[mythtv-users] HDTV on Myth -- is it a "myth?"

[jack]

Let me say first that all of my previous comments where based on using the
original 2.6.6 pchdtv patch on a 2.6.7 kernel and mythtv cvs as of a couple
months ago. I just stopped using it (hdtv in mythtv) because it was largely
worthless to me. Playback never needed much cpu (60-70) even with 1080i on
my 720p dlp but it crashed constantly and the audio was so flakey as to be
useless. 


All of the comments on these threads made me want to go and try it again
though, plus I had no idea about version 1.3 of the pchdtv drivers. Grabbed
those, applied them to a fresh copy of 2.6.7 and hot damn I was in business.
I could switch between cbs, wb, nbc, abc, pbs and fox with out a problem
once I got the antenna to show at least 70 signal strength for all of them.
I told it to record a whale special on pbs which it did. I tried playing it
back and it still worked. Not only did it work, it worked beautifully. I
couldn't believe it. I couldn't even crash it by fast forwarding and
rewinding repeatedly as fast as I could. I need to see what happens when it
starts recording some other shows on different channels but I am incredibly
impressed so far on the progress made. I could never watch the WB before, no
problem so far, will see how it does tomorrow night with Smallville.  

Wondering if it is worth it to apply the Ulmo1.4 patch, I don't care about
ntsc at all. 
 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org [mailto:mythtv-users-
> bounces at mythtv.org] On Behalf Of Jarod Wilson
> Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 11:02 AM
> To: Discussion about mythtv
> Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] HDTV on Myth -- is it a "myth?"
> 
> On Tuesday 12 October 2004 07:48, jack wrote:
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: Jarod Wilson
> > >
> > > On Oct 11, 2004, at 18:13, jack wrote:
> > > > I had pretty much all the problems you described but I knocked them
> > > > off one
> > > > by one on an AMD64 3400. The one I can't get rid of is signal
> > > > strength... I
> > > > can only get into the high 80's on one channel at a time with a
> highly
> > > > directional antenna (the silver sensor).
> > >
> > > You don't need a high 80s signal to get a good recording though. My
> > > *strongest* signals (I live about 20 miles outside Seattle) are in the
> > > high 60s. All the high 60s recordings are perfect. A few of my
> stations
> > > come in with signals in the low 50s, and while I get the occasional
> > > failed recording due to lack of signal lock, when they do record, 99%
> > > of the video is perfectly fine (every once in a blue moon, there's
> some
> > > pixelization in the video stream where I presume the signal dropped a
> > > bit).
> >
> > Really?! I thought the signal quality was what was holding me back.
> Gonna
> > have to go back and investigate more, but I am almost positive if the
> > signal strength isn't 85 or better mythtv just craps out early on in the
> > stream.
> 
> Huh. I wish I could get 85s... But I'm ecstatic when my high 60s stations
> occasionally come in over 70. The local NBC station is really pissing me
> off,
> they're right on the border of recordability during prime-time (signal
> fluctuates between 47 and 53 usually), so I keep missing shows when the
> signal is a touch low at program start time (the recording never starts).
> Fox
> also sits right on that threshold, which is making watching the MLB
> playoffs
> a bit annoying, but after a few tries (in Live TV mode), I can usually get
> it
> to lock on.
> 
> > I am almost 50 miles away from the tower, for some reason I don't
> > think my high 85 equals one of your low 60's =p
> 
> Dunno. I should add that 20 miles outside Seattle also includes hills,
> very
> large trees and spotty weather that impede my signal, so distance isn't
> the
> only thing to factor in. I'd take 50 miles and clean line of sight over
> what
> I've got. :-) I have a massive directional yagi antenna on my rooftop (w/a
> 10ft mast extension), about 100ft of RG6-QS and a decent signal amp, and
> still rarely see any station bump over 70. I still have some excess cable
> to
> cut out of the picture (I moved my TV, need to drill a new hole in the
> house), and I'm now investigating a better quality signal amp to get me
> over
> the 50 hump w/NBC and Fox...
> 
> Judging from the issues Kyle Rose was having getting HD to work on his
> dual
> Opteron, maybe you have some other issues w/the Athlon64 there?... What is
> processor usage like while playing back a stream?
> 
> --
> Jarod C. Wilson, RHCE
> jcw at wilsonet.com
> 
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>      http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
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>      http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/
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