Originally posted by HD3D
Let's first check whether you have all the software requirements installed. You need:
- WinXP
- the MS Tape driver (that recognizes the JVC)
- the TSP CAP filter
- DVHS Tool (I could only get it to work with version 2.1)
(You need DVHS Tool only for defining the tp filesizes)


Ok, these I do have. Originally had the old version of TSPcap installed, removed it, and reinstalled DVHStools. Running XP Pro SP1. The TSPcap that the system now has is the one that comes with DVHSTools.


Assuming you have these software requiremients in place you should first turn on the devices in the following order (at least that's what works for me)
- Boot the PC
- Turn on the RCA receiver and select the channel
- Turn on the JVC
- Boot the AVX1 and don't do anything until it's fully bootet
- Switch the channel on the JVC to the AVX1 I-number (if this does not work here, try it again after the following step:)
- Connect the PC firewire cable to the JVC and switch the JVC to the AVX1 I-number; you typically need to wait for 10 seconds or so until the JVC and the PC have established a connection (my system always beeps when the firewire cable is plugged in)

If the JVC fails to recognize the AVX1 number, turn it off and back on and try again (like you need to try when doing a tape recording). In 1 out of 10 cases I have to do this as well or even have to reboot the AVX1.
Hope this helps

After getting to the point where I have the RCA and AVX going (and viewing HD through the JVC's component outputs), my AVX is on I-1 (to view) and the RCA is I-2. Plug the PC in (already booted into XP) and immediately, the video goes off, all my I- number freeze up. If I let it set, I can sometimes tune to I-3 (the PC) and sometimes to I-2 and I-1, but no video appears on the JVC's component outputs.

Rebooting the AVX and powering off/on the JVC have no real effect for me at this point. Any ideas? I am going to mess with this some more and try and figure it out.

Originally posted by PVR
From what I can tell, DVHStool with Elecard can already play AVX1 recording (as captured from tape) without glitches.

So bypassing the DVHS tape, and having DVHStool play them may still not prove that they are "compliant".
The last report I saw from you was that HDNet was working this way, but not HBO-HD or SHO-HD. Did you get those working? I was kind of thinking DVHSTool with the Sonic decoders using hardware acceleration, but I didn't say that. I was kind of assuming that this is reasonably close to the playback requirements of these cards, since the behavior seems to be about the same for me.

I'm hoping to get things playing back in ZoomPlayer, since I want the aspect ratio control. I've had problems with it since I upgraded from a 1800+ and Radeon 9000 to 2600+ to Radeon 9500. I can get non-AVX-1 files to playback fine in DVHSTool, but not in ZoomPlayer and only once in graphedit. I was able to get something to playback with one graph, but if I save the graph and reopen it, then it tries playing without hardware acceleration. Also, seems to have something to do with VMR, but I haven't figured it out. DVHSTool seems to have it all set right for good playback when I click the right VMR button, for some reason I haven't been able to get a graph to do the same thing reliably.

--Darin

Darin,

Give me a call at home sometime this evening. I can help you with Zoomplayer.

Leszek

Kirby Baker
After getting to the point where I have the RCA and AVX going (and viewing HD through the JVC's component outputs), my AVX is on I-1 (to view) and the RCA is I-2. Plug the PC in (already booted into XP) and immediately, the video goes off, all my I- number freeze up. If I let it set, I can sometimes tune to I-3 (the PC) and sometimes to I-2 and I-1, but no video appears on the JVC's component outputs.

Rebooting the AVX and powering off/on the JVC have no real effect for me at this point. Any ideas? I am going to mess with this some more and try and figure it out.

Kirby,
I actually do not view the video through the JVC's component ports (I view via RGB out to projector). If you are able to switch to I-number 1 (your AVX) that's a good sign. When you plug in the firewire cable does your PC make a sound? If yes switch to I-number 1 and check whether the JVC display shows HS (rather than STD). If it shows HS (even if you can't view through the component ports), you are ready to go. If not, stay on I-number 1 unplug the firewire cable and plug it back in, wait for a couple of seconds and check whether the display switches to HS (again it can last up to 30 seconds). I have done this with both two PCs and even a laptop. So it should work with your setup as well.

Originally posted by darinp
The last report I saw from you was that HDNet was working this way, but not HBO-HD or SHO-HD. Did you get those working?

I have never tried HBO or SHO...

FYI

I hadn't responded to the first part of this post, so here goes.

The benefit of a special HDTV card is that it provides
1) 8VSB tuner
2) HDTV decoder

The HDTV decoder would be of value for 169 if the cost of doing it in
software plus the faster PC were greater than the cost of the HDTV card.
Today I think the price point is about the same to have a lessor processor
and a special card versus a faster processor and lessor video card. Also
the software solution can support scan rates and other flexibility that the
hardware cards cannot.

The 8VSB tuner would be of value if this was the primary source of the
signal 169time needed. However 169time supports a firewire device that gets
satellite HDTV as its specialty, and these satellite STB boxes always have
8VSB too.

FYi

dave

fyi

I know what could cause B3 to be different from B2 in this regard. Thus the
next released version will have an improvement in this area. In our own
testing we didn't encounter cases where B3 would be not as robust, but we do
know why it could happen.

Version B2 was a lot pickier on having a clean incoming signal and once it
gets out of sync, it stays that way until there is intervention. B3 almost
never gets out of sync.

fyi

dave

Dave:

I assume your above FYI was in response to my post in a different thread.

The B3 software is by far more robust but the video freeze has become unbearable and that is why I will be reverting back to the "pickier" B2 software.

In your testing have you watched an entire 2 hour tape from start to finish?

Lon

Lon, we have too many 169time threads.

Yep, it was for the glitch question, but trying to keep as much avx-1 stuff all in this one thread.

I keep pounding on Richard to improve this stuff asap

No, I have never watched or taped anything for a full 2 hours.
Remember, I dont get paid anything for this.

dave

Originally posted by h2ofun
fyi

In our own
testing we didn't encounter cases where B3 would be not as robust, but we do know why it could happen.

fyi

dave

Dave:

In your testing did you encounter the video pause I am talking about, and if not have you watched an entire 2 hour tape?

Lon

As I wrote above, I have never watched a 2 hour tape. I basically dont watch TV at all, am too busy with my tri race training. I very seldom even watch a movie. Just the news while I eat.

When I do my testing for RIchard, I basically do enough to see it works.
So far with this effort, I have found a number of things.

As example with my avx-1 to PC testing, I have found a configuration question, and did see a breakup on the video once. So, with these questions, I havent given my green light to him. RIchard has stuff running for days, weeks, etc, so I am just looking more for the different equipment I use, etc.

So, as he says, he never say what some are seeing now, or he would not have released b3. Still, I would rather have the B3 with a glitch once in a while, where the B2 never worked for me.

Dave

Thanks Dave, that explains a lot. When I first received the B3 software I thought it was perfect, it was not until I sat down and watched a 2 hour movie that I noticed its short commings. If you think about it a 3-5 second video freeze that occurs 1-3 times over a 2 hour period is almost impossible to see when spot checking(15:7200 chance)

Sorry to take you away from your tri-race training, and good luck.

Lon

Lon, yep, something like this I will probably never see. I am just looking for the DOA type stuff. This is not saying RIchard finds this acceptable, but I can tell you he has never shipped stuff knowing some of these issues.
We all hope he can get this next update done soon!!!!! As Alan says, its so so close.

Dave

I have sucessfully recorded a movie to my hard drive using HD3D's method. Works great. Wondering how or if it is possible to stream the ts files from the hard drive and watch them though the jvc's component outputs? If so what filters do you need?

Originally posted by h2ofun
As I wrote above, I have never watched a 2 hour tape. I basically dont watch TV at all, am too busy with my tri race training. I very seldom even watch a movie. Just the news while I eat.

Dave

You don't work for 169time and you have a sizable investment in HD recording hardware, but after all that you just watch the news?

Yep, the news only gets watched while I eat, so am doing two things at once. I love to multi task. I love to play with stuff, and watching the boob tube is not my idea of anything positive to help me stay employed.

Dave

Originally posted by h2ofun
As I wrote above, I have never watched a 2 hour tape. I basically dont watch TV at all, am too busy with my tri race training. I very seldom even watch a movie. Just the news while I eat.

Dave

You don't work for 169time and you have a sizable investment in HD recording hardware, but after all that you just watch the news?

Originally posted by wildchild22
I have sucessfully recorded a movie to my hard drive using HD3D's method. Works great. Wondering how or if it is possible to stream the ts files from the hard drive and watch them though the jvc's component outputs? If so what filters do you need?

I have not tried this (since I don't have a JVC), but I think you can do something like this:

Configure DVHStool to NOT control the tape transport (checkbox in the config menu).

Then say you want to "archive" your show to tape, and then just watch it on the component output of the JVC. Make sure you have the PC IEEE1394 selected as the input on the JVC.

You shouldn't need *any* special "filters" to do that from the PC.

rabident,

Dave has said before that he never views completely the recordings he makes. The first time he said that, I just about fell over. In the original ( deleted ) thread, several asked him to duplicate tests when he was indicating that he " at that time" was experiencing zero failures with the original software and all of the rest of us were pulling our hair out trying to figure it out, and that was when we found out that he spot checked only the first 5 minutes and the last five minutes.

Just informational.

Jeff

to view through the JVC all one has to do as said by PVR is select the pc input and in dvhs tools unselect the tape tranport control but make sure to select GENERATE DEBUG FILE and hit archive and it will pop up on the JVC's component outputs. AWESOME PVR thanks so much. I think I will be archiving STAR WARS epII to hard drive!!

Glad to hear it worked for you. Rick has done a great thing by making DVHStool.

Originally posted by wildchild22
I have sucessfully recorded a movie to my hard drive using HD3D's method. Works great. Wondering how or if it is possible to stream the ts files from the hard drive and watch them though the jvc's component outputs? If so what filters do you need?

I have not tried this, but you might want to experiment with:

File Source (Async) -- MPEG2 Transport to Source Packets -- AV/C TapeSubunit Device
and then push play. (See http://www.webtc.com/DVHS/default.htm)

It might also work with DVHStool.

How was the quality of your movie in terms of glitches?

I used leseks filter suggestion and was able to stream the stuff I captured from the avx-1 to PC back out to my JVC deck component outputs

dave

So for a status update.

I just sent 3 folks the ALPHA PC software for the avx-1 to test. Will see what there feedback is as to what and when the next step will be.

And sorry, but no more testers until we see how these three do.


Dave

Since one of you three have full mail box, after un rar'ed, it makes a gi file.
Use recordnow max to burn it. Same tool we used to patch and burn from B2 to B3

dave

For an FYI, when folks need to work with GI files, one can always download the recordnow max demo free and use it to try it out.

Dave

Any updates today? I assume things are going well if nothing has been reported yet.

I havent heard anything yet from the 3 if they have gotten it working.
One is close based on an email.

I now have a MYHD card that Alan loaned me. When I get a chance, which may not be until this weekend, I will get the setup working again and see if I can output via the card.

Dave

Bumping cause I'm dying to know how this is going...

Just so a noobie is clear: the current testing is source unit -> avx1 -> PC, correct? We're (potentially) eliminating the DVHS unit, but will still need the avx1 unit, correct?

Is the avx1 unit just housing for the avx1 software (plus firewire)? If so, is there any inclination to move towards releasing just the software?

Even if these questions go unanswered, I'd like to hear how the project is going....

The three folks which Alpha Sw have been to busy to try. Hope they can get some time this weekend.

I am doing dtc100 to avx-1 to PC. Yep, no need for a dvhs unit, still must have avx-1. (Hoping to allow folks to make their own if dont want to buy it from 169time. Still trying to debug a corner case question I found with Richard on this.)

Yep, trying to get to sell just the avx-1 s/w as an option.

I have an MYHD card from ALan I will hope to try this weekend also.

Dave

I'll start saving up now. :) My guess is that an awful lot of us would take the plunge if we didn't have to buy the DVHS deck (and cable) and the software was available for us to use on our spare machines (we -all- have those, right?). I know I will.

/em looks around for things to sell...

Okay, finally got to it again.

So, I reconnected a new computer and pulled in a file from the avx-1 via graph edit.

I put the MYHD card Alan loaned me. I hooked the VGA output of the card to my monitor and hit the HD button on the MYHD control panel. I am now watching video on my monitor from the MYHD card. So far, this way, or through the MYHD program on the PC, or on active movie, they all play the same. Still have some glitches to work out in the saved file, but, if anyone wanted to know if the file from the avx-1 to pc was compatible with the PC HD cards, well, atleast the MYHD works perfect. (Input file not perfect, output file not perfect).

