TV Tuner Audio/Video out of sync in 15 min

[DarkPrime]

This problem has been frustrating me for months. I used to use a Leadtek TV Tuner card in my machine but the video quality was poor so I upgraded (maybe not) to an AverMedia 1500 MCE PVR card (with hardware MPEG2 Support). The quality was better and the PVR functionality works well. My problem however is that after 15 minutes or so, the audio and video begin to go out of sync. If I let it go longer, the worse it gets. If I change the video input mode or the channel, it syncs back up but then slowly goes out of sync again. This happens with every video input mode as well.

On a side note, if I am to upgrade my machine to use a digital tuner, would I still need a set top box to decode satellite or FIOS tv?

 

[Markbnj]

This is a guess based on my own experience, but I think it is the player software, and nothing to do with the card/drivers. I had the same issue when using the bundled Cyberlink PowerCinema application that came with my ATI TV Wonder Elite. Aside from being complete and utter crap in every way you can think of (like all Cyberlink software), the player exhibited this exact same issue that you have described.

I now use Beyond TV 4, which is one of the coolest pieces of software I have ever owned, and have not had the issue since. If you go for BTV 4, get the bundle with the Firefly remote.

 

[DarkPrime]

Thanks for the tidbit. However, I am using the bundled software that came with the card for Winxp. All of the other cards i have used did not have this problem. I have tried upgrading and downgrading my video (geforce 5600fx), sound (audigy2) and motherboard drivers and no change. However, i do have cyberlink powerdvd 6.0 installed on my system.

 

[Mephibosheth]

Originally posted by: Markbnj
This is a guess based on my own experience, but I think it is the player software, and nothing to do with the card/drivers. I had the same issue when using the bundled Cyberlink PowerCinema application that came with my ATI TV Wonder Elite. Aside from being complete and utter crap in every way you can think of (like all Cyberlink software), the player exhibited this exact same issue that you have described.

I now use Beyond TV 4, which is one of the coolest pieces of software I have ever owned, and have not had the issue since. If you go for BTV 4, get the bundle with the Firefly remote.

Excuse me for butting in, but since you have the 2405, maybe you can help me with a similar issue. I'm looking for a way to have quality full screen TV & DVD video with the 2405fpw. I've been using the AIW X800XT, but the fullscreen quality of DVD & TV are pretty poor (not too mention the pitiful ATI software).

Actually, the x800xt quality is not discernibly better than the AIW 9000 Pro I previously had.

So what I'm looking for is a solution to produce high quality video AND TV (I run the cable to my TV card through a digital cable box), be it through a quality video card with a separate tuner card, software, whatever (within reason...). Quality is the goal.

Again, excuse me for butting into this thread...

Thanks,
Meph

 

[Markbnj]

Well, your desire for "high quality" is a little subjective. Bottom line: TV and DVD are NTSC standard resolution, and that resolution is pretty damn coarse compared to what the 2405 can display. The only way to really affect this is to upsample using a program like ffdshow, but this will take a lot of CPU muscle, and it takes a physicist to figure out the right settings.

I get asked this question a fair bit, and the first thing I ask people to do is go to the best television they have in the house, put a channel on, and then watch it from two feet away. Doesn't look that good, does it? If you are sitting at your desk watching a 2405 from 24" at most, then nothing in NTSC res is going to look good blown up to full screen. On the other hand, if you are using a good quality player, have a good card, and a good signal, then full-screen viewing from 8-10 feet is more than acceptable in my opinion.

I use an ATI TV Wonder Elite (Theater 550 Pro/hardware mpeg), Beyond TV 4.0, and the WinDVD codecs. The result is about as good as I expect to get from non-HD resolutions.

 

[Traire]

Originally posted by: DarkPrime
On a side note, if I am to upgrade my machine to use a digital tuner, would I still need a set top box to decode satellite or FIOS tv?

There are no computer digital tuners available in the US that will work properly with digital satellite or digital cable. ATi's HDTV Wonder and similar cards are meant to be used for recieving Over the Air radio broadcasts.

