How to record via IEEE 1394 (Firewire) to Windows XP [Text View] - Page 22

smhagen1

02-16-10, 06:45 PM

Interesting...several years ago when I had an older Motorola 6412 and XP it worked great. I know have a DCX3400 and Win 7. I installed all the new drivers and all looked great. I tried "start" on the CapHD and my computer crashed, kernal dump, Scary! Thought I just fried my new OS.

So what your saying is I will NOT be able to Capture with this new DCX? Has anyone tried calling a DCT3416 instead? Just curious so I can quit searching for a solution. I also have an HD VCR player I can try to play with. So is it the DCX issue or the driver issue or both?

Stu

Ixnay on the external drive for Moto boxes.

You're stuck. The newer DCX3400 with the 250GB or 320GB drive has the unfortunate characteristic of currently having its firewire interface broken. That means you will not be able to offload to your PC.

ON THE OTHER HAND... if you're willing to get back into a "dead format" that still provides exactly the kind of offload/time-shifting function you're looking for but more conveniently than using your PC (unless there's a real reason you copy to PC), you might consider acquiring a JVC DVHS VCR to go with your existing DCT/DCH box. Again, you won't be able to upgrade to a DCX box because of the broken firewire interface.

this other thread on the sudden availability of JVC DVHS machines refurbed by JVCand currently selling at remarkably cheap prices (e.g. MSRP was originally $1,500 and they're being sold for about $230 now).

This tape-based idea may not appeal to you at all, but I put it out there because these units are simply not being built any longer, so this sudden availability is really a "once in a lifetime" opportunity if you're interested in offloading HD content from your existing DVR to free up hard drive while still providing unlimited HD time-shifting capability... without using your PC.

Anyway...

PaulF8080

02-17-10, 02:33 PM

This is my fourth post so hopefully I can post links.

My symptoms were 800705aa using CapDVHS while using XP SP3. There was a Microsoft patch for SP2 because SP2 broke firewire. The patch was blocked for me by Microsoft because it was SP2 only. The patch was to allow higher speed firewire connections so I searched for prroblems with the higher speed S400 connection. I found this site:

http://www.rme-audio.de/english/techinfo/fw800sp2.htm

The site has a very good description of Microsoft's controversial interpretation of the OCHI firewire spec. The site also has a very good explanation of the mechanism Microsoft uses to disallow installation of older drivers and shows a step by step method for installing the SP1 versions of the ohci1394.sys and 1394bus.sys driver files.

When I built my PC my XP disk was already at SP2 so I didn't have the Windows\Driver Cache\i386\sp1.cab archive that contains SP1 drivers.

I downloaded the drivers from this site:

http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=31518

The installation on this site is a blind shotgun approach I didn't like. They delete all files on the computer that have 1394 in the file name.

landochi

02-23-10, 01:09 PM

I tried that file but got the error "The file you specified doesnt have compatible drivers for your device ..... make sure they are compatible with win x64"
I get the same thing only on Windows 7 32-bit. Has anyone found a workaround?

wings9130

03-01-10, 07:15 PM

I can't get my computer to download the drivers for my comcast dch3416 cablebox. It has worked on here before I had to redo my whole computer. I am running vista 32 bit with SP2 installed. The only thing I can think of is if it is the service pack 2 that is causing it. Does SP2 block the drivers from working? It keeps saying windows can not find the drivers. Once it found the drivers but didnt install them properly. Also will there ever be vista 64 bit drivers or windows 7 drivers? Please help.

DSperber

03-01-10, 07:31 PM

Interesting...several years ago when I had an older Motorola 6412 and XP it worked great. I know have a DCX3400 and Win 7. I installed all the new drivers and all looked great. I tried "start" on the CapHD and my computer crashed, kernal dump, Scary! Thought I just fried my new OS.

So what your saying is I will NOT be able to Capture with this new DCX? Has anyone tried calling a DCT3416 instead?To the best of my knowledge, the heart of this thread was about recording over firewire to WinXP, not to Vista or Win7. Also, it was for 32-bit WinXP, not 64-bit.

As far as I know, the only working drivers... for WinXP 32-bit... are NOT suitable for use in any other environment. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

As far as the DCX3400 DVR, this particular box which SHOULD have been completely compatible with previous DCH3416 and DCT34xx/64xx models from the same family as far as being recordable via firewire to WinXP... well unfortunately Motorola has inexplicably broken the firewire interface on this newest DVR. It does NOT work connected to a firewire-recording mechanism, be it a properly configured WinXP computer or even a genuine true JVC DVHS VCR.

That's right, even a standalone JVC DVHS VCR cannot record via firewire from a DCX3400, even though it can record perfectly from a DCH or DCT product. And this is because the DCX box firewire interface is, itself, deeply flawed because of a Motorola screwup (that they STILL have not corrected, much less getting that fix rolled out to us through the cable companies even if that fix existed).

So don't waste your time right now trying to record a DCX3400 to anything. It won't work.

But for DCT/DCH boxes, I do believe 32-bit WinXP is the prerequisite.

ak3883

03-02-10, 12:51 PM

DSperber

03-04-10, 01:19 AM

With all this crap about the DCX 3400 series firewire being broken, ironically the latest firmware on my older DCT3416 has restored firewire functionality, and it works nearly perfect. No audio issues, no video output frozen, etc. You have to unplug/plug in the firewire when the tuner is live though, if you do it when you are watching from the buffer, it'll kill the box and reboot.The DCT had a firewire problem originally, that was fixed by some recent firmware upgrade? Can you be more specific... cable provider, previous firmware level, new firmware level?

In my experience, recording via firewire from any model of DCT64* box that I've had to true DVHS VCR has never been a problem at all. Same with recording from my DCH3416 to true DVHS VCR. It's always worked perfectly, whether archiving to DVHS from "live" tuner or from "recorded" program on hard drive.

In contrast, trying to do exactly the same thing using the DCX3400 (again, to true DVHS VCR) produces unusable recordings and causes truly bizarre audio and visual anomalies while recording... either from "live" tuner or from "recorded" program on hard drive. If the VCR is not recording yet, things look normal. but when you push the REC button all hell breaks loose and the so-called recording to DVHS tape is worthless.

Although I don't have any of my DVRs connected to my PC, I do have one of my DVHS VCR's connected to my WinXP system for recording DVHS tape to PC... mostly because my DVR is not near my computer. That's how I transfer programs from DVR (DCH3416, in another room) to PC... by first archiving from DVR to DVHS VCR#1 and then copying that tape from DVHS VCR#2 to WinXP PC (using CapDVHS, MEIDVHS driver, etc.).

bandbjt

03-07-10, 05:45 PM

My cable provider disables the firewire on all of their set top cable boxes. I thought the FCC required cable companies to provide firewire connections. Now you may ask, how I know they (cable co.) are doing this? I got a new box (old DCT) the other day and hooked up my htpc via firewire...CAPVHS worked perfectly, EVEN on a premium HD channel !! (just one of them though), about 4 hours later, no more firewire output...CAPVHS couldn't find a capture device.

I asked the cable provider if firewire was enabled or not and their reply was they don't support it. Don't they have to by FCC regulations and how are they getting away with this?

bdraw

03-07-10, 06:33 PM

The FCC requires that they offer a STB with functional Firewire, not that every Firewire port on every box functions. If they refuse to give you a box with a functional Firewire port then file a complain with the FCC, I find that it is easy to do online via fcc.gov and the cable companies respond rather quickly to complaints.

Erik Garci

03-07-10, 07:47 PM

The FCC requires that they offer a STB with functional Firewire, not that every Firewire port on every box functions.
All HD cable boxes must have functional Firewire ports, except for boxes that cable company acquired before 7/1/2005.

John P

03-08-10, 07:29 AM

My cable provider disables the firewire on all motorola cable boxes. I thought the FCC required cable companies to provide firewire connections. Now you may ask, how I know they (cable co.) are doing this? I got a new box (old DCT) the other day and hooked up my htpc via firewire...CAPVHS worked perfectly, EVEN on a premium HD channel !! (just one of them though), about 4 hours later, no more firewire output...CAPVHS couldn't find a capture device.

I asked the cable provider if firewire was enabled or not and their reply was they don't support it. Don't they have to by FCC regulations and how are they getting away with this?

They only have to support Firewire connection to a display device(TV). At one time there was a Mitsubishi RPTV that had a Firewire input.

Erik Garci

03-08-10, 11:40 AM

They only have to support Firewire connection to a display device(TV).
The FCC rule states that the Firewire port must be functional, without qualification as to whether the connected device is a display or not.

bandbjt

03-08-10, 11:47 AM

They only have to support Firewire connection to a display device(TV). At one time there was a Mitsubishi RPTV that had a Firewire input.

But they are disabling the firewire output remotely after you install the box. It works when you first hook it up and then after they initialize it with the programing you are listed to receive they also send a signal which disables the firewire output. If they are required by the FCC to have active firewire supported, why would they disable it when they initialize the box for your services?

smhagen1

03-08-10, 03:31 PM

So if this is the case, why not just call the cable co. (Comcast) and insist they open that up? Then the issue would be to try to explain this to some bozo on the other end~!

Stu

bandbjt

03-08-10, 03:36 PM

So if this is the case, why not just call the cable co. (Comcast) and insist they open that up? Then the issue would be to try to explain this to some bozo on the other end~!

Stu

It's not comcast, it's mediacom. I tried calling them and they "claim" they don't support firewire yet it's obvious they can enable it if they wanted to. They had no response to me asking about the FCC rule regarding the firewire.

swing8

03-09-10, 11:20 PM

Does anyone have their Hauppauge HD PVR remote successfully changing channels? I just got one that I'm connecting to a Motorola DCX3200M (Cox cable). I can't get any of the remote codes to work. At this point I can only record the channel the tv is already set to which is nearly useless. Will I have better luck with software besides TME or does everything still depend on getting an IR code first?

Committed

03-14-10, 01:45 PM

Right up front I want to say I'm running Windows 7 Ultimate on an Lenova SL500 laptop so this may be out of sorts for this thread. Even so, I am looking for a little guidance.

I have a Motorola DCH6200 from Charter with the firewire port. When I plug it in Roxio Media Import starts up. If I click on video I get a prompt that says: "The following codec(s) must be activated before using the application, MPEG-2". When I click OK to activate, I get the message "No permission, bad installation."

I'm logged in as administrator so I'm stumped.

Also when running CapDVHS.exe and hitting record, I get the error 800705AA: Cannot start capture.

I've searched for Mpeg2 drivers with no luck. Am I missing something?

Do I need a usb video capture card to do this or should I be able to plug straight into the laptop with firewire?

I've got MythTV set up on another box but can only record up to channel 74 and I can't move it into the room where my STB is. I'm looking for a way to record above 74 from my STB on the cheap.

Committed

03-14-10, 06:59 PM

Ok got the MPEG2 driver problem sorted. Seems to have been a Lenova problem. http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=SF08-D0164

Now I still can't record though. I get an "unknown capture error" message in Roxio and "error 800705AA: Cannot start capture" in CapDVHS.exe

Am I missing something fundamental? Do I need a capture card?

MozartMan

03-14-10, 07:39 PM

Committed

03-14-10, 08:29 PM

CapDVHS doesn't work on Windows 7 for me too even with correctly installed drivers. So I keep Windows XP on my PC for capture purposes.

Read through this post. Some have got it working. I'm getting closer but still getting errors. http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/t/67381.aspx

In Roxio media import I get unknown capture error and it says under status: no signal(I wonder if the firewire port on the stb is enabled). Also still get the "error 800705AA: Cannot start capture" in CapDVHS.

I don't have any xp machines left. Got the wifes laptop with Vista and this one dual boots to linux. Might try one of those. I'll get something working, of course with the time I have into this I might as well buy a Hauppauge Wintv pvr or something.

MozartMan

03-14-10, 09:15 PM

Read through this post. Some have got it working. I'm getting closer but still getting errors. http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/t/67381.aspx

Thanks Committed. I will try this trick from that forum with my Windows 7 PC.

1. Unplug power from the STB
2. Find the 1394 host device in the Device Manager and Update Driver actually downgrade to the Legacy driver)
3. Reboot the computer
4. Plug the STB back in and let it boot up
5. Connect the STB to the PC via firewire cable
6. Install the appropriate STB drivers (I used the zip from http://home.comcast.net/~exdeus/stbfirewire)

MozartMan

03-14-10, 11:48 PM

Yeah! I got it working.

Windows 7 32
1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy) driver
CapDVHS
DCH-3416

Windows 7 for the win! Windows XP can retire.

Thanks again Committed.

tyberco

03-15-10, 10:54 AM

I've moved to Windows 7 64bit. I've given up on trying to get firewire to work with any Comcast boxes. The lack of 64 bit support was the clincher.

For anyone else in this situation, there are two apparent solutions.

1. Get a Hauppauge HD PVR box. It connects to your cable box via component video cables and to your PC via USB 2.0 cable. So it handles the HD for you and sends it to the PC via USB. http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hdpvr.html

You can use it with SageTV and such. But there is also a link on the Hauppauge webpage to a 3rd party tool called DVB Link that provides support to Windows Media Center.
http://1geek1tool.com/hdpvr/download

2. Even better solution, but not cheap, is the upcoming release of Ceton's 4 channel HD Cable Card, the InfiniTV 4. Get rid of your set top cable boxes entirely, and just rent a cable card for a few bucks a month. You just need 1 cable card to record 4 channels at once.
http://www.cetoncorp.com/

Burnerbum

03-15-10, 11:30 AM

2. Even better solution, but not cheap, is the upcoming release of Ceton's 4 channel HD Cable Card, the InfiniTV 4. Get rid of your set top cable boxes entirely, and just rent a cable card for a few bucks a month. You just need 1 cable card to record 4 channels at once.
http://www.cetoncorp.com/

But will this let you record copy protected content like the Hauppauge does. I would think not. The Hauppauge connets via Component and no protection is sent through that. I can record anything with it. The only drawback is the software that comes with it. The video control, brightness, contrast, etc setting don't work. But i still get a recording as good as what i'm watching.

I also agree, the Comcast solution is a pain, i have a dual boot XP/7 and use XP for recording off the dvr. Still it's a pain since once you start the recording the picture freezes (recording continues) and you have to make sure you set the right time (length) of the movie. Still, it produces excellent recordings.

Has anyone used TIVO. Can you copy the content from the TIVO to the pc in full HD or can you only copy it in compressed mode for small media players. I've been looking into TIVO, I know it's initially expensive but you can add extra storage and eventually the cost would catch up since you won't be renting a dvr from comcast.

Also with option 2, you would have digital cable on your pc but you would still need a box for your TV unliess you want to have your viewing running through you pc all the time.

Committed

03-15-10, 05:05 PM

qz3fwd

03-15-10, 06:25 PM

But will this let you record copy protected content like the Hauppauge does. I would think not. The Hauppauge connets via Component and no protection is sent through that. I can record anything with it. The only drawback is the software that comes with it. The video control, brightness, contrast, etc setting don't work. But i still get a recording as good as what i'm watching.

I also agree, the Comcast solution is a pain, i have a dual boot XP/7 and use XP for recording off the dvr. Still it's a pain since once you start the recording the picture freezes (recording continues) and you have to make sure you set the right time (length) of the movie. Still, it produces excellent recordings.

Has anyone used TIVO. Can you copy the content from the TIVO to the pc in full HD or can you only copy it in compressed mode for small media players. I've been looking into TIVO, I know it's initially expensive but you can add extra storage and eventually the cost would catch up since you won't be renting a dvr from comcast.

Also with option 2, you would have digital cable on your pc but you would still need a box for your TV unliess you want to have your viewing running through you pc all the time.

With a Tivo, you can transfer and show which is not CCI flagged to copy once/never. In other words, Copy Freely->Transfer bit for bit identical copies to your PC. You then use VideoReDo to edit and youre done.

The nice thing about the Tivo route is that you can fire up Tivo desktop and queue up your full Tivo to transfer everything on its hard drive and walk away and let it do the work. You dont have to sit there and manage a remote for the cable DVR and hit record on CapDVHS.

I use both methods, but have 3 Tivo S3's (the one with the nice OLED display and aluminum faceplate)

tyberco

03-16-10, 12:26 PM

But will this let you record copy protected content like the Hauppauge does. I would think not. The Hauppauge connets via Component and no protection is sent through that. I can record anything with it.

Also with option 2, you would have digital cable on your pc but you would still need a box for your TV unliess you want to have your viewing running through you pc all the time.

The whole point of the Ceton InfiniTV is that you use it with a **cable card** from your cable provider. The cable card unlocks your premium channels so you can record 4 channels (premium included) via WMC to your PC. The recorded files can then be shared over a network to other MC clients (Xbox, extenders, etc), and unprotected files can even be copied directly to other WMC computers. Protected files could be shared, but not copied directly unless first converted using 3rd party software to .mpg, .mkv or whatever.

As for watching TV on something other than your PC, that depends on how you've got everything setup. With ability to record and view 4 channels, I'll be using my WMC PC to record and share everything to my other rooms. I have a 61" connected directly to the WMC in my media room as primary TV. And I have an extender/xbox with TV in a living room, and another in a home gym area, both wired to my LAN. Then I have a Win7 notebook that connects via wifi-N anywhere in my house. We use it in the kitchen or anywhere else to watch videos or listen to mp3s.

Hope that helps explain how the Ceton InfiniTV4 is meant to be used.

Burnerbum

03-16-10, 07:19 PM

The whole point of the Ceton InfiniTV is that you use it with a **cable card** from your cable provider. The cable card unlocks your premium channels so you can record 4 channels (premium included) via WMC to your PC. The recorded files can then be shared over a network to other MC clients (Xbox, extenders, etc), and unprotected files can even be copied directly to other WMC computers. Protected files could be shared, but not copied directly unless first converted using 3rd party software to .mpg, .mkv or whatever.

As for watching TV on something other than your PC, that depends on how you've got everything setup. With ability to record and view 4 channels, I'll be using my WMC PC to record and share everything to my other rooms. I have a 61" connected directly to the WMC in my media room as primary TV. And I have an extender/xbox with TV in a living room, and another in a home gym area, both wired to my LAN. Then I have a Win7 notebook that connects via wifi-N anywhere in my house. We use it in the kitchen or anywhere else to watch videos or listen to mp3s.

Hope that helps explain how the Ceton InfiniTV4 is meant to be used.

If I understand you right, then you would have to record everything you want to watch before watching it, is that how you are doing it?

Or maybe not, i just noticed you said you connect to WMC which i believe you can watch live tv on. Is that how you do it?

Vchat20

03-16-10, 07:33 PM

If I understand you right, then you would have to record everything you want to watch before watching it, is that how you are doing it?

Or maybe not, i just noticed you said you connect to WMC which i believe you can watch live tv on. Is that how you do it?

No. With cablecards it acts like any other cableco DVR or Tivo. Can watch live stuff just as well as recording and watching later. Even extenders can take advantage of live tv over the home LAN through the main HTPC's tuners (given enough available tuners of course).

tyberco

03-17-10, 12:47 PM

If I understand you right, then you would have to record everything you want to watch before watching it, is that how you are doing it?

Or maybe not, i just noticed you said you connect to WMC which i believe you can watch live tv on. Is that how you do it?

With WMC, you can watch live or recorded shows, and share live or recorded shows (plus photo, music and video files) to WMC client devices (xbox, extenders, other PCs) via wifi or LAN.

Currently, I have a dual display Home Theater PC with Win7 Media Center, that runs a 22" LCD and a 61" DLP. So I can surf while wife watches a show for example. I have two cable boxes going into a dual tuner capture card in the PC. So I have to pay for 2 cable boxes, and can only record SD, not HD. I was going to get a Hauppauge HD PVR so I can record HD, but I'd need one for each cable box to get 2 HD channel capability.

The InfiniTV 4 is like having 4 HD cable boxes and 4 Hauppauge HD PVRs, but for the cost of one InfiniTV 4 and one CableCard monthly fee.