Is this what folks wanted data on?

Dave

Thanks for the report, Dave. Is it possible to (1) record a file to the hard drive from the avx-1 using the MyHD program, and/or (2) play the file back through the DTC-100 decoder using the MyHD program? If so, are the results any better, worse or the same as the other methods you are using to record and play back files from the PC?

I presume that there could be several methods for recording and playing back HDTV transport streams from a PC with the avx-1. Some combinations might work better than others. Since there is already an embedded base of HDTV PC card users (including myself), it would be nice if 169time could achieve compatibility with those cards. The existing PC card(s) software already has a reasonably well developed user interface. Even without PC card compatibility, just being able to have glitch free playback through the DTC-100 would be a big step, IMO.

Steve, what does the MyHD program do? How would it talk to the avx-1?

Yes, on can take the avx-1 file on the hard drive and play back though the dtc100, or JVC, I have done both. ANd now the MyHD as the decoder.

Dave

The MyHD card software can record to and play from a D-VHS deck through a firewire port with Windows XP. Since the DTC-100 (and now maybe the avx-1) appears as a tape deck to a Windows XP PC, I was wondering if the MyHD software can operate directly with the DTC-100 as if it were a tape deck.

Originally posted by h2ofun
Yes, on can take the avx-1 file on the hard drive and play back though the dtc100, or JVC, I have done both. ANd now the MyHD as the decoder.Do some decoders work better than others for avx-1 file playback (i.e., DTC-100, JVC 30k, MyHD or software decoding)?

Originally posted by stjr
Do some decoders work better than others for avx-1 file playback (i.e., DTC-100, JVC 30k, MyHD or software decoding)?

Apparently so...

Good: JVC30K, DTC-100, DVHStools with Elecard filters.
Bad: Anything Janus chip based (Hipix, MyHD, etc.)

I think it has to do with how large a "demuxing buffer" the decoder can maintain.

Thanks PVR. I am also interested in learning if the playback results with some decoders are better when avx-1 files are recorded directly to a hard drive. As an additional wish list item, I would like to be able to set up timed avx-1 recordings to an HTPC. I know these things take time.

The MyHD card decoded the file from the avx-1 and it looked the same as active movie.

So, at the moment, I see no facts supporting this comment about"demuxing buffer" since only 4 of us have the code outside of 169time at the moment. And so far, I may be the only one working.

Dave

So, I tried to record the avx-1 from MyHD. It shows it as an avx-1 when I hit tape, but get some type of error. Where and what is the latest s/w to use?

Dave

Dave, sorry it didn't work. You can try the 1.60 software. Try this link (http://www.digitalconnection.com/Support/support8.htm) I was hoping that the timer function in the MyhD software would work, too.

Okay, I updated to 1.60. It plays the file fine that I catured with graph edit.
How are you setting up the MyHD s/w to capture from a DVHS?
I select tape and it shows the avx-1 b4. But, is the capture mode a transport stream, ???

Dave

Okay, success!!! I just used the MyHD controls to record from the avx-1 and then play back via RGB. Boy, its super!!!!!! So, who again said the avx-1 wouldnt work?

Dave

Great news. Can the MyHD software set up a timer recording from the avx-1?
Edit: Now that I think about it, it probably can't, but I would like to make it a wish list item for the MyHD software development team.

The avx-1 is just streaming the data. So, if the MyHD s/w can do timer, then it would. This has to come for the MyHD s/w, not the avx-1.

We are getting closer. Now, if the three alpha testers can have some luck.
Now, it looks like one needs a 1 or two port firewire on the PC side.
A three doesnt work for some reason.

Dave

Originally posted by h2ofun
Okay, success!!! I just used the MyHD controls to record from the avx-1 and then play back via RGB. Boy, its super!!!!!! So, who again said the avx-1 wouldnt work? This is encouraging. Now if 169time could only place the avx-1 functionality in a WinXP computer to eliminate the need for an extra PC and extra level of complexity that would be even better. As a DTC100 and MyHD owner I'm starting to get interested. I was never really that interested in getting a D-VHS deck. My need is mostly for time shifting Directv HD not for building a HD tape library. I've got tons of disk space (almost 400GB) waiting for some good use.

Jay

Again, you get some windows nerd to write the drivers, and we will dump the linux box asap. But, since I wouldnt hold my breathe.

Hye, I now have 7 computers just in my home theater. They are growing like rabbits. Now, if I can just get my IA64 box to work, ....

Dave

Just as a show of (financial) support for this current project, I'm very interested and counting the days until this is ready for prime-time.

Yep, it is nice for some of us who support 169times effort. No sales, no new products or improvements. When I see the big boys stuff "perfect", then, and only then will I be concerned that 169time isnt "perfect" either, yet. ;)

The question on the PC stuff will be how "perfect" do we want it before we go for a Beta release? Again, if folks are like me, its fun to play and learn with this stuff. I am not currently worrying about "perfection".

Dave

Originally posted by h2ofun
Still looking for help with my ATI Radeon Ve card on my PC. So far, no help on any of the forums. I cant seem to figure out how to enable the dvi as a second monitor, and then config it such that I can drive my HD display. This would allow me to try and display the video I move from the avx-1 to JVC to my PC.

Thanks Again

dave

I have had to deal with the RadeonVE at work lately, and find that the card is not that great. I really would recommend a newer card (Radeon 9xxx), or NVidia (GeForce4Ti or Quadro).

I keep running into weirdness with their drivers like this for example:
http://www.ati.com/support/infobase/4030.html

h20fun said:

Again, you get some windows nerd to write the drivers, and we will dump the linux box asap.
____________________________

Other options (which might get shot down):

- Develop an XP-like DVHS setup for Linux. That way, the avx1 software could reside on a machine that also stored the transport stream. The MyHD card could access these via network. Maybe this could also allow time-shifting?

- Linux drivers for MyHD. I know this one is in-the-works, but probably not the best of solutions since many people are using MyHD as a pass-through to another video card, running powerstrip, etc. (all of which would have to have Linux support).

Pretty easy for me to sit back and suggest, huh? I'm no programmer, or I'd certainly volunteer to help. I do have an instance of Linux running on a separate machine, so I can guinea pig if nothing else.

Neither of these are better than a windows version of avx1...just thought I'd throw those out in the interest of time (because I'm dying to get this going!). If someone is working towards a windows version of avx1, let us know :)

Okay, need some help. I think there are some folks who have been recording to the Hard drive with todays code.

What is the setup again?

But what I am really interested in, is what are you using to play it back with? Is it perfect? Still trying to understand the differences about buffering.

Dave

Originally posted by h2ofun
Okay, need some help. I think there are some folks who have been recording to the Hard drive with todays code.

What is the setup again?

But what I am really interested in, is what are you using to play it back with? Is it perfect? Still trying to understand the differences about buffering.

Dave

Dave,
As previously reported you can use the current (b3) firmware to record to PC. The setup was

RCA -> Linux Box
RCA -> JVC
JVC -> PC (I-number to be set to correspond to AVX1)

Once Tape driver is recognized build graph

Tape device -> TSPCap

and hit play button. You can define the file size/trp segment size in DVHSTool (any size including single file will do it).

Observations: This setup seems to work with the b3 firmware only (b2 firmware does not work for whatever reason).
The quality is much better than reimporting from tape to PC. Occasionally there is no glitch at all, but most of the time you'll get ~5 or so micro-glitches/pixelations per 90 minute movie (between 1-5 frames, but no dropouts of more than half of a second).
When you segment the files into let's say 1GB sizes (during capture) and then merge the segments into one big file for further processing you'll get 0.5-2 kilobyte audio desyncs where the segments are merged (but in real life you cannot hear it).

Playback is possible via DVHSTool, MyHD or even Windows Media player (smoothness depends on your PC). I prefer to encode the tp files in WM9 @ 1280x720 resolution (the quality is the same as the Original, and you can burn 2 movies on 1 DVD-R). Here is the most likely reason regarding the outstanding quality: The DirecTV video bitrate for 1920x1088i footage is 12Mbit @ 29.97 fps (59.94 fields/sec), which equals ~ 0.2 bit per pixel. At 1280x720 @23.976 fps (when using WM9 quality encoding @ 90-93%, which results in a bitrate of 4-5Mbit) you typically get 0.2-0.22 bit per pixel (equal to or better than the original). Unless you have a display that natively can display 1080i you would have to scale down anyway, but even then, there is almost no way to tell the difference.

Last comment: Get rid of your ATI card and get an Nvidia (ideally Quadro 4). ATI makes good hardware, but I have yet to see a card with stable and reliable drivers.

THanks.

Dave

HD3D, PM , with your Email.

Dave

And my earlier comment about some hardware decoders having playback trouble - (possibly due to muxing buffers) - only applies to old B3 (and before) recordings captured from tape.

I have not made any recordings direct to a PC (from an AVX1), so I cannot say if it is any better or worse.

I was not trying to say the avx-1 couldnt be improve in some areas, and buffering may be one.

Dave

Old subject-

After some time testing the new B3 software on the AVX, I have found some consistently different ways that the 169TimeAVX and Mitsubishi 2000U vcr should be initialized upon power up. This slight variation will soon be posted to the Mits manual I have listed on my website. The procedures listed in the current one are more suited for B2. I will announce again when I have made the revisions. I just need the time to verify a few more things this weekend before doing the final writeup.

Dave- Has Richard ever done anything more to support the Mits VCR's, or is he still referring people to me (my website) for that info? I know he has pretty much abandoned the Mits VCR in favor of most work being done with the JVC 30K so that's why I ask.

Richard does not have a Mits, so you are the man with your website.

Dave

Thanks, Dave, for the update on the current status of this.

Dave do you know if a new software drop will be coming soon. Especially in the area of the buffering. This topic is now months old and this would be a good start to add a little improvement to the product concidering HD NEt movie channel is about to hit.

You will have to write 169time to get an official answer.

Dave

I take that as a no :(

Atleast I have gotten your MyHD card going.

Dave

with wm9 encoding I have tried to convert star wars and all the color is wrong after conversion? Whta is causing this reds and blue green seems okay.

Sounds like a microsoft problem ;)

dave

Nah, I bet it's user error. :)

;)

Dave

Quote:Atleast I have gotten your MyHD card going.


Ah this is cool. Now I can dump my tapes to Hard Drive and play them back.
When I did this before the recordings dropped out every other second continuously because of a decoder incompatibility issue I assumed.

So is the AVX now compatible with MYHD and we need a software update or is this a work around and we have to use multiple programs?

Thanks!

Well, I am not ready to say how good the avx-1 PC is yet in quality.
WE have a few folks with the s/w trying it out. I dont know if they have the My HD card. But, for a few mintues!!,,I was able to use the MyHD s/w to pull the file in, I told it I was connected to tape, and then I could use its s/w to play it back. I have seen some stuttering which dont know whats causing yet. This is why we are looking for the inputs for these other folks.

Dave

Is anybody experiencing pixel problems with HBO during the past few weeks through the JVC outputs and not noticing anything wrong with the VGA out side of the DTC100? I'm using the AVX-1 with the B-3 software and have HBO, Showtime and HDNet from DirecTV . I am aware of all the problems in the past and have had this set-up since last October. This is the first time a problem has been only one Network. MY signals are all in the 80s and 90s. Richard, at 169 time, thinks it's my DTC100.

Hard to believe only one channel would be an issue and would be the box.
What are others seeing?

Dave

Richard says the DTC100 has a defect in it that shows up as "bad numbers", although he has never had this situation that I"ve described. The DTC100 and AVX-1 is on the way back to him for bench testing. Any one with similar problems should post so that we can help Richard with a diagnosis.

Jay, dont you just love the failures in all the pieces.

I just did another avx-1 recording of a PPV. Granted I dont watch each second as I am recording, but it sure seems to work to my satisfaction.

So, how are the others that are being successful doing? In the internet, its always the small manority that seems to complain, one never hears from the masses which are successful and loving the 169time products!!!

And the improvements continue forward. A group of us now are trying to get the PC tools to work better together. As soon as we have tested enough in alpha phase, we will see if any others are interested in Beta phase.

