Problem with PCTV DVB-S2 Stick (460e): No usefull recording

The built-in ARGUS TV recorder for digital TV
Aretin
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Problem with PCTV DVB-S2 Stick (460e): No usefull recording

Post by Aretin » Mon Dec 03, 2012 11:02 pm

Hello fellow Argus-User,
I am new here and really sorry, to have a rather... unspcific question right to start with... I'm highly content with the use of Argus-TV with my Haupauge Nova-S2-card and just started a littel "project" to get a more energy saving pc to record my tv. So, I build up the following:
ZOTAC AMD E350 (mini ATX with AMD E350, 8GB DDR3-RAM), Windows 8 and PCTV DVB-S2 USB-Stick (460e) as the reciever (as the mini-mainboard does not have any PCI-Slots).
The whole installation aof Argus 2.01 went totaly smooth, the PCTV was at instant found, grabbing EPG is no problem, BUT, if I try to record any TV, I get a really, really bad recording, full of jitter and damaged frames.

If I try the PCTV-Software, everything works fine, TV, radio, even the records are good.

I nearly tried all, to nail down the problem, but wasn't able to find it. Newest drivers. Different USB-Ports. Different PCs. Different dishes. It is allways the same: Argus TV: bad recording. PCTV: everything fine.

Does anyone please have any clue for me, what I might have overlooked? Many thanks!


Best regards
Aretin

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andrewNZ
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Re: Problem with PCTV DVB-S2 Stick (460e): No usefull record

Post by andrewNZ » Tue Dec 04, 2012 12:42 am

Welcome to the forums

Firstly
-What are you using for playback? (MediaPortal, XBMC, VLC...)
-What are you recording to? (internal HDD, external HDD, NAS, WHS...)

Secondly. From the ARGUS TV Scheduler Console:
-If you play a recording, it will open it in VLC. Does it play OK?
-If you start a live stream. Does it play OK?
You can fix it, or you can fix it until it's broken. I usually choose the latter.

Server: WHS 2011. Hauppauge HVR 2200. Avermedia A835. ArgusTV Server. EPG Collector.
Clients: Win7 64bit. MediaPortal. ArgusTV Client. StreamedMP.

Aretin
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Re: Problem with PCTV DVB-S2 Stick (460e): No usefull record

Post by Aretin » Tue Dec 04, 2012 7:35 am

Good morning andrewNZ and thanks for your replay.

I use VLC to play all my records and I'm recording to my internal HDD.

Neither the recorded, nor the live stream are ok. They freeze all the time, the sound drops out and I get a lot of artefacts in the picture. Does not happen, when I start the PCTV-software.

Aretin
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Re: Problem with PCTV DVB-S2 Stick (460e): No usefull record

Post by Aretin » Tue Dec 04, 2012 8:32 am

New information: after a few re-starts, the live-stream is no longer available. Now, I allways get the message: "could not connect to TESMAR:8554" (where "TESMAR" is the name of the pc). Recording is still possible.

Christoph21x
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Re: Problem with PCTV DVB-S2 Stick (460e): No usefull record

Post by Christoph21x » Wed Dec 05, 2012 4:47 pm

Hi Aretin

also from my side: a warm welcome to Argus!
Must admit, I'm absolutely no specialist for this, just my two pennies. I understood that the PCTV app runs well and shows and recordings are ok with it?

Then... did you check
- that no PCTV process is running anymore when using Argus? Could you check the service console to check this and disable a service, if found?
- if Argus uses also your USB devices like external (USB) HDD or USB WLAN network card? Please note that some cheap machines that have built-in WLAN cards, also use the (internal) USB connector. If so, your USB bus might be overloaded. Argus is network-based and PCTV - I only know older versions) - presumably file-based. Do you run Argus Recording service (core)on the same machine? Then try to set non-UNC paths for recordings.
- if this refers only to HD channels or also to SD?

Greetz - Chris
"One must still have chaos within oneself, to give birth to a dancing star." (F. Nietzsche)

Aretin
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Re: Problem with PCTV DVB-S2 Stick (460e): No usefull record

Post by Aretin » Thu Dec 06, 2012 8:33 am

Good morning Christoph21x,

thank you for your answer and the welcomning.

I just checked all of your points.

- No PCTV Service is installed and considering the task-manager, is running while I use Argus
- No USB-device is running, while I'm recording, besides my mouse and keyboard and I even disabled the WLAN completly onboard (considering the manual, the WLAN is in an extra PCI-Express slot, anyway...)
- Yes, I run the Argus Recording Service (core) on the same machine. But, how do I unset the UNC-path in Argus? I can't edit the UNC-Share-Path in Argus Recording console, just the recording path?
- Both SD and HD got the problem, sadly

I'm starting to wonder, if I'm not better of by switching to another USB-recording-device, but fear, that it will not change the problem at all. Are there any other ways to get the tv-recording into a pc, if neither USB or PCI is an option...?

petermartin
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Re: Problem with PCTV DVB-S2 Stick (460e): No usefull record

Post by petermartin » Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:45 pm

Hi,

I've got exactly the same problem as you. It's driving me mad!, I only recently bought the PCTV USB as we have just had the digital switchover so now have access to HD channels.

I've tried allsorts but just cannot fix it. I'm glad I found this post as at least I'm not the only one with the problem. The only difference is that my USB is a 290e and is DVB-T2 and not DVB-S2 but the symptoms are the same (really bad breaking up picture, even though the signal is fine).

I have so far tried this on WHS 2011 and Windows 7 with exactly the same problem.

I have read in another forum that people have fixed it by using a powered USB hub. Have you tried this?

Pete
Last edited by petermartin on Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Kay Diefenthal
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Re: Problem with PCTV DVB-S2 Stick (460e): No usefull record

Post by Kay Diefenthal » Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:05 pm

petermartin wrote:Hi,

I've got exactly the same problem as you. It's driving me mad!, I only recently bought the PCTV USB as we have just had the digital switchover so now have access to HD channels.

I've tried allsorts but just cannot fix it. I'm glad I found this post as at least I'm not the only one with the problem. The only difference is that my USB is a 290e and is DVB-T2 and not DVB-S2 but the symptoms are the same (really bad breaking up picture, even though the signal is fine).

I have so far tried this on WHS 2011 and Windows 7 with exactly the same problem.

Pete

what for an antenna use you for your dvb t

have you tried something like this Dipolar dvbt antenna

petermartin
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Re: Problem with PCTV DVB-S2 Stick (460e): No usefull record

Post by petermartin » Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:07 pm

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

Its an outside wide-band aerial and it works fine with all my other freeview devices, including 3 Hauppauge USB tuners, I only have the problem with the PCTV.

I can view live TV on it with no problems (using TVHeadend in Linux), the problem only occurs when recording, its very odd.

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Kay Diefenthal
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Re: Problem with PCTV DVB-S2 Stick (460e): No usefull record

Post by Kay Diefenthal » Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:30 pm

petermartin wrote:Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

Its an outside wide-band aerial and it works fine with all my other freeview devices, including 3 Hauppauge USB tuners, I only have the problem with the PCTV.

I can view live TV on it with no problems (using TVHeadend in Linux), the problem only occurs when recording, its very odd.

ok ,then is it not the weakly signal

unix use a other stack dvb4linux and that is not similar to BDA /Protected Broadcast Driver Architecture
then must the PcTv app something more control (source power off on as example) that argus can not handle
can you make some screenshots of pctv app card setting and scan page config ?

ok next try in german issues fixed

have you the sticks direct connected in a usb port or is a usb cable between

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