[mythtv-users] PVR 150 Quality Issues

[Brian Wood]

On Tuesday 22 December 2009 06:17:16 pm Clay wrote:
> > > From: James Thorpe <james at tfxsoft.com>
> > >
> > > > I didn't see anyone mention using the best
> >
> > capture port on that card
> >
> > > > which is the S-Video port. Mine worked great for
> >
> > a long time before I
> >
> > > > upgraded to the HD-PVR.
> > > >    
> > >
> > > Thanks for all the suggestions so far.  I'll
> >
> > certainly be giving them a
> >
> > > go - I think this one is the first one to start with -
> >
> > I tried briefly
> >
> > > last night but only got a black and white picture
> >
> > through it - I guess
> >
> > > there's a PAL setting somewhere I've missed!
> > >
> > > Cheers,
> > > James.
> >
> > James,
> >
> > Don't get too excited. I've had a production setup
> > going for about 2 years now and I have the same complaint.
> > The bottom line is that the PVR-150/250 cards are just
> > terrible. There are many who take exception to this
> > statement but plenty others who agree. I also run 720x480
> > and have the bit rate set quite high, 8mb/s. But regardless
> > of whether I use the tuner, composite or S-video input it
> > looks substantially worse than the commercial DVR I used to
> > have, the built in STB DVRs or the ATI product line (too bad
> > the latter has no Linux drivers). You are stuck with it if
> > you want to use Myth with that kind of input.
> >
> > Luckily 90% of my recordings are in HD via an HDHomeRun and
> > ClearQAM on my Comcast cable system. More interestingly I am
> > using the Myth-box less and less because the On Demand
> > service is carrying a lot of the content the family watches
> > and we will preferentially use that instead of Myth (and
> > there are few to no commercials to skip doing that either).
> >
> > st
> 
> While I'll have to agree about the 150's for channels on the low end, 2-13
>  (local network programming), the rest of the channels available on my TW
>  cable come in as good or better than the tuner in my pos 10 year old
>  Panasonic tube. 2-13 are unwatchable for all the snow and lightening
>  bolts.

Sounds like you have a problem with your cable service, I'd complain and 
request a service call.

Believe it or not, channels 14 through 22 actually fall between channel 6 and 
7 (assuming no channel mapping), so if they are significantly different from 
2-13 something is odd.

I also have 3 PVR-150s set up for DVD resolution (720(or 704)x480, at a high 
bitrate. The reproduced picture is *almost* as good as the original, only 
techies seem able to perceive the degradation.