WTF is wrong with my HDTV signal?

[iamtrout]

I've got the Fusion HDTV 5 Lite with the Zenith OTA indoor satellite and I'm getting a signal strength of 97-100% at 27 dB and the video and audio is REALLY choppy, as in it stops for a split second every two seconds or so.

This is really pissing me off. I just can't seem to get a good HDTV channel, even at 100% signal strength!

CPU usage is constantly above 50%. I have a vanilla 6800. Could this be the culprit?

 

[SynthDude2001]

Have you downloaded any of the transport stream samples from DVICO's website and gotten the same results?

My brother has that same HDTV tuner (I have a different one), and his video (but not audio, I think) was really choppy until he turned on dual-channel memory in his BIOS...

 

[iamtrout]

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001
Have you downloaded any of the transport stream samples from DVICO's website and gotten the same results?

My brother has that same HDTV tuner (I have a different one), and his video (but not audio, I think) was really choppy until he turned on dual-channel memory in his BIOS...

Not yet. I'll look into it. And what exactly do you mean by dual channel memory? Meaning RAM? My nForce 3 board doesn't have dual channel support...

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: iamtrout

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001
Have you downloaded any of the transport stream samples from DVICO's website and gotten the same results?

My brother has that same HDTV tuner (I have a different one), and his video (but not audio, I think) was really choppy until he turned on dual-channel memory in his BIOS...

Not yet. I'll look into it. And what exactly do you mean by dual channel memory? Meaning RAM? My nForce 3 board doesn't have dual channel support...

Well my brother was on an Athlon XP anyway, so that may have just been a quirk of his motherboard or something. Beyond that, I don't really know - I don't own the card myself and your signal is very adequate, obviously...

Edit: Which decoder are you using? IIRC there's more than one you can choose with that card...

 

[Eli]

Can we say Coronal Mass Ejection?

I dunno, just the first thing that came to mind since you said satellite.

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: Eli
Can we say Coronal Mass Ejection?

I dunno, just the first thing that came to mind since you said satellite.

I didn't even think of that - that could be causing interference, I guess. (OP, did you just start noticing this problem tonight or was it happening before?)

Also, I'm 99% sure he meant to say "antenna" instead of "satellite" (not that it might make much difference)

 

[upsciLLion]

Did you update the software?

 

[iamtrout]

Bah, I'm so new with this. I bought this setup a few months ago but reception in the dorm sucked. There was one channel that was >80% but that was choppy also. Now I'm in a second story apartment and I can get many more channels, but the sh!t's just so choppy. This choppiness has always happened.

How do I know which decoder I'm using?

Is there some other alternative to DVICO's software?

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: iamtrout
Bah, I'm so new with this. I bought this setup a few months ago but reception in the dorm sucked. There was one channel that was >80% but that was choppy also. Now I'm in a second story apartment and I can get many more channels, but the sh!t's just so choppy. This choppiness has always happened.

How do I know which decoder I'm using?

Is there some other alternative to DVICO's software?

I have no clue. However, there are (at least) two decoders - a DxVA one and a non-DxVA one.

 

[iamtrout]

Hmmm... There's an HD version and non-HD version of this channel. The non-HD version does not skip at all.

*EDIT* Nevermind, it skips, about every thirty seconds or so.

 

[iamtrout]

I just downloaded and played what I think is a "transport stream sample."

It's one of these right? (ends in .tp )
http://www.fusionhdtv.co.kr/Eng/Download/Demo.aspx

It played very smooth with CPU load at 50%.

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: iamtrout
I just downloaded and played what I think is a "transport stream sample."

It's one of these right? (ends in .tp )
http://www.fusionhdtv.co.kr/Eng/Download/Demo.aspx

It played very smooth with CPU load at 50%.

Yeah, that's what I was talking about. It almost has to be something with your signal then... I'm not sure what though.

Edit: You know, actually...do you happen to be using an amplified antenna (and live really close to your broadcast towers)? It's actually possible for the signal to be too strong, I've read...

 

[iamtrout]

Nope, no amplified antenna. Just that Zenith indoor antenna that everyone recommended me.

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: iamtrout
Nope, no amplified antenna. Just that Zenith indoor antenna that everyone recommended me.