Anyway, sorry for highjacking the thread. Back to your regularly scheduled firestb posts. :)

Workn-on-it

03-24-10, 08:56 PM

The vista drivers aren't workin 4 my w7/64 machine...any eta for w7/64 drivers and w7 reg reset process ? (I saw Tyberco's post about cable card - great stuff, but i'd like to get the dvr drive offloaded too).

AM95

04-11-10, 10:30 PM

I'm having a problem with the recording just randomly stopping. I leave 'check PTS' unchecked so you can actually see how long it's been recording but sometimes it will just stop while 'recording' on the bottom will continue to countdown. Then of course when you try to watch the vid it will reflect this as the file size will be much larger then it should be as junk is just recorded ontop of the actual recorded video. Anyone experienced this before? Any thoughts?

Denbo_33

04-19-10, 01:25 PM

Not sure why you guys are still battling this issue through XP ?

A long time ago I created a dual-boot partition on my laptop and boot into MythBuntu and use test-mpeg to capture the video. Works great. I typically attach my 1TB USB to the laptop and capture directly to it. The USB drive then gets plugged into my PS3 for playback. No conversion or nothing ! I have written a script that creates a new file at 4GB intervals (to keep the PS3 happy ... the USB drive is obviously FAT32).

I to use linux to capture from my SA 3250HD STB using test-mpeg or a variation. See this Thread http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1147132
And just discovered that the PS3 will playback the captured files via media stream, I use Microsoft Vista as the Media server, I am sure Linux has a media server, haven’t had time to look into it.

In order to stream the file from vista, I rename the file extension to .mpg. Else vista will not server it up. Stupid vista, PS3 playback is awesome!
I don’t need no stinking Blu_ray.

dargo

04-27-10, 12:38 PM

CapDVHS doesn't work on Windows 7 for me too even with correctly installed drivers. So I keep Windows XP on my PC for capture purposes.

CapDVHS does work for me with my DVHS VCR but not cable box
must use different driver for win 7

MozartMan

04-27-10, 01:34 PM

CapDVHS does work for me with my DVHS VCR but not cable box
must use different driver for win 7

Actually I got CapDVHS to work on Windows 7 with my DCH-3416 cable box. I followed this prcedure:

1. Unplug power from the STB
2. Find the 1394 host device in the Device Manager and Update Driver actually downgrade to the Legacy driver
3. Reboot the computer
4. Plug the STB back in and let it boot up
5. Connect the STB to the PC via firewire cable
6. Install the appropriate STB drivers (I used the zip from http://home.comcast.net/~exdeus/stbfirewire)

zippy710199

04-29-10, 02:08 PM

I have a DELL 1545 with Win 7
Im trying to cap through firewire from the DCH6416 MOTO BOX
This machine just rejects the drivers when i try manually install them
I installed the vista timmm driver package but still not luck
Anyone have any ideas on how i can get firewire capping to work again?

dawg111

05-02-10, 01:42 AM

Hi everyone, this is my 1st post on avsforum since joining the other day, so please excuse any mistakes I make. I kind of consider myself as a newbie at all of this.

I dabbled with Firewire to XP viewing and recording ~ 1.5 yrs ago and pretty much gave up after a short time without ever attempting to record, just view in VLC and maybe MPC. I have a renewed interest in it since I just found out that my Toshiba RD-XS52SU HDD//DVD video recorder has a Firewire port (hidden in a small front panel)! More on the Toshiba RD-XS52SU later.

Two weeks ago my Comcast/Pace RNG110 HD STB fried and I got a replacement and tried Firewire on it with no luck. Win7/32 and Vista would not detect it, called CC and they said they sent a signal to activate it but it never rebooted. I asked her to escalate the issue and got the usual BS - "we don't support it, it's factory disabled, blah blah blah!

So I came here knowing that some people have it working and found out about some of the diag menus and discovered it IS enabled! Called CC again. got a good tech and he fixed it and a brown IPPV Enabled (NO) in the diag dashboard.

So, my problem is this:
win7, legacy 1394 set in dev mgr, drivers installed properly and can see video in VLC (HD channels very garbled/pixelated and choppy, if any, audio. Also some minor video probs on SD channels. Also I got a BSOD when I pulled the cable when VLC was running :o . Lenovo laptop has not detected the devices since the BSOD, even after doing the usual shutdown, power off STB etc.

I seem to recall having to adjust a VLC setting on the Capture Device tab in addition to selecting the Panel Device under XP, maybe a few settings under Advanced Options?

Any ideas on the hardware detection problem?

Since this is my 1st post, I'll pass on a few tips that may help some of you:

1. Pace RNG110 is so sensitive that the remote pointed at my workstation TV (which is facing the stb ~25 ft away) will change channels on it! Good or bad depending on how you look at it.

2. I know for fact that the new CC DTA remote will control the stb (without guide and navigation) and it has been reported here that the remote control IR receiver will with the DTA works on it also.

3. Found out yesterday about a great $20.00 6 device remote that will control the RNG110 on forums dot comcast dot net/comcastsupport/. It is the Universal Remote Control brand Model # URC-R6 - I bought one today at best buy. Also avail on buy.com and newegg (check out the reviews at newegg!)

4. Here are the 3 RNG110 STB menus/settings controlled with the remote that I am aware of (1st 2 allow user changes):

4.1 User Settings - Power off > Menu (press < 2 sec)

4.2 Cable Box Setup - Menu > Main Menu > Setup > Cable Box Setup

4.3 Diagnostic Dashboard and Diag Menu - Power > OK/Select (press < 2 sec)
(1394 status is item 21 in Diag Menu)

Now, on to what I would love to get working - my Toshiba RD-XS52SU HDD//DVD video recorder. It really was probably designed for professionals - it comes wit 3 manuals, is daunting for a novice to setup or use, but it has an analog tuner, HDMI out and a 160 GB HD. Bought it in 04 or 05 for about $400.00.

The Introduction for the Front Panel DV IN terminal says "Use this when recording from a digital video device such as a digital video camera", but near the last menu screen, I get the following message:

"The Equipment connected to the DV Terminal is not Recognized. Please Check" and then it takes me to the screen to start recording - "Play and then pause with the connected equipment to DV". There are Manufacturer ............. and an Equipment ............. fields but no recording for me.

Could this be a DRM / HDMI protection issue? Any feedback on this or the above will be greatly appreciated.

I understand that there is an area / forum for the RNG110 info that I will put some info into, same for the Toshiba RD-XS52SU, but I figured this thread would be the best place to post everything.

Many thanks for your consideration and feel free to PM me if you like.

dawg111

plplplpl

05-02-10, 08:30 AM

Somebody jump in if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the DV In (firewire port) on a Toshiba RD-XS52SU or all Toshiba RD-XS models is for a DV camera only.

Burnerbum

05-02-10, 02:05 PM

Somebody jump in if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the DV In (firewire port) on a Toshiba RD-XS52SU or all Toshiba RD-XS models is for a DV camera only.

I believe that's exactly what it's for. I have never heard of any other use. Especially with a Tosh, they are strict with their copy protection.

dawg111

05-02-10, 03:40 PM

I believe that's exactly what it's for. I have never heard of any other use. Especially with a Tosh, they are strict with their copy protection.

I was afraid that this is what I would hear.

Interesting, since a Tosh tech support rep told me a few days ago that it should work, but the HD content will probably be copy protected.
Also interesting that the manual says "Use this when recording from a digital video device such as a digital video camera". But deeper into the editing section of the manual it says "You can connect a DV format digital video camera to the DV terminal to record from it."

I guess I'm out of luck unless a firmware upgrade can help - mine is Software Version YA10, but the only firmware upgrades I see on the site is for a few TVs. Anyone have any suggestions?

dawg111

CRAIG198

05-27-10, 08:33 PM

Vchat20

06-01-10, 02:20 PM

xp sp3 here and 4250hdc over firewire. avc driver is installed and running. Trying to fix the glitching video(pixelation) any ideas? im using vlc. espn2 hd is that maybe my problem?

any better drivers out there for me? or is it a driver issue at all?

What software is running on the box? Are you with Time Warner and have Navigator? If so, this is normal and unfortunate for these boxes. They're just so overwhelmed that they can't cleanly output the data stream over firewire so it missed chunks when it reaches your PC.

SD channels usually fare better. And on rare occasions if you hardboot the cable box it may free up enough resources to quickly get in a recording cleanly.

br34k5

06-29-10, 10:39 AM

Any chance of a 64-bit driver materialising? I noticed the one thread where the lad was working on one hasn't been updated in about a year. :(

Kiwi Man

07-14-10, 12:32 PM

Hey guys,

Since last night, I have not been able to record off Firewire through Comcast in Chicago area. I thought it was the problem with Firewire at first because my computer has not been through the major adjustment of any kind. The last time when I was able to record anything off Comcast box was on Monday's night. I left the Firewire attached to the cable box like I always have been for the past several months and only unplug it from the computer if I need to move my computer elsewhere. However, as I said, I rarely unplug the firewire from the cable box.

This morning, I checked if it was really Firewire problem by connecting the firewire between my external hard drive and my computer and the computer recognised it without any problem.

Is it possible that Comcast in Chicago decided to disable the Firewire since Tuesday? If so, what is your recommendation?

Even if they disable it, I can call them back to enable it, but what if they ask why I want to enable it? I cannot just say that I want to record the programs off from your cable, no? Are there any other reasons to have Firewire enabled at all time? What is the real use of it?

FSugino

07-14-10, 03:54 PM

Hey guys,

Since last night, I have not been able to record off Firewire through Comcast in Chicago area.

[snip]

Is it possible that Comcast in Chicago decided to disable the Firewire since Tuesday? If so, what is your recommendation?

You got me curious, so I took my MacBook Pro and hooked it up. I was able to successfully make HD recordings of Food Network, WLS (ABC), and Comcast SportsNet, so I know FireWire is active and working here in Schaumburg. I will say that the latest firmware update killed non-live recordings, though; in other words, if you're trying to record by playing back a program on your DVR, or if you paused a program and are trying to record the delayed playback, those will not work. But if you're just trying to record live as it's broadcast, then it's working out here.

coyote2

08-01-10, 12:06 AM

I was using CapDVHS to record .ts (transport streams) from my Comcast DVR (DCH3416). But as I posted here last November, that stopped working on my PCs.

So now I'm trying (just the free version for now of) TSReader. It looks like it only wants to let me record as .mpg. Do I need the ($99) paid version to record as .ts? (Do I even want to...) would the .mpg be lossless WRT the .ts?

Or better yet (TSReader is complicated) is there a better CapDVHS alternative? Or a TSReader manual?

qz3fwd

08-01-10, 12:38 AM

Just change the extension to ts, TSReader doesnt convert to program streams by default.
No alternatives to CapDVHS except maybe you could grab the Mircosoft DVHS sample app source code and compile it yourself,
or if you have a mac just download the firewire sdk and use avcvideocap or just use firerecord.
TSReader doesnt come with a manual as it is intended to be used by people who understand what it is doing.
You just have to play with the program and use it-thats how I learned how to use it at least.

coyote2

08-01-10, 12:47 PM

Just change the extension to ts, TSReader doesnt convert to program streams by default.thank you very much, qz3fwd!
will the quality of the capture be the same (or will it be literally identical) with either the extension .ts or .mpg?TSReader doesnt come with a manual as it is intended to be used by people who understand what it is doing.unfortunately that isn't (yet) me, but I'll study and...You just have to play with the program and use it-that's how I learned how to use it at least....experiment until I've got it, thanks again!

qz3fwd

08-01-10, 05:01 PM

Quality will be bit perfect to what was sent from the cable headend-no touching of the audio/video bits occurs. Basically all you are doing is saving a file sent from the box to your computer. The dialog in tsrrader can be a bit daunting at first but is pretty simplr once you get it setup. I have used it for years daily for both multiple hdhomeruns and firewire, though I paid for the pro version a long time ago and it was well worth it.

Fonceur

08-02-10, 10:57 AM

Or better yet (TSReader is complicated) is there a better CapDVHS alternative?
You can try GrafCorder (http://forums.snapstream.com/vb/development-discussion/40076-grafcorder.html). It was developed to be used with BeyondTV, but some people have been using it in stand alone mode too.

sub24ox7

08-05-10, 09:20 PM

Hello I have Mediacom and a motorola DCT-6412 III and I am running xp and capturing via firewire and I have no other programs running during the capturing other than tsreader(computer specs core2quad 6600 and 4GB ram WD 500GB ). Ok so I can record and everything seems ok until I run mpeg2repair I then see that I have tons of timestamp gaps! also tsreader shows a few continuity errors after recording for an hour or two this is MGMHD but my local channels have errors like to many slices in macroblock and timestamp gaps. I don't understand what it could be it is driving me nuts! I thought maybe it might be signal so I hooked it up directly to the cable coming in the house still no dice. my friend who has FIOS said he also had a motorola DVR and it all of a sudden was throwing errors and switched to a motorola 7100-p without dvr capabilities and he hasn't had errors since but I have mediacom and the dvr part isn't activated. I am using the drives from here also. I am just stumped as to what it could be? I first had the 6412 with component and dvi output only I went to the local office and switched it out with the moto 6412 III with hdmi and it is also doin the exact same freaking thing! they also have a pace dvr I can swap out for and I may try that but not sure if that will help or what drivers to use with that model. I appreciate any help thakns:-)

qz3fwd

08-06-10, 12:51 PM

It could be several things:
(1) DVR Firmware update broke stability of firewire stack.
--Nothing you can do about it other than trying other hardware models from your provider.
(2) Cable Headend encoding errors.
--Again not much you can do and you will unlikely be able to get ahold of an engineer who can help.
--Also sometimes they intentionally strip off frames so they can cram a couple more advertisement spots and generate more $$$$.
(3) Local cabling problem-Has it been wet/extremely humid? You can fix this yourself.
(4) Check the firewire cable by swapping out cables.
(5) Your PC's interrupt scheduling could be a problem like network cards can experience.
(6) Your PC could be running crapware (think Norton products) which are interfering with the packet timing.
--Have you installed any software recently, especially virus scanners or anti-malware which may be hooking your system calls and inspecting the packets in realtime, causing delays/gaps?

coyote2

08-06-10, 01:00 PM

I see this is resolved in XP sp2 with a patch, but I'm using XP Pro Service Pack *3* on both my computers. On my other computer I can capture perfectly. On this computer, everything goes identically well until I hit the Rec. button and get that error.my issue with CapDVHS is now resolved. though I don't understand how. it seems that somehow, installing TSReader did it. after I installed TSReader, CapDVHS started working again. (I had already tried re-installing CapDVHS, and that did not help.)

qz3fwd

08-06-10, 04:35 PM

my issue with CapDVHS is now resolved. though I don't understand how. it seems that somehow, installing TSReader did it. after I installed TSReader, CapDVHS started working again. (I had already tried re-installing CapDVHS, and that did not help.)
You dont really install CapDVHS as from what I remember it is a single executable with no installation proggy.

coyote2

08-06-10, 05:31 PM

You dont really install CapDVHS as from what I remember it is a single executable with no installation proggy.oh, I remember now, that's right. so I guess installing the other proggy somehow fixed something in the system that had been stopping CapDVHS from working.

qz3fwd

08-07-10, 04:05 PM

If you also have an Apple computer with a firewire port, you can just use iRecord OR the firewire sdk's avcbrowser/capture software. They have a very nice software stack for firewire devices. I have been a windows user for many years, but added a mac this year and have been playing around with the software.

Anyhow-enjoy your free HD capping app.

Karl Beem

08-26-10, 02:49 PM

I've just noticed that when I boot my HTPC (connected to the Moto 3416 DVR via 1394) the DVR turns on. I installed a new HTPC two weeks ago and used the Firestb.inf for the 1st time. Is this common and can it be turned off?

MozartMan

08-26-10, 04:13 PM

teague

08-26-10, 11:53 PM

When I turn my HTPC on my Moto DCH-3416 DVR reboots. What a PITA!

Same here. Happened after a firmware update was sent to the Moto box. I wish they would fix that.

Karl Beem

08-27-10, 07:17 AM

Well, at least mine merely turns on.

macgyver66

08-27-10, 09:19 AM

If you put your Moto box in Standby before plugging in firewire it will not reboot but just turn on the box. Do the same before unpluging. This works for me.

MozartMan

08-27-10, 09:50 AM

If you put your Moto box in Standby before plugging in firewire it will not reboot but just turn on the box. Do the same before unpluging. This works for me.

macgyver66,

Will this work for turning HTPC on without unplugging firewire cable?

JDLIVE

08-27-10, 12:13 PM

Same here. Happened after a firmware update was sent to the Moto box. I wish they would fix that.

it's not a bug it's a "feature". :D

SFC

08-30-10, 07:54 PM

"If you put your Moto box in Standby before plugging in firewire it will not reboot but just turn on the box. Do the same before unpluging. This works for me."

Yea, I'm in Walnut Creek CA and last week they "updated" my Moto DCH3416 such that it is now:

F/W 18.77
S/W 78.53-A28p0-4.1005.r-8

I leave the box connected to my PC and previously had no issues when the computer was booted or shut down. Now, with the "update", my cable box powers OFF (and looses all program info) whenever the computer starts up or shuts down.

In case this isn't a "bug" that gets fixed, the work-around is to have the cable box in standby whenever the computer is booted or shut down (in my system, nothing happens to the box when in standby). I'd certainly prefer NOT to have to do this, so if anyone knows of a fix, please post.

thegenix

09-12-10, 11:18 AM

Any updates on channel changing on Windows?

qz3fwd

09-12-10, 05:26 PM

Just use channelw.exe in conjunction with the XP firewire drivers.

Dr. Rob

09-13-10, 09:25 AM

Sorry for the repetition.

I am sure somewhere in this mammoth of a thread the solution to my problem exists.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, here is my problem:

I have a comcast 3416 stb with dvr. Sony vaio computer with Vista sp1. I can record live tv with capDVHs with stunning video quality and can edit it with Easy media creator 10 without difficulty. During the recording, the hdmi port sends the image uninterrupted to my projector. When I try to record from the dvr drive, the hdmi output seems to freeze until the recording is completed. What does record has a picture quality identical to the live recording but no sound. After that occurs, even recording live tv freezes the hdmi output and picture bit no sound is recorded until I shut down everything and re hook up the computer to the 3416. Then I am able to record live tv flawlessly again. I am using the firewire port suggested earlier in this thread the on on the right of the pair in the rear of the 3416.

Any help is appreciated.

Rob

tluxon

09-16-10, 05:25 PM

Dr. Rob

09-16-10, 11:09 PM

Thanks,

I assume you mean pause the DVR playback. Tried it once and it did not work. I will try again.

Rob

Burnerbum

09-18-10, 08:13 AM

Thanks,

I assume you mean pause the DVR playback. Tried it once and it did not work. I will try again.

Rob

Same here, This method works for me, sometimes it takes a couple tries. Do a couple short test records before doing the whole program. Not the easiest method but it works.

orc_peon

09-18-10, 08:54 AM

It sounds like you followed the install correctly, but to be sure, can you verify you followed the Vista install process here (http://exdeus.home.comcast.net/~exdeus/stbfirewire/#_Toc185690663)?