And by the way again, the B3 avx-1 s/w is still in BETA phase and I have said from the start. So, if you want something perfect, it isnt ready for this yet, as I have been saying since DAY 1

Dave

H2O FUN:
I was recording Legally Blond on Showtime last night on Directv,and had a big Video glitch for about 8 seconds. The Video portion was in a still mode for the 8 seconds ,while the audio kept going.

Did anyone experince this yet?
I also from time to time get 3-5 second dropouts about 3 times during
a course of a 1 1/2 movie.

Is Richard working on a B4 upgrade for the AVX-1?

It's very frustrating.

Please let me know if issues are being worked out on these problems.

I agree with other people out there that after spending all this
money that it should be perfect.

I have a Directv set up consisting of the DTC-100,JVC 30000, & AVX-1.
It's hooked up with firewire coming out of the DTC -100 to the front of
the 30000,then from the firewire port out of the back of the 30000
to the AVX-1.
I also spend a good amount of money on these ferrite chokes.

DOES THE FEERITE CHOKES REALLY HELP?

H20 IS there any fix going on with this?

When I call Richard he just says that he cannot disclose information on any fixes(upgrades) till it is actually posted on the 169 website.

I think we should have a priorty on this fix,since we spent all this money.

I agree with Alan Gouger that this should be done right away.

The 169 shouldn't mention on their website "PERFECT HD RECORDINGS"
when future customers will find out it will not be perfect.

How about us people that only use the above set up like the DTC 100,the 30000,& the AVX-1?

Not mentioning going to a computer for hard drive recording.

Dave:

I love the product!!

Since the B3 software, I've made a considerable amount of recordings from HD Net, HBO and PPV. Like you, I have not watched every minute of every recording.

However, I recorded "Catch Me If You Can" from PPV, and did watch the entire recording. Over the 2-1/2 hour movie, there were 2 or 3 momentary video freezes, for about 1-2 seconds each, however audio continued.

Just to give my viewpoint, I'm extremely satisfied with the short glitches understanding that this is Beta software. The B3 is such a tremendous improvement over the B2. At least, when there is a glitch it recovers. Using the B2, there was a less than 50% chance that once it encountered a glitch, that was it for a complete recording.

So there you go -- a satisfied customer. Please pass this note on to Richard.

Ron

So, you can see, two different folks, same s/w, two different opinions.

So, again, this is BETA s/w. Has always been this way. BETA means we know it has issues. (How long did it take JVC to "fix" their deck?, Guess it must has been alpha. ;) ) So, if anyone somehow purchased the product thinking it was something it wasnt, please ask for your money back if you are unhappy. This stuff is NOT easy, and to fix the latest corner cases is going to take a lot of work. It will be done, but, its only one guy.

We are having great team support working between the B4 avx-1 PC s/w and the tools like DVHStool. We are finding some bugs, like you must use a 1 or 2 port firewire in the PC which we dont feel is acceptable, so this will have to be debugged and fixed as one example before it can go to Beta.


So, I still say, if this were easy, someone else would have done. So, I am still impressed as to what 169time has done, and continues to improve.
Yep, would like to go faster, but, doing the best that can be done.

Dave

Just for another FYI, there are a few folks beating on AVS about the avx-1 is in beta and they are trying to put release quality standards on it.
The JVC has glitches, so are you beating on avs for this. The samsung has glitches, are you beating on avs for this, ETC ETC ETC.

AVS has nothing to do with 169time. This is just a forum where we can all share knowledge, etc. Just like we have done with the JVC issues, Samsung issues, etc.

So, if one bought a Beta product, and didnt understand what that meant.
Well,.... But bottom line, send the product back to 169time and get your money back. 169time sure doesnt want unhappy customers. They are moving as fast as they can. If its not fast enough, all I can offer again is return your stuff, and buy a better solution from someone else.

Dave

Now that I've finally registered I might as well post my opinion, since I have had the set-up since B-2 days. To be able to TIME SHIFT HD Satellite is more than anyone can hope for at this time in the mainstream marketplace. A few momentary pauses during a movie is completely acceptable in my opinion, since I do not archive. ( I archived VCR tapes 20 years ago and would not even watch them now because the quality is unacceptable compared to Super VHS and D-VHS., and I know that in 20 years it will be the same for this generation of recordings) Also, the fact that our recording is not perfect may be keeping the D-Theater people from bothering Richard, since they (obviously) have a more perfect product at $30+ a title. We are making titles for 1/3 that amount. I'm completely satisfied with the new software and would consider any further upgrades to be a present to us for 'hanging in'. Richard can fix individual problems like the one I'm having, if you have one, let him know.

HELLO H2O FUN

LET"S ONCE IN FOR ALL FIX THE AVX-1 SOFTWARE PROBLEM.
TELL RICHARD TO GET ALL THE GLITCHES OUT OF THE AVX 1 BEFORE
MOVING ON TO OTHER COMPATIBLE DEVICES.

HE SHOULD NOT MISLEAD CUSTOMERS THAT RECORDING HDTV IS PERFECT ON HIS SITE.

HOW ABOUT A B4 UPGRADE THAT WILL TOTALLY ELIMINATE THESE OCCASIONAL GLITCHES.

WE SUPPORTED THE 169 TIME COMPANY BY TRUSTING & BUYING THE PRODUCTS.
I SAY THE HECK WITH THE COMPUTER RECORDING SITUATION & GET
BACK INVOLVED IN STRAIGHTENING OUT THE AVX-1/30000/DTC-100
SETUP RUNNING PROPERLY.

I AGREE THERE IS A MUCH BETTER IMPROVEMENT FROM THE B2 TO B3 SOFTWARE.BUT NOW WHY GIVE UP & MOVE ON TO OTHER THINGS & LEAVING US IN A ALMOST PERFECT RECORDING SITUATION.

THIS WILL IF ANYTHING GIVE A LOT OF CUSTOMERS OUT THERE A MUCH HAPPIER FEELING ABOUT SPEADING THE WORD ABOUT 169 TIME CO.
& DRUM UP MORE BUSINESS FOR RICHARD, INSTEAD OF PEOPLE JUST SAYING THAT IT"S CLOSE & CAN LIVE WITH IT.

IT"S EMBARRASING TO WATCH A MOVIE IN FRONT OF GUESTS & TURN THEM OFF WHEN SOMETHING IN THE MOVIE GETS THEIR ATTENTION & SEE A BIG GLITCH ON AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE MOVIE.

CMON H20FUN TELL THIS TO RICHARD & TELL HIM HE CAN DO IT.

HE CAME THIS FAR WHY MOVE UNTO SOMETHING ELSE & LEAVE US HANGING OF THAT"S THE BEST WE CAN DO SITUATION .

WHEN I SPOKE TO RICHARD ON THE PHONE,I WAS TOLD THAT IF THERE IS A SOFTWARE UPGRADE AGAIN THAT WE WILL HAVE TO CHECK THE 169 WEBSITE IF & WHEN IT WILL COME OUT.

QUOTE FROM RICHARD "WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT"S COMING OUT UNTIL IT"S POSTED ON THE SITE"

IT"S NICE TO GET SOME ASSURANCE & RELIEF THAT WE ARE GOING TO GET SUPPORT ON THE FIX.

I LIKE ALAN GOUGER AM CONCERNED THAT SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE NOW

The 169time web site is misleading. Right at the top it says"

"169time.com is the only company actually shipping the digital HDTV recording adapters you need to record perfect HDTV and enjoy playback equal in quality to the broadcast"

The 169time web site also says,

"Playback in HDTV is available through the RGBHV outputs of the DTC100."

Neither of the above statements is true.

Dave, you said:

>> So, again, this is BETA s/w. Has always been this way. BETA means we know it has issues. (How long did it take JVC to "fix" their deck?, Guess it must has been alpha. ) So, if anyone somehow purchased the product thinking it was something it wasnt, please ask for your money back if you are unhappy.
<<

also:

>>
So, if one bought a Beta product, and didnt understand what that meant.
Well,.... But bottom line, send the product back to 169time and get your money back. 169time sure doesnt want unhappy customers. They are moving as fast as they can. If its not fast enough, all I can offer again is return your stuff, and buy a better solution from someone else.
<<

Well I loaded up the 169time web site and it does not say anywhere that this is a beta level product. It does not say that the recordings are not perfect. It also does not say that the HDTV output of the Proscan sat boxes does not work without a software upgrade from Proscan.

The 169time system is the best solution we have right now for HDTV recording but I believe that getting it working perfectly should be a priority. I understand that these things take time, but I can also understand how the current users feel frustrated and misled.

LET"S ALL VENT HERE & MAYBE RICHARD WILL FINALLY GET THIS SETTLED
ONCE AND FOR ALL>

HEY H2O TELL RICHARD THAT WE WANT RESULTS NOW.

STOP WORKING ON OTHER B.S. & TAKE CARE OF US NOW

NOW UNDERSTAND NOW

IT"S BEEN ALREADY A FEW MONTHS

JUST WAIT TI DISH NETWORK COMES OUT WITH THE SUPER DISH & THE 811
& PVR-921 or TU-9000.

IF RICHARD DON"T TAKE CARE OF US NOW,THEN HE'LL LOSE CUSTOMERS.

HE SHOULD TAKE OFF PERFECT RECORDINGS OF HIS SITE.

Send your product back for your money back. You will never be happy.

Dave

Okay, I have just tried the avx-1 alpha sw again with 1.6 HyHD card (from Alan) and a beta version of DVHStools (Thanks rick) After a few funnies, which I still dont fully understand how to load up dvhstools, but I was able to use dvhstool to pull in the avx-1 HDnet straight into the PC. I then played the file via the MYHD on my PC screen, and then enabled the HD output and watched on my display. Granted I only did and watched for a few mintues, but what I saw was perfect. Now, this is cool, real cool.

Dave

THE SOLUTION INSTEAD OF SENDING IT BACK SHOLULD BE
TO FIX IT RIGHT

WE ARE SPOILED & WANT TO RECORD HDTV BUT AS MENTIONED ON
THE 169 SITE PERFERT RECORDINGS>

I'M SURE THEY CAN ACOMPLISH THAT

YOU CAME THIS FAR ALREADY.

IF THEY CONCENTRATE ON IMPROVING IT,THERE WILL BE NO NEED TO
RETURN IT.

BUT IT SEEMS THERE IS OTHER THINGS MORE IMPORTANT TO WORK ON.

TELL RICHARD TO TAKE "PERFECT RECORDING" OFF HIS SITE

I WROTE TO HIM ALREADY & HE AVOIDS HEARING THIS & TAKING HIS
TIME TO ADDRESS THIS AVX-! UPGRADE ISSUE.

HOW ABOUT US THAT DON"T USE COMPUTERS FOR RECORDING?
WHAT HAPPENS TO US.

ONE THING SHOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF AT A TIME.

I will try to give updates on the status of other alpha PC testers.
Now, all we need is timer control on either MyHD or DVHStool.
Does, MyHD have PVR type controls, like the ability to jump 30 second at the push of a button?

Dave

The MyHD card has FF and Rew functions on the remote control. It also has hotkeys. FF= Shift-Right; Rew= Shift-Left.

HERE WE GO AGAIN
ADDRESSING COMPUTER RECORDING ISSUES

helloooooooooo

We may discover that hard disk recording works better than tape recording. I would not dismiss PC recording out of hand. What we learn from PC recording could eventually help tape recording.

yeah let"s help the tape recording issue of the avx1/dtc 100/30000

The avx-1 s/w is being worked on. No new STB's firewire support will be released until this happens.

The avx-1 pc solution is a parallel development, and is not holding up development of the B3 updated needed.

I have been having issues with my timer recording via firewire. Richard just told me he was surprised I was having so much success since he has had to guess how the JVC handshakes. So, I am going to just go back to handheld timer recording, which I know works.

Also, it is possible the PC recording may even be better than using the decks and the issues thes have.

Bottom line, I am sure glad this is a hobby for me, and not a life and death situation.

Well, back to playing with my 8 computers in my home theater!!

Dave

Originally posted by h2ofun
Does, MyHD have PVR type controls, like the ability to jump 30 second at the push of a button? MyHD has a user configurable setting for skip forward and skip backward. I use 30 seconds for forward and 10 seconds for backward. It also has several other variations where you can skip forward/back in multiple increments (i.e. 2x, 4x, or 8x) with a single button push. 8x30 seconds is handy because many shows have 4 minute commercial breaks.

Jay

Jay, I will have to try this.

This would mean I have a working HD PVR for Sat then, which again would be a first in the world. I no longer need to worry about a 921, I have my own.

