MCE - TV pauses 3/4 second, play 3/4 second - continuously

[Robert]

SYMPTOMS:
Watching TV on Media Center - the video (not the audio) pauses 3/4 second,
plays 3/4 second, pauses 3/4 second - continuous loop. The bottom 5th of the
screen is solid green (a rectangle at the bottom extending to both sides).

If I play previously recorded TV in Media Center (from when this wasn't
happening), the recording plays perfectly. I recorded a 1/2 hour TV show
with Media Center minimized (so it wasn't trying to display it), and I got
1/2 hour of that continuous pausing with the green when I played the
recording. I can play DVDs perfectly from Media Center.

If I use Pinnacles TV software, I can watch TV okay. (But I don't use that -
I like Media Center - the program guide, program search, recording options,
and the fact the the Windows IR blaster will change the channels on the
DirecTV box automatically.)

WHAT CHANGED: I got a new motherboard and graphics card. (My old
motherboard w/onboard graphics fried a second memory chip in 4 months - so it
got canned.)
Motherboard: Intel Desktop Board DG41RQ; 2.7Ghz Dual Core Intel; w/2GB ram.
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce 9500 GT (PCI) (Nvidia GPU w/1GB memory)
There are no yellow ?/!'s in the Device Manager.

I'm still using the Pinnacle PCTV HD PCI - TV tuner card. The DirecTV cable
goes to it.
O/S: Windows Media Center (2005) w/Update Rollup 2; Window XP Home SP3 w/all
updates.

The Microsoft Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility still reports
Cyberlink is the preferred decoder. No new decoders are on the list after
installing the graphic card's software.

WHAT I'VE TRIED: Uninstalling/reinstalling - Media Center Update Rollup 2,
the graphics cards drivers, the Pinnacle drivers, and PowerDVD 8 (the
Cyberlink video decoder - I verified it was off the list in the utility
before reinstalling it). Changing video settings in Windows and on the
Nvidia control panel. Hours and hours of Googling.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

You will find support in this MS forum now:
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/mediacenter/threads

 

[Robert]

This properly showed up on usenet, but was not cross-posted on the groups I
listed. Why doesn't Microsoft close this down if it doesn't work?

I will have to repost this from Google Groups to do it properly...

I also posted this to the forum you suggested.

 

[Robert Hall]

The Microsoft support site did not properly cross-post this, so I am
cross posting it as a reply to my post that appeared on
microsoft.public.windowsxp.general.

Thanks for any help.

-------------------------

SYMPTOMS:
Watching TV on Media Center - the video (not the audio) pauses 3/4
second,
plays 3/4 second, pauses 3/4 second - continuous loop. The bottom 5th
of the
screen is solid green (a rectangle at the bottom extending to both
sides).

If I play previously recorded TV in Media Center (from when this
wasn't
happening), the recording plays perfectly. I recorded a 1/2 hour TV
show
with Media Center minimized (so it wasn't trying to display it), and I
got
1/2 hour of that continuous pausing with the green when I played the
recording. I can play DVDs perfectly from Media Center.

If I use Pinnacles TV software, I can watch TV okay. (But I don't use
that -
I like Media Center - the program guide, program search, recording
options,
and the fact the the Windows IR blaster will change the channels on
the
DirecTV box automatically.)

WHAT CHANGED: I got a new motherboard and graphics card. (My old
motherboard w/onboard graphics fried a second memory chip in 4 months
- so it
got canned.)
Motherboard: Intel Desktop Board DG41RQ; 2.7Ghz Dual Core Intel; w/2GB
ram.
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce 9500 GT (PCI) (Nvidia GPU w/1GB memory)
There are no yellow ?/!'s in the Device Manager.

I'm still using the Pinnacle PCTV HD PCI - TV tuner card. The DirecTV
cable
goes to it.
O/S: Windows Media Center (2005) w/Update Rollup 2; Window XP Home SP3
w/all
updates.

The Microsoft Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility still reports
Cyberlink is the preferred decoder. No new decoders are on the list
after
installing the graphic card's software.