I include the QIP-6416, but it's possible the QIP-6416-2 needs to be added. You can help me add it to the driver package by doing the following:

I need the PnP IDs. Connect the STB to your PC via firewire, cancel the New Hardware Wizard(s), and then do the following:

Go to Device Mgr.
Double-click the Tuner device.
Go to the Details tab.
Select "Hardware Ids" from the drop-down box.
Select one of the Hardware IDs.
Press Ctrl+C to copy it.
Reply to the PM, put your cursor in the reply, and press Ctrl+V to paste it.
Repeat the copy/paste for each of the Hardware IDs.
Click Cancel to close the device window for the Tuner.
Repeat the procedure for the Panel device.
ExDeus, I followed your instructions (http://exdeus.home.comcast.net/~exdeus/stbfirewire/)to install the firewire drivers for the SA 4250 but I'm having a problem with the installation. I keep seeing an error message about the system cannot find the file specified. The version of the drivers that I used is 2009-02-25, which should support the 4250. My hardware IDs read from the control panel are:
AVC\Scientific-Atlanta__Inc.&Explorer(R)_4300&TYP_9&ID_0
AVC\Scientific-Atlanta__Inc.&Explorer(R)_4300&TYP_9

By the way, I've been doing a lot of reading on this firewire driver issue and it seems that I'm not the only one who has the same installation problem:
http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/p/79501/394360.aspx

qz3fwd

09-18-10, 04:05 PM

ExDeus, I followed your instructions (http://exdeus.home.comcast.net/~exdeus/stbfirewire/)to install the firewire drivers for the SA 4250 but I'm having a problem with the installation. I keep seeing an error message about the system cannot find the file specified. The version of the drivers that I used is 2009-02-25, which should support the 4250. My hardware IDs read from the control panel are:
AVC\Scientific-Atlanta__Inc.&Explorer(R)_4300&TYP_9&ID_0
AVC\Scientific-Atlanta__Inc.&Explorer(R)_4300&TYP_9

By the way, I've been doing a lot of reading on this firewire driver issue and it seems that I'm not the only one who has the same installation problem:
http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/p/79501/394360.aspx

Just a reminder that these drivers are only for 32 bit versions of windows operating systems.

orc_peon

09-18-10, 05:43 PM

q3fwd, my OS is Windows 7 Ultimate, the 32-bit version.

Analog-X64

09-19-10, 02:22 PM

I have the same problem as ORC_PEON i have an Explorer 3250HD

the uknown devices got picked up from the stb_firewire zip but when I try to install the 3250HD. I get Windows ecountered a problem installing the drivers software for your device the system cannot find the file specified.

Windows 7 Ultimate 32-Bit

CaptMorn2374

09-23-10, 12:40 AM

Ok so I can record and everything seems ok until I run mpeg2repair I then see that I have tons of timestamp gaps! also tsreader shows a few continuity errors after recording for an hour or two this is MGMHD but my local channels have errors like to many slices in macroblock and timestamp gaps.

I was getting the same issue for a while without realizing it. I record to my HD-DVR and then transfer to my PC when I want to archive it by burning a DVD. After upgrading and re-installing just about everything except the OS, I decided to give it one more try after seeing your post. I finally found that my 1394 connection was being firewalled. Once I stopped that I am no longer getting any timegap errors and it seems to be working as expected.

This may be worth checking out if you are still having the same problem. Sorry it took me a while to reply it took me a while to find it and then test the solution to make sure it works.

wing-zero

09-23-10, 11:06 AM

hi folks, i have Cisco RNG200 - Added 2009-02-25, and everytime i start capdvhs it throws me an error or freezes my pc. Can anyone help?

ericsan

09-29-10, 08:12 PM

I finally got a fabulous capture from my 8300HD using firewire!!! Success!!

I will update this post later with the details after I calm down and move my 14GB of .ts file somewhere....

I have Timewarner and a 8300HD with the two firewire ports. My PC is a Core2Duo running XP. I just grabbed the firewire drivers and plugged in the cable, easy so far.

CapDVHS would always crash after 5-30 secs no matter what.

I saw a post about Graphedit/Grafcorder and thought I would try it for myself. I installed it per the limited instructions in the web and it work flawlessly!!

I captured a 2:30 Formula One HD program, from a recording - not live TV. The video looks great and audio is 5.1.

The file is a .ts and is about 14GB. Huge but still manageable.

The Grafcorder instructions are here http://forums.snapstream.com/vb/showthread.php?t=40076&highlight=grafcorder

more details to come!!

FSugino

09-29-10, 08:40 PM

The file is a .ts and is about 14TB. Huge but still manageable.

I think you got terabytes confused with gigabytes.

isamu

09-30-10, 01:52 AM

The file is a .ts and is about 14TB. Huge but still manageable.

say whaa......? :eek:

LOL

ericsan

09-30-10, 02:12 AM

I think you got terabytes confused with gigabytes.

Sorry - yes, mixup there. But the bugga is way beeg anyway. I'm just glad the capture ran for 2 1/2 hours without a hiccup.

Looking for a reliable program to check the bit rate of an existing HD MPEG file. Any recommendations?

TSDoctor was able to crank out a MKV directly from the .ts at a 14:1 reduction in size. Conversion was very quick.

Rammitinski

09-30-10, 03:41 AM

TSReader?

lankshire

09-30-10, 08:44 AM

Anyone have luck with using ExDeus' STB firewire drivers with the SA (now Cisco) 4240HDC? The documentation on the site lists the SA 4250 as supported but no mention of the 4240HDC.

Yes, I know I could probably just try it and see, but I just wanted to check if anyone has had success before I try. Thanks.

JDLIVE

09-30-10, 12:49 PM

Sheesh, my Comcast 3416 reboots even when my HTPC comes out of sleep mode if the firewire cable is attached, so I've had to leave it disconnected. :mad:

solielj

10-01-10, 09:49 PM

Ok before I go buy a 25 foot firewire cable and try this I figured I would ask to see if this will solve my problem. I just got an HD DVR box from Comcast. I don't know exactly what information you guys might need to answer my question so I'll give you everything I can think of. I live in Atlanta. I THINK I have a Motorola DCT 6416. The reason I think it is this box is because I looked up the picture and the description and picture on this page matches what I have exactly, it says:
The DCT 6416 is a high-definition (HD) box which offers PVR functions. The 6416 includes dual tuners which allow you to watch one program while recording another, as well as an HDMI port to connect your HDTV.
I believe this is the only one that had the HDMI port on the back and my box has this.
It also has the dual tuners but I only care about recording on one.
What I need to be able to do is record LIVE tv from my HD channels and have it record in HD as well. Currently I have it rigged where I can watch the HD channels on my Hauppauge TV tuner but it is coming through only in black and white. I installed SageTV and got it to come through in color. It is by FAR in HD though. I didn't really expect it to be in HD because of the way it's hooked up. So anyways my question is, 1. Will this firewire thing work for watching in HD and 2. Will I be able to record in HD as well?

Another question you might be able to answer is, if this won't work, is there any way I could use the HDMI output to connect to a video card? I don't even know if there are any video cards that have HDMI inputs and if there are if they would be able to pick up a signal from a HD DVR box.

ericsan

10-01-10, 09:59 PM

I have heard that the Black Magic Intensity card will capture HD from HDMI, but I have not tried it myself. Cards are $200.

http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/

solielj

10-01-10, 10:50 PM

qz3fwd

10-02-10, 04:39 PM

ak3883

10-05-10, 12:48 PM

FSugino

10-05-10, 07:48 PM

For you FireWire junkies in the Chicago area, here's a list of Comcast channels along with a column indicating whether an HD channel is recordable via FireWire. If you see anything needing corrections, please let me know.

Note: The channel list and testing was done in Schaumburg (where I live); your channel line-up may vary by head-end.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4115/5055224411_8225b5f9d4_o.png

TheFrenchman

10-08-10, 10:42 PM

How can I keep the HDTV quality atleast at 720p, but get it much smaller. Used Capdvhs and records perfectly as a .ts file. But it is about 20 gb in size.

I use both avidemux and Factory Format (both free programs), but can't seem to get the right settings to convert to .mkv, which I can play on my LG blu-ray player. I would also consider changing it to divx if I can keep Hi Def format.

I have been checking forums but can't find a clear answer.

Plus, recording from saved files does not work clearly - with lines and pixilation. Has anyone solved this problem. It seems some kind of settings either in the DCX Motorola box, or Capdvhs, might solve this problem.

qz3fwd

10-09-10, 02:44 PM

Your files should be large as 1080i MPEG2 will usually range from 6-8GB/Hour of recording. You probably want to edit off the beginning and end of the ts as sometimes there is junk at the beginning of the captured file. HDTV2Mpeg is a free tool you can use to cut out junk you dont want (commercials). Then SmartLabs tsMuxeR will allow you to remux into either BD structure or MKV. If you want small file sizes, you will have to spend a lot of time re-encoding the content after editing out the crap you dont want.

Suggestion: Get a 1 TB hard drive and use it for storing your caps-disk space is cheap, your time not so much....

JDLIVE

10-10-10, 06:15 PM

Converting to MKV is just changing the container, to reduce the file size significantly you'll have to re-encode, H264 is the best choice for that. A couple of options:

MeGUI (http://sourceforge.net/projects/megui/) - free and works well, but there is a learning curve.

VideoReDo (http://www.videoredo.com/en/index.htm) - costs $$ but is a solid product and much easier to use for the novice.

Depending on how powerful your PC is and how picky you are about the quality, converting to H264 can take from a couple of hours to 8-10 hours.

TNO821

10-10-10, 06:30 PM

I have heard that the Black Magic Intensity card will capture HD from HDMI, but I have not tried it myself. Cards are $200.

http://www.blackmagic-design.com/products/intensity/

I think it would be hard to make it work with a cable/sat set top box. All of those devices use HDCP to protect the content. You'd at least need to use an HDCP stripper and even then I'm not sure it would work.

TNO821

10-10-10, 07:04 PM

How can I keep the HDTV quality atleast at 720p, but get it much smaller. Used Capdvhs and records perfectly as a .ts file. But it is about 20 gb in size.

There's no free lunch. If you want high quality high-def, the files are going to be rather large. I would suggest NOT re-encoding the video to h.264, as that will diminish the quality and, at best, you'll save maybe 30-40% on the file size (not worth it, IMO). Hard drives are amazingly cheap any more, so grab a cheap 1.5 TB drive and enjoy the highest quality high-def.

If you go the re-encode route, you're likely to end up with a far less impressive looking video file (like some of the crappy "high-def" avi and mkv on the net, many of which reduce the resolution to half of the original). Plus it takes a looonnnngg time for a computer to re-encode high-def video.

TNO821

10-10-10, 07:07 PM

I found that Intensity card while searching for a video card with HDMI inputs. I found a dealer right down the street from house that I'm going to talk to and find out if it will record from Comcast because it says it won't record anything that is copyright protected. I really don't want to spend $200 either. I was hoping the firewire thing would work because I'd rather spend the $32 on a 25-ft cable. I'm starting to think about cancelling the cable from Comcast, keeping the internet and switching to Dish Network. The problem with this is, I don't even know if I will be able to record in HD using the Haupauge card I already have and Dish Networks box. Does anyone know if this is possible?

If the Dish box has Component video output and toslink digital audio output, you should be good. But you'll want to find out if the dish network box allows both the HDMI and Component video to output at the same time. It's also possible that they turn off Component video for pay-per-view, but I doubt it.

TheFrenchman

10-14-10, 12:48 PM

So I downloaded and edited, then saved files (hockey games) as TS on avidemux with success, and prepared for bluray with BD MovieMaker.

But recorded a file from NHL Center Ice, that even in the recording there were audio/video glitches where the sound stops, but the video keeps going. Seeing the problem, I saved an alternate audio source to be put in later.

The second audio has no glitches until I combine it with the video - whic I removed the original audio, but "the new audio has the same glitches."

*** I managed to get the old audio/video file - the original TS stream to play properly by saving as : video - MPEG-ASP (avcodec)
audio - AC3 (lav)
format - MKV

But other programs, including TS Muxer does NOT recognize the video file from the saved MKV. Can anyone tell me what happened, and more importantly, how I can save this file properly. Thanks.

(Note - I use firewire on a motorola dcx3400m, record with capdvhs, edit with avidemux (other programs keep crashing) and prepare with BD MovieMaker, and has worked well with other streams and TS Muxer when needed)

Main problem is that the video from MKV is ignored by other programs.

pmacafee

10-21-10, 02:45 AM

CapDVHS now gives me an invalid date and time error whenever I try to schedule a recording.
It worked fine for a couple of years.
Does anyone have any ideas?

jonnyboy383

10-30-10, 09:18 PM

CaptMorn2374

10-30-10, 09:53 PM

Hello,

I just got a new Comcast DCX3400 500GB model. Been doing some research in this thread, but couldn't find anything after spending hours reading. I was wondering if I can record live TV with the tutorial via the firewire port? Also, has anyone tried using the eSATA port as an expansion for use with an external hard drive? Any help is appreciated.

My dcx does not work over the firewire port (choppy playback and dropped frames), although you could give it a try and see what happens. The eSATA is generally disabled for US users so I have not even tried.

TNO821

11-08-10, 12:27 AM

My dcx does not work over the firewire port (choppy playback and dropped frames), although you could give it a try and see what happens.

I've found that as long as I first record the show that I want to copy to the DVR, then later set both my tuners to SD channels (I usually use channel 002 and 004) and play back the DVR recording, I can get error-free firewire CapDVHS copies.

Now, I'm actually using a DCH3416 model, so it may be a little different for those with DCX models. I get the worst results when two different HD shows are recording while I try firewire copying another HD show (playing back from the DVR). I tend to get a lot of Input Sequence Errors and audio resync frames and video frames dropped. It seems to overwhelm the box somehow...I'm not sure if it's a memory thing or processing power or what.

But anyways, I've done quite a bit of testing and have settled on doing the following before dumping via firewire:
1. Make sure nothing is recording at all during the time that I'll be dumping via firewire.
2. Turn to channel 002 (b/c it's a SD channel, so I assume it's less taxing on the cable box).
3. Switch tuners (using the remote's PiP Swap button) and change that channel to 004 (again, b/c it's a SD channel)
4. Turn off the cable box for 30 seconds (this may be unneeded, but I'm a bit paranoid by all the issues I've had. I don't have solid evidence that this helps)
5. Turn the cable box back on and play back the DVR recording that I want to dump via firewire.
6. Record with CapDVHS

I've had very good results when I follow these instructions. Hopefully they can be used by the DCX series as well.

CaptMorn2374

11-08-10, 05:24 AM

I'm willing to give it a try. Thanks!

angelfj

11-08-10, 12:36 PM

Would one solution be a pc with both XP and Win7 OS. Use XP for access to the stb and Win7 for other applications???

MozartMan

11-08-10, 02:38 PM

Would one solution be a pc with both XP and Win7 OS. Use XP for access to the stb and Win7 for other applications???

CapDVHS works for me on Windows7 with DCH-3416, thus there is no need for WinXP.

TNO821

11-09-10, 06:01 AM

Win7 is not the problem. 64-bit is. As long as you're using 32-bit Win7, you should be fine.

JDLIVE

11-09-10, 12:12 PM

Would one solution be a pc with both XP and Win7 OS. Use XP for access to the stb and Win7 for other applications???

That's what I do, dual boot.

cmulder

11-20-10, 05:57 PM

Burnerbum

11-20-10, 08:55 PM

JDLIVE

11-21-10, 12:02 PM

cmulder

11-21-10, 02:32 PM

Download the new trial version of videoredo, VideoReDo TVSuite H.264. I had that problem and the new one will filter out the SD part.

New version doesn't recognize the file--of course I always had trouble with that--I would run the ts file through HDTV2mpeg and that would fix it so that VideoReDo would recognize it.

cmulder

11-21-10, 03:15 PM

Might try chopping off the first 5-10 frames using HDTVtoMPEG2 and saving that file, then try to open with VideoRedo. Sometimes that will work for me. Or try the Quickstream Fix utility in VRD.

That didn't work either unfortunately.

TNO821

11-23-10, 07:48 AM

I transferred a recorded show to my computer. The problem is that I started the recording using CapDVHS but I started on a standard definition station then started the high def program I had recorded on the DVR and then it also ended with a standard def recording. The problem is not matter what program I used (Video Redo, mpeg2repair, HDTVtoMPEG2) it only recognizes the standard definition and not the High Def and of course I want to edit out the standard def and keep the high def (Video Redo won't even load it--get an error message). Unfortunately, I already deleted the program from the DVR. Interestingly--the movie does play in VLC Media Player. Its in ts format now.

Any ideas how I can rescue the high def part? Another program maybe that will recognize it (as VLC Media player does) but that will edit out the standard def?

This has happened to me numerous times, typically when I forget to set a reasonable recording time for CapDVHS and it records far longer than the DVR program...sometimes when it switches from the recording back to live TV, it goofs up the transport stream enough that most programs won't recognize the file as containing video. And VideoReDo refuses to open the file.

Anyways, the fix is pretty easy, but a little time consuming: I use "Simple File Splitter" to divide the file into chunks (I might choose to divide the file into 100 MB or 200 MB chunks). Any chunk that contains valid video can be opened by VideoReDo. The chunk that contains the messed up stuff (and therefore still can't be opened by most video players or VideoReDo) is where you need to focus most of your effort. I end up further dividing the bad chunk into smaller pieces until I really isolate the part that's really causing the problem or until I figure out that the whole chunk contains nothing that I want to keep. Afterwards I use VideoReDo's "Add to Joiner List" capability to put all the good chunks back into one video file.

cmulder

11-26-10, 11:26 AM

This has happened to me numerous times, typically when I forget to set a reasonable recording time for CapDVHS and it records far longer than the DVR program...sometimes when it switches from the recording back to live TV, it goofs up the transport stream enough that most programs won't recognize the file as containing video. And VideoReDo refuses to open the file.

Anyways, the fix is pretty easy, but a little time consuming: I use "Simple File Splitter" to divide the file into chunks (I might choose to divide the file into 100 MB or 200 MB chunks). Any chunk that contains valid video can be opened by VideoReDo. The chunk that contains the messed up stuff (and therefore still can't be opened by most video players or VideoReDo) is where you need to focus most of your effort. I end up further dividing the bad chunk into smaller pieces until I really isolate the part that's really causing the problem or until I figure out that the whole chunk contains nothing that I want to keep. Afterwards I use VideoReDo's "Add to Joiner List" capability to put all the good chunks back into one video file.

Thanks for that. What I ended up doing was using VLC media player to convert it to an MKV file, which VideoReDo recognized and then used VideoReDo's Fix Stream utility on that file and then converted it to/saved as mpg. You might want to try that as it sounds easier then what you are doing. Interestingly, HDTV2MPEG still didn't recognize it, but Pinnacle Studio had no problems with it.

TNO821

11-27-10, 01:29 AM

Thanks for that. What I ended up doing was using VLC media player to convert it to an MKV file, which VideoReDo recognized and then used VideoReDo's Fix Stream utility on that file and then converted it to/saved as mpg. You might want to try that as it sounds easier then what you are doing. Interestingly, HDTV2MPEG still didn't recognize it, but Pinnacle Studio had no problems with it.

I wouldn't consider converting the file unless it could be done without any re-encoding of the video or audio...since MKV is just a container, I suppose it may have been a lossless conversion but I'm thinking probably not. Broadcast HD is already low enough quality. No reason for me to drop the quality any further.

Anyways, next time I'm in that situation I'll have a look at this method (the amount of time it takes to make the MKV can be used to determine if re-encoding is taking place). Thanks

cmulder

11-27-10, 03:17 PM

I wouldn't consider converting the file unless it could be done without any re-encoding of the video or audio...since MKV is just a container, I suppose it may have been a lossless conversion but I'm thinking probably not. Broadcast HD is already low enough quality. No reason for me to drop the quality any further.

Anyways, next time I'm in that situation I'll have a look at this method (the amount of time it takes to make the MKV can be used to determine if re-encoding is taking place). Thanks

I didn't notice any reduction in quality and the size of the file after conversion was as large as the original so I don't think there was any compression going on. But your way obviously doesn't change the native format at all.

wings9130

11-28-10, 10:56 PM

TNO821

11-29-10, 06:26 AM

I didn't notice any reduction in quality and the size of the file after conversion was as large as the original so I don't think there was any compression going on. But your way obviously doesn't change the native format at all.

Awesome! That sounds like it's not re-encoding anything. I'll absolutely give it a try next time I'm in that situation.

TNO821

11-29-10, 06:33 AM

Is there ever going to be 64 bit drivers that will work with windows 7. I have an old laptop that I use for getting my stuff of my comcast DVR. Can any version of windows 7 do a dual boot and would I need a copy of windows xp to do this?

I wouldn't hold my breath...Drivers are not easy to write.