Cool, very cool!!

Dave

No gloating!

(This post is in fun; just wanted to clarify, as it isn't easy to tell anymore...)

Gloat, me gloat? Na, just call them as I see them. Its always fun to work with the underdog.

Seriously, the more HD stuff that gets out, the better it is for us, the consumer. I really dont care who it comes from, as long as it gives me the choices I want. And to date, their is only one company that has done this with STB's in my opinion. Now, if and when something better comes out, and is proven, then will see what happens. I really dont like have a PC in my home theater. But, if thats what one has to use to have the flexibility one needs, so be it.

Dave

Originally posted by h2ofun
This would mean I have a working HD PVR for Sat then, which again would be a first in the world. I no longer need to worry about a 921, I have my own. I assume that this would allow you to record from the AVX-1 to the PC and watch a previously recorded program through MyHD at the same time. You should also be able to record 2 programs simultaneously as long as at least one of them are OTA. Recording/playback with MyHD have very low CPU utilization on my 933 Mhz PIII.

Jay

And you could time-shift the sat!


Or, more precisely, Dave could time-shift the sat! You or I must turn off the phones, lock the door, gag the wife, and watch in real-time.


Did I say that? Do you guys see how important this project is!!!!

I havent used the MyHD enough to answer what it can do it terms of taping and watching at the same time. But, it would assume if you have a decent PC, why not.

And at the price of 2.4GHz PC parts today, I just built 6 of them

Dave

Originally posted by h2ofun
This would mean I have a working HD PVR for Sat then, which again would be a first in the world. I no longer need to worry about a 921, I have my own.
Dave,

If you really want the PVR stuff (pausing live HD, then rewind it, etc) this has been possible with an AccessDTV card with the 5000+modulator for HBO-HD, SHO-HD, and PPV-HD for quite a while. I'm not sure if we'll be able to do this stuff with the AVX-1, but the pausing might work. With the MyHD I think you'll have to wait until the recording is done in order to do these other things, which to me is different than a TIVO like unit. This is especially true for sports IMO, where I want to watch them the same day that they happen. I have an AccessDTV card in one computer and got a MyHD 120 recently for another one.

On a different note, I signed up for DirecTVs package this morning, taped some stuff from Discovery HD to my 30k, transferred it to my PC and played it back with Elecard on my 1360x1024 D-ILA to my 116" wide Hi-Power screen. There were quite a few places where Elecard started single stepping etc. until it would break through the bad spots, but when it was working it sure did look good. Unfortunately I cut off the end of the Insects show and had to rerecord it, so I'll have to watch the rest of that later. I'll probably watch it straight from the 30k to see how that does.

--Darin

So, discovery is on HD now. Cool. What channel is it?

I assume you taped using B3, and then used dvhstools to pull into your PC?
The B4 should let you go straight in like I did with HDnet last night.

Dave

HEY H2OFUN,
When you mention B4 are you mentioning a new AVX1 upgrade from the B3?

It mention right above this post.

If it is a new upgrade will it help the problems that I posted here on this site?

I'd thought I'd chime in with my impressions of the B3 software (since you asked Dave).

I think its great. One or two glitches per movie, I can live with (and I know it will get fixed someday).

The big thing, I can finally watch HDTV (the comment from one person regarding locking the house down and gagging his wife wasn't too far off :) ).


Yrral: I bought in during the first sale. With the B2 software, I couldn't record 1 movie. It kept screwing up before it was over.

What did I do? Did I yell and rant on this forum? No. Did I demand a fix "NOW"? No.

What I did do was read carefully through the thread at the time to see if I missed anything. There was a few things I could have tried but didn't have the time. I then waited patiently for the update which finally came.

These things don't happen overnight (you obviously have never written and tried to dubug software). The PC side of things that is publicly being worked on now, may very well help the tape side of things. See why most info of alfa and beta programs is kept secret? To keep people like you YELLING "FIX MY PROBLEM NOW", "DON'T WORK ON ANYTHING ELSE".

If it was up to you, we wouldn't have anything right now.

You want to yell and someone, yell at JVC.
My decks goes haywire at least once a week (but after a reset it's ok again so far).
Again, do I yell and scream? No. I follow the forum, now know there seems to be a fix, will wait a bit and then send my deck in.

Yrral, please send your unit back and wait until its perfect.
People are trying to have a civilized conversation to help track down bugs etc on this product to help the developer and you are not contributing.

People, keep up the good work, I follow this thread as much as I can.

Thank you for your time.

Btw, Happy Canada Day eh!

Originally posted by yrral
HEY H2OFUN,
When you mention B4 are you mentioning a new AVX1 upgrade from the B3?

It mention right above this post.

If it is a new upgrade will it help the problems that I posted here on this site?

Dave has been testing a beta version of B4... It includes the ability to connect a PC directly to an AVX1.

It hasn't been generally released yet.

Hey Judd,

I don't agree with 169 mentioning perfect hd recordings.
What's that all about?
By the way how do you know the JVC deck is at fault.

I guess the AVX 1

What I was about to say I guess the AVX-1 is a perfect operating system.
I have a right to complain,after sinking money into a DTC-100 upgrade,The AVX-1,& the JVC deck.

NOT to mention the Ferrite chokes on everything

There is no perfect HD recording for us people that own these 3 pieces of equipment.

Yes it should be given priority,instead of moving ahead with other s...

We put out a lot of money, and after months we should be happy.

I almost guarantee you will find users that agree with me.

Work on the bugs with tape recording instead of playing with Computers
for recording.

By time this is worked out the 169 will be out of business.

It won't be much longer that Dish Network will be coming out with
their system & Direct Tv.

That's why this should be done now before it's to late for Richard.

The clock is ticking.

It's been ticking for us waiting for this "Perfect Recording"

Originally posted by yrral

Work on the bugs with tape recording instead of playing with Computers
for recording.

Uh, yeaah. I'm going to have to go ahead and disagree with you there.

The truth is their playing with computers will provide yet another angle on the problems with the AVX-1 format translation, and the fixes for the problems they see on the PC side will carry over to improved tape recordings. I almost guarantee you that.

-Dylan

Judd321, thanks for you comments.
I and others continue to try and make this stuff the best it can be.
Is it perfect. Nope. NOTHING DIGITAL IS PERFECT. So I just continue to work with the great folks who love this hobby and challenge as much as I do. And to think, we all do this for free and look at the comments we get.
Oh well.

Anyone have options on how "good" the PC solution needs to be before it would go to BETA!!!!! I have been using stuff from 169time before they shipped their first product. Things just get better over time.

Dave

Has anybody tried recording the new HD channels on DirecTV yet?

Originally posted by h2ofun
So, discovery is on HD now. Cool. What channel is it?

I assume you taped using B3, and then used dvhstools to pull into your PC?
The B4 should let you go straight in like I did with HDnet last night.

Dave

Originally posted by XFactor
Has anybody tried recording the new HD channels on DirecTV yet?
Dave,

Yes, you are correct about how I did this. B3 AVX-1 to 30k, then DVHSTool to PC. Discovery-HD is on channel 76. I haven't tried HDNet Movies as I didn't see anything that interested me (I wish I could see the IMDb scores next to the titles). ESPN-HD is on 73, but there isn't any HD scheduled for a couple of days and I thought there was something wrong with my TV when I turned it on and saw everybody squished down. Turns out they do it on purpose, but I just found it annoying and changed the channel.

As I mentioned before I had quite a few slowdowns/glitches when playing back with Elecard on the PC. This was more than I'm used to with HDNet, but I didn't check the tape to see what kind of shape it is in. I tried watching a 30 minute show tonight from the 30k instead and I only saw one little pause. I wasn't watching the whole thing as I was doing some other things at the time, but the other people watching didn't report any big problems and I was watching most of the time.

I love those insect and nature shows on Discovery and I'm more hooked now that I can watch them at close to 10' wide. I looked at their schedule and decided that my job is getting in the way of my fun :)

--Darin

Guys, just informational, but I had a complete audio failure recording from Disc-HD this morning. First one I have had since B3 software.

I have also had some intermittent audio problems with just the DTC100 and HDNET movies. ( no AVX )

Jeff

Originally posted by XFactor
Has anybody tried recording the new HD channels on DirecTV yet?

Yep. Recorded 3 programs from Disc HD with my AVX-1, Hughes E86 and JVC 30k and each came out perfectly.

I dig that those programs tend to be 50 actual minutes, too. Three of them fill a 2.5 hour tape perfectly.

Originally posted by jeffden
Guys, just informational, but I had a complete audio failure recording from Disc-HD this morning. First one I have had since B3 software.

I forgot that I seemed to have an audio out of sync problem on my last Disc-HD recording. I thought it might be my transcoder, but I connected straight to my projector with component and it was still a little bit out of sync.

--Darin

Just received an input from an alpha tester who just recorded 10 straight hours of DiscoveryHD onto his hard drive from the avx-1. To quote, "try having a VCR do that".

Dave

Originally posted by h2ofun
Just received an input from an alpha tester who just recorded 10 straight hours of DiscoveryHD onto his hard drive from the avx-1. To quote, "try having a VCR do that".

Does it playback without problems?

I've been hooked on DiscoveryHD this week and it looks much better from my PC, but I haven't been doing it that way since I got quite a few pauses with my first recording. I recorded to the 30k first, though. I'm hoping going straight to the PC will be a little better.

--Darin

Darin, this is what I was told.

"In the morning I had 10 hours of program material on my hard disk, all of it
playable."

Dave

Dave,

Are there any plans to test the sw with a HiPix card? There are a lot of us out here with them. My apologies if you've already mentioned this in the thread.

Thanks,

Tom Lamano

I would test it with one if I had one. Some of the alpha testers may have one but havent asked directly. I was able to test with a HiPix because Alan was able to load me on. So yes, we want to

Dave

What is the highest number your AVX runs through before reset?

Ive been in the 7k area on a regular basis before and interrupt causes it to start from 0 again. This has allowed perfect recordings.

I have found the AVX likes HD NET and the Discovery channel better than HBO and Showtime.

I want to mention Ive had really great luck with the AVX and HD NET and Discovery & HD NET Movie channel but I just moved my setup and now Im back to same problems everyone else is having.

I am hoping to figure out why the change in performance. I am tackling this using process of elimination.

Originally posted by tlamano
Are there any plans to test the sw with a HiPix card? There are a lot of us out here with them. My apologies if you've already mentioned this in the thread.The Hipix 3.52 application does not have well integrated firewire support for D-VHS decks, although it can certainly play back files that were captured from the avx-1 by DVHSTool. Since both the Hipix and MyHD cards use the same chipset, any files that play well on the MyHD card should play well on the Hipix card. I play back files with both cards almost interchangeably.

What would be nice is if the Hipix development team could create a timer function for recording from the avx-1. Can anyone from the Hipix development team comment on this?

Originally posted by stjr
What would be nice is if the Hipix development team could create a timer function for recording from the axv-1. Can anyone from the Hipix development team comment on this?
Since the AccessDTV team has just started maybe they will add this to their list.

--Darin

Everything needs a good timer recording function from IEEE1394 now. Hopefully the Dvico Fusion 2.0 release, and future DVHStools releases will allow this. I plan to use those software players rather than the HiPix software.
As far as I can tell, the HiPix still has trouble properly playing back any recordings from the AVX1...

AVX1 resyncs that result in momentary audio & video "pauses" seem to vary from channel to channel and from time to time.
For instance, recently Discovery seemed "reset free" for a long time, but HDnet was having problems. A few months ago HDnet was trouble free for long periods of time.

Just to keep our terminology straight, it seemed like older AVX1 software caused "glitches" which would result in picture breakup (random block of color that would last for many frames in a row).
The latest software seems (to me) to be "glitch free", but does cause occasional "hiccups" (momentary frozen picture and audio dropout). It seems that an AVX1 "resync" will cause a "hiccup". Also, if you try to play AVX1 processed files with the HiPix card, there will be very many additional "hiccups" that were not the result of a resync. I tend to think those are "mux buffer issues" specific to the HiPix (and other Janus cards) that go beyond the resync issues.

I've had more luck getting good recordings from HBOHD lately than the HDNet movie channel. The HDNet movie channel recording tends to breakup and pixelate quite often. The viewing of the actual broadcast shows none of this. I'm wondering if I might have a weaker signal from that transponder but all signals from the 110 and 119 seem to be above 80 so that shouldn't be the problem. Does anyone else have any problems with the new HDNet channel? I wish I could determine the problem because they do show some great movies that I'd love to be able to record.