Silver Sensor? That's a good antenna. :thumbsup:

I don't really know what else to tell you...assuming it's not some kind of interference from that aurora thing (and I'm assuming it's not since you've had these problems before), are you sure your antenna is pointed in the right direction? It's a pretty directional antenna... And multipath could also be a problem if you're in an area with lots of tall buildings or something like that.

 

[dug777]

hmm strange, with my DVICO fusionlite (the DVB-T one ) anything about ~70% gives me a perfectly smooth and artifact clean picture

But then again, i am in the future & sh1t

EDIT: and good ol 1gig of single channel RAM here on my ASUS A7V8X mobo

 

[iamtrout]

*sigh*

I just read on the DVICO FAQ that it might be an IRQ conflict. So I guess I'm gonna go and try to put this card in a different PCI slot. Be back soon. Thanks for all the help so far.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001

Originally posted by: iamtrout
Nope, no amplified antenna. Just that Zenith indoor antenna that everyone recommended me.

Silver Sensor? That's a good antenna. :thumbsup:

I don't really know what else to tell you...assuming it's not some kind of interference from that aurora thing (and I'm assuming it's not since you've had these problems before), are you sure your antenna is pointed in the right direction? It's a pretty directional antenna... And multipath could also be a problem if you're in an area with lots of tall buildings or something like that.

I tried using the Silver Sensor as well. The tower is almost 27 miles away though so the reception is basically identicle to the OP's. I ordered a Channel Master 4228 that is supposed to arrive today 9-15 that has a 70 mile range

I've got this to push it as well.

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: Nitemare

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001

Originally posted by: iamtrout
Nope, no amplified antenna. Just that Zenith indoor antenna that everyone recommended me.

Silver Sensor? That's a good antenna. :thumbsup:

I don't really know what else to tell you...assuming it's not some kind of interference from that aurora thing (and I'm assuming it's not since you've had these problems before), are you sure your antenna is pointed in the right direction? It's a pretty directional antenna... And multipath could also be a problem if you're in an area with lots of tall buildings or something like that.

I tried using the Silver Sensor as well. The tower is almost 27 miles away though so the reception is basically identicle to the OP's. I ordered a Channel Master 4228 that is supposed to arrive today 9-15 that has a 70 mile range

I've got this to push it as well.

Cool, I have the 4228 now too. I'm not having much luck pulling in signals from either Waco or Houston though, they're about 75 and 88 miles away...

 

[iamtrout]

YES! YES! Swapped PCI slots between my Audigy and Fusion card and now it works!!!!!!

OMG TEH L33T PWNAGE STACK!

Now watching Conan O Brian on NBC in HDTV goodness OMG SPLOOGE!!!

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: iamtrout
YES! YES! Swapped PCI slots between my Audigy and Fusion card and now it works!!!!!!

OMG TEH L33T PWNAGE STACK!

Glad you got it working.

 

[BlackAdam]

Mine is working fine in Media Center... w00t.

 

[0roo0roo]

yea cuz bad signal isn't hickup.. its macroblocks and other image artifacts, not hickup. thats always hardware.

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
yea cuz bad signal isn't hickup.. its macroblocks and other image artifacts, not hickup. thats always hardware.

:thumbsup:

Speaking of which...I'm getting tons of macroblocks and other artifacts on my NBC-HD channel right now...but it's over cable

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
yea cuz bad signal isn't hickup.. its macroblocks and other image artifacts, not hickup. thats always hardware.

:thumbsup:

Speaking of which...I'm getting tons of macroblocks and other artifacts on my NBC-HD channel right now...but it's over cable

yeah..but with DVB-T i either get a perfect picture, or a jumpy picture(but no artifacts) (40-50% signal), or nothing at all (less than 40%)...never artifacts

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: SynthDude2001

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
yea cuz bad signal isn't hickup.. its macroblocks and other image artifacts, not hickup. thats always hardware.

:thumbsup:

Speaking of which...I'm getting tons of macroblocks and other artifacts on my NBC-HD channel right now...but it's over cable

yeah..but with DVB-T i either get a perfect picture, or a jumpy picture(but no artifacts) (40-50% signal), or nothing at all (less than 40%)...never artifacts

I suspect the cable company fvcked something up here...after all, I think they're (as far as I know) receiving the NBC-HD signal over the air from Waco...maybe their antenna fell over or something :laugh: