[mythtv-users] hdpvr recording o byte files

[john]

I have two very early models: a "rev c1" and a "rev c2".  The c1 was  
the very first version, and does not have any cooling at all.  The c2  
is the c1 with a fan added to it.  I have had the c1 for over seven  
months and the c2 for almost 6.  In that time I have had to power- 
cycle them (to fix a recording problem) a total 5 times.  They have  
been very reliable.

While Myth's support is still in flux, it has also been very reliable  
for recording.  There are occasional issues with playback, but  
recording is solid.  I have missed recording from time to time, but it  
has never been because of Myth's HD-PVR module -- mythbackend  
occasionally goes out to lunch for other reasons.

I am running Myth trunk from around two weeks ago.  I believe I am  
running firmware 1.035.  I am using the linux HD-PVR driver from a  
couple of months ago, but I don't think much has changed since then.

My point is, that while it is possible there is a problem in myth, it  
is not likely.

I do remember people having trouble with their USB ports.  You may  
want to try plugging the HD-PVR into a different USB port.  If you  
have other USB devices, you may want to try unplugging them, to make  
sure they are somehow not interfering with the HD-PVR.

What else is happing when the recording fails?  Is the CPU or disk  
under heavy load?  The HD-PVR recorder makes use of Myth's input  
ringbuffer, but that will only save a recording for a few seconds of  
heavy load.  You can increase the size of the ringbuffer by upping the  
value defined in mythtv-setup (be careful not to run out of RAM).

Of course, make sure you have applied the patches recommended on the  
wiki.

Good luck.


John