WAITING PATIENTLY FOR A 0B4 UPGRADE.

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHEN?

When Richard is finished with the upgrade.

Lon

I've been having a difficult problem recently. When I start up the AVX-1, the DTC-100 and the JVC deck, the AVX-1 reports "SelfID received outside of the bus reset sequence" and/or "SelfID received but NodeID is not valid." I've tried unplugging the DTC-100, unplugging the JVC, rebooting the AVX-1, but I keep getting the error. Other times it will work fine.

Has anyone experienced anything similar? Does anyone know how I can get past this so that I don't keep missing things I want to record?

Thanks!

Joe

My experience with the AVX-1 is similar, meaning that it doesn't always come 'on line' , so I try to leave it on in the "waiting for reply" mode for as long as it will give me unpixiled results, as opposed to turning it off and on. According to Richard, this can be for days, even weeks. It only times out in the active mode, which means that in a few days (or less) it will start to break up. Keep the JVC on channel 2, F-1, or off until you need to record. Once it's in the " waiting for" mode it is stable. If it keeps giving you problems, return it for repair, as I have. Remember, nothing in the digital world is glitch free!

Joe Linn- I have had similar problems with the Mits VCR so I don't think this is an issue with a particular VCR.

What I do is work with the 1394 connection to the DTC-100 by first rebooting the DTC-100 from power on, then I run the scan for 1394 connections with the AVX connected to the Mits VCR. Usually this will establish the connection with a translation of data again.

The node is not valid message will happen here after about 4 days of connection at which time the AVX just quits and requires the scanning procedure.

Dave:

How did the Beta testing go for the AVX1 to PC software?

Lon

Lon, it is Alpha.

I havent heard as much from the folks who got the code as I was hoping.

So, not sure where to go with my inputs from here. We know there are some current limitations with the s/w, but it seems to work as well as the current B3 avx-1. I havent pushed since I havent heard a any real input to release this product. Did I miss something that I should be pushing Richard on?

Dave

Dave:

No sense pushing Richard as we all know he goes at his own pace.

Dave- Just an FYI- I've been recording and playing back quite a bit of the new HDTV channels and while it works well, I must say that the DirecTV signal stability of HDNet MOvies channel leaves me quite disappointed in the reliability for 169Time recording. Lots of picture breakups comes and goes. Audio dropouts as well. Basically, it makes it imp[ossible to determine if the AVX is causing the glitches or if DirecTV's signal stability on HDNet Movies is the problem. Their Discovery HD and the HBO and Showtime HD seem to be less of a problem but the fact that I don't trust the DirecTV signal means that I can't evaluate the AVX B3.

I have logged the live glitches and then watched the tape and it seems that the only glitches on the tape are those I logged live but I don't have enough data to say it is 100% yet. Work is preventing me from doing som,e real tests so I have been running lots of recordings and watching but I have had little time to watch a live recording and log it then take the time to compare against the recording.

I am curious is anyone is getting HDNet movies from another source. IF so, is it unstable with lots of dropouts too? Wonder if this is an HDNet of DirecTV problem.

Don, thanks for the inputs. I have been reading a lot of the sat signals having some real quality issues lately, If this is the cause, two things can happen. One is if a glitch is transmitted, of course the avx-1 has to record it as it got it. If that all that happens, it worked 100% Now, if the sat glitches are "bad" enough to freak out the avx-1 that it causes glitches, where is the real fault? I know richard continues to try to do everything he can to mask all the "glithces" these solutions have, but so far he hasnt been able to make it "perfect", not that he wont continue to try.

Dave

A number of people have commented on dropouts in the Sat-C signal in the HDTV Hardware section, including this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=277967). I have seen my signal strength on Sat-C momentarily drop from 80-90 to 0 on all of the Sat-C redirected transponders (8, 10 and 12). I keep thinking that it's the wiring, or my hardware, but now I'm wondering.

None of my other sat signals from D* or E* have problems like the Sat-C signal. Tech support at D* is no help at all. I would appreciate if someone could shed some light on this matter.

Steve, if this is true, and I have been reading the threads, no wonder why the avx-1 on this channel goes nuts. Atleast it doesnt lose lip sync anymore

dave

I still have a line of communications with the inside at DTV but unfortunately, I don't think he could help in this sat C issue as this is not his area of responsibility AFAIK.

The problem I see, Dave, seems to indicate that while the recordings are not "perfect", I give the B3 software credit for having the ability to recover by itself while issues with signal using B2 caused a permanent failure of the recording.

Last evening I watched a DF420 tape made some time earlier this week. It started with a movie Titled S.O.B. This movie, BTW while somewhat boreing offered demo quality video, color saturation and detail. Sound was just mono, however. Anyway, I watched this for about 45 minutes with never a glitch. Then the picture dropped out and audio stopped for a good minute. It came back on abain and dropped out several times freeze framing. NO sound. Then a fewe interruptions in the sound and then it was clean to the end of the movie. Never a glitch. In the next movie there were a few hits too but only with audio. I haven't done much with the other channels but it seems that this is a signal problem and not an AVX software problem.

I still have the problem of the DTC-100 losing the 1394 connections and this runs about a 4 day cycle. The AVX was originally thought to be the cause of this but I have eliminated that and am pretty sure it is the Mits deck connected to the DTC-100. The tell tale sign is the power button stops flashing. This 4 day cycle occurs regardless of whether the AVX is connected or not. It is just when the AVX is connected it also indicates the problem with an error type of message on the screen which has been previously posted. This indicator is not to be considered an AVX problem as I discovered but just a measure of a problem with the DTC-100/HDVR. It is only corrected with either a disconnect and reconnect of the 1394 cable or a power reset of the DTC-100. I believe your JVC channel up down procedure is equivalent to the cable reconnect we do on the MIts.

Alpha Software Test Report

I have tested a4 extensively and it is perfect except for 5-10 minute interval micro-glitches (~10-15 frames pixelations). In many cases I have watched the movie real time to make sure that the glitches did not originate from the incoming signal. The hypothesis so far is that there seems to be some kind of buffer that fills up and when it is emptied you'll get a glitch. May be it's a simple RAM problem or a buffer / hardware issue. As a matter of fact, the glitch interval is about every 5-6 minutes if the broadcast uses high bitrates (e.g. HDNET @ 15-16Mbps) compared to glitches every 9-10 minutes if the bitrate is low (e.g. HBO HD @ 9-10Mbps). May be Richard should check on this and compare the changes from b2 to a4 with focus on any buffer impact, because strangely with b2 you either had a perfect or a completely useless recording.
As a final comment: a4 (as well as b3) is a major improvement. Yes there are micro-glitches (emphasis on "micro") but I can well live with them. It's 99.5% there and we should continue to be patient with Richard to find a solution for the last 0.5%.

I have the software, but haven't installed it because of the requirement for a 2 port firewire card. I have a 3 port in one PC and a 4 port in the other. I figured that Richard would probably have a fix for this soon, but I guess I should probably just order a 2 port card since it doesn't look like anything is immiment. Since I don't want to run into any issues where one 2 port card works, but another one doesn't, does anybody have any suggestions for a specific PCI firewire card that will work?

Thanks,
Darin

Darin, have not heard from RIchard that it has to be a certain type of 2 port card. Yes, this is a pain, but atleast they can be purchased. Just make sure its a total of two ports, outside and inside. I think some folks have purchased and used. I have the firewire on my motherboards now so it makes the two port built in.

Dave

fyi

Yes... this has sold for up to $1999 and with the set top box $2499.

The current package price is not the lowest it has been.

Look for a sale with tremendous savings this month on their web page when
they have their new website and an AVX1 software update online.

This is the only system that can record the new DirecTV HDTV channels
including the 4 unique channels that are only available there including
HDNET movies, HDNET, ESPN, PPVH. It is also the only system that can record
Discovery HD theater from any of the 3 services that offer that, and is the
only system that does all the new Bell Express View network channels.

Note: there are still a lot of buyers at the current price. And again keep
your eyes open for the upcoming sale.


fyi

dave

Dave,

Will this coincide with the release of the PC recording solution?
--
Willie
Cheesehead

I will ask

dave

Don,

I have HDnet Movies via cable, and have very rarely had a drop-out...looks to be a DTV issue.

Most of this past week (been away for two days of it) were glitch free on DirecTV. Recordings made have also been much cleaner. They are probably getting their act together on all these new HD channels. I'm inclined to agree that the b3 software seems to be doing its job but it cannot correct an inbound glitch in the signal. What I do believe is that it tends to magnify a tiny glitch in the signal to one that is longer lasting before recovery when you see that same glitch on a tape playback. Make sense? In other words, it increases the size of the glitch but not the number of them.

has anyone had//is it possible to do the 169time conversion on the DTC100
tuner (internal equiv) on a rca F38310 TV?

When I bought my 38310, the first thing I did was stop and Richards and open it up. It looked like it could be done, with a few features missing, but I decided I didnt want to take my new TV and void the warranty.

Dave

A few pages ago, I posted that i was having a pixel problem with HBO, and could not troubleshoot the reason for it. Richard at 169time suggested that I send it to him for evaluation, which I did , along with the AVX-1. After about a week of evaluating he e-mailed this reply:

Didn't see the pixelation on HBO at any time.

In spite of this we take your problem report very seriously.

Our plan is to do the following:

1) Install different firewireboard in the DTC100
2) Install a change in the DTC100 that might be related to the problem
3) Exchange your AVX1 for a different unit.

Test your DTC100 and exchange AVX1 together for an extended period before shipping them to you.

Take it from there.


This is why he has my support! And when something new is developed, he will also have my business!

Yep, thats 169times standard mode of behavior!!!! Its why I stick up for them no matter what a few say who have NEVER owned a 169time product!!!

Dave

Today I made my first recording on the 169time that exceeded 1 hour. I attempted to record Collateral Damage on HBO. At about 1 hr. 15 mins, the movie started showing massive pixelation. Because I view the recording through the JVC deck, I cannot be sure of whether the flaws were inherent in the broadcast or whether the AVX-1 was having trouble.

Are there any problems with this combo on longer recordings? Any recommendations? Thanks for helping a newbie to the 169time setup.

I recently noticed that if the 169time computer is hooked up to my JVC deck during playback of something that I recorded that there is pixelation.

I just unhook the unit during playback and the pixelation goes away.

Xfactor:

With B3 software one should be able to record at least 3 hours and more at a time.

My recommendations are as follows:

1)until you are ready to record do not let the AVX1 and JVC communicate, for example either power off the JVC, or have the ilink selected to other than the AVX1 or the DTC100, than reset the AVX1.
2)when you are ready to record just select the AVX1 on the JVC30K and record.

perhaps your problem was that the JVC and the AVX1 where in communication for days or weeks at a time.


Lon

Originally posted by bwooster
I recently noticed that if the 169time computer is hooked up to my JVC deck during playback of something that I recorded that there is pixelation.

I just unhook the unit during playback and the pixelation goes away.

Glad you brought this up again. I have made note of this before, but the thread is so long, it gets lost in the shuffle.

Instead of unhooking the the firewire cable, I power the Avx1 off.

Xfactor:
I have recorded 42 movies so far, all from HBO (and watched about 30 of them start to finish).
Except for one, sometimes two 2.5 second pauses, the recordings are flawless.

As I note above, I need to turn the avx1 off during playback or I get minor pixalization every 5-15 minutes.

As Lon notes in his post, you need the B3 software on the avx1.
Also, his info on not letting the Avx1 communicate until you record is good advice. (since I all my recordings are done via the timer, the JVC is powered off (thus no communication), until the record.

Originally posted by h2ofun
fyi


Look for a sale with tremendous savings this month on their web page when
they have their new website and an AVX1 AVX1 software update online.


fyi

dave


These are the Fyi's we like ;)

And if it takes until next month or the month after or whatever, that's fine too.

Thanks for all the responses. I turn off the AVX-1 whenever it is not being used. About 10 minutes before Collateral Damage was to start, I booted the entire system. The JVX and AVX-1 therefore were in communication for somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes before the start of the recording.

I have tried playing back without the AVX-1 powered on. I was watching the recording live as all of the blocking started occuring 75 mins into the movie, so I knew in playback the recording would be toast. Because I left before the movie finished, it continued recording an extra hour of HBO. The Bill Maher show, the show it recorded, also was full of breakups.

I am running the most current software. Would it help if I took a picture of my setup? Perhaps my laptop computer (located in between the AVX-1 and JVC) is causing some interference.

