting set the rate at the config <Analog> setting?

Thanks

[sub]

Does the setting in the config <Analog> section also control what we get for live (analog) tv or is that different?

Yes, I'm pretty it also applies to live tv (which is just another recording in NPVR).

Does the <good> <better> <best> recording setting actually do anything, and does the <default> setting set the rate at the config <Analog> setting?

No, these good/better/best settings dont currently do anything. This is basically a work in progress, but just about everything needed is in place. It just needs the last little bit of plumbing to hook it up, but unfortunately anything which is Analog only is a little down on my priority list (since I dont use it anymore), so it'll need to wait until I find a bit of spare time.