And yes, any release of Windows 7 can dual-boot. You need to have XP installed first, then pop in the Windows 7 disc and it'll see the XP partition and allow you to dual boot.

Your other option is to use 32-bit Windows 7 (as long as you have 4 GB of memory or less, 32-bit Windows 7 will work fine).

wings9130

11-30-10, 05:20 AM

I wouldn't hold my breath...Drivers are not easy to write.

And yes, any release of Windows 7 can dual-boot. You need to have XP installed first, then pop in the Windows 7 disc and it'll see the XP partition and allow you to dual boot.

Your other option is to use 32-bit Windows 7 (as long as you have 4 GB of memory or less, 32-bit Windows 7 will work fine).

If you have 64 bit windows 7 preinstalled on your computer then can you also run the 32 bit version if you wanted?

TNO821

11-30-10, 05:43 AM

If you have 64 bit windows 7 preinstalled on your computer then can you also run the 32 bit version if you wanted?

I'm not certain about the legalities, but I know that if you own a retail copy of Windows 7 Home Premium it comes with 2 discs, one that has the x86 release (32-bit) and another that has the x64 release (64-bit). Microsoft lets you decide which one to use.

But for OEM preinstalled copies, I'm not sure what Microsoft's official stance is on that. Morally there's no problem whatsoever...as long as you've paid for the Windows 7 license, you can use either the 32-bit or the 64-bit release.

I'd check with your computer manufacturer to see if they offer a 32-bit install disc. You can typically Google your model number and find support sites with all the drivers that you'll need for 32-bit Windows 7/Vista and often times Windows XP (32-bit) as well.

maruzo

12-08-10, 06:03 PM

Hi all,

I tried to connect the firewire port from 8300HD to a dvr that accepts firewire inputs. No video or audio were detected on the dvr. So I tried the s-video and regular rca audio inputs and the dvr showed both the video and audio coming from the 8300HD.

I was able to make a cbs hd recording that i streamed from the 8300hd.

What was really weird was the video feed that came from the 8300HD was elongated into letterbox format on the dvr.

Has anyone tried this and had the same result as me?

I tried to correct the screen format but the image remained the same.

Panther5150

12-09-10, 02:51 AM

Hey folks,

I have meticulously researched this issue and have not come up with a resolution nor a satisifactory explanation.

Essentially I am trying to capture recorded video from my Comcast DVR (Model DCT 6416 III) to my PC via firewire.

I downloaded the drivers from the comcast site.

I plugged in my cable and it recognized the connection and the DVR. It gave me the three options that many others have expressed. I disabled the panel and the unknown leaving the tuner as the operating device.

The device shows that it is recognized and is working properly.

Driver details: Matsushita Electronic Industrial, 11/11/2003, 1.0.130.1430, not digitially signed.

I am running Windows 7 Home Premium, 32 bit.

For video capture I have tried using CapDVHS (I dont know of any other program to use). It recognizes my motorola tuner: Motorola AV/C Tuner Device (Unkown Video #1). I made sure that all the setting were as posted on the main informational threads.

So, I have tested it on dvr recordings, numerous live channels (HD, non-hd, local, premium, etc).

The most common error message that I receive is: Error 80070057: Cannot Start Capture.

Every once in a while I got the message: Cannot Open Output File

I have tried following steps about rebooting, trying legacy drivers, reinstalling, switching firewire ports on the back of the DVR. Nothing works.

I am extremely frustrated and have poured hours into this project so that I can save the local news programs that had a story on my son. I want to get this to my PC so that I can take my DVR box back to comcast for an upgrade.

Also, I have no idea on the order of errors. I.E. Does the open file error come before the capture one. Meaning, that maybe i fixed the output file error and then i ran into the cannot capture error.

I would appreciate any help, suggestions, or even just information that what I am doing is not feasible.

Thanks a lot for your time and consideration.

JDLIVE

12-09-10, 12:44 PM

Panther5150

12-09-10, 02:57 PM

Where did you set the capture directory in CapDVHS? Make sure it's set to a valid directory where you have permissions set. I recall trying to save to the root of a drive and got file errors, changed to a subdirectory and everything worked.

I had changed it in my last round of test to a sub directory in my d: drive. As of my post 2 up, I had only been getting the Cannot start capture error which lead me to believe that I may have fixed the Cannot open output file problem and that was the first of two steps. I cannot confirm this, of course, as I have never reached a stage where I can record, which is why I am here, hehe.

TNO821

12-09-10, 06:57 PM

My understanding with Windows 7 is that you must use the "legacy" firewire driver instead of the firewire driver that ships with Windows 7 (I'm not talking about the special driver that you download from the comcast site, but the actual IEEE 1394 firewire driver that the OS is using). It sounds like you maybe have already done this, but you may want to re-check.

Also, be sure that you're launching CapDVHS using elevated priveleges (right-click its shortcut and choose "Run as administrator"). You may also want to test turning off User Account Control (UAC) to see if it helps. And you may want to save the output to your My Documents folder, as that would absolutely be guaranteed to give you permission to save there.

Panther5150

12-10-10, 06:31 PM

Panther5150

12-11-10, 12:34 AM

I have double checked the process of installing the legacy driver for the VIA 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller

Unlike other people runing windows 7, I do not get the option to downgrade to the legacy driver.

I am in totally foreign territory now, I have no idea to get that legacy driver to show up on my computer. My research via google, etc was fruitless and resulting in like 10 companies trying to install their driver updating program on my computer. Since this is probably a problem that others here are facing, I am sure folks would love to know how to resolve this particular issue.

TNO821

12-11-10, 02:55 AM

In the next day or so I will hook up another hard drive to my rig and install Windows 7 32-bit. I'll see if I can figure out how to get it working (I'm using XP 32-bit to capture and haven't ever tried doing so on Vista or 7).

I think you're right that quite a few people could benefit from a more step-by-step guide on doing this with Windows 7 32-bit.

TNO821

12-12-10, 07:51 AM

I just did a fresh install of Windows 7 32-bit (x86) on my rig just to see if this really works. It worked without a single hitch.

I literally popped in the Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade DVD, ran through all defaults and immediately ran through the steps below to do HD capturing via firewire. No Windows updates, no drivers (which kinda sucked, as I had no sound driver and the graphics driver was not so good, but that stuff can be installed at a later point).
Here's the steps:

1. Go to the Start Menu and type Device Manager into the search box

2. Once the Device Manager opens, expand "IEEE 1394 Bus Host Controller"

3. Right-Click "VIA 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller" and choose "Update Driver Software"

4. Choose "Browse my computer for driver software"

5. At the bottom of the dialog, choose "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer"

6. The second item in the list should be "1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy)"
Select it and then click Next.

7. Download the driver for your cable box from here: http://home.comcast.net/~exdeus/stbfirewire/stb_firewire_drivers_2009-02-25.zip

8. Connect your cable box to your computer via firewire. ***If using the Motorola DCH3416, you will want it to be powered off before connecting the firewire, otherwise your cable box will reboot once you install the driver for the "Panel Device" and you'll have to wait forever for the guide data to populate...this may not apply to everybody, but it applies to Comcast customers as of the A28 update (Note that this is true from about July 2010 through today December 12, 2010 and hopefully a future firmware update will correct this)***

9. Windows 7 will give an error about failing to find a driver for the "Tuner Device" and the "Panel Device"
***Note*** the name will be a bit more specific. In my case it calls the Panel Device "Motorola AV/C Panel Device (DCH-3416)" and it calls the Tuner Device "Motorola AV/C Tuner Device (DCH-3416)"

10. Go back to Device Manager and find "Tuner Device" and "Panel Device" (I think they initially get listed under "Other Devices" until you update the driver, at which point they get listed under "Imaging Devices")

11. Right-Click the "Tuner Device" and choose "Update Driver Software"

12. Choose "Browse my computer for driver software"

13. Browse to where you downloaded and unzipped the driver in step 7 and click Next

14. Go back to Device Manager and right-click the "Panel Device" and choose "Update Driver Software"

15. Choose "Browse my computer for driver software"

16. Browse to where you downloaded and unzipped the driver in step 7 and click Next

All Done! CapDVHS (which is included in the driver download) will now work!

******************Update #1*******************
While fooling around with a subsequent Windows 7 x86 install, I decided to see what would happen if I intentionally did not change the firewire driver to legacy mode. As expected, the "Could not start capture" error message occurred. But what was unexpected is that nothing I did after that could get things to work. I tried the obvious thing of changing the Firewire driver to legacy mode, but no dice. Then I tried uninstalling and reinstalling all drivers involved, but still nothing.

It appears that once this mistake has taken place, something is different and can not be corrected (well, I'm certain there's a way but I'm unlikely to spend time figuring it out). It looks like my only solution may be to format and reinstall Windows 7 x86, this time carefully following the directions listed above.

******************Update #2*******************
It appears that when you get the "Could not start capture" error that the issue somehow screws up the firewire on your cable box's end. Nothing you do in Windows can solve it. So far it appears that the only solution is to both correct whatever Windows issue caused it (most likely the failure to switch to firewire legacy mode) AND also reboot your cable box (boooo!!). I really, really, really didn't want to test that out, but I was running out of possibilities (Frankly, I'd just as soon suffer an industrial accident resulting in the loss of the tip of my left pinky finger, rather than reboot my cable box and wait for guide data to repopulate ). Anyways, I can correct the issue by making sure the above outlined steps are taken in Windows and then rebooting the cable box.

******************Update #3*******************
The more I toy with doing this on Windows 7, the more I'm thinking of keeping it instead of going back to my XP setup. It seems as though the recent firmware woes (Comcast customers on the A28 update using DCH3416) that cause the cable box to reboot if you restart Windows does not occur when using Windows 7. That problem seems to happen only on XP (and likely across all Windows NT 5 OS flavors). It looks like Windows NT 6 has different enough firewire mojo (at least during the boot) that suppresses that particular annoyance.

I have created a Windows Installer .MSI package that configures all of the needed driver stuff (using Microsoft's "Driver Installation Frameworks", DIFx to perform the driver installation dynamically) and am currently testing it on Windows 7 x86. If all goes well, I'll also test it on Windows Vista x86 and Windows Server 2008 x86 (but nothing for Windows Server 2008 R2, as that only comes in x64 flavor...MS never made a 32-bit version of R2). My goal is to have a really easy-to-use installation package that will work across any x86 flavor of Windows NT 6.

******************Update #4*******************
Okay, so it turns out that Windows 7 is not immune to the recent firewire reboot bug on the DCH3416...it may be less prone, but not immune. I've had the cable box reboot twice tonight, both times because my Windows 7 machine went into either sleep or hibernate mode (I think it was hibernating). Tomorrow I'll spend some time and try to find a real pattern to it. I know there were several times in the past few days where my cable box didn't reboot, and with XP it surely would have.

In other news, my MSI installation package for Windows 7, Vista, and Windows Server 2008 is available. the link is in my other post, which can be found here:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=19656139#post19656139

Panther5150

12-14-10, 12:06 PM

I really appreciate the lengths to which you have addressed this issue. For me, its become a non since I have to return my box today in order to get an upgraded one for 3d content. Now, that being said, I may tool around with it now that I have the luxury of time on my side with the new box. I will give it a whirl and come back here with the results. May be a couple of weeks though as I will be involved in the exploration of 3d for a bit methinks, haha.

camshaft007

12-14-10, 04:31 PM

I guess having 64bit windows 7 i'm out of luck ?

Tried the below instructions and even a manual way of selecting the file and windows just pops up not a 64 bit driver.

ARG !!

I just did a fresh install of Windows 7 32-bit (x86) on my rig just to see if this really works. It worked without a single hitch.

I literally popped in the Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade DVD, ran through all defaults and immediately ran through the steps below to do HD capturing via firewire. No Windows updates, no drivers (which kinda sucked, as I had no sound driver and the graphics driver was not so good, but that stuff can be installed at a later point).
Here's the steps:

1. Go to the Start Menu and type Device Manager into the search box

2. Once the Device Manager opens, expand "IEEE 1394 Bus Host Controller"

3. Right-Click "VIA 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller" and choose "Update Driver Software"

4. Choose "Browse my computer for driver software"

5. At the bottom of the dialog, choose "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer"

6. The second item in the list should be "1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy)"
Select it and then click Next.

7. Download the driver for your cable box from here: [url]
8. Connect your cable box to your computer via firewire. ***If using the Motorola DCH3416, you will want it to be powered off before connecting the firewire, otherwise your cable box will reboot once you install the driver for the "Panel Device" and you'll have to wait forever for the guide data to populate...this may not apply to everybody, but it applies to Comcast customers as of the A28 update (Note that this is true from about July 2010 through today December 12, 2010 and hopefully a future firmware update will correct this)***

9. Windows 7 will give an error about failing to find a driver for the "Tuner Device" and the "Panel Device"
***Note*** the name will be a bit more specific. In my case it calls the Panel Device "Motorola AV/C Panel Device (DCH-3416)" and it calls the Tuner Device "Motorola AV/C Tuner Device (DCH-3416)"

10. Go back to Device Manager and find "Tuner Device" and "Panel Device" (I think they initially get listed under "Other Devices" until you update the driver, at which point they get listed under "Imaging Devices")

11. Right-Click the "Tuner Device" and choose "Update Driver Software"

12. Choose "Browse my computer for driver software"

13. Browse to where you downloaded and unzipped the driver in step 7 and click Next

14. Go back to Device Manager and right-click the "Panel Device" and choose "Update Driver Software"

15. Choose "Browse my computer for driver software"

16. Browse to where you downloaded and unzipped the driver in step 7 and click Next

All Done! CapDVHS (which is included in the driver download) will now work!

******************Update #1*******************
While fooling around with a subsequent Windows 7 x86 install, I decided to see what would happen if I intentionally did not change the firewire driver to legacy mode. As expected, the "Could not start capture" error message occurred. But what was unexpected is that nothing I did after that could get things to work. I tried the obvious thing of changing the Firewire driver to legacy mode, but no dice. Then I tried uninstalling and reinstalling all drivers involved, but still nothing.

It appears that once this mistake has taken place, something is different and can not be corrected (well, I'm certain there's a way but I'm unlikely to spend time figuring it out). It looks like my only solution may be to format and reinstall Windows 7 x86, this time carefully following the directions listed above.

******************Update #2*******************
It appears that when you get the "Could not start capture" error that the issue somehow screws up the firewire on your cable box's end. Nothing you do in Windows can solve it. So far it appears that the only solution is to both correct whatever Windows issue caused it (most likely the failure to switch to firewire legacy mode) AND also reboot your cable box (boooo!!). I really, really, really didn't want to test that out, but I was running out of possibilities (Frankly, I'd just as soon suffer an industrial accident resulting in the loss of the tip of my left pinky finger, rather than reboot my cable box and wait for guide data to repopulate ). Anyways, I can correct the issue by making sure the above outlined steps are taken in Windows and then rebooting the cable box.

******************Update #3*******************
The more I toy with doing this on Windows 7, the more I'm thinking of keeping it instead of going back to my XP setup. It seems as though the recent firmware woes (Comcast customers on the A28 update using DCH3416) that cause the cable box to reboot if you restart Windows does not occur when using Windows 7. That problem seems to happen only on XP (and likely across all Windows NT 5 OS flavors). It looks like Windows NT 6 has different enough firewire mojo (at least during the boot) that suppresses that particular annoyance.

I have created a Windows Installer .MSI package that configures all of the needed driver stuff (using Microsoft's "Driver Installation Frameworks", DIFx to perform the driver installation dynamically) and am currently testing it on Windows 7 x86. If all goes well, I'll also test it on Windows Vista x86 and Windows Server 2008 x86 (but nothing for Windows Server 2008 R2, as that only comes in x64 flavor...MS never made a 32-bit version of R2). My goal is to have a really easy-to-use installation package that will work across any x86 flavor of Windows NT 6.

qz3fwd

12-14-10, 05:21 PM

No Win 64 bit drivers publicly exist-dont even bother.

charlie460

12-14-10, 07:02 PM

TNO821

12-14-10, 08:37 PM

Anyone willing to help me out? Trying to get capture working from the RNG200.

Keep getting "cannot start capture" in CapDVHS.

I started out using Windows 7 32-bit and heard it might be a W7 issue, so I'm now running on XP but I'm getting the same error :(

Based on my research these last 2 days, I'd say you need to pull the power plug from the back of your cable box for a good 30 seconds. Once it reboots, you should be good to go, assuming that you've got the firewire and stb drivers loaded properly on your WinXP or Win7 machine.

Anytime I try to start a capture using the normal Windows 7 firewire driver, it donkey-punches the firewire (at the cable box's end) in such a fashion that it mostly locks it up. It's not 100% unresponsive (for example, I can keep uninstalling and reinstalling the firestb drivers and Windows 7 sees that the Panel and Tuner devices are there), but it will never let me start a capture until I reboot the cable box. I can even swap-out my hard drive for my perfectly-configured WinXP install, and it'll give me the same "Cannot start capture" error until I reboot the cable box.

I know rebooting the cable box sucks because of how long it takes the guide data to fully reload, but I really think you've got no other choice.

In other news, I'm in the final stages of testing my .MSI install that should work across all 32-bit flavors of Windows NT 6. I'll upload it as soon as I can (probably before tomorrow morning).

TNO821

12-14-10, 08:42 PM

I guess having 64bit windows 7 i'm out of luck ?

No Win 64 bit drivers publicly exist-dont even bother.

I agree. A 64-bit Windows driver is a pipe-dream. It's not going to happen in the foreseeable future. This is why I'm going to migrate to Windows 7 32-bit. It's possibly the last 32-bit release of a consumer Windows OS, and it'll be supported for a long time to come, whereas Windows XP is very long in the tooth at this point.

charlie460

12-15-10, 05:35 PM

TNO821

12-15-10, 07:51 PM

Just tried a brand new, fresh Windows 7 32-bit install.

First thing I did was revert back to the legacy 1394 driver, then install the drivers for the Panel and Tuner.

Still get error 80075007: Cannot start capture in CapDVHS. I'm pretty convinced this is a problem with my box :(

Any other possible ideas?

Edit: I did also completely reboot the box before I tried this.

What model number is the box? Comcast broke a bunch of firewire stuff a few months back with a firmware update. The DCX3400's are totally messed up atm and can't do firewire captures. Also, if you have any other firewire devices (maybe a camera or something), make sure that at least *something* can talk to your machine via firewire. For all we know, it could be something wrong on the computer's end. If you have another machine with firewire try it also. If the results are the same, that would point to the cable box being the problem.

Sorry about how long it's taking for me to finish testing this MSI install. I'm looking at some uninstall issues but should be done this evening.

charlie460

12-15-10, 09:15 PM

What model number is the box? Comcast broke a bunch of firewire stuff a few months back with a firmware update. The DCX3400's are totally messed up atm and can't do firewire captures. Also, if you have any other firewire devices (maybe a camera or something), make sure that at least *something* can talk to your machine via firewire. For all we know, it could be something wrong on the computer's end. If you have another machine with firewire try it also. If the results are the same, that would point to the cable box being the problem.

Sorry about how long it's taking for me to finish testing this MSI install. I'm looking at some uninstall issues but should be done this evening.

I have a Cisco/Sci-Atl RNG200 HD DVR. I don't have any other firewire devices to test with, but I tried on two computers, both fairly new, so I doubt it's a computer issue.

The box is recognized and shows up in device manager... drivers install successfully, etc, but I always get Cannot start capture (80075007)

TNO821

12-16-10, 12:55 AM

Okay I've uploaded my MSI installation package to SendSpace (If there's a better option for hosting it, please let me know).

This MSI installs three things:
1. The Windows 7 legacy firewire driver (this is skipped on any OS other than Windows 7)
2. The drivers for the cable box
3. The CapDVHS capture utility

Here's the link:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/3njvzz
the file is named "Cable_STB_Firewire_Capture v1_for_Win7_Vista_2008.msi"
****UPDATE**** v2 now replaces v1. v2 works with many more 32-bit versions of Windows. The new link is:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/gnbz7o
the file is named "Cable_STB_Firewire_Capture_v2_for_32-bit_Win2000_XP_2003_Vista_Win7_2008.msi"

This installation is merely an installer that uses the drivers that timmoore and ExDeus did. So all the props go to them for doing the real driver stuff. My package just installs it properly using Microsoft's Driver Install Frameworks (DIFx).

