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Poor Video Quality From Video Capture Card

Hi,

Our newly assembled media server is producing poor video quality. NTSC is grainy (fine snow, poor constrast). High def is better but nowhere near the quality of the cable directly feeding the TV. A DVD shows properly as do downloaded .AVIs and internet video streams. Only the cable feed is giving problems. Both Amazon and Newegg customers give the tuner card good reviews. AFAIK I have downloaded and installed the latest drivers.

A google search hasn't yet been fruitful. I've seen references to similar problems and adjusting the tuners in MCE but haven't found a procedure.

I would like to get this working by the end of the month. Our daughter will be on Jeopardy and I would really like a clean copy for posterity.

The configuration is: Windows 7 Pro Media Center Hauppauge 1213 HVR-2250 RT tuner card Gigabyte GA-880GMA-UD2H R motherboard AMD Phenom II X2 555 CPU 4 GB RAM 2 TB disk

Thanks, Gary

Reply to
Gary Brown
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Do you have a proper level signal going in? Sounds like the signal is weak...

Reply to
PeterD

Whatever Jeopardy is, as Peter wrote it could be that the level is not adequate. If it is then there is a high chance that noise from switch-mode supplies gets into the coax shield. This noise might as well come from the power supply in you media center (although it shouldn't). With video that would be quite tough to fix. Here is what you could try:

a. Plug the media center into another power outlet, preferably one on another circuit.

b. If you are getting Internet via the same cable unplug the modem and see if things improve.

c. Place an isolation transformer between PC and wall outlet. You can also try an EMI filter power strip (not surge protectors, they usually don't fix EMI).

If none of this even changes the noise then your best bet is to have a friend tape it. Sometimes studios will offer a recording as well, for a fee.

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http://www.analogconsultants.com/

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Reply to
Joerg

It is the same signal that goes into the HDTV;.I just move the cable. The digital HiDef should be clear or not at all. This setup should be showing a picture comparable to the TV's built-in tuner.

A recording played on my desktop monitor shows half size and clear except motion shows pixelation. When shown full screen there is the same noise I saw on the TV. That implies encoding not the tuner is the problem. I think the encoding is built into the tuner card.

Gary

Reply to
Gary Brown

I think you need to have a good, strong signal for the card.

Reply to
Robert Baer

Check; encoding algorithms are on the card and (indirectly) software selectable by selecting output mode (eg: H by V sizes, MP2, DVD, WMV, etc). But yes, those conditions do seem to point to tuner card problems.

Reply to
Robert Baer

On Sep 20, 3:11=A0pm, "Gary Brown" wrote: > Hi, >

Tell me when and I can do that for you - but you should be able to also. I use computers similar to yours. On Cox cable in SoCal, the over the air channels are clear QAM but they also transmit an NTSC version AND a standard def digital version. When I scan for channels I delete the NTSC and SD digitals from the list and only use the HD QAMs. If your TV is getting the HD version, does it _require_ the cable box or can it get the locals without a cable box? If your TV can do it the PC tuner will do it too.

BTW the tuner I was using on cable is the earlier 1250 Hauppauge card. The QAM and antenna HD recordings are excellent

To keep me irked Cox likes to re-map the channels and update the cable boxes so the only folks who notice are the ones like me that don't use the cable box. Re-scanning works but is a PITA so I've fixed that problem by using the antenna instead of cable but that may not be possible for you.

G=B2

Reply to
Glenn Gundlach

Glenn, Where are you located where Cox does that? I'm on Cox, Phoenix, 5 TV sets, only one with a cable box. Very occasionally I've observed relocation of "premium" channels only. ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |

               I can see November from my house :-)
Reply to
Jim Thompson

=A0 =A0 ...Jim Thompson

=A0 =A0| =A0 =A0mens =A0 =A0 |

=A0 | =A0 =A0 et =A0 =A0 =A0|

=A0|

=A0 =A0 =A0 |

They don't do it very often but it's annoying when the scheduled records fail because of it. Last time they moved most of the network channels. We're on the Palos Verdes pennsula, 90274

G=B2

Reply to
Glenn Gundlach

Odd. Our network channels are fixed to be the same number as OTA. Are they shifting frequencies?

We almost ended up living in Palos Verdes Estates. In 1968 I was courted by Jack Ryan (creator of the Barbie Doll, and one time husband to Zsa Zsa Gabor) of Mattel Toy to join the company. Part of the deal was to be Mattel putting up a down payment on a house in Palos Verdes. Jack Ryan was all for it, but the Handler family balked, apparently fearing having yet another prima donna on their hands :-)

Stayed at his house in the Hollywood Hills one night, ate dinner in his tree house... about 40' up... then drinks in his bar, bigger than that at the Valley Ho :-) ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
| Analog Innovations, Inc.                         |     et      |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    |
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             |
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     |

               I can see November from my house :-)
Reply to
Jim Thompson

Back in April around the 15th Cox 'shifted gears' on me and changed CBS, NBC and Fox to different virtual channels and possibly RF freqs. I had been running one computer on cable because Fox on channel 65 (before the analog shut down) was giving me grief. I could see the problem on the spectrum analyzer but just couldn't get that channel to settle down. So, run cable and always record the Fox shows on computer #2 - until Cox changed. All PCs are back on the antenna(s) and any can record anything OTA.

You probably did better in AZ. The liberals out here would make you scream.

G=B2

Reply to
Glenn Gundlach

...

Thanks for the offer but I got it working well enough to record hidef. One of my nephews has a DVD burner on his TV which is our backup.

Most of the problem is Media Center. It can find only one digital channel and that isn't the one I need. Both Beyond TV and WinTV find QAM channels and their SD image is better but still grainy. WinTV gave us a beautiful HD recording of last night's Jeopardy. It should be good for tonight when she is on.

I tried another 2250 with the same results. I will try another brand.

Thanks again for your offer.

Gary

Reply to
Abby Brown

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