WHAT I'VE TRIED: Uninstalling/reinstalling - Media Center Update
Rollup 2,
the graphics cards drivers, the Pinnacle drivers, and PowerDVD 8 (the
Cyberlink video decoder - I verified it was off the list in the
utility
before reinstalling it). Changing video settings in Windows and on
the
Nvidia control panel. Hours and hours of Googling.

----------------------

SYMPTOMS:  

....[SNIP]

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Most MS newsgroups were dropped from the MS newsserver in early June or
early July. See
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx and the
incomplete list at
http://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx

 

[Robert Hall]

So why do they still have the link to the Media Center newsgroup, and
why the box to put in the sites you want to cross-post to? The post
only showed up on xp-general. If it doesn't work, they should remove
it.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

So why do they still have the link to the Media Center newsgroup,
and why the box to put in the sites you want to cross-post to?
The post only showed up on xp-general. If it doesn't work, they
should remove it.

You're probably right on some level - except that Microsoft does not control
all the news servers in the world and any who have not removed it (most
likely will not bother) - well - they can propogate the postings.

If you mean from a Microsoft web page - sure - if there is a link to it
there - it should probably be removed. Have you pointed it out
specifically?

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Send your feedback to (e-mail address removed)

So why do they still have the link to the Media Center newsgroup, and
why the box to put in the sites you want to cross-post to? The post
only showed up on xp-general. If it doesn't work, they should remove
it.

Most MS newsgroups were dropped from the MS newsserver in early June or
early July.
Seehttp://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspxand the
incomplete list
athttp://www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/list/en-us/default.aspx

This properly showed up on usenet, but was not cross-posted on the
groups
I
listed. Why doesn't Microsoft close this down if it doesn't work?

I will have to repost this from Google Groups to do it properly...

I also posted this to the forum you suggested.

"PA Bear [MS MVP]" wrote:

You will find support in this MS forum now:
http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/mediacenter/threads

Robert wrote:
SYMPTOMS:
Watching TV on Media Center - the video (not the audio) pauses 3/4
second,
plays 3/4 second, pauses 3/4 second - continuous loop. The bottom 5th
of
the screen is solid green (a rectangle at the bottom extending to both
sides).

If I play previously recorded TV in Media Center (from when this
wasn't
happening), the recording plays perfectly. I recorded a 1/2 hour TV
show
with Media Center minimized (so it wasn't trying to display it), and I
got
1/2 hour of that continuous pausing with the green when I played the
recording. I can play DVDs perfectly from Media Center.

If I use Pinnacles TV software, I can watch TV okay. (But I don't use
that -
I like Media Center - the program guide, program search, recording
options,
and the fact the the Windows IR blaster will change the channels on
the
DirecTV box automatically.)

WHAT CHANGED: I got a new motherboard and graphics card. (My old
motherboard w/onboard graphics fried a second memory chip in 4
months -
so
it got canned.)
Motherboard: Intel Desktop Board DG41RQ; 2.7Ghz Dual Core Intel; w/2GB
ram.
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce 9500 GT (PCI) (Nvidia GPU w/1GB memory)
There are no yellow ?/!'s in the Device Manager.

I'm still using the Pinnacle PCTV HD PCI - TV tuner card. The DirecTV
cable
goes to it.
O/S: Windows Media Center (2005) w/Update Rollup 2; Window XP Home SP3
w/all
updates.

The Microsoft Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility still reports
Cyberlink is the preferred decoder. No new decoders are on the list
after
installing the graphic card's software.

WHAT I'VE TRIED: Uninstalling/reinstalling - Media Center Update
Rollup
2,
the graphics cards drivers, the Pinnacle drivers, and PowerDVD 8 (the
Cyberlink video decoder - I verified it was off the list in the
utility
before reinstalling it). Changing video settings in Windows and on the
Nvidia control panel. Hours and hours of Googling.

.

