Need help troubleshooting windows HDTV hitching...

[homercles337]

This is not a HTPC question, but rather a TV on PC question. So, if this is the wrong forum apologies.

I have the Hauppauge HVR 950Q TV Tuner and im using WMC for viewing. I have a Core i7 920 @ 2.8GHz (6GB) and a GTX 460, but i get hitching when watching HD TV. Im running Win7 x64 and WMC is updated to newest whatever version. I dont have a cable box, just basic cable. This setup has worked flawlessly for 6 months, but a couple weeks ago i started to get hitching with no changes to hardware or software. This makes me wonder about 1) my cable/ISP and 2) my TV tuner. Any idea how i can troubleshoot this? TIA.

Edit: Well, i think this has to do with the USB bandwidth. I switched the TV Tuner to a different port and HD channels are now fixed and perfectly smooth. BUT SD channels now wont play at all because they are "stuck" in a constant hitching state. All 8 cores are basically idle, so its not "working" to decompress/convert the signal. This is baffling...

Edit2: How about just recommending a good TV Tuner then?

 

[homercles337]

Is it possible that my ISP (comcast for both cable and intarwebs) is the source of this problem? This is truly maddening. Hitching is happening every couple minutes in HD and SD channels wont play at all anymore. Argh...

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Can you hook the cable directly to your TV to see if Comcast is the problem?

As far as tuners, the Hauppauge 2250 has been flawless for me in 7MC. There have also been great bargains on the HD Homerun recently.

 

[piasabird]

oops deleted

 

[The Boston Dangler]

are the channels you receive analog or digital? if they're analog, your tuner is gone.

edit:
sorry, i meant analog or digital SD

 

[homercles337]

Well, the tuner is a hybrid (analog/digital). I used to get both analog and digital channels, but i did a new scan with WMC yesterday and it only found the digital channels. Sounds like it could be the tuner, eh? It detects that its a hybrid though. I cant remember how i found all digital and analog channels when originally set up though.

Dangler, we should get beers again sometime...

 

[The Boston Dangler]

ya know, i think most of the analog channels have been killed, to make room for more digitals. here, the only analogs left are local broadcasters and necn.

 

[homercles337]

ya know, i think most of the analog channels have been killed, to make room for more digitals. here, the only analogs left are local broadcasters and necn.

So, i went and picked up a new 950Q thinking that it was dying, but i now believe that Comcast changed something. The brand new stick has the same problems with analog cable, but more telling is that all the HD channels (2.1, 4.1, 5.1, etc) are now gone. When using WMC to scan for QAM channels it hangs at 38% and only finds Univision HD prior to that. If i stop the scan it hangs and a manual kill, followed by a reboot is required to bring the 950Q stick back to life. I also tried the winTV v7 software (but its Hauppauge software, meaning it is total shit), and it says all HD channels are encrypted (6 months ago it found all of them, but it could not do both analog and digital in the same "configuration"). Dangler, do you still work for Comcast? Can you confirm that there was a change in the cable service? I have the most basic of basic (cable and intarwebs is $59/month). Ultimately, TV viewing has been rendered impossible now. I guess i could try an internal card, but i think the problem is with Comcast, not my hardware.

Edit: None of the HD channels will not play without hitching every couple of seconds now. And SD channels (analog) play for a minute or so with HORRIBLE quality before going into a permanent hitching phase (ie, wont play at all).

Edit2: Well, this is a little embarrassing, i think it was my cable from USB stick to USB port. Im still picking up many HD channels that i used to watch as encrypted though.