[mythtv-users] System hangs in tight video/audio loop in playback or live tv

[Leonard Bottleman]

Greetings all,

I am completely new to mythtv and have attempted to setup a combined back-end
and front-end system using Mytbuntu 8.1.0.

The motherboard is an MSI P6NGM with the integrated Nvidia GeForce 7150/630
with an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.53 GHz. The system has 2 GB of memory, a 80 GB
drive for the OS, and a 1 TB drive for recording. The capture card is a
Hauppauge HVR-1800, and the display is an LG 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV-37LG60.

I am using the on-board Nvidia video hardware through the hdmi connector,
although I'm not trying to send sound through the cable (the TV speakers
are truly awful).

I have a consistent problem with the video and audio entering a tight loop,
repeating about 1 second of video and audio forever. When this occurs the OS
is completely hung: no network response, no keyboard or mouse interrupts
register, and the soft power switch yields nothing. It takes a reset to clear
the hang (indicating that the firmware is at least somewhat responsive).

After I reset the system the log files (messages, syslog, and the mythtv logs)
show no errors: there are just the normal boot up messages from after the
time of the hang, but nothing when the hang occurred, or even moments or minutes
leading up to the hang.

I am using the Nvidia 177.82 driver, but have also tried the 173.14.12 driver
with no better luck.

The system hang can occur during playback or while watching live tv, and it
doesn't matter if the program being watched is HD or SD.

I've tried setting the playback options to use xvmx, and to use the
various other options that are not xvmc, and to use different options
for interlacing, none of which have helped.

I can sometimes watch programs for hours without a hang, and sometimes
the hang occurs after only a few minutes of viewing.

Pausing playback (not stopping) also tends to cause the entire system to
lock up as well, but not if you pause and then immediately (or momentarily
later) play.

Does this problem sound familiar to anyone else, or can you recommend a way
to debug and isolate the problem?

Sincerely,

Leonard