[mythtv-users] HD-PVR: Encoding Errors Running 0.22 ( SOLVED )

[Mike Smith]

Readers Digest Version - get a new USB 2.0 card.  For gory
details,  read below.


I think it is solved.  I have been having problems recording using the
HDPVR.   I would just skip large segments of video.  In my case,
it seem more prevalent recording fast action,  like a football or
basketball game.

Right now the problem seems to be with the USB 2.0 built into my 
motherboard.

My server sits in a storage room in the basement doing its job,
which is backend stuff.  NFS, Samba, MythTV, LDAP, web server,
etc.  I rarely touch the keyboard.  So, I can't remember ever plugging
anything into the USB until I purchased the HDPVR last fall.

Two weeks ago, I purchased an external hard drive that connects to
the USB.  I have a my data storage mirrored, and I do a backup to
a third drive every night.  I wanted an offsite copy of my data.
I tried to copy a 1.6GB file to the external drive.  After 50 minutes,
I'd only copied around 90MB.  Connected the drive to my wife's 
laptop, and a 1.3GB file copied in 84 seconds.  Strange.  Drive
was formatted NT32, for I formatted it ext3.  Still slow.  I connected the
drive to the built-in USB on one of the Mythfrontend PCs.  Copied the
1.6GB file in 90 seconds.

I have no idea what is wrong with the backend server.  I've run USB performance
tests using FC10, FC11, FC12.  I don't think its software.  I upgraded the MB firmware
to the latest available.  No help.

Motherboard is an ASUS P5GD2 Premium.  It has eight external USB 2.0 ports ( 4 back,
2 front, 2 risers I'm not connecting to anything.  I've connected the external disk drive to
everyone ( with and without the HDPVR connected ).  Same sad performance.  No errors
in /var/log/messages, or dmesg.

I took the lazy route.  Instead of spending hours researching the USB on this MB and trying to
get support from ASUS,  I bought a PCI Express USB 2.0 board.  Now, my file transfers are
under 90 seconds.

Best of all,  I recorded a whole basketball game in HD without a single noticeable skip.  
Prior to the new board, I would have a skip every minute or two on basketball or football
games.