I've also tried to dot the i's and cross the t's in regards to Windows Vista and 7 User Account Control by creating a .manifest file that tells Windows that CapDVHS should request Administrator rights. It also tells Windows that CapDVHS works properly on Win7/2008/Vista in order to prevent the PCA Program Compatability Assistant from popping up).

*****Info about the uninstall*****
I decided not to delete the HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet registry values in the (the way that ExDeus UninstallServices.reg file does). I feel it's more appropriate to let DIFx handle it natively, even if it leaves a little stuff behind (I'd far prefer that rather than risk deleting a service that was being shared by something else, causing it to break)

If you still want to delete those services during the uninstall, I've provided a "custom action" that can do so during the uninstall. It works if you perform the uninstall by running the following command line (instead of going to the Control Panel):
(for the v1 package) MSIEXEC.EXE /X {34BD906C-33A8-4AAE-8144-D54C9803C5C2} NUKEFROMORBIT=1
(for the v2 package) MSIEXEC.EXE /X {CBADB114-8C17-4554-8815-F825CBB1B5D4} NUKEFROMORBIT=1

If the NUKEFROMORBIT property does not exist (and isn't also set to 1), the code will not run and those registry entries will not be deleted.

I made this decision not to delete the entries because my testing showed that it caused a mild error (One that Windows seemed to straighten out with a reboot, but still...). When I performed back-to-back Install, Uninstall, then another install (without rebooting), the second install failed if those registry entries had been deleted. I could perform a reboot of the machine and then the install would succeed, so it looks like Windows did a bit of self-healing. If I performed the very same test without deleting the registry, I could do as many back-to-back installs and uninstalls as I wanted and it always worked.

Anyways, try it out and let me know how it goes. I'm also open to suggestions for things to add or change.

sailorickm

12-21-10, 01:08 PM

I'm trying to determine if my laptop is fast enough to record from my STB via firewire.

I have CapDVHS working, but when playing back the ts file with VLC it's pixelated when there is motion and horizonatal and vertical camera panning. Playing back the ts file on a more powerful desktop is somewhat better. Interestingly, Media Play Classic seems to do a better job than VLC.

If I use HDTV2DVD to re-encode and burn a DVD, the DVD looks as I would expect. Less resolution but no artifacts.

I'm wondering if the laptop is capturing _all_ the firewire data or if it is losing some? Is there any way to be certain?

The laptop is a Dell D610, 2.1 GHz, 2GB RAM. I think the 100GB hard drive is 5400 RPM. The STB is a Motorola DCT-6412 Phase III. I also have a DCX3400M but (apparently) due to firmware problems I can only record from the live tuner, not recorded programs.

coyote2

12-21-10, 01:38 PM

sailorickm

12-21-10, 02:14 PM

if you record using the "more powerful desktop" does the resulting .ts file have good quality?

The desktop would have to be moved closer to the STB or vice versa, which is a bit of a pain. I'll do that if I have to.

I'm hoping people here might tell me that playback is far more resource intensive then recording and that the ts files are already as good as they get. ;-) Or, perhaps suggest some other tests to prove it one way or another. Recording with the desktop is certainly one test to perform. It's on my list now, thanks! If the playback of the file is the same as the original file, or not perfect, I won't have made any progress though.

I thought of trying to calculate the recording data rate (ts file size divided by the recording length) and comparing that to the what the harddrive write speed might be, but from years ago I remember that hard drive performance tests seemed to vary wildly and manufacturer specs are to be taken with a grain of fantasy.

Format : MPEG-TS
File size : 2.25 GiB
Duration : 26mn 55s
Overall bit rate : 12.0 Mbps

This is about 1.46MB per second coming in the firewire. I can copy the 2.25GB file on the laptop (read and write to the same drive) in only 4.5 minutes. Does that "prove" that recording the same 2.25 GB in 27 minutes (write only) is no hard task on the laptop and that the ts file should be OK without dropping anything?

I'm also wondering if there could be moments where the laptop gets interrupted by other system activity (open Windows Explorer windows refreshing, network activity, etc) that would cause dropped data even though as a whole the task doesn't seem to be intensive.

Jim_Bassett

12-21-10, 06:43 PM

The laptop is a Dell D610, 2.1 GHz, 2GB RAM. I think the 100GB hard drive is 5400 RPM. The STB is a Motorola DCT-6412 Phase III.
Your setup isn't much different from mine: Thinkpad T43p, Pentium M processor, 1GB RAM Win7 32-bit, legacy driver. I've recorded from my DCT-6412 Phase III without any video quality issues (live recording). I use MPC-HC for my player, both on the laptop & desktop. I only record something via Firewire once every few months, so I'm not a "heavy" user, but I've encountered no problems like you describe.

Sorry I'm not more help.

TNO821

12-21-10, 07:00 PM

If I use HDTV2DVD to re-encode and burn a DVD, the DVD looks as I would expect. Less resolution but no artifacts.

I'm wondering if the laptop is capturing _all_ the firewire data or if it is losing some? Is there any way to be certain?

If anything is able to play back the file, then I really doubt you are losing any data. Your laptop is likely just not fast enough to do a good job playing back high-def video (2.1 GHz is acceptable only if it's video does HD hardware decoding). I find it almost impossible to believe that data was somehow lost and yet the video could successfully be re-encoded to DVD quality.

Also, you may not have good high-def video codecs installed. You mention that Media Player Classic does a better at playing the videos, and that could be because it comes with its own codecs built in. You may want to try the free version of the Splash Player: http://mirillis.com/en/products/splash.html

On the subject of hard drives, one of the biggest problems with laptops is that their 2.5" hard drives are way slower than desktop 3.5" drives (despite the rotation speed often matching; There are plenty of factors that determine the overall performance of a hard drive). It is possible that the hard drive was having trouble keeping up with recording the .ts stream due to other disk-intensive background operations (A/V scans, the disk indexing service, etc.) Something that may help is to use a USB external hard drive for the recording. It would be more immune to those background operations (which would primarily target your internal hard drive) and you could have it be a full 3.5" (7200 RPM, godly access times, crazy amounts of cache, etc) desktop drive for greater performance.

But my bet is that your machine has a hard time with *any* high def, despite who or how it was recorded. To test this, download some .ts files and see how they play back. I'm sure that the AVS Forum has more than a few test .ts files floating around these threads.

The bottom line is that a machine really doesn't have to be anything special to record HD video via firewire, but it must be a lot beefier to properly play back that same video.

sailorickm

12-21-10, 10:20 PM

If anything is able to play back the file, then I really doubt you are losing any data. Your laptop is likely just not fast enough to do a good job playing back high-def video (2.1 GHz is acceptable only if it's video does HD hardware decoding). I find it almost impossible to believe that data was somehow lost and yet the video could successfully be re-encoded to DVD quality.

Your comment reminded me that I have seen mention of the MPEG2repair program so I ran that just now on my file. The only error found was at the very end of the file, which I'm guessing could be that CapDHVS doesn't end gracefully?

In any case, this seems like good news. Does this prove the laptop is capturing the data just fine? I'm assuming there is no such thing as "intelligently dropping whole frames" or something such that the file is physically sound but the video actually "jerky" from missing frames?

Here is the log:

MPEG2Repair: BVIs.ts

Sequence Frame 53634(14-P) / Time 0:29:49 :
Error: Packet 15574787 has no TS Sync Byte.
Error: Can't find next TS Sync Byte. Terminating operation.
VideoError: Invalid Huffman code in non-intra MPEG2 block. MBA=7021(976,928)
VideoError: Failed to decode macroblock at MBA=7021(976,928)
VideoError: Missing 1140 macroblocks in picture slice(s) at MBA=7020(960,928).
FileInfo: Last video errors span 33 bytes at file offset 2928925475

Sequence Frame 53635(14-P) / Time 0:29:49 :
Info: End of MPEG2 sequence

Sequence Summary:

File Size Processed: 2.73 GB, Play Time: 00h:29m:49s
1920 x 1080, 29.97 fps, 24.00 Mbps (12.33 Mbps Average).
Average Video Quality: 50.23 KB/Frame, 0.20 Bits/Pixel.
AC3 Audio: 3/2 Channels (L, C, R, SL, SR) + LFE, 48.0 kHz, 384 kbps.
Dialog Normalization: -21.0 dB, Center Mix Level: -3.0 dB, Surround Mix Level: -3.0 dB
1 of 53635 video frames found with errors.
0 of 55910 audio frames found with errors.
33 corrupted video bytes in file.
0.000000 seconds of video timestamp gaps.
0.000000 seconds of audio timestamp gaps.

End of Log

I ran this program on an edited file created with HDTV2MPEG2 where I removed the commercials in two places. It came up with timestamp and temporalRef gaps in two places. The HDTV2MPEG2 doc warned of possible problems in this so I'm not surprised (or worried).

CaptMorn2374

12-22-10, 02:58 AM

TNO821

12-22-10, 05:55 AM

Yeah, that looks good. It's not unusual that the very beginning or end of a recording will be a little goofy. MPEG2REPAIR or VideoReDo TVSuite 4's "QuickStream Fix" take care of that just fine.

For playing back h.264 MPEG4 files, you may want to have a look at CoreAVC. It's on sale for $9 and certainly is a faster and more efficient codec than any of the freely available ones. Laptops that lack HD video hardware decoding can really benefit from it. http://corecodec.com/products/coreavc
(keep in mind it's primarily designed for MPEG4, so I'm not sure that it will have any impact on playing MPEG2 files)

TNO821

12-22-10, 07:29 AM

I've updated my Windows Installer (MSI) package to support more versions of Windows.

It now supports 32-bit x86 releases of Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Home Server, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7.

It also now includes detailed help on getting things working on Windows Server 2008 (this version of Windows does not include qedit.dll, a file required by CapDVHS).

Here's the download link:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/gnbz7o

Here's my original v1 post that talks more about it:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=19656139#post19656139

The information about the uninstall is the same in v1 and v2:
*****Info about the uninstall*****
I decided not to delete the HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet registry values in the (the way that ExDeus UninstallServices.reg file does). I feel it's more appropriate to let DIFx handle it natively, even if it leaves a little stuff behind (I'd far prefer that rather than risk deleting a service that was being shared by something else, causing it to break)

If you still want to delete those services during the uninstall, I've provided a "custom action" that can do so during the uninstall. It works if you perform the uninstall by running the following command line (instead of going to the Control Panel):
MSIEXEC.EXE /X {CBADB114-8C17-4554-8815-F825CBB1B5D4} NUKEFROMORBIT=1

If the NUKEFROMORBIT property does not exist (and isn't also set to 1), the code will not run and those registry entries will not be deleted.

I made this decision not to delete the entries because my testing showed that it caused a mild error (One that Windows seemed to straighten out with a reboot, but still...). When I performed back-to-back Install, Uninstall, then another install (without rebooting), the second install failed if those registry entries had been deleted. I could perform a reboot of the machine and then the install would succeed, so it looks like Windows did a bit of self-healing. If I performed the very same test without deleting the registry, I could do as many back-to-back installs and uninstalls as I wanted and it always worked.

Let me know if there are any issues, or if anyone has other ideas for improving it.

sailorickm

12-22-10, 01:30 PM

qz3fwd

12-23-10, 09:49 PM

From my experience that looks like a good recording. When you play back are there some serious color distortions too? It sounds like an issue I used to have when I had another program running that seemed to interfere with the playback. I can't remember which one it was right now though.

Turn off **** like antivirus software when running capdvhs and if youre on a laptop with a slow 5900 rpm drive record to either a second internal hdd, or to an esata/firewire external drive.
A highly fragmented/almost full hdd will **** up your cap. Record on the DVR, then transfer to PC. Sometimes glitches are not actually in the recorded cap, yet occur during capping, so you may try retransferring glitchy segnents and creating a perfect frankencap with VRD.

sailorickm

12-23-10, 10:19 PM

Turn off **** like antivirus software when running capdvhs and if youre on a laptop with a slow 5900 rpm drive record to either a second internal hdd, or to an esata/firewire external drive.
A highly fragmented/almost full hdd will **** up your cap. Record on the DVR, then transfer to PC. Sometimes glitches are not actually in the recorded cap, yet occur during capping, so you may try retransferring glitchy segnents and creating a perfect frankencap with VRD.

My previous posts were based on my test of a 30-minute program, which seems to have generated a perfect capture. Last night I copied a 2-hour recorded program and it's full of errors. Guess what? I had installed MS Security Essentials virus checking between the two tests. I'll temporarily turn off MSE realtime checking and automatic updates and try the capture again.

qz3fwd

12-24-10, 06:33 PM

My previous posts were based on my test of a 30-minute program, which seems to have generated a perfect capture. Last night I copied a 2-hour recorded program and it's full of errors. Guess what? I had installed MS Security Essentials virus checking between the two tests. I'll temporarily turn off MSE realtime checking and automatic updates and try the capture again.

ANYTHING which inspects packets, be it over the firewire bus/network interface/or filesystem activity can screw up captures.
I have HDHomrRun's in addition to firewire devives and norton/mcaffee/etc can interfere with capping.

Also, dont use software which uses lots of system resources while capping, as you just dont know when the limited resources are exhausted, possibly causing lost packets.
In other words, dont play halo while capping in the background.

sailorickm

12-24-10, 09:34 PM

ANYTHING which inspects packets, be it over the firewire bus/network interface/or filesystem activity can screw up captures.
I have HDHomrRun's in addition to firewire devives and norton/mcaffee/etc can interfere with capping.

Also, dont use software which uses lots of system resources while capping, as you just dont know when the limited resources are exhausted, possibly causing lost packets.
In other words, dont play halo while capping in the background.

OK, this time I turned off MSEssentials and AutomaticUpdates, closed all programs and disconnected the network cable (and wireless). I had about 31GB of free space for the 11GB capture. I didn't touch the laptop during the capture.

I ran MPEG2repair and it found 2 bad areas, at about 42 minutes and 82 minutes into the 2 hour show. In both places there are several errors spread over a minute or two. Playing the file, VLC doesn't seem to be able to play the sound in these large files. If I drag the slider bar the sound disappears. MPClassic is OK with audio and moving the slider. It got through the first bad spot but hung at the second. MPEGrepair repaired the file such that it now plays, but the audio is out of sync after the spot at 42 minutes. Somewhere later it gets back in sync again and the fixed copy plays through the bad spot at 82.

I don't know what else I can do to improve it other than using a different machine. What could have happened 40 minutes apart to mess it up? If there are glitches in the recording on the PVR (I haven't been able to check yet), would they transfer as bad data to the capture file?

TNO821

12-24-10, 10:58 PM

I don't know what else I can do to improve it other than using a different machine.

Lemme guess, you've got either the DCH3416 or 6412. If so, welcome to the wonderful world of Motorola firmware bugs! And there's two things you can do about it: Nothing and like it :)

Yeah, this kind of crap (with the random glitchy spots) has been running wild since the A28 firmware update...just go back to the July postings in the DCH forum thread and see where everyone is seeing the same junk at the same time (stb reboots when your computer reboots, glitches in the caps, etc). I've found that the glitching happens on some channels more than others (not sure if this has something to do with signal strength), but it looks like we'll have to wait for Motorola to fix their firmware.

What I now do is use VideoRedo TVSuite V4 and read it's log file (from the Application Data folder) to see exactly where any glitching took place, then I record that section again and use VideoReDo to splice together a glitch-free recording. It is a giant pain-in-the-ass, but it works.

Sometimes the problem is more pronounced than others, presumably due to how much other stuff the stb is busy doing, so I pay attention to the total number of Input Sequence Errors reported by VideoRedo (and also "Video Resync Frames Removed" and "Audio Resync Frames Removed" and "Audio Frame Errors")...if the number is larger than maybe 10, I'll just start over. If the number is less, I'll use the splicing method.

I've found that I do get better results by first changing both of my tuners to SD channels and then turning off the stb for ~30 seconds and then back on. I'm not entirely sure why it helps...it seems to be more than just clearing the buffers (otherwise powering off and back on wouldn't be necessary), but I've done enough testing to know that it really is actually helping.

Also, this newish problem is not limited to DVR recordings...Live television caps fare no better. It's sort of luck-of-the-draw. In my case I don't think I've ever once seen the issue when recording NBC (channel 703 in my case). Comedy Central is pretty darn reliable (not rock-solid like NBC, but it's really unusual that I have glitching). And I have a good cry when I need to record AMC or IFC or TBS (curse Conan for moving to TBS!); in those cases it's going to be glitch-city and I'll have to do a fair bit of splicing, guaranteed. I've had Comcast out several times and the signal's rock solid and the internet speed is balls-fast.

Also: I have mad computer hardware and 4 DVHS VCR's and numerous Ghost image backups from years of error-free capping. I use a special highly customized install of Windows XP that disables most services (surfing the internet or indexing the hard drive or running an AV service are not an option on this cut-down OS). My Hard drives tend to be of the 10,000 rpm WD Raptor variety; No bottlenecks in this neck of the woods. In short, Soooo many ways to eliminate soooo many variables...Except that damned Motorola firmware.

Anyways, I suggest you run that recording again (preceded by switching both tuners to different SD channels in order to both clear their buffers and stop the stb from dealing with HD other than your DVR recording...also power off the stb for a short bit and then back on). My guess is that you may still get a bit of glitching, but it will NOT be in the same spots. And if you get lucky, you'll get no glitching at all. This will likely vary wildly depending on the channel. Just to be clear: the glitches are not in the DVR recording. The glitching occurs during the firewire cap. If you run the cap 3 times, you get different glitching (or, if lucky, no glitching)

I have also noticed that when I get an error-free recording from one of the problematic channels (AMC, IFC and TBS for me), I can typically get several good recordings in a row...it's like there are windows-of-opportunity where the set top box is, perhaps, more dormant and therefore less glitch-prone.

I'd love to compare notes with anybody else's experiences (but only for stb models DCH3416 and 6412...other firmware for other models is just too different).

If anyone has any neat ideas for tests I should run, I'd love to. If we can nail down more specifics, perhaps we can work around it or nudge Motorola in the right direction for fixing it.

sailorickm

12-25-10, 01:02 PM

Lemme guess, you've got either the DCH3416 or 6412. If so, welcome to the wonderful world of Motorola firmware bugs!

Actually, I have the DCT-6412 Phase III. Is it known have different problems than the DCH?

Yeah, this kind of crap (with the random glitchy spots) has been running wild since the A28 firmware update...just go back to the July postings in the DCH forum thread and see where everyone is seeing the same junk at the same time (stb reboots when your computer reboots, glitches in the caps, etc).

My STB reboots and loses the guide info when I connect the firewire to the laptop. To get around this, I turn the STB OFF first. Then, connecting the firewire turns the STB ON but doesn't reset or lose the guide. I discovered this by fluke on my own but later read it here.

I've found that the glitching happens on some channels more than others (not sure if this has something to do with signal strength), but it looks like we'll have to wait for Motorola to fix their firmware.

I assume you mean for live tuner capture? Once recorded on the PVR, all transfers would have an equal chance of being clean?

What I now do is use VideoRedo TVSuite V4 and read it's log file (from the Application Data folder) to see exactly where any glitching took place, then I record that section again and use VideoReDo to splice together a glitch-free recording. It is a giant pain-in-the-ass, but it works.

I'll have to look for VideoRedo; it gets a lot of mention here.

I've found that I do get better results by first changing both of my tuners to SD channels and then turning off the stb for ~30 seconds and then back on. I'm not entirely sure why it helps...it seems to be more than just clearing the buffers (otherwise powering off and back on wouldn't be necessary), but I've done enough testing to know that it really is actually helping.

I had read here about setting the tuners to non-HD. I had actually done that this time around. I had also turned off the STB first in order to connect the firefire as explained above.

