[mythtv-users] Recording/live-tv video quality (aka do PVR150 encoders suck?)

[Steve Smith]

On 28/01/2008, Scott Traurig <straurig at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>  I appreciate all the responses so far, but most have been a bit off the
> mark. Without a blizzard of long quotes I'll try to summarize and then maybe
> we can regroup on this one:
>
>
>
> My STB has only a composite video output.
>
>
>
> The comparison is made by moving the composite video output cable from the
> back of my TV to the PVR150 input hence all things are equal for the
> comparison, i.e. no problem with the composite video cable connection.
>
>
>
> There can't be an encoding rate mismatch because we are in the analog
> domain at this point.
>
>
>
> This issue has nothing to do with the tuner. I expect that to be
> substantially worse. Let's discuss PVR150 encoding of baseband video.
>
>
>
> I'm not saying DVD output is better than TV (of course it is) but only
> that by playing a DVD that looks good that validates the path from the myth
> decoder on out, i.e. it's a PVR150 input processing problem.
>
>
>
> And finally the difference is quite gross. Everybody in the family can see
> it and comments quite negatively on it. One other point of comparison: I
> have a Pioneer DVR appliance that was replaced by the myth box. Recordings
> from the STB video output made by it are substantially better in quality.
>
>
>
> I've received some replies suggesting a) move the PVR card to a different
> slot in the chassis or b) improve grounding. Somehow I doubt either will
> help. I have 2 PVR cards in different slots and they are both equally bad.
> This also suggests that I do not have a broken card, i.e. 2 broken cards
> broken the same way is unlikely.
>
>
>
> At this point it seems that most myth users must be insensitive to quality
> and I am in a minority here. It also seems the only way I'll ever know is to
> upgrade my cable service to HD so that I can use either the S-video or
> firewire outputs on the HD STB.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> Scott
>
>
>
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>
> >I've received some replies suggesting a) move the PVR card to a different
slot in the chassis or b) >improve grounding. Somehow I doubt either will
help. I have 2 PVR cards in different slots and they are

Actually if the grounding is bad you'd get some pretty bad pictures, so it's
not such a doubtful suggestion.

I'm presuming when you say the composite path the good that you are using
EXACTLY the same cables i.e. you unplug the cable from the PVR-150 and
insert it into the TV

Could you tell us what recording profiles you are using? i.e. the
resolutions & bit rates?
Also ivtv versions? (you might get some joy on the ivtv specific list).

Cheers

Steve
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