Nova 500t + mediaportal + geforce8500 freezing up

Forums › Freeview (DVB-T/DVB-S) › Nova 500t + mediaportal + geforce8500 freezing up

ajkiwi

109 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 2

#22535 30-May-2008 23:04

Finally made the Freeview HD leap today, and getting a *BIT* frustrated now.

Installed Mediaportal RC1. Installed a Geforce 8500gt to take the load off the Athlon 3200+ CPU. Installed a Nova 500t card. Installed cyberlink powerDVD 8. Turned on hardware encoding in powerDVD, turned on EVR in mediaportal. Running Vista Mediacenter normally, very pissed that I can't use it for DVB-T, but that's just microsoft shooting themselves in the foot again.

Individually, everything works: can play back HD files on my hard drive, no issues. Can play back the TV3 sample from here off the forums, no issues. Can browse tv... for about 30 seconds.

After 30 seconds of freeview terrestrial, system just locks up. Sound fragments, stutters, video artefacts and loops, just doesn't work.

Completely flumoxed. Anyone had a similar experience? Ideas?

--------------------
Geeking for 30 years now. Awesome.

ajkiwi

109 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 2

#134748 1-Jun-2008 13:45

*bump*

Interesting. All crashes seem to be related to graphics and decoding of the HD tv video... everthing runs fine until I run HD video via live TV. HD pre-recorded, like the samples here on the site, work. Watching it live on TV? Doesn't work. Some sort of delay in action? Tried the current Cyberlink Powerdvd 8 and the Twinhan codecs, no luck.

Ideas? Could my Athlon 3200+ be throttling things? Shouldn't have thought that would be an issue with the 8500gt handling the decoding...

--------------------
Geeking for 30 years now. Awesome.

eXDee

4033 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1070

Trusted

#134772 1-Jun-2008 16:36

CPU usage is fine while playing samples?
When you play a recording, (not just the samples) it works fine right?

I would have first guessed video drivers, but if it can play all recorded video fine then that wouldnt make any sense.

Dingbatt

6804 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3694

Lifetime subscriber

#134951 2-Jun-2008 15:23

What happens if you record HD off freeview without viewing it? i.e. with just TV-server running and not MediaPortal. And then try playing the recorded program. (The above question assumes the HD files already on your computer haven't been recorded this way).

Does time slipping help?

On a different tack, my 8500 caused RF interference with my tuner card (HVR-3000) due to their close proximity on my motherboard. I was originally running off MoBo graphics and had no problem (apart from high CPU usage) but when I installed the 8500GT I got pixellation and breakup much as you describe above. I had to build a foil-in-plastic RF shield to go between the cards. Thread in GZ HTPC forum (http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?ForumId=84&TopicId=21214).

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

mcraenz

1140 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 222

#135101 3-Jun-2008 08:31

It really sounds like a signal problem :-( Whats your prime analog picture like?

Help me build a better way of doing politics in Aotearoa New Zealand

political.nz

ajkiwi

109 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 2

#135494 4-Jun-2008 17:23

Dingbatt: What happens if you record HD off freeview without viewing it? i.e. with just TV-server running and not MediaPortal. And then try playing the recorded program. (The above question assumes the HD files already on your computer haven't been recorded this way).

Does time slipping help?

On a different tack, my 8500 caused RF interference with my tuner card (HVR-3000) due to their close proximity on my motherboard. I was originally running off MoBo graphics and had no problem (apart from high CPU usage) but when I installed the 8500GT I got pixellation and breakup much as you describe above. I had to build a foil-in-plastic RF shield to go between the cards. Thread in GZ HTPC forum (http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?ForumId=84&TopicId=21214).

Will try recording using the tv-server and check that out, and the time-slipping. Good thoughts. Ah, directional troubleshooting. gotta love it.

RF interference???? REALLY? Whoa. Will check out the thread, sounds like the sort of thing that my electrical engineer wife would just love to see/solve!

--------------------
Geeking for 30 years now. Awesome.

ajkiwi

109 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 2

#137978 14-Jun-2008 13:27

eXDee: CPU usage is fine while playing samples?
When you play a recording, (not just the samples) it works fine right?

I would have first guessed video drivers, but if it can play all recorded video fine then that wouldnt make any sense.

CPU usage is minimal playing the samples... trialled most of them (TV1, tv3, tvnz7) and was clocking 15%-25% on my single core athlon 3200+ with the Geforce card doing all the HD work, obviously.

Wondering about the whole possible RF interference thing: the digital tv card and input is RIGHT next to my wireless network card and aerial... all the pci slots are now full, so may try the whole RF shielding thing...

Can't find info anywhere on how to timeshift/record on mediaportal tv server: can anyone point me at the info?

--------------------
Geeking for 30 years now. Awesome.

Lego

Shop now for Lego sets and other gifts (affiliate link).

Dingbatt

6804 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3694

Lifetime subscriber

#138020 14-Jun-2008 16:54

ajkiwi:

Wondering about the whole possible RF interference thing: the digital tv card and input is RIGHT next to my wireless network card and aerial... all the pci slots are now full, so may try the whole RF shielding thing...

Can't find info anywhere on how to timeshift/record on mediaportal tv server: can anyone point me at the info?

When I investigated the RF interference issue I made a shield by folding up some kitchen tin foil and putting it inside the plastic envelope one of my CDs came in. It allowed me to move it round to test where was most effective.

As far a timeshifting goes, the settings are in mediaportal config. It allows you to set up the backwards or forwards jump steps. So either pause live TV or jump backwards a bit and then let it play(viola, timeslipping). Jumping is accessed using left/right keyboard arrows.

TV server allows you to specify where your timeslip folder is recorded an its size. On the manual control (second to bottom option on the directory tree) page it also allows you to record or start timeshift.

Hope this assists.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996