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[Dantos]

Hi guys

MC 26.0.19 (but problem started in MC25) 64 bit (Edit, updated to 26.0.22, problem still there)
Win 10
I record in JTV
I have turned off hardware acceleration recently ( no help)
I record in Red October (standard)
HD Homerun metwork tuners
Attached two screen pics

Somewhere since late 2019 the TV picture and AV synch breaks up badly on TV recordings. It does not occur on Live TV but will occur if Time shifted (whether recording or not). It seems to get worse the longer the time shift buffer is.

I have tried restarting MC and rebooting computer.

I have tried 'willing it to stop' that hasn't worked either 

EDIT - FWIW I have noticed still images, eg like graphics do not distort, just moving images

[JimH]

That looks like a problem with the strength of the signal.

Red October is only used for playback, not recording.  Try both RO HQ and Std when playing.

Update to the latest, 26.0.22.
https://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php/topic,124149.0.html

[Dantos]

Hi Jim,

Signal strength is what I initially suspected. The thing is live TV has no problems, either playing via network tuner or if I switch to using the inbuilt Samsung TV tuner. It follows that if i have a perfect picture streaming live I should be able to record or time shift it, No?

I have tried RO HQ in the past and it caused problems (I cannot exactly remember what) which is why I defaulted to standard RO. Standard RO worked fine until this more recent problem

I will upgrade to latest MC26 but problem started in MC25 and has persisted with MC26

[Dantos]

confirming 26.0.22 still has problem

Oh FWIW still images like graphics do not distort, just moving images

[Yaobing]

It could also be networking issue since the tuner is a network tuner.  Do you use a local drive for recording?  A networked drive will compete with the tuner for resources.

[Dantos]

It could also be networking issue since the tuner is a network tuner.  Do you use a local drive for recording?  A networked drive will compete with the tuner for resources.

Hi Yaobing
Yes I use a local drive usb connected to computer to store TV recordings/timeshifting.

I have no network problems in other ways such as poor wifi coverage etc.

I also thought of just buying a new tuner like the quatro HD network tuner (mine is an old dual tuner). I know tuners and/or power supplies go bad eventually. What puzzles me is that the picture is perfect when viewed live. That suggests the tuner is doing its job ??  It seems to be a buffer problem ? Can buffers become corrupt or something?

[RoderickGI]

The symptoms don't exactly point to it, but that looks like a bad HDMI cable/connection to me. Any time you get a green caste, whether there is image breakup or not, I suspect the HDMI cable.

Live TV works differently to playing recorded TV or Live Time Shifted, doesn't it Yaobing? Could be a contributor.

[Dantos]

The symptoms don't exactly point to it, but that looks like a bad HDMI cable/connection to me. Any time you get a green caste, whether there is image breakup or not, I suspect the HDMI cable.

Live TV works differently to playing recorded TV or Live Time Shifted, doesn't it Yaobing? Could be a contributor.

Thanks RoderickGI. I tried a different HDMI cable and different HDMI output ( my pc has 2 HDMI outputs) but no change.

I also unpluuged and replugged the usb HDD used for recordings but no change. Maybe a new HDD??? or new Tuner???

The thing is all is good Live OTA through antenna. As soon as I hit "Record" (what I am currently watching) the picture continues to be fine for a minute or so, then breaks up badly. I haven't even stopped recording and attempted to play it back. When I hit "cancel recording", the picture comes good. Very strange.

[Dantos]

Re-scanning the channels has made no difference.

[Yaobing]

how about the hard drive?  Is it in good shape?  This is the only other thing I can think of.  When you play "live TV", don't you use time-shifting (which is the default)?  If by "Live TV" you meant non-time-shifted playback, then the video is not buffered to hard drive, which can be the big difference.

Another possibility is, again if "live" means no hard disk buffering, that an antivirus program is aggressively monitoring the time-shifting folder.

[JimH]

Make sure the USB drive is connect to a USB 3.0 port.

[Dantos]

how about the hard drive?  Is it is good shape?  This is the only other thing I can think of.  When you play "live TV", don't you use time-shifting (which is the default)?  If by "Live TV" you meant non-time-shifted playback, then the video is not buffered to hard drive, which can be the big difference.

Another possibility is, again if "live" means no hard disk buffering, that an antivirus program is aggressively monitoring the time-shifting folder.

I think it *might* be mostly solved. Roderick got me thinking of cables and as you mentioned re the HDD. Unplugging and re plugging the usb HDD didn't help but then I changed the USB port and it seems much better.!!

Strangely, watching "live TV" there is still an occasional little glitch (by "live" I mean I haven't pressed rewind and when you press "forwards" it says"live", there ain't no further forwards left to go). What do you mean time-shifting is the default? Does MC buffer a certain amount of signal that comes over the antenna , a kind of time delay like most talk back radio shows? If so, then the occasional glitch could still happen reflecting I'm guessing some kind of I/O error accessing the HDD.

Anyway it all seems to be pointing to the HDD/connection. If it recurs I'll swap out the HDD.Thank you for your suggestion.

For now, I will call it solved (thanks). One little anomaly is since re-tuning the channels, when choosing a channel in "the guide" it may not open to the nominated ie correct channel. I'll play with this a bit and maybe open another thread if I can't figure it out.

Thanks for all the help

David

[Dantos]

Make sure the USB drive is connect to a USB 3.0 port.

Thanks Jim, both ports used were usb 3. One seemed to work better than the other. Go figure !

[RoderickGI]

USB ports from the CPU can perform better than USB ports from the Chipset, generally. That could be the difference.

Apparently using a USB 2 cable on a USB 3 port/device can also cause issues. Older cables can't handle the bandwidth of USB 3. Beware of snake oil USB cable salespeople though. They just need to be properly shielded and capable of handling the bandwidth required.

It would be worth excluding the USB drive from your Antivirus software, to reduce the load on the drive.

I use and recommend Hard Drive Sentinel for checking and monitoring hard drive condition. I think it works with USB drives as well as internal drives. 

[Dantos]

USB ports from the CPU can perform better than USB ports from the Chipset, generally. That could be the difference.

Apparently using a USB 2 cable on a USB 3 port/device can also cause issues. Older cables can't handle the bandwidth of USB 3. Beware of snake oil USB cable salespeople though. They just need to be properly shielded and capable of handling the bandwidth required.

It would be worth excluding the USB drive from your Antivirus software, to reduce the load on the drive.

I use and recommend Hard Drive Sentinel for checking and monitoring hard drive condition. I think it works with USB drives as well as internal drives.

Okay and Thank You

[JimH]

Apparently using a USB 2 cable on a USB 3 port/device can also cause issues.

USB 3.0 drives don't work well with USB 2.0 ports.

[Yaobing]

Strangely, watching "live TV" there is still an occasional little glitch (by "live" I mean I haven't pressed rewind and when you press "forwards" it says"live", there ain't no further forwards left to go).

You were not time-shifting, thus there was no buffering.  The Occasional glitches probably are due to occasional signal issue.

What do you mean time-shifting is the default? Does MC buffer a certain amount of signal that comes over the antenna , a kind of time delay like most talk back radio shows?

MC's default setting for "Start digital devices (including CableCARD devices) in time-shifting mode" is "Yes, all channels".  That is what I mean by "time-shifting is the default".  You must have turned it off at some point in the past.

[Dantos]

You were not time-shifting, thus there was no buffering.  The Occasional glitches probably are due to occasional signal issue.

MC's default setting for "Start digital devices (including CableCARD devices) in time-shifting mode" is "Yes, all channels".  That is what I mean by "time-shifting is the default".  You must have turned it off at some point in the past.

Okay and Thanks!