Originally posted by: DarkPrime
Thanks for the tidbit. However, I am using the bundled software that came with the card for Winxp. All of the other cards i have used did not have this problem. I have tried upgrading and downgrading my video (geforce 5600fx), sound (audigy2) and motherboard drivers and no change. However, i do have cyberlink powerdvd 6.0 installed on my system.

I dont believe it has anything to do wtih your video/audio drivers. They dont play any part in recording from your tv tuner. It is either the drivers for the tuner card itself, or the mp2 codec you are using (likely a cyberlink codec), or the software your using to record it.

1. If your recording software allows you to specify the codec, trying to get your hands on a different mp2 codec might help.

2. Check the Avermedia drivers

3. Try a differnet PVR software, either BeyondTV, SageTV, GBPVR.

 

[Mephibosheth]

Originally posted by: Markbnj
Well, your desire for "high quality" is a little subjective. Bottom line: TV and DVD are NTSC standard resolution, and that resolution is pretty damn coarse compared to what the 2405 can display. The only way to really affect this is to upsample using a program like ffdshow, but this will take a lot of CPU muscle, and it takes a physicist to figure out the right settings.

I get asked this question a fair bit, and the first thing I ask people to do is go to the best television they have in the house, put a channel on, and then watch it from two feet away. Doesn't look that good, does it? If you are sitting at your desk watching a 2405 from 24" at most, then nothing in NTSC res is going to look good blown up to full screen. On the other hand, if you are using a good quality player, have a good card, and a good signal, then full-screen viewing from 8-10 feet is more than acceptable in my opinion.

I use an ATI TV Wonder Elite (Theater 550 Pro/hardware mpeg), Beyond TV 4.0, and the WinDVD codecs. The result is about as good as I expect to get from non-HD resolutions.

Thanks for the response. I was hoping that perhaps there was some sort of "super TV card" that allowed higher quality TV for high res displays, or at least accomodated Cable HD signals, but this appears not to be the case.

I have heard good things about the Wonder Elite, that it may be the best picture quality available in this market (albeit, as I've read here, alternative software will likely be necessary). I'm considering returning the x800xt, re-installing my 9000 pro and adding the Wonder Elite whilst waiting for higher quality PC TV tuners to come to market.

Thanks for your imput, and if you can think of anything else that might interest me toward that end, I appreciate it, and your previous response as well.

Thanks,
Meph

Edit: With the latest version of ATI MMC, "on-demand" is recording live TV at all times, with no way to turn it off (they say it can be turned off by changing record settings from "Native", but my experience is that didn't work, I had to revert to an earlier version). Does the same hold true for the Wonder Elite, and if so, did switching to Beyond TV resolve that issue?

Thanks again!

 

[Markbnj]

There are no computer digital tuners available in the US that will work properly with digital satellite or digital cable.

What about this one?

As I understand it this card decodes digital cable in the U.S., including unencrypted HD channels, of which there are usually a few. I've read reviews and walkthroughs of setting it up, and it seems to work according to those sources. It is also a little pricey compared to the < $100 cards people seem to prefer.

 

[DarkPrime]

Is there any way to change what codec my tuner software is using? I'm beginning to think my problem is because powerdvd 6 is installed (haven't uninstalled it yet), but I would want to make sure that the codec changes too if it's removed or if there's simply a way to change what codec the tuner is using to another one.

 

[kylebisme]

Yeah, uninstalling powerDVD would get rid of its decoder. As for just changeing what decoder the tuner is using, that comes down the the software and whatever options it might have.

 

[Traire]

Originally posted by: Markbnj

There are no computer digital tuners available in the US that will work properly with digital satellite or digital cable.

What about this one?

As I understand it this card decodes digital cable in the U.S., including unencrypted HD channels, of which there are usually a few. I've read reviews and walkthroughs of setting it up, and it seems to work according to those sources. It is also a little pricey compared to the < $100 cards people seem to prefer.