Xfactor:

It could have been a fluke occurence as I have seen what you describe only once in my set-up.

Try recording something again tonight,

Lon

[QUOTE]Originally posted by XFactor
[B]Thanks for all the responses. I turn off the AVX-1 whenever it is not being used. About 10 minutes before Collateral Damage was to start, I booted the entire system. The JVX and AVX-1 therefore were in communication for somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes before the start of the recording.

Xfactor, the JVC and AVX communicate even if one device (e.g. the JVC) is turned off, unless they are physically disconnected from AC power. So what I am doing is to unplug the firewire connection for 10 seconds and then plug it back in before recording. For playback you should physically disconnect the firewire connection to the AVX. Try it and let us know whether it improved your PQ.

hidef1920:

The only time the AVX1 and the JVC communicate with each other is when the JVC's I LINK is selected to the AVX1, all other times, such as power off or I LINK selected to other than AVX1, the JVC and The AVX1 DO NOT COMMUNICATE.

Lon

Being attached to the 169time unit during playback of a recorded tape definitely causes pixelation in my setup....but when playing back a DTheater tape with the 169time unit connected there is no problem. Weird...

I talked to RIchard about this. He has seen lots of stuff like this from folks.
Data point, depending how strong the signal is recorded onto the tape, can make different recordings do different stuff. He has one customer who if he put the firewire into the front of the JVC, the tape pixeled. If he put it into the back of the JVC it didnt. So, all this says is each person has a unique set of variables. Each DVHS deck is different in how it records and plays back. Each firewire cable is different. ETC. Its the entier solution. Not just the 169time stuff.

One clearly does NOT want anything connected into the firewire chain other than whats supported. Any more than this will cause issues.

Not a great answer from folks who want 1 plus 1 to equal 2. But in the world of digital stuff, its not just 1's and 0's in real life.

Dave

EXCUSES................ GET IT RIGHT.................IT WORKS OR IT DOSEN"T WORK.WAITING MONTHS FOR A SOLUTION

I WILL TRY DIGITAL CABLE ON WEDNESDAY
THEY WILL PROVIDE A SONY BOX WITH THE I LINK OUTPUT

I WILL KEEP YOU ALL INFORMED


AND HEY IF THAT DON"T WORK<I"LL WAIT FOR THE DISH
NETWORK SETUP

SOMETHING HAS TO WORK TO SATISFACTION

JUST FOR THE CURIOUS

GO TO CABLEVISION.COM

CLICK ON CUSTOMER SERVICE
THEN CLICK ON USER GUIDES
THEN CLICK ON SONY CUSTOMERS USER GUIDES
FROM THER YOU"LL DOWNLOAD THE PDF FILE
THEN GO TO PAGE 54 TO SEE BACK OF UNIT.
EVERYTHING IS ALL BUILT IN.

IF ANYONE ALREADY TRIED THIS PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
I"LL BE GETTING IT WEDNESDAY & WILL SEE WHAT THE OUTCOME IS.

BY TIME WE WAIT FOR THE GLITCHES TO EVER CLEAR UP
THIS MAY BE THE WAY TO GO.

BY THE WAY THE MODEL # IS DHG -55 BY SONY
HIGH DEFINITION SET TOP BOX WITH I LINK

I'd be very surprised if a cable company, let alone Cablevision, allowed you to record encrypted high definition channels off digital cable. Lawsuits would be flying all over the place.

Well I guess i'll find out tomorrow.

If not I'll wait for Dish Network

Here's a Question for TB DOM BROSKY

Why isn't there lawsuits flying all over the place with satelitte?

I can do recording right now,but with the unexpected flaws & glitches,which
seems never to be a fix for.

AFAIK, there are no lawsuits, because there is no encryption of the HD digital signal emanating from satellite STB's today. Either the signal is in the clear, as with the Dish 5000, or the digital signal is not accessible at all without modification.

On another note, I’ve noticed that the signal from Sat-C has been improved quite a bit for me in the past few days. Can someone report their recent experience in recording any of the Sat-C channels, such as HDNet Movies or Discovery HD?

Originally posted by yrral
Here's a Question for TB DOM BROSKY

Why isn't there lawsuits flying all over the place with satelitte?

I can do recording right now,but with the unexpected flaws & glitches,which
seems never to be a fix for.

As stjr said, there is no encryption from the current stbs. That is why these 169time modifications are possible. Why do you think they didn't include firewire on these boxes in the first place? It's because of the copy protection. So don't think Cablevision is going to give an unencrypted firewire port. It ain't gonna happen. The movie industry has no leverage against a company like 169time. That is why they can release products like this.

Would it still be possible to record high definition off of a i link supplied digital cable box,for personal use?

Does anyone have digital cable & can record High Definition with a i link
equipped box?

Well wednesday i will know the answer on my end for sure.

But if anyone has the answer for the above questions it would appreciate it.

Your best bet would be to wait until your cable company releases an hdtv recorder. Scientific Atlanta released the 8000HD just a couple weeks ago and I know Cablevision uses the SA boxes so you might be in luck. Or you can get your box and send it in to 169Time. It depends on what features you want and if you're willing to be an early adopter.

What cable provider in NJ is supplying an HD set-top box with FireWire output?

Are you sure the FireWire ports will actually be enabled, or even present (as opposed to just an "optional feature" of the box)?

"""Why do you think they didn't include firewire on these boxes in the first place? It's because of the copy protection""""

sorta, there is copy protection; 5c could have been put in them i beleive ( it is in the current dvhs machines)... It is just not stringent enough CP to make hollywood happy, as it allows at least one personal use copy of movies shown on subscription channels

They don't want copy protection, they want copy proof, period!

i think that for firewire to work on boxes that include the port,(not an after market add on) the cable co has to turn the port on, so even if the box included the port (it was a feature) and not just an option, it still must be activated..

also, and while law now allows ( i think) you to buy a cable box and have them mapped/addressed so they work; i am not sure you could make them turn on teh firewire option unless they were offering it to all their customers... or i am sure that is what they would say

Hello RRG

The Cable provider is Cablevision.

Go back on this forum to page 58 Last post
Go to Cablevision .com
& follow what i wrote to get to see the box DHG-55.
It's not on Sony's site.

You must type in your search engine Sony DHG-55



HELLO TBDOMBROSKI

I Have a VCR already ...the JVC HM-DH30000u

You will see all the outputs .

The one I'm getting is a silver box made by Sony
It will have 2 IEEE-1394 ports as well as 2 optical audio outs.
It does not have component video out.

I intend to feed the firewire out of the Sony box via firewire into the JVC
30000,then back out of the vcr to component.

Originally posted by yrral

HELLO TBDOMBROSKI

I Have a VCR already ...the JVC HM-DH30000u

You will see all the outputs .

The one I'm getting is a silver box made by Sony
It will have 2 IEEE-1394 ports as well as 2 optical audio outs.
It does not have component video out.

I intend to feed the firewire out of the Sony box via firewire into the JVC
30000,then back out of the vcr to component.

If you do indeed get this to work, I'm moving back in with my parents (who have cablevision). You're going to try the pay channels like HBO right?

TBDOMBROSKY

I already have Directv.
I had my DTC-100 modified by 169 as well as gotton a AVX-1
when i shipped it to get done.

I have the latest software upgrade the 03.

I'm still getting these occassional audio/video freezes & still there
is no solution for it yet.

The cable company called me the other day & said that Digital Cable is now
avail. in my town.

So I signed up with them.

I suppose to get this new cable box today as mentioned in above post.
I guess i'll find out today if I can record from the I link from the box
to the JVC.

If so I will keep the forum posted.
If I can record True HD glitch free I will of course post it here.

The only draw back will be that they only have 4 HD channels (right now anyway) HBO,SHO,FOX,ESPN

If all else fails I will go with Dish Network when the PVR-921 & Superdish comes out.

This I know for a fact is made to work with the JVC HM-DH 30000u
according to JVC & Dish Network dealers.


But who knows maybe the 169 time co. will have a fix by then.
Been waiting quite a while for another AVX upgrade.

I will eventually sell my DTC-100 & AVX1 if anyone is interested.

HELLO TOM.

I will for sure get HBO & SHO in HD.
There really is no other reason I would get the cable.

I'm really interested in the High Definition programming.

I want to start a HD Library.
Why buy these prerecored DVHS movies when you can record your own.

I agree that there are some DVHS prerecorded movies that are hardly ever shown but at least you can get something started.

Put it this way in either case we are all paying for the programming & it's
only fair to be able record (for personal use)whatever we want.

Not to get too far OT, but here is a thread on the problems associated with Cablevision recording. See this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=1362386#post1362386). 169time may be the only game in town for DirecTV HD recording for a while.

Here is a update about the cable box situation.

The installer came yesterday & didn't have the proper box.

They are working on getting the Sony box.

typical!! did it even do hd... what was not correct about it.

that must be annoying, good luck getting the right box in a timely manner even tho they are working on it....

i look forward to your post

"""Not to get too far OT, but here is a thread on the problems associated with Cablevision recording. See this. 169time may be the only game in town for DirecTV HD recording for a while.


__________________
"""

that was a while ago, i wonder if they ever fixed the problem.. or if it conveniently can not be

Sure is looking that way. No monthly charge for a 169time product. ;)

Dave

Originally posted by h2ofun
No monthly charge for a 169time product. ;)



Why would there be, it's not a PVR to begin with.

Regardless, thats good to know. For most people having to take out a 2nd mortgage for the 169time product is enough I would think.

Then again, maybe you're on to something, Dave. Those that can and have afforded it probably wouldnt mind dropping a continual extra 10.00 a month for the "only game in town"! Ya think?

Ooops, almost forgot.. ;)

For now, its 10 bucks a month for vapor ware.

dave

Originally posted by h2ofun
Sure is looking that way. No monthly charge for a 169time product. ;)

Dave

You are right no monthly but What would you call the 2 year maintenance subscription? You are just paying it upfront for 2 years vs on a monthly basis. :rolleyes:

Looks like E* DVR subscription is free if you buy a full service pack. Nothing is free with 169. :D

BTW explain how this is a technical issues :rolleyes: and not another one of your marketing efforts?

Originally posted by btmoore
You are right no monthly but What would you call the 2 year maintenance subscription? You are just paying it upfront for 2 years vs on a monthly basis. :rolleyes:

Looks like E* DVR subscription is free if you buy a full service pack. Nothing is free with 169. :D

BTW explain how this is a technical issues :rolleyes: and not another one of your marketing efforts?


I've gotten my AVX1 updates free from 169time.com

I just downloaded it and burned it on my PC CD burner. Took about a half hour for the whole thing.

Compared to my projector and continuous outlay for HD programming subscriptions, the initial outlay for 169 stuff is practically free.

The 2 year thing is not mainteance. Read their web page. It's a way to get their free updates mailed to you on a cd by overnight instead of downloading. As far as maintenance goes they fixed my dtc100 for free and they did it overnight. I got better service from Richard than any other company I've bought from in the past 2 years.

Another thing is this issue about glitches. I have a couple of JVC decks and noticed some glitches in the HDNet and HBO recordings, but no glitches from my recordings of ABC and CBS network HD from the 169 equipped BEV 6000. So I moved the JVC deck from my BEV 6000 to my DTC100 169 setup and since then no more glitches on DirecTV. That proves that this particular JVC deck can be the culprit, so don't blame 169. This jives with what people are saying when they record HD DirecTV directly to the PC hard drive... no glitches either.

I received my "repaired" DTC100 and AVX-1 Friday. They have been set up and running since then with no pixels! Although Richard could not find the source of the problem ( or even find the problem) when it was on his bench, he replaced all components at no charge. I think that this kind of service level deserves a subscription. It is also a great incentive to continually improve the software.

He has always answered my emails, has been friendly and informative on the telephone, and seems to really care about the users experiences with his system.

I use mine with a C/Ku-Band 4DTV system, and I can honestly say (backed up by witnesses) that I have never seen a glitch on one of my recordings that was not present in the downlink signal. I also recorded Star Wars recently, during the same showing that many using D* as their source were complaining here on AVS of artifacts and pixilation during fast motion scenes. My recording was exactly as the first generation downlink. It has no artifacts even during Master Yoda's fight scene.

I consider 169time to be a fine company, and their system is one of the best investments that I have ever made. I have a small problem with recording the digital audio on a PBS station (Nebraska HDTV), but it is a known issue that Richard is working on. It is of low priority as I have a Sammy 165 that I can record my local PBS affiliate with. NHDTV runs the PBS loop most of the time.