I use a special highly customized install of Windows XP that disables most services...

I don't know Windows enough to start turning things off. Is the fact that it screwed up at 40 minute intervals a clue? Maybe the STB does something every 40 minutes, like updating the guide info?

I thought I'd reboot the laptop to "freshen" it before starting another capture just now. The End Program dialog came up saying NMIndexStoreSrv is not responding. Apparently it's a Nero 7 utility than scans media files. That looks like a good one to get rid of.

I'll do as you suggest and try the capture again, maybe more than once, to see if I get different results each time.

TNO821

12-26-10, 07:26 AM

Actually, I have the DCT-6412 Phase III. Is it known have different problems than the DCH?
From my experience (I used to have the 6412 Phase III), the 6412 and 3416 are nearly the same and appear to use nearly identical firmware (though the firmware version numbers are slightly different; The 6412 version number begins with 16. and the 3416 begins with 18.) Bugs that impact one also impact the other. This is not true when looking at other Motorola STB's such as the DCX3400.

My STB reboots and loses the guide info when I connect the firewire to the laptop. To get around this, I turn the STB OFF first. Then, connecting the firewire turns the STB ON but doesn't reset or lose the guide. I discovered this by fluke on my own but later read it here.
Yeah, that's how you handle that little bug. I'm not sure why I didn't think to come here earlier and check to see if others were having this problem. I did all sorts of stuff first, including taking back and exchanging my DCH3416 3 different times! I also wound up frying the firewire port on one of them with all the plugging and unplugging of the firewire cable (a nasty spark, and not a little one caused by static electricity, just deep-sixed the firewire controller...amazingly everything else on the STB continued to work fine)

I assume you mean for live tuner capture? Once recorded on the PVR, all transfers would have an equal chance of being clean?
I meant in general, either live-tuner or DVR. And I don't agree that, once recorded to the DVR, everything has equal chance of being properly captured. Garbage-in, Garbage-out; Your DVR records a bit-for-bit copy of the original broadcast. If the original broadcast has (hypothetical) characteristics that make it difficult to capture, those characteristics will also be present upon playback. The same thing holds true for the 5c copy-protection flag. Basically, barring any firmware bugs (there was an old bug from a couple years back that *royally* screwed up caps only during playback...you could only cap live stuff), capping live and capping DVR recordings is the same.

The benefit of capping a DVR recording, as opposed to live, is that you get more than one crack at it.

I'll have to look for VideoRedo; it gets a lot of mention here.
I am a big fan of that program. With the current frequent glitching that we're getting, I don't think I could get good recordings of more than half the stuff I record without VideoReDo. It used to be just a nice easy-to-use time-saving application, but it's now pretty much become a necessity.

I had read here about setting the tuners to non-HD. I had actually done that this time around. I had also turned off the STB first in order to connect the firefire as explained above.
Let me be clear about this trick: It is absolutely not a guaranteed cure. I have done many, many tests and have concluded that it can make a rather substantial difference (I am 100% certain that it is not a placebo effect)...It could, for example, be the difference between me seeing 58 "Input Sequence Errors" impacting six different spots in the recording, and me seeing only 7 "Input Sequence Errors" impacting only one spot in the recording. Now, what would you rather do? Record the whole video again (resulting in errors, but at least they're at different points in the recording) and then splice around the 6 different bad spots...or just record the 30 seconds or 45 seconds around one bad spot and quickly splice only the one problem area.

Sometimes I do get perfect captures using this trick. Though, it is kind of rare to get a perfect cap from my problematic channels (I do the happy dance when I get a glitch-free cap from AMC and TBS). And I get about 50-50 on glitch-free from IFC when using this trick. On my better channels, such as NBC, it's extremely rare to see the glitching and this trick is *guaranteed* to cure it right away.

Let me give you an example of something I capture from one of my problematic channels: Breaking Bad on AMC. I DVR'd a season 3 episode that aired after The Walking Dead season finale. I was determined to get a perfect cap, and I had a big chunk of time where I was doing work in that same room and could spare a few moments to start or stop CapDVHS and the DVR. Well, I gave up. I must have capped that damn thing 6 or 7 times and all turned out to be glitchy to one degree or another. I ended up having to to use VideoReDo to splice, which honestly wasn't hard and didn't take long...but I was still pissed.

I don't know Windows enough to start turning things off. Is the fact that it screwed up at 40 minute intervals a clue? Maybe the STB does something every 40 minutes, like updating the guide info?
I have found no pattern to it.

I thought I'd reboot the laptop to "freshen" it before starting another capture just now. The End Program dialog came up saying NMIndexStoreSrv is not responding. Apparently it's a Nero 7 utility than scans media files. That looks like a good one to get rid of.
I think you may be wasting your time rebooting your machine. And, yes, disable Nero's indexer (Google it, I recall there being 2 things you need do to really get rid of it). But regardless, you could have the world's fastest computer and switch your hard drive to a super-fast SSD and it wouldn't help avoid the glitching that we're discussing. Only Motorola fixing their firmware is likely to truly solve that. The best we can do is try to find tricks that minimize the issue. And I'm 99.44% convinced that all of those tricks would involve only the STB, not your computer.

Whoa, I just had a thought (that doesn't happen often...Imma need a moment). My STB is set to output at 1080i no matter what the actual resolution is. I wonder if the capture results would be any better if I told it to output the native resolution, since that should reduce the amount of stuff the STB is being asked to process. It's a long shot, but I'll mess with that in a few days when I get home (visiting family atm). I am also going to mess with upgrading the hard drive (thanks to information you and Sean D provided here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=19679042&postcount=2827) and here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=19682804&postcount=2829). If I can figure it out, I'll put together a how-to guide.

I'll do as you suggest and try the capture again, maybe more than once, to see if I get different results each time.
Please do. And please report back with your results.

sailorickm

12-26-10, 07:28 PM

And please report back with your results.

My first capture of this 2-hour show had 3 bad spots a minute apart starting at 0:44:40, and one a minute long at 1:22:22.

For my second capture of the same show, I set the STB channels to non-HD, powered off/on, stopped 3 Nero index services, my TightVNC server, Automatic Updates, and closed the Nokia OVI suite in the tray. All network and other programs were closed. I got 3 bad spots this time, at 0:36:28, 0:42:18 and 1:06:30, all around one minute long.

It's hard to say if one attempt was any better than the other. I'm inclined to believe what you say, given your exhaustive testing, that this isn't an issue with my laptop.

I don't know if you noticed my post where I said I also have a DCX3400M. It only works for live capture, not recorded, but that doesn't do me any good. I won't bother with it until there is a firmware update to fix the capture of recorded programs.

VideoReDo: I see it comes in 3 flavors. Which do you have and/or recommend? Is it the only option for splicing bits together to get one good file?

coyote2

12-26-10, 07:48 PM

OK, this time I turned off MSEssentials and AutomaticUpdates, closed all programs and disconnected the network cable (and wireless).I'm not sure what that leaves running, but if you haven't already, you might also look at turning off things that startup automatically. In XP I look at the Processes tab in the Task Manager. Once I'm disconnected from the Internet, I feel free to disable just about everything it's safe to disable. Googling each Process and the word "startup" will teach one what everything is doing. I'd also run some thorough virus scans.I had about 31GB of free space for the 11GB capture. I didn't touch the laptop during the capture.The 20GB remaining free is what % of the drive? One should never use more than 80 or 90 percent of a drive's space.

sailorickm

12-26-10, 08:10 PM

The 20GB remaining free is what % of the drive? One should never use more than 80 or 90 percent of a drive's space.

It's a 100GB drive, so it was 80% after the capture.

TNO821

12-27-10, 08:54 AM

Does Windows XP's Safe Mode load enough drivers to start a capture? (not that I believe that your glitching is caused by your machine; it's not).

qz3fwd

12-28-10, 05:38 PM

My first capture of this 2-hour show had 3 bad spots a minute apart starting at 0:44:40, and one a minute long at 1:22:22.

For my second capture of the same show, I set the STB channels to non-HD, powered off/on, stopped 3 Nero index services, my TightVNC server, Automatic Updates, and closed the Nokia OVI suite in the tray. All network and other programs were closed. I got 3 bad spots this time, at 0:36:28, 0:42:18 and 1:06:30, all around one minute long.

It's hard to say if one attempt was any better than the other. I'm inclined to believe what you say, given your exhaustive testing, that this isn't an issue with my laptop.

I don't know if you noticed my post where I said I also have a DCX3400M. It only works for live capture, not recorded, but that doesn't do me any good. I won't bother with it until there is a firmware update to fix the capture of recorded programs.

VideoReDo: I see it comes in 3 flavors. Which do you have and/or recommend? Is it the only option for splicing bits together to get one good file?

Presumably you have verified that the STB recordings are glitch free and that you dont therefore have a signal quality issue? I mean record a show, and play it back in its entirety looking for glitches. If you have signal issues, you need to fix those first. Just saying the obvious......

Most folks I know, including myself, use the following workflow:
1. Schedule recording on the STB
2. Once the recording is finished, transfer the cap to your computer.
3. Monitor 2, and if glitches occur, note the timecode and simply either retransfer the entire show, or use the transport controls to fast forward to the glitchy area, and re-transfer only the short segment (say in between commercial breaks for example).
4. If necessary, use VRD to replace the glitchy areas resulting in a bit perfect edited cap.

sailorickm

12-28-10, 06:48 PM

Presumably you have verified that the STB recordings are glitch free and that you dont therefore have a signal quality issue? I mean record a show, and play it back in its entirety looking for glitches. If you have signal issues, you need to fix those first. Just saying the obvious......

For the places where the 1st capture had glitches, I checked the 2nd capture and found that those points were OK. In other words, the bad spots in the two captures were different. I did check the PVR recording directly for one of the bad spots and it is OK. I figure this proves the PVR recording is good and it's the capture process that is failing. If you disagree, please let me know!

qz3fwd

12-28-10, 10:12 PM

For the places where the 1st capture had glitches, I checked the 2nd capture and found that those points were OK. In other words, the bad spots in the two captures were different. I did check the PVR recording directly for one of the bad spots and it is OK. I figure this proves the PVR recording is good and it's the capture process that is failing. If you disagree, please let me know!
Two more stupid questions for you.
1. How long is the firewire cable you are using?
2. Are you sure you are using the correct firewire port on the back of the DVR?
There are two ports and I seem to recall only being able to use one of them.

I had a 3416 and never had problems with it like others, however I now have a DCX unit which also works fine on both windows and snow leopard.

If you problem is due to the DVR's software then its up to them to fix it and there is nothing you can do about it, and they have little incentive to actually fix it.

sailorickm

12-30-10, 04:28 PM

Two more stupid questions for you.
1. How long is the firewire cable you are using?

6 feet.

2. Are you sure you are using the correct firewire port on the back of the DVR? There are two ports and I seem to recall only being able to use one of them.

I did a 3rd capture test using the other firewire port on the STB. This time, I got two bad areas, one a 6:60 and the other at 10:00. The total errors for this attempt was far fewer than the first two attempts (13 vs 2500). Hard to say the port made a difference but I might as well continue to use this one (the one closer to the AC power cord).

I had a 3416 and never had problems with it like others, however I now have a DCX unit which also works fine on both windows and snow leopard.
it.

Which DCX? People here and elsewhere say the DCX3400M is unusable due to firmware problems with the firewire. I have one of these and found that I can only capture from the live tuner. Trying to capture recorded programs hangs and stutters.

TNO821

01-03-11, 02:28 PM

Which DCX? People here and elsewhere say the DCX3400M is unusable due to firmware problems with the firewire. I have one of these and found that I can only capture from the live tuner. Trying to capture recorded programs hangs and stutters.

Question about the 3400: Does it capture glitch-free from the live tuner? Or is it the same sketchy results that currently occur with the latest firmware on the 3416 and 6412?

In other news, I intend to upgrade the hard drive in my DCH3416 to 750 GB (I just happen to have an unused 750 GB SATA Seagate drive that I can use for it). Hopefully I can attempt this by the end of the week...I just have to wait until I receive the proper screwdriver "security bit" to unscrew those 3 wacky looking screws on the back. I'm not going to worry about the anti-tamper plastic thingy for now (and those can be ordered for $5 on the net).

adiabatic

01-03-11, 10:48 PM

Which DCX? People here and elsewhere say the DCX3400M is unusable due to firmware problems with the firewire. I have one of these and found that I can only capture from the live tuner. Trying to capture recorded programs hangs and stutters.

I'd like to hear any input on this. I've got the DCX3450M and I can't capture recorded programs w/o the box going into a stuttering FF mode.

I'm having to keep a DCT3416 in another room solely for the purpose of firewire capture.

sailorickm

01-05-11, 03:37 PM

Question about the 3400: Does it capture glitch-free from the live tuner? Or is it the same sketchy results that currently occur with the latest firmware on the 3416 and 6412?

Good question. I'll try to test this soon. I only recorded 1 minute when I tried it.

gtroan

01-10-11, 01:22 PM

I recently loaded firestb.msi software in XP MCE in an attempt to communciate with a Verizon Motorola QIP-6416 FIOS STB via a firewire connection. The channel change only works with the command "channel -v -f 2 C" where C is the channel number. However, mytray.exe does not work, presumably because it is using the "channel -v 2 C" command. Is it possible to modify the mytray.exe file so that I can communciate with the STB? Also, the MYTRAY app does not appear under "More Programs" in MCE 2005. Is there some way to add it to the "More Programs" so that I can record from within MCE? A copy of the response from the "channel -v -f 2 C" command is as follows:

Firewire STB channel changer V1.0.15, by timmmoore
Device 2 Channel 509 Timeout 100 Dec 0
1 "FireBus MPEG2TS Tuner Subunit Device"
'Motorola AV/C Tuner Device'
"@device:pnp:\\?\avc#motorola&qip-6416&typ_5&id_0#daae37feffdd1b00#{65e8773d-8f56-11d0-a3b9-00a0c9223196}\global" 0
2 "AVC Panel Device"
'Motorola AV/C Panel Device'

UniqueID 'daae37feffdd1b00'
VendorID '1bdd'
ModelID '7216'
VendorText 'MOTOROLA'
ModelText 'QIP-6416'
"@device:pnp:\\?\avc#motorola&qip-6416&typ_9&id_0#daae37feffdd1b00#{65e8773d-8f56-11d0-a3b9-00a0c9223196}\global" 0
3 'NVTV'
"@device:pnp:\\?\pci#ven_123f&dev_8120&subsys_01e210de&rev_b1#4&3b90381f&0&50f0#{65e8773d-8f56-11d0-a3b9-00a0c9223196}\capture" 0
4 'ATI DTV Wonder Analog AV Capture'
"@device:pnp:\\?\pci#ven_14f1&dev_8800&subsys_a1011002&rev_05#4&3b90381f&0&68f0#{65e8773d-8f56-11d0-a3b9-00a0c9223196}\global" 0
Device Id "Device Version "2.1.0"
Using alternative command 2
Response (0x09 (ACCEPTED)) received 5 bytes
09 48 7c 25 00
Response (0x09 (ACCEPTED)) received 5 bytes
09 48 7c a5 00
Response (0x09 (ACCEPTED)) received 5 bytes
09 48 7c 20 00
Response (0x09 (ACCEPTED)) received 5 bytes
09 48 7c a0 00
Response (0x09 (ACCEPTED)) received 5 bytes
09 48 7c 29 00
Response (0x09 (ACCEPTED)) received 5 bytes
09 48 7c a9 00
Calling tranport release
Called tranport release
Calling CoUninitialize
Called CoUninitialize

Here's the
Thanks for any help,
gtroan

TNO821

01-24-11, 08:06 PM

Hey all, just an update on tests I've run.

I've been running a lot of firewire recording tests since the end of December and felt that I should share the results. Unfortunately, all of my complaints of a somewhat mild firewire bug in the latest 3416/3412/6416/6412 firmware have been proven, even when removing the PC from the equation and recording directly from the cable box to a DVHS digital high-def VCR.

I was very hopeful, based on what some others had posted, that I could record my problematic shows directly to DVHS and then dump it from there to my PC (utilizing different, possibly more stable drivers than the ExDeus/TimMoore drivers: meidvhs). But those shows exhibited the exact same level of glitchiness on DVHS that would have been seen when recording to a PC.. The glitches are on the tape and can be seen by playing it back and would look the same if dumped from DVHS to PC. This is yet more evidence that the problem is with the cable box as it is outputting to firewire. It is also more evidence that the problem has absolutely nothing to do with the PC or DVHS deck.

I tested this with 4 different DVHS decks: 2 JVC HM-DH30000U's, a Mitsubishi HS-HD1100U, and a Mitsubishi HS-HD2000U. The results were the same on all and were identical to what would occur when recording to a PC.

Through the course of testing this and testing my cable stb driver MSI install, I wound up installing the 32-bit releases of Windows 2000 Pro, Windows XP Pro, Windows Server 2003 Standard (only the original, I didn't bother with R2), Windows Home Server, Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Server 2008 Standard (only the original, as R2 is not available in 32-bit), and Windows 7 Home Premium.

One thing that surprised me is that I never had any additional problems on the newer operating systems...despite common belief that Vista/7 should be avoided because it eats up too much hard disk I/O, I never once had this issue, even when testing on a laptop hard drive! (believe me, the only reason I threw a laptop hard drive in the mix is b/c I was impressed that I wasn't having any disk I/O problems and wanted to press the issue...to no avail.) Now, I'm not claiming that you couldn't encounter a hard disk I/O issue if the stars were perfectly aligned, but I did a TON of tests and never had it. Not even once. So while I'm disappointed that I don't have a foolproof workaround for recording glitch free from a few of my channels, I've come away with more respect for Windows NT 6 and am perfectly comfortable ditching XP and using Windows 7 32-bit full-time.

If anybody else has any additional information about any firewire glitching (or lack thereof), I'd love to hear it. I really don't want to give up looking for a good workaround, and I fear I'll be dead of old age before Motorola fixes their firmware.

So far, the best workaround I have is what I posted here over a month ago: When I encounter glitching, I first switch both tuners to SD channels (I use channels 8 and 9) and I then turn the cable box off for about 30-seconds. When the glitching is really really bad (10 or more frames dropped, and possibly dozens of Input Sequence Errors), this never fails to get rid of almost all of it.

After doing this I often find that I'll get a really small glitch within the next 10 or 15 minutes of recording, and then everything else records perfectly for an hour or more (sometimes for 3 or 4 hours straight). I don't know what the significance of that is, but it's an unmistakable pattern that I am seeing a lot. I'm even considering having my recordings start 15 minutes early just so I can consistently take advantage of this pattern without having to do any firewire babysitting.

Anyways, if anybody has any additional input, I would love to hear it. Also: I've noticed a lot of downloads of my firewire driver MSI install, but no suggestions on how it could be improved...While I am confident that the installation is of high quality and follows installation best practices, I would be surprised if there were no bugs/oversights, etc.

jeffgood

01-24-11, 08:33 PM

I have heard that using a solid state HD also may help fix stuttering..

TNO821

01-24-11, 08:52 PM

I have heard that using a sold state HD also may help fix stuttering..

Agreed, but my tests prove that stuttering has nothing to do with the problem. The glitching is coming *from* the firewire output of the cable box. Solid State drive or not, garbage-in, garbage-out.

Plus, if it were a stuttering problem, the issue would not also occur when recording from the cable box to a DVHS VCR.

JDLIVE

01-25-11, 12:30 PM

I turn the cable box off every time before transferring recordings to my HTPC, because I have to boot into XP to do it. If I don't, it reboots the DVR. It also reboots when I put the PC into sleep mode, but I digress.

I can't say I've done any extensive studies on recent results, though I have a very difficult time getting them encoded to H264 with any consistency. Sometimes the audio will stay in sync using my usual work flow, other times I'll have to cut some off of the start, or remux first, etc.

Have you validated your recordings are all glitch free on the DVR itself?

TNO821

01-25-11, 01:07 PM

Have you validated your recordings are all glitch free on the DVR itself?

