[mythtv-users] mythtv tv recording suddenly grainy / ugly (still going on :( )

[Alan]

On Wed, Sep 17, 2008 at 08:53:18AM -0600, Brian Wood wrote:
> Alan wrote:
> > and the TV reception is fine.  I've also done the following:
[snip]
> If things were working, then went south when you hadn't done anything,
> changing settings in an attempt to "fix" it is the wrong approach IMHO.
> Changing settings can only fix a problem caused by changing settings.
> 
> But, did changing the bitrate result in a change in the filesize?
> 
> In any case, it's starting to sound like you might have a failed PVR.

This is the conclusion I'm coming to, though it is odd that it
*suddenly* failed (or started going) with the TV changing, though I
suppose stranger things have happened.  I didn't notice a change of
filesize but I wasn't looking, however changing the liveTV profile from
4:3 to 16:9 changed the output on the TV immediately, so that showed me
that the settings I was changing were doing things.

So far I've tested from the pvr to the tv, the wall to the pvr, and
diddled with pvr settings, so I too have come to a similar conclusion.

Does anyone know a way to do a test of the tv tuner?  Maybe some sort of
ivtv magic or something?

If it is the card going south, what would a recommendation for
replacement be?  The 350 seems to be still fairly expensive ($200-340
from amazon.com), and the pvr-500 is from what I can tell just a pair or
pvr-150s.  Should I just spend the $ and put in a new version of what I
have or is there something new/better out there for the mythtv world?
Right now HD isn't that important as I don't have it and I believe up
here in canada there aren't any HD tuner cards that work with the shaw
HD package should I go that way anyway.

-- 
Alan <alan at ufies.org> - http://arcterex.net
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