Ray :)

Originally posted by yrral
Would it still be possible to record high definition off of a i link supplied digital cable box,for personal use?

Does anyone have digital cable & can record High Definition with a i link
equipped box?

Well wednesday i will know the answer on my end for sure.

But if anyone has the answer for the above questions it would appreciate it. I have Long Island Cablevision and the Sony DHG -55 box with the firewire outputs. I have been making perfect HD recordings of Showtime and HBO to my 30K since March 2003.

Maybe you should start a separate thread about this subject?

Dave

I am wondering if I can use my Sony camcorder with firewire instead of the JVC deck. I use to use this to archive my movies from MyHD and the hipix cards.

Alan,

You cannot do this. The Sony is a DV device, not an MPEG2 device. You would need a computer to stuff MPEG2 into a DV stream and to play it back. Although maybe the AVX1 can be made to do this for you...

Thanks leszek1

Originally posted by Bogney Baux
I have Long Island Cablevision and the Sony DHG -55 box with the firewire outputs. I have been making perfect HD recordings of Showtime and HBO to my 30K since March 2003.

Maybe you should start a separate thread about this subject?



Bogney:

I am unfamiliar with LI Cablevision since I converted to Directv about 10 years ago.

Does LI cablevision provide the Sony DHG-55 Box?

Thanks in advance

Lon

Originally posted by LJG
I am unfamiliar with LI Cablevision since I converted to Directv about 10 years ago.

Does LI cablevision provide the Sony DHG-55 Box?

Yes the Sony box was supplied by Cablevision. I believe the monthly charge is $3.24.

A few months ago they started supplying Scientific Atlanta 4200 boxes that do not have a firewire connection to new customers. I assume that the Sony could be gotten by special request.

Right now they only have HBO, Showtime, Madison Square Garden, and Fox Sports NY in HD. Hopefully, more channels will be added soon.

What ever happened to recording to PC and using the HiPix or MYHD for playback. This topic just seamed to die.
Is this still a project or is it something not panning out?

Thanks!

I'm still having momentary pixilation with recordings from HBO and I wonder if the signal is erratic; does anyone know which transponder(s) HBO is using?

Originally posted by Alan Gouger
What ever happened to recording to PC and using the HiPix or MYHD for playback. This topic just seamed to die.
Is this still a project or is it something not panning out?

Thanks!

The last thing I recall reading was about the testers not having time to test, or ran into other problems. I was going to offer to test it, but didnt, figuring that I have a better chance of seeing hell freeze. This is ultimately the solution I want, record direct to a drive.

...and it's the solution I'm waiting on to purchase. I'd rather avoid purchasing, and somewhat more importantly, connecting, a DVHS unit, especially if it's for a limited time.

BTW, and this is -really- pushing it, but...

I'm a C-band (HDD200) user. I noticed in many of the problems experienced, the source (small dish) was questioned. If having a C-Band tester would be beneficial enough to warrant a loaner, extended guarantee, etc. I'd certainly be willing :) You can bet I'd have the time to test!

Chris

Perhaps it is simply a matter of signal strength since I have the AVX-1 with a JVC along with a large ChannelMaster Gainmaster dish which gathers all transponder signals with a strength that ranges from 97-100. I have never had a pixelization problem during any DirecTV channel recordings. I have with OTA since several of my OTA channels' signals fluctuate.

I think it is ; my signals are in the 80s but I want to make sure that HBO is at least as strong as the other ones. I know HBO has changed transponders a few times, and possibly has done it it during movies that we are recording. If anyone knows the corresponding transponders for the HD channels, it would be a big help to me.

Coach

Are you saying useing the AVX you can record perfect recording from begining to end of HD NET movie channel, HBO and SHowtime?

If so I will spend the money on a bud.

Please let me know.
Thanks!

Sorry, you got me there on the specifics. So far, as a science teacher, I have only made several recordings from Discovery-HD and HDNet but none from your list. So far the longest was the approximate 80 min. "A Brief History of Time". Perhaps I haven't forced my setup to pass the longevity test it needs to. And is the data stream from Showtime and HBO significantly different than the others?

Did I qualify for the Bud?

Coach

When I record HBO/Showtime using my Dish 5000 to MYHD card the recording are flawless. When recording the same channels from my DTC100/AVX combo I get freezes thats why I was wondering. I have got some perfect recordings no longer than 1 hour with discovery and HD Net but not with HD Net MC or Hbo/showtime.

I think someone hit the nail on the head when they said they think the buffer is not large enough within the AVX and if theres the slightest offset in transmission the AVX does not recover fast enough which translates into the freezes or drop outs we are seeing.

Just curious, thanks for your follow up.

Alan.

I just recorded Fifth Element from HBO and was amazed that for the the first time ever I got a PERFECT recording using the 169time system. I was wondering why this recording was perfect and the only thing I could tell that was different about this movie was that it was in stereo and not in 5.1.

Perhaps the problem is a buffer overflow caused by the extra audio data?

The next thing I want to try is to record a regular 2 channel DD show (like "The Wire) or a plain old stereo show and see what happens.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Alan Gouger
[B]Coach

When I record HBO/Showtime using my Dish 5000 to MYHD card the recording are flawless. When recording the same channels from my DTC100/AVX combo I get freezes thats why I was wondering. I have got some perfect recordings no longer than 1 hour with discovery and HD Net but not with HD Net MC or Hbo/showtime.

I think someone hit the nail on the head when they said they think the buffer is not large enough within the AVX and if theres the slightest offset in transmission the AVX does not recover fast enough which translates into the freezes or drop outs we are seeing.


Alan, I tested Direct PC A4 and B3 extensively with the 169-time setup. I also got microglitches every 5 minutes until I found a way to minimize them. Try this: Unplug the RCA from the power supply, wait for a minute or so. Plug both the RCA and the AVX into the battery port of a UPC backup device that has the capability to not only protect from surges but keeps output voltage constant as well. Try it and let us know how it worked.

Originally posted by bwooster
I just recorded Fifth Element from HBO and was amazed that for the the first time ever I got a PERFECT recording using the 169time system. I was wondering why this recording was perfect and the only thing I could tell that was different about this movie was that it was in stereo and not in 5.1.

Perhaps the problem is a buffer overflow caused by the extra audio data?

The next thing I want to try is to record a regular 2 channel DD show (like "The Wire) or a plain old stereo show and see what happens.

bwooster, this confirms my testing. It's likely a hardware issue. The software itself is actually so good that it corrects these problems pretty fast and effectively.

I still think that there are a lot of other variables that may be involved. For example, the Fifth Element was also shown in OAR so the MPEG2 stream had large areas of black information (more easily compressed, more easily buffered).

I could try doing a OTA stereo recording and testing to see if it that works perfectly. Perhaps that signal will be a good test to see if it is DirecTV that is screwing up the transmitted signal.

I read in JVC 40K thread where Richard is testing the 40k with the 169time AVX-1. Anyone heard how that test is going? It would be fabulous if the 40k somehow would allow for the little glitches experienced now to not occur on recordings/playback.

Mike

According to JVC's "master repairman" in New Jersey, the 30k with the firmware upgrade package meets the same standards as the 40k.

Thanks Jay,

I will say this. I sent my JVC30k back for the 2nd time as the firewire ports just quit working. They replaced the drum and upgraded the software. It has worked great since getting it back. I'm not recording with the 169time equipment though...just yet. Just the Samsung T-165 OTA Receiver.

Mike

Maybe soon.... :)

Jeff

Lets see, back from vacation.

As far as PC s/w, Alan, I seemed to get everything working that folks asked me to test. Some are trying a lot, others arent. If someone else wants to do some testing, write 169time and ask. The only limiter now is, if I remember right, is the firewire port can only be 1 or 2 ports. Hasnt fixed yet.

Richard told me he is playing with a marantz. Hasnt gotten a hold of a 40K yet. It seems to be picker than the 30K. So, at first blush, are still some corner case bugs that have been removed from the 30K after a few f/w updates.

Dave

I made my first test recording today using the AVX-1 and the JVC 40k. I recorded 2 hours of DiscoveryHD and to this point have played back about 45 minutes of the recording through the 40k. The recording looks great. I have seen three to four instances of blocking, lasting about 1/2 second each (and only covering about 2-3% of the screen). These minor flaws may have been introduced during the live broadcast, as I was unable to view the show as it aired.

In the next few days, I will try recording something from HBO-HD. Also, I will test playback of these tapes on the 30k when I have a chance.

I am going to try to "clean up" the environment here where the recordings are done. My options are somewhat limited, but I believe a better surge protector may benefit my system -- as we all know, digital recordings can be fickle.

Originally posted by h2ofun
Lets see, back from vacation.

As far as PC s/w, Alan, I seemed to get everything working that folks asked me to test. Some are trying a lot, others arent. If someone else wants to do some testing, write 169time and ask. The only limiter now is, if I remember right, is the firewire port can only be 1 or 2 ports. Hasnt fixed yet.

Dave,

Are you saying a 1 or 2 port firewire card in the HTPC or the AVX1 or both?

This limiter is only currently on the HTPC now. Not in the avx-1.
Boy, what a vacation does to the brain. ;)

Dave

Guys,

It looks like I am going to be the proud owner of the 169time AVX equipment. I just bought a members 2nd setup. It should show up this week sometime.

I have a question in reading the manual on the 169time site.

It says to plug the 3 components: AVX-1, DTC-100, and JVC30k into the same power strip. I had planned on putting the AVX-1 about 10 feet away from the rest of the equipment. Will I still need to plug into same power strip as DTC-100 and JVC30k? or was this just an issue at first and now its not a big deal? I know also several factors can play into this and everybody has mixed results but just want to get my wires ready for when it arrives.

Thanks,
Mike

re ota testing hmm as far as i can tell teh 169time product is perfect with ota..

Originally posted by CoachS
Perhaps it is simply a matter of signal strength since I have the AVX-1 with a JVC along with a large ChannelMaster Gainmaster dish which gathers all transponder signals with a strength that ranges from 97-100. I have never had a pixelization problem during any DirecTV channel recordings. I have with OTA since several of my OTA channels' signals fluctuate.


how big is this dish

fyi

Regarding a post speculating that something in the hardware is not
working....

The system of communication using firewire between the set top box and the
processing within the AVX1 has been tested to be accurate and solid. This
was one of the original design considerations. i,e, the data paths must be
reliable before any processing could be considered. Although on the surface
the conclusion drawn here seems reasonable based on the emperical viewpoint
presented, the conclusion that hardware is responsible is not correct.

If there actually were a loss of data or a hardware problem, the results
would be more catestrophic, i.e. loss of video or sound or severely
degredation. This isn't the case. If anyone experiences these results, the
deck or other hardware might need cleaning or repair.

In reality the firewire communication system implementation of the HDVR and
AVX1 is rock solid and behaves just as of the program process of the AVX1
were part of the HDTV receiver even though it only connects through cabling.

One analysis that is closer to the truth of the cause of the glitches and
incompatibilities of some AVX1 generated program material with boxes such as
the Samsung was what Leszek was talking about when he described potential
pitfalls of a muxing process.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=263766

Leszek used entertainment industry pun terminology (movie title) when he
objectively described specific muxer implementations, calling them good,
bad, or ugly. The AVX1 does include some muxing functionality but it
doesn't fit precisely into Leszek's lumped categories. Further info about
how the AVX1 works is proprietary.

The original target of the AVX1 process was for playback through the DTC100
or deck. These function fairly well though there is a heightened dependance
on the quality of the incoming signal. The Samsung T165 didn't exist when
169time.com first started shipping the AVX1. The T165's increased
dependance on muxing quality is not deemed to be a defect. The AVX1 is not
defective since it does satisfies the originally intended decoders, i.e.
deck and DTC100 based playback..

Testing and analysis of improved AVX1 software in our lab indicates that a
disc upgrade alone will produce the improved results sought without any
hardware changes. Alpha field testing of these improvements is not ready
yet.

All this means that a software upgrade disc will again make the AVX1
function more robust as it did several months ago.

-----

Regarding the posts that note a dependance on the quantity of firewire
ports...

Thhe dependance on port quantity relates to unreleased alpha test version -
0.8A4.

169time will likely make improvements before a version is released and that
will reduce or eliminate the dependance on the quantity of ports on the
firewire cards used for home-brew AVX1 or WIN XP PC capture.