Yes. It is what I call a "glitch" if it occurs only during firewire capping and is not part of the original transmission (meaning if you watch the recording play back on the DVR itself, you never ever see any glitching).

*It is important to note that the firewire glitching happens both when capturing from the live tuner and when capturing from a recording stored on the DVR. I have found no differences at all. Therefore you would be a fool not to record to the DVR, as running multiple captures would be the only way to guarantee that you could eventually get a perfect glitch-free capture.

Also: all of these glitches are random. If I perform 3 firewire caps in a row of the same DVR recording, there will be different amounts of glitching (none, if I'm lucky) each time and in totally different spots. And none of those glitches would be visible or audible if you were watching the TV during the captures.

This is one reason why I say the glitching is specific to the cable box firewire output. You never get it via the HDMI or the digital audio outputs or any of the analog outputs. Just the firewire.

In fact, when I first started having the issue (July 2010, as soon as the A28 and firmware updates hit), my lousy workaround was to use my Hauppauge HD-PVR to record using the analog component video and digital toslink audio. This works okay, because the glitching only impacts the firewire, but the quality is a far cry from the original MPEG2 transport stream (due to the Hauppauge having to perform analog-to-digital conversion and then compress it to MPEG4). In light of my newer workarounds which retain 100% quality, I now refuse to use the Hauppauge workaround. As far as I'm concerned, the only purpose such a device serves is to capture somewhat high-quality recordings from the protected channels (HBO, Showtime, Pay-Per-View, On-Demand). It softens the picture somewhat and sometimes ends up looking little better than a really good upconverted DVD, not that that's terrible, but still...

TNO821

01-25-11, 01:22 PM

I turn the cable box off every time before transferring recordings to my HTPC, because I have to boot into XP to do it. If I don't, it reboots the DVR. It also reboots when I put the PC into sleep mode, but I digress.
That's a good point that I hadn't considered. Most people probably do what you do. By the way, we have that very same A28 and firmware update to thank for the firewire reboot bug. And the reason I didn't use to power off is that my HTPC runs 24/7 and all sleep mode and power saving features are disabled. So the reboot bug didn't happen to me until I started plugging and unplugging cables in an attempt to figure out why the firewire glitching was occurring.

I can't say I've done any extensive studies on recent results, though I have a very difficult time getting them encoded to H264 with any consistency. Sometimes the audio will stay in sync using my usual work flow, other times I'll have to cut some off of the start, or remux first, etc.
I outright refuse to do any h.264 encoding due to the type of crap you're seeing. Hard drives are unbelievably cheap, and the space savings of h.264 does not justify the drop in quality due to re-encoding IMO. For me, quality is of #1 importance and I will go to absurd lengths to preserve it.

TNO821

01-25-11, 03:42 PM

I figure I should divulge as much info as I can think of so that this stuff isn't so spread out all over this thread...

The "firewire glitching" bug, as I call it, began with the Motorola A28 guide update (and accompanying firmware) which was released in mid-2010. I live just south of San Francisco and received the update in July (if memory serves). This same update is also responsible for your cable box rebooting whenever your HTPC restarts or when you plug/unplug the firewire cable. The A28 guide update also includes some nice stuff in it, such as the ability to search for shows. You can also set future recordings that will automatically occur if those shows ever appear on the schedule...I was pleasantly surprised that the Xtacles were auto-recorded on Adult Swim recently. Organizing your DVR recordings into folders is another nice feature of the A28 update.

The firewire glitching issue can not be seen when watching your cable box (either Live Tuner or DVR recordings). Everything viewed from the cable box will look the same as when you recorded it. The glitching can only be seen after you have finished capturing a recording and are playing it back on your PC/Mac or DVHS VCR (or any device you transfer it to such as a TVIX or Western Digital TV Live, Blu-ray disc, etc).

The glitching looks like dropped frames and massive pixelation. Each glitch is typically very short (just a second or two), but I've seen a few longer ones...maybe 10 or 20 seconds of missing or messed up stuff. These glitches happen randomly; If you capture the same DVR recording 3 times in a row, you will have glitching in different spots (or hopefully you'll get a perfect capture).

In order to discover where glitches exist, you either have to watch the captured recording or run a program to check the integrity of the MPEG-2 transport stream (which is obviously the easier less time-consuming way of doing it).

Since I already use VideoReDo TVSuite v4 to remove ads, I rely on it to tell me about any glitches. I'm sure that there are other (free) ways of going about this, but I don't know what they are (maybe MPEG2Repair?). I would really appreciate it if others would share how they go about this.

I used to always run VideoRedo's "QuickStream Fix" option in order to locate glitches, but I have since discovered that to be overkill. Just the mere act of having VideoRedo save the file (in order to cut out ads, etc) is enough for it to scan the file and alert you to any glitches.

Here's what the VideoReDo output looks like when firewire glitches are present:
VideoReDo_Output_with_Firewire_glitches.jpg (http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f100/TNO821/Firwire_Glitches.jpg)
This example is more extreme than average, but I've seen worse. Now, given this information, there's no way to know where precisely those glitches occur...only that they are all in there somewhere. Maybe there is only one problem spot and it happens to be pretty big. But it is much more likely that there are 2 or 3 or more problem areas scattered throughout the recording. VideoReDo's log file can tell us exactly where the glitches are.

VideoReDo's log file is located in the "Application Data" folder. For Windows XP this could be "C:\Documents and Settings\TNO821\Application Data\VideoReDo-TVSuite4\VideoReDo.log"

At the bottom of the log file will be information about the last thing that VideoReDo edited. Here's a snippet:

Input file: E:\110113164844.ts
Output file: E:\110113164844 (02).ts
Mode: Frame Accurate
TS Video packets: 9021951
TS Audio packets: 367551
TS PSI packets: 26062
TS Null packets: 0
TS MUX Rate (Mbps): 16.92951
-TS Discontinuities: 1
Video output frames: 78337
Audio output frames: 40839
Processing time (secs): 257
Processed frames/sec: 304.22
Actual Video Bitrate: 10.11 Mbps
* Audio frame errors: 2
* Input Sequence Errors: 2
* Video resync frames removed: 9

2011-01-13 19:11:29 Displaying output complete dialog: 0

Notice the last few lines mention 2 Audio Frame Errors, 2 Input Sequence Errors, and 9 Video Resync Frames Removed. That's the same type of high-level (birds-eye view) information that the output dialog also reveals. It still doesn't tell us exactly where these errors occur or how many spots in the video are impacted by them.

For the detailed info, we need to look just a tiny bit higher up in the log file were some ultra-detailed info is recorded. Here's what that looks like:

2011-01-13 19:07:33 Adding new graph range, Start: 27094 (00:00:27.04), End: 161865.08 (00:02:41.50)
2011-01-13 19:07:34 XXCount: 0, Real: 1 0
2011-01-13 19:07:53 Resync: removed 8 video frames, at video 00:01:58.28, original (00:02:25.08), sync changed from -2753.33 to -33.98
2011-01-13 19:07:55 Starting new Frame Accurate Output Segment: start:307073.444 (00:05:07.06), end:669505.544 (00:11:09.30)
2011-01-13 19:07:55 Preparing to send status to: 0 Audio volume changed
2011-01-13 19:07:57 Sending status: 'Audio volume changed' to module: 'Output muxer - 0', Type: Video frame
2011-01-13 19:07:57 Preparing to send status to: 0 Audio volume changed
2011-01-13 19:07:57 Sending status: 'Audio volume changed' to module: 'Audio recoder - 0', Type: Audio frame
2011-01-13 19:07:57 Adding new graph range, Start: 307073 (00:05:07.06), End: 669505.54 (00:11:09.30)
2011-01-13 19:07:58 XXCount: 0, Real: 1 0
2011-01-13 19:08:09 AC3 (Unpacked2) Audio Frame Error 1 at: 00:06:02.25, Maxretries: 32000
2011-01-13 19:08:57 XXCount: 0, Real: 1 0
2011-01-13 19:08:57 Starting new Frame Accurate Output Segment: start:889605.400 (00:14:49.35), end:1191493.678 (00:19:51.30)
2011-01-13 19:08:57 Preparing to send status to: 0 Audio volume changed
2011-01-13 19:08:57 Sending status: 'Audio volume changed' to module: 'Output muxer - 0', Type: Video frame
2011-01-13 19:08:57 Preparing to send status to: 0 Audio volume changed
2011-01-13 19:08:57 Sending status: 'Audio volume changed' to module: 'Audio recoder - 0', Type: Audio frame
2011-01-13 19:08:58 Adding new graph range, Start: 889605 (00:14:49.35), End: 1191493.68 (00:19:51.30)
2011-01-13 19:08:59 XXCount: 0, Real: 1 0
2011-01-13 19:09:39 Temporal frame drop, at: 00:11:18.20, originalPTS: 1073238.84 (00:17:53.14), frame type: 3, temporal: 12 (2)
2011-01-13 19:09:39 AC3 (Unpacked2) Audio Frame Error 2 at: 00:17:52.28, Maxretries: 32000
2011-01-13 19:09:39 Temporal frame drop, at: 00:11:18.20, originalPTS: 1073255.53 (00:17:53.15), frame type: 3, temporal: 13 (2)
2011-01-13 19:09:39 Resync: removed 1 video frames, at video 00:11:18.20, original (00:17:53.04), sync changed from -156.32 to 43.89
2011-01-13 19:10:01 Starting new Frame Accurate Output Segment: start:1316727.278 (00:21:56.40), end:1827512.400 (00:30:27.29)
2011-01-13 19:10:02 Preparing to send status to: 0 Audio volume changed
2011-01-13 19:10:02 Sending status: 'Audio volume changed' to module: 'Output muxer - 0', Type: Video frame
2011-01-13 19:10:02 Preparing to send status to: 0 Audio volume changed
2011-01-13 19:10:02 Sending status: 'Audio volume changed' to module: 'Audio recoder - 0', Type: Audio frame
2011-01-13 19:10:03 Adding new graph range, Start: 1316727 (00:21:56.40), End: 1827512.40 (00:30:27.29)
2011-01-13 19:10:03 XXCount: 0, Real: 1 0
2011-01-13 19:11:28 XXCount: 0, Real: 1 0
2011-01-13 19:11:29 AudioRecoder thread complete. Stream: 0, Audio Frames, In:40842, Out: 40839
2011-01-13 19:11:29 Graph, monitoring thread received terminate signal.
2011-01-13 19:11:29 Graph monitoring thread finished.
2011-01-13 19:11:29 Output muxer processing thread complete. Video in: 78337, Out: 78337, Buffer: 0
2011-01-13 19:11:29 Output muxer processing thread complete. Audio stream 0 In: 40839, Out: 40839, Buffer: 0
2011-01-13 19:11:29 Muxer add / delete audio: stream: 0, add: 0 delete 0, sync: -16.01
2011-01-13 19:11:29 Output complete.

I've put the detailed error messages in italics. You can see that there are several areas in this video that are impacted by the firewire glitches:
1 min 58 sec
6 min 2 sec
11 min 18 sec

Now, being that this was only an 11 and a half minute Adult Swim show, having three different problem areas in such a short recording is really quite bad. And I would not even consider trying to splice around those three problem areas...that would be way too much effort. I would instead run my trick of changing both cable box tuners to SD channels (I use 8 and 9) and powering the cable box off for 30 seconds. I would then try capturing it again and hope for the best (In my case, this particular channel is not one of my glitchier channels, so it's nearly guaranteed to record glitch-free the second time).

If repeated attempts continue to have glitches (and if I really really want that recording), I will bite the bullet and perform splicing. But that truly is a pain in the ass, so I try to avoid it.

Hopefully this gives everyone a fairly good idea of how I determine how much and where the glitching is.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

gordonmcdowell

01-26-11, 12:01 AM

If repeated attempts continue to have glitches (and if I really really want that recording), I will bite the bullet and perform splicing. But that truly is a pain in the ass, so I try to avoid it.

Wow, I just recently started having trouble recording our local city programming in Calgary, and I wonder if they rolled out A28 here right when the trouble began (start of 2011).

I have copies of our City Council sessions on my PVR. My "live" firewire recordings (CapDVHS) are now too glitchy to be parsed by ProjectX or cleaned up by mpeg2repair... I mean it is a 14GB file I simply can't make use of.

So I'd like to try pull the data off the PVR again, except playback of a recording results in that FFWD lossy glitchy video. I can't even parse captions out of it (reliably).

Since the PVR starts FFWDing when I start recording with CapDVHS or VLC, I assume the app/driver is telling the PVR "hey I'm starting to record now!"

Is there anyway to simply monitor or record off the firewire port without telling the PVR you're about to start recording? Like read-only communications from the PC side? Isn't the cable box constantly shitting its current video output out the firewire port and all I want to do is monitor the port?

TNO821

01-26-11, 11:42 AM

Wow, I just recently started having trouble recording our local city programming in Calgary, and I wonder if they rolled out A28 here right when the trouble began (start of 2011).

What model of Motorola cable box do you have?

Your description of symptoms do not sound like the much milder problems I'm discussing. Also, the A28 update comes with some fairly obvious new features. When you hit the My DVR button, do you see the "Search & Record" option? Do your recorded shows get organized into folders? For example, I have 4 episodes of Conan on my DVR but rather than show each one on a separate line, it shows one line that says something like "Conan - 4 Episodes". If I click on that line, it takes me into the folder and shows me the 4 episodes.

If you've had those features for a while, then the A28 update is not new.

Here's how you can check the software and firmware version:
On your remote, hit Menu and choose Menu > Setup > Cable Box Setup > "Configuration: Select to Display"
At the top of the "Review Configuration" screen, you'll see the "S/W Ver" field. If you have the A28 update, you will see A28 somewhere in this field.

It is possible that you now have a newer firmware and/or software version than I have, and that Motorola may have made more changes that further degrade the firewire functionality :(

Please let us know your S/W version and Firmware version.
Example:
My S/W ver is 78.53 - A28p0-4.1005.r-8
My Firmware is 18.77
I'm using a Motorola DCH-3416

So I'd like to try pull the data off the PVR again, except playback of a recording results in that FFWD lossy glitchy video. I can't even parse captions out of it (reliably).

Since the PVR starts FFWDing when I start recording with CapDVHS or VLC
Whoa! Do you literally mean that your cable box begins fast forwarding the show as soon as you hit record in CapDVHS? If you watch the cable box during the capture, do you see it doing this? (or see FF appear on the front of the cable box?) That is way worse than the firewire glitching that I'm talking about.

This sounds a little bit like the bug on the Motorola DCX3400, but I don't think that the DCX has ever had working firewire...it's been too royally screwed up for anyone to record from (unlike the DCT and DCH 6412/6416/3412/3416).

As for your question about not letting the cable box know you're recording, there's no way to do that.

JDLIVE

01-26-11, 12:22 PM

MPEG2Repair is certainly useful for checking a file after capture. I also occasionally get a capture that VideoRedo won't even open, so I usually run that one through HDTV2MPEG, just remuxing is usually fixes things, sometime I end up clipping 5-10 frames off the front.

You're a lot more patient than I am about re-capturing to get a perfect copy. I've typically just been living with the glitches, a lot of what I capture is college sports, so they don't bother me too much. I don't watch a lot of TV shows or care to archive them, and movies are almost always either cropped, edited or have annoying pop-up ads and huge channel logos.

I'd like to hope Motorola can fix this, but my fear given their history with this firmware is the "fix" may end up causing even worse problems.

I understand your comment on re-encoding. While hard drives are cheap, they also fail. I had one die on me and lost a bunch of stuff I hadn't backed up. The H264 versions are smaller and can be typically backed up to a DVD-R.

TNO821

01-26-11, 12:45 PM

Since the PVR starts FFWDing when I start recording with CapDVHS or VLC, I assume the app/driver is telling the PVR "hey I'm starting to record now!"

After thinking about it, I'm convinced you must have the Motorola DCX3400, which has really really broken firewire. I don't think I've ever heard of someone with that box successfully performing a firewire capture (I've never used one, so I'm just going by what I read at this site).

I just had an idea that seems way too easy (this would have been tried and posted if it worked)...but what the hell: Have you tried hitting the play button on your remote as soon as the cable box begins fast forwarding?

My understanding of the DCX3400 is that it begins fast forwarding as soon as you tell CapDVHS to begin recording...so, if you immediately use your cable box remote and hit the play button to override the fast forward command, maybe it'll continue at a normal speed.

Again, seems way too obvious, but worth a shot.

TNO821

01-26-11, 12:58 PM

MPEG2Repair is certainly useful for checking a file after capture. I also occasionally get a capture that VideoRedo won't even open, so I usually run that one through HDTV2MPEG, just remuxing is usually fixes things, sometime I end up clipping 5-10 frames off the front.

I've had that problem with VideoReDo (where it refuses to even open the file), and just found a great workaround a week ago:
When VideoReDo refuses to open a file (usually with a No Data Found error message), go directly to the Tools menu and choose QuickStream Fix. Then, from the QuickStramFix menu, browse to the problematic file.

It's super counter-intuitive, being that I used to only choose QuickStream fix after opening the file, and never really considered that I could choose it before.

Before discovering this, I used to use Simple File Splitter to divide the problematic file into chunks (usually I'd get rid of the first and last chunk). I'd then use Simple File Joiner to recombine them. Using QuickStream Fix is SOOOO much faster :)

TNO821

01-26-11, 01:09 PM

You're a lot more patient than I am about re-capturing to get a perfect copy. I've typically just been living with the glitches, a lot of what I capture is college sports, so they don't bother me too much. I don't watch a lot of TV shows or care to archive them, and movies are almost always either cropped, edited or have annoying pop-up ads and huge channel logos.
If by "patient" you mean "clinically obsessed", then I agree :)
And, now that I think about it, I nearly never watch or record movies from cable (I'm a big Blu-ray proponent and formerly a bigger HD DVD proponent)
I think that if I were in the habit of recording things longer than 1 hour, the glitching would be a much bigger nuisance.

I'd like to hope Motorola can fix this, but my fear given their history with this firmware is the "fix" may end up causing even worse problems.
Sadly, I fully expect that based on their track record.

I understand your comment on re-encoding. While hard drives are cheap, they also fail. I had one die on me and lost a bunch of stuff I hadn't backed up. The H264 versions are smaller and can be typically backed up to a DVD-R.
Understood, and this is a big reason that I burn quite a few BD's.

JDLIVE

01-27-11, 12:32 PM

Yeah, I'm aware of quickstream fix but it seems to me the times I've had problems it couldn't open the file either. And HDTV2MPEG seems faster. *shrug*

Reminds me of another issue I had, Comcast was dropping in 1080i/30 commercials on some 720p/60 stations like ESPN. VideoRedo was having an awful time dealing with that. That's one case where I had to do a chunk-by-chunk capture like you've done. Awful.

TNO821

01-27-11, 01:50 PM

Yeah, I'm aware of quickstream fix but it seems to me the times I've had problems it couldn't open the file either
I think the latest version of VideoReDo v4 has made changes to QuickStream Fix. I don't think you'll ever get a "Could not open file" type of error. Now what it does is scan the entire file for any video content and if it sees multiple resolutions, it gives you a dialog where you can choose which resolution to keep.

I've only had this situation twice in the last couple of months, and I recall that it displayed a dialog with two "radio buttons" (one for 1080i and one for 480i) and asked which resolution I wanted to keep. Since it's a radio button, you can pick only one of the resolutions...everything else gets junked. Anyways, it worked really well. But the unintuitive trick is that you have to open VideoReDo and choose QuickStream Fix from the Tools menu *before* opening the problematic file (b/c any attempt to open the file results in an error message such as "No Video Data Found" since the file is too f'd up). It sure would be nice if that "No Video Data Found" error dialog would include a button to launch QuickStream Fix on the problematic file.

FYI: The reason I sometimes encounter these mixed-resolution files is that I'll sometimes forget to set a reasonable timer on CapDVHS and it'll capture for longer than my DVR recording...if I'm capturing a 1080i show and both of my tuners happen to be on 480i channels, that'd do it. (my tuners are now almost always on 480i channels when I'm capturing, as I try to minimize the firewire glitching).

