HDHomeRun Prime: Pixelation, Freezes and Audio Drop outs

[markolbert]

I'm evaluating nPVR as a replacement for SageTV. I'm running it under 64 bit Win 8.1, using an HDHomeRun Prime as my capture device.

While watching live TV, I'm noticing frequent bursts of pixelation, as well as brief video freezes and audio drop outs. This doesn't happen when watching live TV through Sage.

However, I'm not sure if this is an nPVR issue or a codec issue. I installed both the latest LAV package and Windows Media Center. I'm currently using the LAV decoders.

Also, my SageTV installation runs under Win7 32 bit. Could that make a difference (i.e., is the media support better in Win7 32 bit than Win8.1 64 bit?) I can install Win7 32 bit on my test machine, but that's a tedious process I'd like to avoid unless there's some chance it will make a difference.

- Mark

[mikeh49]

Sounds like video decoder to me, assuming your network is robust enough to deliver the stream from the HDHR to the NPVR box. Perhaps the network interface on your Win8 box has a problem. I experienced this once and had to add a network card since the on-board interface could not hack it/had a problem. How do recordings play? Live TV is more complex than recording playback, so separating them helps troubleshooting. You could also post logs. See the Getting Started for log location.

On Win8, it seems your best choice for US MPEG2 video is the Cyberlink decoder that you can get from Hoborg's unlocked SAF. This is because MS does not allow 3rd party apps to use the MS DTV/DVD decoder. This decoder, which works very well in the US, is available to 3rd party apps in Win7. So, installing 7 could help. It seems some folks have trouble with the LAV decoders. You could also try the AC3 Filter audio decoder. It's free and works well for AC3 audio. Fixing audio may help video. Also, you should set the audio renderer to Default and the video renderer to EVR.