WinTV Nova TD-500 and MCE

[Salazaar]

I've just installed a TD-500 into a brand new Win7 box and I get a fairly poor picture quality from some channels when using MCE.

However, I a perfect picture quality when I run the bundled WinTV v7 software so I don't think it's a hardware/driver issue.

Anyone got any ideas? I really don't want to have to use WinTV the whole time.

[Funkstar]

Sounds more likely to be the MPEG decoder in MCE.

It's a popular combination though, so might be an idea to ask on The Green Button or something.

[Salazaar]

Sounds more likely to be the MPEG decoder in MCE.

Any idea how I might resolve that?

I've dropped a post on Green Button as well so hopefully someone there might have some ideas as well.

[Funkstar]

No idea. I think you are pretty much stuck with what you hvae as far as MCE is concerned.

MediaPortal on the other hand con be configured to use any codec you have on your system. The PowerDVD codecs are particularly good

[Salazaar]

I'd forgotten about MP actually, I think I'll give that a try.

Do you have any idea if MP can play Blu-rays internally unsing the codecs from Cyberlink, which I got with the BD drive?

Edit: I just found this thread on the MP forums which possibly answers that...
http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/me...olution-32268/

[Funkstar]

There is a plugin that integrates PowerDVD with MP.

It's been around for a while so should be pretty stable.

I'm going to be using Total Media Theatre (there is a plugin for that too) as PDVD doesn't handle HD-DVDs any more.

[Salazaar]

Damn. Just installed MP and it's doing the same thing with the TV that MCE did. There must be a way around this cos WinTV manages okay!

[Agent]

Sorry not to be of any use, but I believe my Nova T 500 was working as well under W7 as it was in Vista.

I didn't give it any real stress testing, but I can't remember coming across any major differences in picture quality between the two.

[Funkstar]

Damn. Just installed MP and it's doing the same thing with the TV that MCE did. There must be a way around this cos WinTV manages okay!

Which MPEG decoder are you using within MP?

Within MP: Settings -> My TV -> MPEG-2 Video Codec

Also, have a look on the MP forums for the Stand Alone Filters pack (search for "SAF", it's a long thread in red) this is geared to getting you the best possible quality with codecs and filters for SD and HD. Also enables hardware acceleration where applicable.

[this_is_gav]

No idea. I think you are pretty much stuck with what you hvae as far as MCE is concerned.

Microsoft have a tool to change the default MPEG2 decoder for XP, and both MCE and WMP use whatever you choose as default.

For reference, there's a 3rd party one for Vista too (which might just work with 7 too).

[CX23882-19]

In what way is it poor?

I notice in Vista Media Center that the chroma upscaling quality is extremely poor (blocky reds) on both ATI and nVidia hardware. I don't know if Windows 7 is similar quality to Vista.

What graphics card do you have?

[Salazaar]

I've tried changing the MPEG decoder in VMC and in MP with no improvement.

I've also tried various combinations of cable, signal amp and even a new aerial (mounted in the loft), none of which do anything to improve the signal quality, some even make it a lot worse.

The monitoring software I've got hold of is telling me I've got poor siqnal quality (not strength) on one multiplex (850Khz) and a marginal signal on one other.

What I don't get is how WinTV and my current digibox (BT Vision) decode the signal with virtually not glitches but VMC and MP can't do it at all.

Edit: The signal is poor in that half the screen comes up block green, I get a lot of artifacts where there's movement (i.e. almost everywhere) and the sound is very glitchy.

[Salazaar]

I'm crossing my fingers but it looks like GBPVR is the answers to my problems. It seems to have a much more robust TV player.

[Agent]

The monitoring software I've got hold of is telling me I've got poor siqnal quality (not strength) on one multiplex (850Khz) and a marginal signal on one other

This is a major issue. Low signal strength is one thing, a low quality one is another (worse) though

What aerial are you using? Out or in door?

Download ScanChannelsBDA_UK from http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=12082
Give it a run and it'll tell you the signal quality / strength. It'll be easy to see at what point the issue is happening then.

[CX23882-19]

Have you tried the other aerial input connector to the one you're currently using?

[Salazaar]

What aerial are you using? Out or in door?

I've tried both but mainly outdoor

Download ScanChannelsBDA_UK from http://www.hauppauge.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=12082
Give it a run and it'll tell you the signal quality / strength. It'll be easy to see at what point the issue is happening then.

That's what I used to find out about the signal quality, like I say very poor (<40&#37 on one multiplex

Have you tried the other aerial input connector to the one you're currently using?

Tried both, not much difference.

But, as I said, GBPVR seems to be working and it does most of what I want so I guess I'll just get used to that.

I wish I knew what GBPVR and WinTV (and my digibox) did that MP and VMC don't do though!