Reminds me of another issue I had, Comcast was dropping in 1080i/30 commercials on some 720p/60 stations like ESPN. VideoRedo was having an awful time dealing with that. That's one case where I had to do a chunk-by-chunk capture like you've done. Awful.
Wow, that's bad! I haven't seen that particular issue. And I don't think I'll ever have to do that awful chunk-by-chunk editing again, now that I know QuickStream Fix can do it far more easily.

JDLIVE

01-28-11, 11:58 AM

Yep, I've been running the latest beta versions of VideoRedo, even those couldn't handle some of the frame rate changes. I'm sure they'll get it figured out eventually.

ws6500hp

02-05-11, 06:53 PM

Hello -

I have a Mot DCH3416 with Comcast. I am not new to capturing IEEE from a Motorola box using timmore drivers and CAPDVHS, etc. - I did it years ago with a different HD Mot box. I have all the proper drivers, etc. installed.

Here is my problem with this box:

I can't get Windows XP SP3 to even recognize the box. On two separate computers, one with an IEEE VIA chipset, and the other with a NEC chipset, neither will cause the computer to go through the PnP "found new hardware" process. (6 Pin IEEE cable).

I can take the same cable and from either computer, plug it in to a firewire hard drive and it works just fine - so, I don't think I have a bad cable or a bad PC interface.

I'm starting to think that the firewire controller in the Mot. box is hosed up somehow, or maybe the firmware is disabling IEEE output on the box.

Also, I get IEEE Enabled but not Active in the status display on the box.

Any suggestions?

TIA for any help!

PS My mother, living next door, has a different Mot HD box and I will drag my laptop over there and try it (after Super Bowl Sunday of course!)

boothman

02-05-11, 07:24 PM

I'd like to hear any input on this. I've got the DCX3450M and I can't capture recorded programs w/o the box going into a stuttering FF mode.

I'm having to keep a DCT3416 in another room solely for the purpose of firewire capture.

Does this box only have 1 firewire connection? I've heard you must have 2 like the older boxes to avoid glitches. I found this out to be true when I tried to dub over to dvhs from a friend's box that only had 1. Recording was useless. I still have older model that works okay with Verizon.

ws6500hp

02-05-11, 07:26 PM

Thanks for the reply! This box has 2 IEEE connectors.

Oops sorry, I thought you were replying to me.

charlie460

02-10-11, 03:59 PM

Has anyone had success with the Cisco RNG200? I haven't been able to get it work once. Almost every time I recieve "Cannot start capture: 80070057"

One time I recieved a BSOD from the STB driver when trying to start a capture from CapDVHS.

Running on Windows 7 32-bit with legacy firewire driver.

Any help would be super.

leftyguitar1963

02-15-11, 10:06 PM

anyone having success with fios' moto 7232-P2?

DSperber

02-20-11, 09:57 AM

anyone having success with fios' moto 7232-P2?I probably shouldn't be saying anything, since I'm not on FIOS.

But last I heard this is essentially the same latest generation box as the Motorola DCX3400 family (used by TWC and Comcast and others).

As such, it's a "1-port firewire" version. All previous Motorola boxes for the past 9 years up until this latest generation have been "2-port firewire" construction. This really shouldn't have anything to do with the success or failure of the firewire interface, if the firmware was modified appropriately, but it appears that the entire generation of 1-port boxes HAS A BROKEN FIREWIRE INTERFACE.

So whether you're trying to record (a) from DVR to DVHS VCR (e.g. JVC DT100U or DH5U or 40K or 30K) or (b) from DVR to WinXP PC, to the best of my knowledge nobody anywhere has reported genuine 100% reliable results... either with the FIOS version or TWC/Comcast version of these latest Motorola models.

For this very reason, many users (including myself) have retained DCTxxxx or DCHxxxx or QIP62xx boxes (all 2-port models), which are 100% reliable for firewire recording.

Still no solution from Motorola, I'm afraid, more than a year after this hardware first became available in the field. Truly sad.

TNO821

02-20-11, 08:33 PM

For this very reason, many users (including myself) have retained DCTxxxx or DCHxxxx or QIP62xx boxes (all 2-port models), which are 100% reliable for firewire recording.

By this point, more than enough people have weighed in to prove that the DCH boxes no longer can be considered to have 100% reliable firewire recording.

With the A28 update and corresponding firmware, it's 90% reliable at best and dependent on several factors. Comcast engineers recently boosted my signal (which helped quite a bit for a few of my channels), but the firewire is nowhere near 100% reliable. The older firmware was not nearly so picky about the signal and gave 100% reliable firewire caps.

sailorickm

02-20-11, 08:44 PM

My 2-port DCT6412-Phase III is not reliable either.

TheOtherAbbot

02-20-11, 09:41 PM

TNO821

02-21-11, 12:12 AM

Its been a while (7/25/2010) since I've done 1394 recording with my DCT3416 because I moved to Win7x64 and dont like to reboot just for recording. I wanted to extract some content and now it seems total broken. I see in another thread that some bugs like the STB rebooting when starting XP can be worked around.
Yes, it is widely known that the firmware which accompanied the A28 update has caused several problems with firewire on the DCT and DCH cable boxes. One problem is that the cable box reboots when you either plug or unplug the firewire cable (this happens when plugging or unplugging both DVHS VCR's and computers alike). Another problem is the firewire glitching bug, which is possibly what you are experiencing.

My issue now is major stuttering when recording HD video. I've noticed when capturing at 38.8104 Mbps that it slows down every second and then speeds up. Is there something that can be done about this?
Do you mean it slows down and then speeds up when you play the recording back on your PC? Or are you just referring to the CapDVHS dialog that displays the stats while capturing?

I've noticed that I now get sound when recording and it doesn't turn off video to the TV which is good.
You're referring to a very old DCT/DCH bug that would cut off the audio and video during firewire captures...that bug was fixed long ago.

The curious thing is sometimes it works fine and that only occurs at standard def or when it shows recording at 20 Mbps. I do not know why I see 20 Mbps sometimes and 38.8104 a majority of other time.
The cable company controls which bitrate is used for each channel. There's nothing you can do to control it. I haven't really looked closely at the bitrates of channels where I get frequent glitching vs. those that don't...It is possible that higher bitrates causes more of the firewire glitching, but that's purely speculation on my part. I'll have to do some testing to see if there is any pattern there.

If there is something to do the 20 Mbps all of the time that would be cool as well.
Sorry, there isn't.

DSperber

02-21-11, 05:39 AM

Yes, it is widely known that the firmware which accompanied the A28 update has caused several problems with firewire on the DCT and DCH cable boxes. One problem is that the cable box reboots when you either plug or unplug the firewire cable (this happens when plugging or unplugging both DVHS VCR's and computers alike). Another problem is the firewire glitching bug, which is possibly what you are experiencing.Maybe my situation is different than yours, but I still rate my DCH3416 -> DT100U situation 100% reliable. Even with A28 running on the DCH, I've not had any recording issues to DVHS.

I do NOT ever unplug the firewire cable that is permanently plugged in connecting the DVR to my VCR.

However I also keep my VCR set at L-1, rather than I-1, when I'm not doing any recording to DVHS. And it's virtually always powered off. It's long been known that the Motorola boxes are not terribly comfortable with the firewire connection "hot". There are some potential anomalies which only appear when the DVR senses that "somebody's listening", so there's no reason to aggravate it.

Bottom line: if I want to get a copy-freely recording to PC I will tune the DT100U to I-1, offload from DVR to DVHS after getting the DVR recording going playing back and the VCR set up and then just pushing REC (actually, I push the "quick timer" button repeatedly to set a 30-minute to 3.5-hour recording unattended, after which the VCR just turns itself off.

I then take the DVHS tape upstairs to my second DT100U. I'll then reboot that upstairs PC to WinXP, set up the VCR and plug in the firewire cable to the PC, position the tape for proper playback, get CapDVHS running manually, and then push the REC button on CapDVHS when I'm ready. I set the CapDVHS timer to 30 minutes or an hour and just go away.

I then use VideoReDo TV Suite to edit out commercials or slice out just that clip I wanted to get on my PC.

So I never have to control either the DVR or VCR during stage #1 of offloading to DVHS. And I never have to control CapDVHS during the transcription from DVHS to PC during stage #2. And I never have the DCH connected to my PC and CapDVHS. I only have a true DVHS VCR connected to my PC, and I use the MEIDVHS firewire drivers on WinXP, not the STB firewire drivers.

Honestly, I would rate this process 100% reliable. Both steps are "unattended", and I rely on the editing software to produce what I really want to end up with.

Schlotkins

02-21-11, 02:38 PM

qz3fwd

02-21-11, 02:57 PM

TNO821

02-21-11, 04:15 PM

Maybe my situation is different than yours, but I still rate my DCH3416 -> DT100U situation 100% reliable. Even with A28 running on the DCH, I've not had any recording issues to DVHS.

I do NOT ever unplug the firewire cable that is permanently plugged in connecting the DVR to my VCR.
Okay, but I was getting the impression that you were disputing that any code change whatsoever had gone into the firewire portion of the A28 firmware. In other words your DCH doesn't reboot when firewire is connected/disconnected and you aren't seeing any glitching.

So you're just saying that your way of doing things prevents the firewire reboot bug from being an issue. That's cool. And you may have a stronger signal that is preventing the glitching from impacting you (Comcast engineers boosted my signal about a week ago and it has helped reduce glitching significantly).

And I never have the DCH connected to my PC and CapDVHS. I only have a true DVHS VCR connected to my PC, and I use the MEIDVHS firewire drivers on WinXP, not the STB firewire drivers.
I have 4 DVHS VCR's (2 JVC 30000's, a Mits 1100 and a Mits 2000) and I loaded the MEIDVHS drivers on a fresh WinXP SP3 (back in Dec) and got identical results with glitching on my DVHS tapes. There was no difference vs. what I would typically see using the STB drivers and connecting directly to my PC. Now maybe the MEIDVHS.zip file I downloaded was different than what you use.

Could you post the drivers you're using so that I can test using them?

My theory is that, based on signal strength or other characteristics (that are beyond any of our control) the firewire glitching is not being aggravated in your situation. So far, I have seen evidence that suggests your use of a DVHS VCR and the MEIDVHS drivers has nothing to do with your lack of glitching.

But I would love to be wrong. If I could get those drivers to give me 100% reliable captures, I would change my HD workflow in a heartbeat.

sailorickm

02-21-11, 05:04 PM

I do NOT ever unplug the firewire cable that is permanently plugged in connecting the DVR to my VCR.

In case there are people reading this that don't know:

I found that if I turn off my DCT6412-P3 before connecting the firewire cable, it causes the PVR to power on, but it does not reboot and lose all the guide data. If it's on when I connect the cable, it reboots and I lose the guide data.

I don't know if this is the same for all models, but worth posting this reminder. I stumbled upon this after a few days. I'm sure it's been posted before but this thread is _really_ long.

TNO821

02-21-11, 05:11 PM

Thank you all for the discussion of the firewire recording issue on the DCH3416 box. I figured out the rebooting issue. I thought the glitches I was getting was due to poor signal, but I did a test and figured out the glitches were random. I've try some of the suggestions here but they haven't helped too much as I still see 15-80 errors in VideoReDo for a 2 hour capture.
2 hours is a long capture...I never go longer than 32 min and I almost always have my CapDVHS timer set to 13 minutes or less. But then, the majority of what I capture are 11 minute Adult Swim comedies. Even when I do decide to capture a 1 hour long show, I divide it into several smaller captures and redo the ones that have glitching.

Well, the truth is that on some of the broadcast channels (particularly NBC), I'll often let the capture go as long as the show b/c I nearly never see glitching on those channels. But if I'm capturing one of my problematic channels (which has been AMC, IFC, FX, TBS, and Cartoon Network...though TBS may drop off that list after Comcast boosted the signal...I've been getting much better results and haven't tested the other problematic channels since the boost) I will always keep the capture time short. I usually will stop the capture at every ad break and then start another. During the ad break I use VideoRedo to edit it down (and to let me know if there was any glitching). If there was glitching, I stop the DVR playback and change both tuners to SD channels (I use 5 and 6) and power off the cable box. I then power the cable box up (after 30 seconds) and change both tuner channels again (it makes no sense to me why this second channel change is needed, but I get better results...so it's now a religious or superstitious habit). I always have both tuners on channels 8 and 9 while capturing (again, b/c I get good results, it's become habit). I then restart the DVR recording and try to capture the glitchy segment again. About 80% of the time, this procedure will give me a glitch-free capture. The other 20% of the time I'll do it over again.

Now, when it works, I'm not sure how long it'll work for. As I mentioned, I'm in the habit of recording no more than 13 minutes at a time. I wouldn't be surprised if it begins glitching again within an hour. Maybe once the buffers fill up on both tuners it gets its glitch on. Who knows?

Anyways, if I'm recording a half-hour show, I'll typically have 4 parts. I stop recording at each ad break and edit the segment during the break. Sometimes I'll have 5 parts, it depends on how many ad breaks there are. So when I recorded this week's Mr. Sunshine, I wound up with the following files:
Mr_Sunshine_2011-02-17_A.ts
Mr_Sunshine_2011-02-17_B.ts
Mr_Sunshine_2011-02-17_C.ts
Mr_Sunshine_2011-02-17_D.ts
All of the files had already had the ad breaks removed and VideoReDo let me know that they were glitch-free. I then opened VideoReDo and had it open all of them at once, which caused it to prompt me and ask if I would like to Join the videos. I told it to join the videos (it knew the order to join them in based on the names). I then went to the Joiner menu and chose "Create Video from Joiner List" and named the file "Mr_Sunshine_2011-02-17.ts"

Now in this example I probably didn't need to do it this way b/c it was on ABC which doesn't give me much glitching...but I've gotten quite fast at doing this and can be finished with editing down a segment before the ad break has even ended. I figure this doesn't take much longer than removing the ads from one big capture, and it gives me nearly real-time feedback on whether I'm getting glitching or not.

Unfortunately for a couple of channels, there are no commercial breaks so it's tough to rerecord and then fix the effected area. Oh well, if I really liked the movie that much, I should just buy it. :)
That is tougher, but you can find either a scene change (where a regular network would normally stick a commercial break), or just a camera cut (but avoid crossfades, etc). VideoReDo can edit it together nicely.

But I agree that if it's a movie that you really like, you should just get it on Blu-ray...the quality will be quite a bit better on Blu-ray (especially the audio, if you have a good surround setup).

Schlotkins

02-21-11, 05:54 PM

TNO821

02-21-11, 06:30 PM

Thanks for the replies. Is there anyway with the VideoReDo log to tell how bad the glitches will be in the file? For example, I just did a recording and it was actually very, very good. (This was after trying the analog suggestions etc.) VideoReDo found 4 audio frame errors, 3 input sequence errors and 8 video resync frames removed. Mind you, this was on a 2 hour capture.

The VideoReDo log can't tell you how bad they'll look, but it can tell you exactly where they are and how many different spots in the file are impacted.

If you're using Windows XP, the log file is located at:
C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%\Application Data\VideoReDo-TVSuite4\VideoReDo.log

If you're on Windows 7 or Vista, the log file is located at:
C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\VideoReDo-TVSuite4\VideoReDo.log

Just open the log file and go to the end of it and you'll see a lot of stats about your most recent edit. You'll see the timestamps of where the Audio Frame Errors, Input Sequence Errors, and Video Resync Frames Removed occurred.

You can then run your video and go to the glitchy spot and see for yourself how bad it looks. You could also look for good spots to splice the video in case you decide to re-capture the glitchy part(s).

Schlotkins

02-21-11, 07:53 PM

Thanks again. I did manage to clip out one glitch and the analog channel tuning helps a lot. I think I can make this work. :)

THanks,
CHris

DSperber

02-21-11, 09:47 PM

Okay, but I was getting the impression that you were disputing that any code change whatsoever had gone into the firewire portion of the A28 firmware. In other words your DCH doesn't reboot when firewire is connected/disconnected and you aren't seeing any glitching.I honestly don't know if there was a code change in A28 relating to the firewire interface. Personally I would have expected those changes to be in firmware, not Guide software, but maybe the relevant code is in both places.

Anyway I am confirming that I have NEVER seen a DCH (or DCT before that) reboot relating to firewire recording to DVHS (first JVC 40K and now DT100U). My firewire cable is permanently connected, but the VCR is almost always powered off. And the VCR is tuned to L-1 when it's not being used for firewire recording. I used to use L-1 to pass-through DirectTV analog TV to my TV, but I've now discontinued DirectTV so my use of the VCR for this purpose is now zero. And I find myself recording from DVR to DVHS very very rare these days, since TWC has marked EVERY CHANNEL as "copy-once" making subsequent copies to PC impossible. I now find that the copy-once things I care to keep on DVHS for posterity are few and far between.

My experience has always been that problems of controlling the DVR and other anomalies pertaining to DVR behavior and performance are completely tied to the VCR being tuned to I-1 (and therefore "listening" to the DVR, and trying to "keep up" with channel changes, FF/REW, and 30-second skip forward or 15-second skip backward, etc.). Even if the VCR is powered off, if it's tuned to I-1 then it is actively part of the "firewire relay" topology (and could actually relay data from a source device to a target device through its two firewire connectors) and is essentially "powered on and active" from the perspective of the DVR. I've decided that it is in these situations where doing things "too fast" on the DVR (really, just perfectly normal control operations... but the VCR connected via firewire just can't keep up) is what causes havoc either on the DVR or on the VCR, sometimes requiring re-boot of either by pulling power cords.

Only tuning the VCR to something other than I-1 can the DVR be guaranteed to behave in true "standalone" performance mode. These DVR and VCR anomalies can be totally prevented by just "removing" the VCR from the firewire relay with the DVR, by tuning to L-1 (or really just anything other than I-1), even leaving the firewire cable still connected.

So you're just saying that your way of doing things prevents the firewire reboot bug from being an issue.Correct. If and when I actually do want to offload something from DVR to VCR, I do it VERY SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY getting started, ensuring that the VCR is "synced up" (by monitoring the output of the VCR on my HDTV to ensure picture/sound, before restarting the DVR recording playback from the beginning and pushing REC on the VCR).

Note also that I never record anything "live" from the DVR onto the VCR. My habit is simply to record something on the DVR, decide later than I want to keep it, and then subsequently eventually offload it to DVHS. So I'm only creating DVR->DVHS copies from previous DVR recordings, and never "live TV".

I have 4 DVHS VCR's (2 JVC 30000's, a Mits 1100 and a Mits 2000) and I loaded the MEIDVHS drivers on a fresh WinXP SP3 (back in Dec) and got identical results with glitching on my DVHS tapes.I've never owned a Mits DVHS machine, nor have I owned that 1st-generation 30K.

I went from a 0th-generation Panny combo (DST50/PV-HD1000) and Dish HDTV Modulator to a JVC 40K, and now DT100U's (three of them). Perhaps the firewire recording stability and glitch-freeness has improved with later generation JVC machines. But I've not had a signal strength issue with my TWC/LA situation, and I use a 3-way splitter. The Ceton card in my HTPC on one of those three split coax legs reads about -10db to -13db depending on channel, which appears to at least adequate for the Ceton card (and apparently also for the DCH3416 on another leg).

There was no difference vs. what I would typically see using the STB drivers and connecting directly to my PC. Now maybe the MEIDVHS.zip file I downloaded was different than what you use.

Could you post the drivers you're using so that I can test using them?I'm sure we're using the same MEIDVHS driver. It's dated back in 2001, so I'm certain there's nothing "more current" about my version.

I only use that one because it had been suggested to me many years back, instead of the more "robust" STB driver that theoretically could support DVHS VCRs as well. I may have been having some problems getting things to work early on, learning about CapDVHS, etc., and thought going to a DVHS-only driver would be appropriate for my DVHS-only recording setup. Apparently it must have worked fine, and I'm just still using it after all these years. No reason to tamper with success.