Please share your most stable HW/SW configuration:

[Tarlock]

I'm planning on setting up a new system with a 3800 x2 based computer, starting from scratch. I was wondering if you guys could post up your hardware and software (codec) settings that are the most stable (meaning, no crashes when going between mpeg2 and mpeg4/h264 channels, and no need to change codecs or use the Control-K (renderless mode) hotkey just to get things to work right. Also would be nice if you could drag from one display to a 1080 TV without any concern for crashes.

Since there aren't more complaints about crashing on the forum (though there are plenty), I'm guessing all of my current problems are due to video card hardware and drivers, since this card (7950gt) is a couple of years old.

Like I said, the foundation will potentially be a x2 3800 amd system (it's readily available) running XP, unless you guys are having good success with Vista? Potentially considering a 9600GT, 8600GT, or HD 3850/3870.

Share your experience!! Rel that means you too, surely you have a stable system running and we want to know what it is =) Please help, I need to replace "channel surfing/running back and forth between sofa and keyboard/cursing" with remote-controlled DVR bliss!

[Tarlock]

bueler?

[jerryt]

E6600, Vista Ultimate, Nvidia 8600, two Genpix units, FFDshow for MPEG2 (Special version for closed captions), Cyberlink 7 for MPEG4.

Mostly stable, only problem (which I have always had) is that the Genpix unit locks up sometimes if I change channels fast. The same units never lock up in Mytheatre, so it must be the device driver or something with DVBdream. Added a power reset button to the front of the Genpix unit so it is easy to reset.

[Tarlock]

That is interesting!

Say, do you think a 8600GT with it's "purevideo hd" hardware support is good enough for a AMD 3800+ X2 ? I ask simply because I have the system available.

Also I just wanted to mention that HD for me is stuttering using the PureVideo decoder with a 7950GT and x2 4800+, with both cores around 65%. I wonder where the bottleneck is, or if it's just some incompatibility between the card, the card drivers, and the decoders..

Can you go back and forth between OTA HD and genpix/8600GT-enabled HD and difinitively say that frame-wise, you're seeing the video as it was intended? Meaning, not picture quality, but just the smoothness of the frames.

[genpix]

Mostly stable, only problem (which I have always had) is that the Genpix unit locks up sometimes if I change channels fast.

Can you please try to reproduce this behavior (with DebugView running in background), and send me the dump from DebugView after that?
Thanks.

Added a power reset button to the front of the Genpix unit so it is easy to reset.

Doesn't GP_reset utility fix this lock up?
If not, what firmware version you are running on this unit (you may see it in DebugView)?

[jerryt]

Mostly stable, only problem (which I have always had) is that the Genpix unit locks up sometimes if I change channels fast.

Can you please try to reproduce this behavior (with DebugView running in background), and send me the dump from DebugView after that?
Thanks.

Added a power reset button to the front of the Genpix unit so it is easy to reset.

Doesn't GP_reset utility fix this lock up?
If not, what firmware version you are running on this unit (you may see it in DebugView)?

Where do I get DebugView?

GP_reset did work but I found the reset button worked better for me.
FW 200.4 (one older 8psk2USB adaptor and one newer 8psk2USB adaptor)

[genpix]

DebugView is Microsoft utility.
Google for it, it should be on one of the first found links

[jerryt]

DebugView is Microsoft utility.
Google for it, it should be on one of the first found links

OK, I found it.

Is 200.4 OK?

[jerryt]

That is interesting!

Say, do you think a 8600GT with it's "purevideo hd" hardware support is good enough for a AMD 3800+ X2 ? I ask simply because I have the system available.

Also I just wanted to mention that HD for me is stuttering using the PureVideo decoder with a 7950GT and x2 4800+, with both cores around 65%. I wonder where the bottleneck is, or if it's just some incompatibility between the card, the card drivers, and the decoders..

Can you go back and forth between OTA HD and genpix/8600GT-enabled HD and difinitively say that frame-wise, you're seeing the video as it was intended? Meaning, not picture quality, but just the smoothness of the frames.

The E6600 is so much faster then my old 3500 X2, that I would never use the AMD chip again.

I recently got the 8600 because SageTV was stuttering with a HD2600XT. The 8600 has been better, but I have still been able to make it stutter. Currently using a setup with zero stutter, and can only advise "that you install the least number of codec filters."

Smoothness is easy to check, by accessing the video renderer's property page while video is being displayed. I have had 25 to 40% dropped frames with the HD2600XT and Sage, but recently have had zero or just a couple of dropped frames (5) at the begining of playback. Very happy with playback at the moment. (Note I use VR9 with closed captions, which put a load on SageTV. Without Closed Captions everything was smooth even with the HD2600XT.)