 

[Robert Hall]

I solved this problem by using the S-Video output of the DirecTV box
(to the Pinnacle TV card) instead of the coax output. This doesn't
seem to make sense, as the Pinnacle TV player software worked fine
when the coax was used, but Media Center didn't, and Media Center
worked fine before with that coax input with the other motherboard w/
onboard graphics. So the Pinnacle card's output inside the computer
must be different with the coax input - enough different that Media
Center fails with the new (and MUCH better) motherboard and graphics
card - but not enough different that the Pinnacle TV player also
fails. I guess Media Center is more sensitive to part of the signal
being screwed up. Picture quality was fine with the coax input (on
Pinnacle TV player, and on Media Center with old motherboard w/onboard
graphics). Googling for the difference between coax and S-Video, S-
Video will give better quality - somewhere between negligible and a
lot better. I don't see a difference - but if I had them side to side
I might. Anyway, I can watch TV now - so I'm done with this.

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

The Microsoft support site did not properly cross-post this, so I am
cross posting it as a reply to my post that appeared on
microsoft.public.windowsxp.general.

Since you have posted that you solved your problem, I feel free to add this
bit of information:

It is *not* the Microsoft support site that posts or crossposts your
message, it is your news reader, which from your headers seems to be Google
Groups.

BTW, it is not considered good form to cross-post to more than a couple of
newsgroups - I'm not completely sure why. I do know that many people claim
to filter out all posts with more than a couple of cross-posts, or in some
cases, any cross-posts at all. Maybe they figure (as some have said) that
you should post only to the most appropriate newsgroup for your problem.

 

[Paul]

SYMPTOMS:
Watching TV on Media Center - the video (not the audio) pauses 3/4 second,
plays 3/4 second, pauses 3/4 second - continuous loop. The bottom 5th of the
screen is solid green (a rectangle at the bottom extending to both sides).

If I play previously recorded TV in Media Center (from when this wasn't
happening), the recording plays perfectly. I recorded a 1/2 hour TV show
with Media Center minimized (so it wasn't trying to display it), and I got
1/2 hour of that continuous pausing with the green when I played the
recording. I can play DVDs perfectly from Media Center.

If I use Pinnacles TV software, I can watch TV okay. (But I don't use that -
I like Media Center - the program guide, program search, recording options,
and the fact the the Windows IR blaster will change the channels on the
DirecTV box automatically.)

WHAT CHANGED: I got a new motherboard and graphics card. (My old
motherboard w/onboard graphics fried a second memory chip in 4 months - so it
got canned.)
Motherboard: Intel Desktop Board DG41RQ; 2.7Ghz Dual Core Intel; w/2GB ram.
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce 9500 GT (PCI) (Nvidia GPU w/1GB memory)
There are no yellow ?/!'s in the Device Manager.

I'm still using the Pinnacle PCTV HD PCI - TV tuner card. The DirecTV cable
goes to it.
O/S: Windows Media Center (2005) w/Update Rollup 2; Window XP Home SP3 w/all
updates.

The Microsoft Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility still reports
Cyberlink is the preferred decoder. No new decoders are on the list after
installing the graphic card's software.

WHAT I'VE TRIED: Uninstalling/reinstalling - Media Center Update Rollup 2,
the graphics cards drivers, the Pinnacle drivers, and PowerDVD 8 (the
Cyberlink video decoder - I verified it was off the list in the utility
before reinstalling it). Changing video settings in Windows and on the
Nvidia control panel. Hours and hours of Googling.

Out of curiosity, have you noticed your hard drive sustained read
transfer rate is lower than normal ? After a fresh reboot, try running
HDTune, without going near any PCTV software. Run the HDTune read
benchmark and see whether the graph is normal looking or not.

http://www.hdtune.com/files/hdtune_255.exe

This is a normal shaped curve, but this is a very fast storage device.
I have three generations of disks here, with the best transfer rate on the
blue curve being 60MB/sec, 95MB/sec and 125MB/sec for the generations.
Record the drive model number when you run the benchmark, as the values
and the model number might be enough to guesstimate what the transfer rate
should be.

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/2328/hdtune.jpg

What you're looking for, is a curve that is about 1/3rd of the normal value.
At least, as long as your capture card is plugged in.

Paul