Dave

Originally posted by leszek1
Alan,

You cannot do this. The Sony is a DV device, not an MPEG2 device. You would need a computer to stuff MPEG2 into a DV stream and to play it back. Although maybe the AVX1 can be made to do this for you...

in the bad old days wasn't there plans for such a product one that interfaced with and recorded on to dv camcorder? but was dropped as more and more dvhs machine came to market?

Yep, when I first came on the scene with 169time, they were working on the DV. I suggested there wasnt enough market, and they changed over to the DVHS decks.

Dave

Mike,

As you know, I use the long firewire cables and have the AVX separated by around 10 - 12 feet. It is on a separate power outlet from the rest of the equipment. I know that some people moved their AVX closer after the software upgrade a few months back, but I left mine alone as I was fairly happy with it before and very happy since the B3 software. My setup allowed for that to work well for me so I left it all alone. For me, the pad attenuator and the physical separation helped, so I kept those measures in place. The inline amplifiers destroyed my ability to record as the signal would fluctuate wildly, so I dropped using that. Your mileage, of course, will probably vary. I would say to tweak your dish for strong signals and see what happens when you get your unit.

Jeff

Jeff,

Thanks!! I have a real strong satellite signal now so I am good to go there. I'll try it your way when I get it and then experiment if I run into problems.

Thanks again,
Mike

Dave

A new software drop in the works. This is good news:)

Dave

The testing taking place using a PC is that for use with playback of the MYHD card?
Thanks!

Alan, with the A4 s/w, I think the avx-1 just looks like a DVHS deck.
So, in theory, and solution that works with a DVHS deck, should work with the AVX-1. I got it going with your MYHD card. I got it going with DVHSTools. I got it going with graphedit.

Dave

Welcome back Dave. Is anyone working on a timer recording function for the avx-1 with any of the available HD transport stream firewire capturing software programs?

Hi Dave

I used DVHSTools to transfer a movie recorded by the AVX1 to hard drive.

When playing back using MYHD card it stuttered and froze every other second.
Then everyone told me to use DVHSTools for playback that I would get better results. That was not perfect ether. For myself I prefer to playback using MYHD. If you say you got it working I will talk to Richard to see if I can get this software or become a beta tester.

Thanks!

Alan, the DVSHtools needs the next version in order to work. I dont believe its been released yet.

Steve, I am not aware of any more effort with timer. The problem is, the existing timer via firewire on OTA, I have found is not 100% reliable. So, I no longer use it and just use my handheld timer. Its been 100%. Since 169time hasnt had any help from the DVHS makers, looks like this is one function he cant get reliable enough to support on the avx-1. Sorry.

Dave

fyi

In response to a post on a previous page about stereo versus 5.1 recording,
the AVX1 system doesn't change the audio or video format. Whatever the
received broadcast is precisely matches what gets recorded. Most likely it
is the settings of the playback device or decoder that is affecting the
audio conversion. Check the audio setup in the deck for example.

---------

Regarding the software for AVX1, here is a list of features that 169time is
currently working on for near term release. Please wait for the release
announcement. 169time does not provide estimates of release dates. The
release of these three features may occur in different versions on different
dates. These updates are expected to function without any hardware changes
in the AVX or HDVR. Only a swap of the AVX1 cd is expected to be needed,
but this is not guaranteed. It is possible that a firmware update for the
HDVR will allow a broader usage of different firewire cards for item (2)
below. Currently testing hasn't yet shown a need for any firmware or
hardware changes.

1) Ability for people to use their own hardware for the AVX1. Note this is
separate from the function of hard drive recording. The AVX1 makes the
signal compatible with the DVHS deck or a Windows PC so that it can be
recorded. This should not increase or decrease the quality or compatibility
of the resulting recording. The purpose of doing this is to allow a reduced
expense by not needing to purchase the AVX1 processor from 169time.

The target computer for this is a Celeron or Pentium 3 computer. Pentium 4
computers are not going to be compatible in this first version. Some AMD or
Via based computers may also work. The computer will need a CDROM, no hard
drive, and a as of yet unspecified firewire card. The processor speed will
need to be at least 300Mhz if there is no video on the motherboard. With
video on the motherboard, a faster processor may be needed, such as 766Mhz
and the speed in this case is dependant on the actual reduction in speed due
to memory sharing with video on the motherboard.

Making your own AVX1 will be relatively easy for those that have access to
someone that can configure a PC, and many people will have an older P3 type
computer they could use for this.

The current released AVX1 software doesn't support a user built AVX1.

Even though the updated AVX1 software will allow a user built AVX1, it will
still be necessary to have the HDVR firewire adapter installed inside the
STB, and this will be the part purchased from 169time.

2) Ability to record directly from the AVX1 to a Windows XP PC without
needing a deck connected. As reported here on the forum the current AVX1
software can be used with a deck connected to directly record to the PC hard
drive. The new feature being worked on is the abilty to do this without
needing to have a deck connected.

Clarifying, the system would still use a separate AVX1 processor (computer)
and a separate Windows XP PC for this, for a total of two computers if the
deck is not used for recording. 169time doesn't provide the Windows XP end
of the system. This is expected to be released simultaneous with or after
item (1) above. Both user built AVX1 and 169time built AVX1 systems will be
supported for this.

3) The ability to support more playback decoders. As has been reported, the
AVX1 was designed with the intention that the playback would be on a JVC
deck's decoder or DTC100's decoder. It was later determined that some HDTV
programming can cause other brands of playback decoders to produce
unviewable results when playing back material. Additional processing
improvements will allow greatly improved compatiblity with these other
brands of decoders.


Other enhancements being tested and considered
----------------------------------------------

A) Expanding on item 3 above, it is very likely that even though some
previously recorded material doesn't play back on some decoders, existing
recordings can be re-processed to improve compatibility with other brands of
playback decoders. The enhancement would be a re-processor function.

B) Recording and playback using a hard drive in the AVX1 itself.

C) A windows PC based AVX1 where the entire process of recording to the hard
drive and AVX1 is done in windows with not separate AVX1 computer in the
system.

Dave

C) A windows PC based AVX1 where the entire process of recording to the hard
drive and AVX1 is done in windows with not separate AVX1 computer in the
system.



Now this would be cool:)

C). Would be cool, but no one has stepped up to do the windows work needed, only the linux folks did or we would have nothing now.
Thanks Dan Dennedy!!!! our Linux man!!

Dave

Dave,

The effort to make the 169time/avx-1 more HTPC friendly is great news. I have several PIII class HTPC's that I can commission for rolling my own avx-1.

OTOH, I'm disappointed that there is no timed recording functionality being developed for the Windows platform. If the new avx-1 software described by you catches on, maybe the DVHSTool developers would consider adding that function to their program.

Steve, I know folks are asking should the prorgrams like MYHD, etc should have timer recording put in. Would be easier than putting into avx-1.

169time just continues to improve as fast as they can. They then adjust based on what other companys do.

Dave

Originally posted by h2ofun
3) The ability to support more playback decoders. As has been reported, the
AVX1 was designed with the intention that the playback would be on a JVC
deck's decoder or DTC100's decoder. It was later determined that some HDTV
programming can cause other brands of playback decoders to produce
unviewable results when playing back material. Additional processing
improvements will allow greatly improved compatiblity with these other
brands of decoders.


Other enhancements being tested and considered
----------------------------------------------

A) Expanding on item 3 above, it is very likely that even though some
previously recorded material doesn't play back on some decoders, existing
recordings can be re-processed to improve compatibility with other brands of
playback decoders. The enhancement would be a re-processor function.
[/B]

This is very good news!

B) Recording and playback using a hard drive in the AVX1 itself.

that would be nice less boxes around

Dan, any chance the Linux PVR function is something you have been thinking about?

Dave

Okay, just talked to Richard about the sale price. He is still working on the new web site and some other stuff to post now. But, if you call and say you saw it on AVS, you can get the sale price of $999, installed in your STB,
(that 169time supports), plus tax and shipping. Just in time for football!!!

Dave

Thanks for the update, Dave. Is there a separate price for the 169time mod vs. the avx-1?

If one wants only OTA on the dtc100 and doesnt need the avx-1, the sale price is $699 for the board installed plus tax and shipping.

I think there will be a build your own avx-1 down the road, its just not ready yet.

Dave

The above comments on 169time sale prices are on NEW orders only

dave

Just got my 169time equipment I bought from another member and it works great!!! I have recorded and watched back 10 minutes so far....I've had it for 15 minutes.http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/images/smilies/wink.gif

Funny Story....When I first hooked the DTC-100 up and turned on my projector and receiver it was tuned to HBO-HD and the Mission Impossible song started playing. I was like .....Oh No...

I will be recording a few things tonight and report the results back!!

WOOOHOOO!!!

Mikehttp://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/images/smilies/smile.gif

Mike, thats great. Welcome to the team. Let us know how is goes.

Dave

Well, after recording just a few minutes here and there I was all set to record my first movie. I was going to record MIB2 from HBO-HD. I turned on right channel on DTC-100, turned on JVC30k turned to channel 2 and then booted up AVX-1. When movie got ready to begin I changed channel on JVC to I-5(which is AVX-1 at the time) and saw on AVX-1 screen that it found signal and then I pressed record on JVC30k. I watched via the component output of JVC so I could monitor. It played the first 57 minutes perfect. Then the picture started going slow and audio was gone. It was like the AVX-1 computer slowed down and couldn't process signal fast enough.(Also the AVX-1 never showed a resync until I changed channels) Has anybody else had this happen? Is there anything I can do to avoid this in the future? I then changed I-channels on JVC and then went back to AVX-1 # and it started playing perfect again. This ruined my recording. Hopefully someone can tell me that it has happened to them and what to do to avoid it happening again. Also, my JVC30k won't play through the DTC-100. Jeffden has walked me through all the right steps to get it to work as I first unplugged AVX-1 from JVC and I reset everything by unplugging firewire cables, unplugging power cables for JVC and DTC-100. I then would turn DTC-100 to an OTA HD channel and then turn JVC30k to the I-link associated with the DTC-100. I then see the light flash on DTC-100 and push play. The OTA channel would freeze. After not playing I would push stop on JVC and the OTA signal would resume. I tried changing channels, reseting DTC-100 and still no luck. I recently had my firewire ports quit working on my JVC so I sent it in and they replaced the whole drum assembly so maybe this has something to do with it. My projectror displays HD better through the VGA inputs than the component inputs and this is why I wanted to be able to play JVC through DTC-100. No biggie but it would have been nice. I am recording 8 Legged Freaks off of HBO-HD now so I will report how that goes, hopefully no slowdowns this time.

Thanks,
Mike

I'm retarded -- I cannot figure out how to record an OTA HD channel with the DTC-100/AVX-1 combo. I booted the system as I normally would for a DirecTV HD channel, except put the DTC-100 to 12.1. For the life of me, I could not get the JVC deck to take the signal.

I then tried disconnecting the AVX-1 and all the firewire cables. I powered up the DTC-100 and the JVC, connected directly by firewire. The screen on the JVC read "I-" with no number, and would not get the signal. The green power light on the DTC-100 was flashing two times per second, indicating it was outputting the signal.

I know I am just doing something wrong -- I am a rookie with the 169time equipment. But does anybody know what I am doing wrong?

XFactor,

Sounds like you are doing it right. I can get an OTA HD signal to show up by doing what you are doing. I just turn DTC-100 to an OTA HD signal and then turn JVC to the appopriate I-link # which for me is I-1. It then is displayed on the component outs of the JVC30k. I push record and it records. I am not the one who needs to give advice on this thread yet though as I am new and having problems myself.

Mike

Do you have the AVX-1 on when you do it?

No, I completely unplug the firewire from the AVX-1 from the front of the JVC30k.

Have you had the picture slow up on you like it did on me earlier?

hmmm.... doesn't work for me for some reason. I have the DTC-100 plugged directly into the JVC with no other connections. DTC-100 is tuned to 12.1, which is broadcasting in 1080i. The green light on the DTC-100 blinks, but I cannot get the JVC to find the signal. It simply reads "I-".

hmm..did you go into JVC menu and try resetting i-link#'s. to see if that helps?

My JVC did this exact same thing 2 months ago as it would just say i- and no number. I had it connected at the time to a computer and my Samsung T-165. I then sent it in to JVC and they said I needed a new drum assembly as my firewire ports had both died. Hopefully this hasn't happened to you as well.

Mike

I hope this isn't some problem with the 40k.