The Fusion will work ONLY with unencrypted digital cable, which is usually only the local channels, which you can usually get for free OTA. All most all your premium channels will be encrypted.

 

[Markbnj]

The Fusion will work ONLY with unencrypted digital cable, which is usually only the local channels, which you can usually get for free OTA. All most all your premium channels will be encrypted.

True, all pay per view channels will be encrypted, but there is more to the story. In our house (Comcast) I can get 150 or so channels of digital cable, excluding the premium subscription channels, music channels, info channels, etc. In my office, with an analog tuner card, I can get 70 or so channels.

The additional 80 or so channels are digital offerings, unencrypted, but compressed with QAM and delivered as a bitstream. My analog tuner can't see those. The Fusion and other QAM-enabled tuner cards can.

In addition the Fusion can receive unecrypted HD channels. The subscription HD content is always encrypted. However, I believe there are at least three or four unencrypted HD feeds on most cable systems. These would be the major network channels and independents that also broadcast OTA in the area.

It sounds to me like it is worth it. I plan to do some additional research and maybe go for a QAM card this spring.

 

[DarkPrime]

I uninstalled PowerDVD 6.0 and the problem is still there. ARGH!

 

[kylebisme]

Is there some reason you have not yet stated the name of the software you are using?

 

[Mephibosheth]

Originally posted by: Markbnj

The Fusion will work ONLY with unencrypted digital cable, which is usually only the local channels, which you can usually get for free OTA. All most all your premium channels will be encrypted.

True, all pay per view channels will be encrypted, but there is more to the story. In our house (Comcast) I can get 150 or so channels of digital cable, excluding the premium subscription channels, music channels, info channels, etc. In my office, with an analog tuner card, I can get 70 or so channels.

The additional 80 or so channels are digital offerings, unencrypted, but compressed with QAM and delivered as a bitstream. My analog tuner can't see those. The Fusion and other QAM-enabled tuner cards can.

In addition the Fusion can receive unecrypted HD channels. The subscription HD content is always encrypted. However, I believe there are at least three or four unencrypted HD feeds on most cable systems. These would be the major network channels and independents that also broadcast OTA in the area.

It sounds to me like it is worth it. I plan to do some additional research and maybe go for a QAM card this spring.

The Fusion card does sound pretty good, but there does seem to be some issues with it. The QAM channels aren't receivable in all areas. Also, there seems to be some software issues with this card as well. You can read about the Fusion 5 Gold at:

http://tinyurl.com/czy48

And the Fusion III Gold card at:

http://tinyurl.com/9m6pd

These links bring you to just a few months back, but the threads goes back well over a year.

There is also a forum where you can check for QAM channel status in your city:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=45

I am also considering this card.

Incidentally, I did try the Wonder Elite and beyondTV4, and while the windowed picture is good, the fullscreen looks kind of pasty. Also, the software seems a little buggy here. The TV image frequently freezes or disappears altogether.

Thanks,
Meph

 

[Markbnj]

Interesting. I've had literally no problems at all with Beyond TV. One thing I did early on was to uninstall all the ATI crap and just install the basic 550 pro driver from their website. Seems to be very stable.

Thanks for the links. Will check them out.

 

[Mephibosheth]

Originally posted by: Markbnj
Interesting. I've had literally no problems at all with Beyond TV. One thing I did early on was to uninstall all the ATI crap and just install the basic 550 pro driver from their website. Seems to be very stable.

Thanks for the links. Will check them out.

On initally installing the card, I also didn't bother installing antything but the drivers and then BTV4. However, after the problematic quality of TV display, I tried installing the "PowerCinema" app, and although it's really cheesy software, I got better image quality and stability. However, I'm not very pleased with the software design and limitations. Perhaps the 9600 is holding me back. I believe this go-araound, I may leave the TV card in and try an nvidea video card.

Meph

 

[DarkPrime]

Over the weekend I removed Powerdvd 6 and tried a copy of WinDVD on the system but no matter what I tried, the audio and video still will go out of sync when watching TV.