HD PVR support for Windows Media Center: Development is alive and well

[techlifeweb]

[url=http://www.missingremote.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5188&Itemid=1]Original Article Link[/url]
Nice! I’ve been using the latest public driver and it actually has been doing well. Looking forward to the release of these new drivers.

[Anonymous]

Interesting =) I’m still following the development.. if the weak signal issue truly is fixed, I’ll be having another bash with the new version when it’s available.

My last attempt had to be abandoned after many weeks when it eventually decided to no signal for all channels.. even after a reboot and/or hdpvr cold power cycle.. I think something got messed up in the install somewhere..

I’m back on dvblink again for now.. although I do need another re-install, as my channel database is fubar.. my epg has no BBC HD in it from dvb-s, yet scanning the appropriate transponder finds no new channels.. awesome.

Any chance of a channel browser / dump app, that can output which epg channel numbers are assigned to which frequencies / sids for dvb-s ?? (and/or which tuner ;-))

[Matt]

What’s the link between Hauppauge and Niveus’s project snowbird?

[mikinho]

[quote=”Matt”]
What’s the link between Hauppauge and Niveus’s project snowbird?
[/quote]

None.  I’m only speculating that a reason why Dish hasn’t worked to get their EPG in Media Center is due to the cancelled [s]failed[/s] tuner project.  That instead, they have vested interested in Project Snowbird.

[valkyrie]

I just wanted to be clear that Dish works fine with the HD-PVR despite the Hauppauge user guide stating otherwise.  The MCE channel guide just has to be set up using GuideTool after installation to get the guide data to populate.  It only has to be done once at time of setup.  I have been using these Native drivers now for months and it is perfect with respect to working with Dish.  My only two problems are the “weak signal” and slow channel change, which according to Mikinho, may have been addressed.   

-Valkyrie-MT

[mikinho]

[quote=”valkyrie”]
I just wanted to be clear that Dish works fine with the HD-PVR despite the Hauppauge user guide stating otherwise.  The MCE channel guide just has to be set up using GuideTool after installation to get the guide data to populate.  It only has to be done once at time of setup.  I have been using these Native drivers now for months and it is perfect with respect to working with Dish. 
[/quote]

The user guide never states it doesn’t work, just that it isn’t supported natively.  That is also why in my blog I state “[b]native[/b] support for Dish Network electronic program guide (EPG).”

[quote=”valkyrie”]
My only two problems are the “weak signal” and slow channel change, which according to Mikinho, may have been addressed.
[/quote]

I actually got my first weak signal message about an hour ago.  Still a big improvement and that could have easily been a weak-signal.

[htpc_user]

I’m a little confused.  So Windows Media Center doesn’t have Dish Network’s guide?  I’ve never had Dish, but I always assumed it was there (in Media Center’s setup).  But why would this be just an issue when using the HD-PVR?

Why would there be weak signals in a component signal?  I think that would drive me crazy.

I guess a lot of you are more “power users” than me.  I don’t even use Media Center to change the channel of my satellite box.  I either change it myself or I set the box to autotune.  But most of what I record are ATSC.

[Matt]

Yeah maybe I’m missing it, but WMC has always just had a list of providers and it downloaded EPG data (provided by Tribune). It works independantly of any STB you might have. So what’s the deal with caring about Dish’s own satelite receiver GUI/EPG?

[mikinho]

[quote=”Matt”]
Yeah maybe I’m missing it, but WMC has always just had a list of providers and it downloaded EPG data (provided by Tribune).
[/quote]

I think what you are missing is that Media Center does not have Dish Network EPG for Digital Cable tuners.  Media Center’s EPG coverage is lacking when it comes to satellite, DVB-S, etc.., providers.

[quote=”Matt”]
It works independantly of any STB you might have. So what’s the deal with caring about Dish’s own satelite receiver GUI/EPG?
[/quote]

No one ever said anything about their own GUIEPG.  It is cumbersome for users to have to use a 3rd party tool to import their guide lineup into Media Center.

[valkyrie]

Wow, I think I caused more confusion than anything else.  Mikinho is right.  But, I do want to emphasize that the Dish Network guide data can work just fine with all the expected annotations for HD and all the rest.  The only thing that is not working with the native Hauppauge service is the proper assignment of the Microsoft provided guide data with the new HD-PVR based channels.  So after the initial installation, you are left with all of your channels working and listed in the MCE guide, but all the HD-PVR-based satellite channels say “no data available”.  To populate the guide data, you have to use a third party tool called GuideTool that can assign the MS provided guide information with your new Hauppauge channel numbers in the MCE guide.  It’s really a simple work around and requires Zero maintenance to keep it working properly.  Hopefully that makes things clear. 

Here is what the guide looked like when I was assigning the guide data with GuideTool:
[url=http://img10.imageshack.us/i/usingguidetooltofixhaup.jpg/][img width=150 height=85]http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/5541/usingguidetooltofixhaup.th.jpg[/img][/url]

-Valkyrie-MT

[Matt]

[quote=”Mikinho”]
I think what you are missing is that Media Center does not have Dish Network EPG for Digital Cable tuners.  Media Center’s EPG coverage is lacking when it comes to satellite, DVB-S, etc.., providers.
[/quote]

Oh right because it is considerd a “digital cable tuner” so I guess WMC wouldn’t offer up Dish, DirecTV, etc. as a channel line-up option since they aren’t cable companies?

[mikinho]

DirecTV it does but not Dish.

This is where my speculation comes in…that perhaps DTV was cooperative but Dish wasn’t due to Project Draco not being released and ongoing work with Project Snowbird

[Matt]

[quote=”Mikinho”]
This is where my speculation comes in…that perhaps DTV was cooperative but Dish wasn’t due to Project Draco not being released and ongoing work with Project Snowbird
[/quote]

Ah yeah I getcha. It’s such a bummer Dish never finished their WMC project.

Snowbird is such a mysterious project at the moment… hopefully Dish will just let MS to offer up Dish listings in the mean time.

[Anonymous]

Could you let us know when this latest beta will be available to download, I see nothing on hauppauge site.  Or could you post a link to the file?

[mikinho]

The update has been released to the public.

[url=http://www.hauppauge.com/site/support/support_hdpvr.html]http://www.hauppauge.com/site/support/support_hdpvr.html[/url]

[quote]
1.1.28271
– Streamlined transport data handling code for improved stability.

o Eliminated the queuing of transport data and deprecated the “FlushOnChannelChange”
registry key.

o Minimized variance in channel change times. Expect channel change times of ~15
seconds with the internal blaster.

o Eliminate “weak signal” messages due to transport handling issues.

Note: Because the HDPVR utilizes a hardware H.264 encoder, it behaves differently than typical
tuner based devices.  The HDPVR encoder must be reset whenever the input video resolution or
bit stream audio type changes.  Additionally, the HDPVR encoder may reset due to input video
dropouts or errors in bit stream audio.  The HDPVR stops streaming at the onset of the reset and
resumes ~ 2-4 seconds after the return of stable audio and video.

MCE displays a “Weak signal” message when it sees” bad” or “no” transport data from a source
for a predetermined time.  The reset time of the HDPVR encoder appears to fall just within the
threshold to trigger a weak signal message.

The changes in V28271 address disruptions in the transport stream artificially induced due to
software issues.  Weak signal messages may still occur:

1) During channel change
2) During audio/video dropouts from the source
[/quote]

[Author]

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