MyHD MDP-130 - Page 411

Well, thank you! I read your posts but I don't always comprehend them. I'll try to wring the gist from your post, quoted. TBH, I've never built an Intel based system, never! I've built around 4-5 PCs from scratch, all with AMD processors. Well, my first system was a proprietary local bus computer that I bought used from an EE who lived in Concord, CA, IIRC. I took it home on BART (the train), it sat on the seat next to me. It had an Intel 486Dx 33mhz CPU, that I upgraded to an AMD 486Dx2 66mhz CPU that was designed to replace the equivalent Intel CPU and ran OK in the system. It ran Windows 3.1.

I don't have my heart set on any platform and don't care who makes the processor. I want the system to run MyHD well, as I've had some very aggravating problems. They are problems I've been able to live with (crashes and recurring lip-synch problems). Also, since I don't like upgrading frequently if I can help it I want my next build to be very upgradable. I found out a long time ago that no system is indefinitely upgradable. Eventually every computer becomes obsolete. However,when building systems in the past, I've made some decisions that weren't the best in terms of upgradability. The Asus P8B75-V has been suggested to me partly because it's very upgradable at this point, which makes it attractive. However, if an AMD system will work out, I'm game as ever!
Edited by Muse - 1/10/13 at 1:08am

I followed those directions, and that's why I had to disconnect the one unit from the network...they were showing the exact same channels despite being on different antennas.

All the other ATSC tuners in my house (including the MDP-130) only have 2-3 channels where they can get a signal from both antennas, and even then the "correct" antenna is always much stronger. The most amazing thing is that to get Baltimore channels 11 and 13, I had to add an AntennaCraft Y5-7-13 to my Channel Master CM4221, and yet the HDHR pointed at DC gets them off the CM4228, with the edge of the antenna pointing at Baltimore.
It might be for even tougher signals, but for my distances from the towers (about 30 miles for both), I couldn't see that it would help, seeing as how I really only would need one antenna with the HDHR, while I needed two with the MDP-130.

Hi,

 

My second antenna also gets many of the same stations, but I disabled all those with the HDHR utility that it does not get well.

 

I mapped only KTNC in CW_EPG as that is the only station I usually have problems with my main antenna (Pointed in the wrong direction).

Media Center has the ability to disable channels on an antenna, see the directions for KTVU / KGO if you are using MC.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HDTV-in-SFbay/message/29894

 

What is your HDHR viewing program?

 

 

That makes me suspect that you have a new HDHR with only one antenna terminal. Both of my HDHR's have two antenna terminals, total of four terminals for four tuners.

 

If you have only one HDHR antenna terminal then the instructions do not apply.

 

Why would you want the same antenna connected to your MyHD twice? There is no need!

 

I have my main antenna and a third antenna connected to MyHD pointed 90 degrees away from KQEH, no I do not know why that direction is best. Antenna number four is off-line.

 

SHF

Edited by SFischer1 - 12/20/12 at 9:17pm

I have MyHD 120 on XP......had it since it became available without problems
Now, when I try to start MyHD nothing happens.
If I reboot XP, it says epg_eng not responding....so something is running
Every day I have to reload the drivers and software and MyHD works for the day.

I use CCleaner to look for conflicts in the registry. None found
Any ideas?

Have you tried reseating the MDP120 in its PCI socket?

thanks Terry, I'll try that

Reloading MyHD problem

After following TPeterson suggestion, reseated the card and reloaded the software and drivers.
Clicked the icon and the program popped right up.
Next day clicked the icon nothing....no program....got distracted left the computer came back there was MyHD, running
Shut down and restarted MyHD.....It took 11 min 20 sec to load

I have 4 computers with MyHD cards with recordings.... networked together
When 3 computers are turned off, 11min 20 sec to load
After I turned on the other 3 computers, MyHD will load in 5 sec
After years of running smoothly, this was just noticed.

A few months ago "menu sloth bug" started
I too, found that playing a file will allow the menu (50-70 recordings) to be navigated faster.

Now that I know, I can live with both.
Can't beat MyHD on old , slow computers
Fearing the day when the cards wear out.

Do you have MyHD set up to put its timeshift-buffer files on a networked HDD? That's the first thing that I can think of that might cause a startup delay when the network is absent.

I don't use "timeshift" at all.

It is getting longer to load Myhd....over 15 min today...with the other 3 computers off

I do have 60 recorded programs on 4 computers

thanks for the input

Well, it is pretty clear that MyHD is looking for something on those other computers. Perhaps it's checking the playlist files? Also, do check setup to see where the timeshift buffer would go if you did use it.

In the recorded file list screen you should get "missing" in the far right column if the files can't be found.
That should happen when the other three can't be read.
I take it you're using that along with PLM to read the other three machines' storage?
I think the registry also gets re-written with these changes. I would run EasyCleaner 2.0 weekly
on that computer if it is your main viewer.
I think Terry's right, it is searching when you have the other three off, when they're on, it finds everything
and if you're using PLM, loads the file list without stumbling.

Also run your task manager [or any of the third party ones from places like majorgeeks or filehippo] note
the moment the cpu hits 100% plus what processes are consuming the most cpu time.

I'm curious in this as I have yet to use the playlist manager but will in the new year while having two machines
linked directly with a crossover ethernet cable, while controlling the two with a KVM switch I have in storage.

At that time I will have questions on setting it up.
Edited by browncoat - 12/27/12 at 3:26pm

The timeshift buffer is on local c:\ with only 3GB available...but never used
I will switch the buffer to a bigger drive

I use CCleaner regularly.
PLM does show missing files
I'll check task manager next time this happens. Right now I'm recording

Oddest thing is I have had this (4 computers) set up for over 3 years and never noticed this .
With all 4 computers on, there is no problem except the "sloth bug".
Bug started a few months ago.

Today, it only took 5 min to load MyHD

CPU usage is 0-2%
Firefox is running. When used, the CPU spikes to 100%

I assume that this was again with all the other pc turned off . Does the delay time correlate with the number of recordings in the play list that are nominally on those other machines?

Maybe it's time to do a fresh XP install?

If he's regularly using a cleaner to maintain the primary he shouldn't need a re-install
of XP, though in a dedicated box {it has been pointed out by another member that MyHD seems
to prefer to have a computer all to itself when running} he should try an nLited version of
XP, which I only learned after years of trial and error since my initial purchase from DC.


Another alternative, if I had a setup like his would be to move all data drives into the primary
HTPC, making sure my PSU could handle the load, then as each of the others went to go in
and out of sleep mode each would be pointed to their own data drive under re-assigned drive letters
to write their shows on.

The primary, with PLM running, would place all files in the primary's Play List or alternatively, with
the availability of honking big 2T or 3Terrabyte drives, have the auxiliary units write to the Primary's
data drive, then employ PLM to place those shows in the primary's Play List.

That would entail, if the primary is also the workstation, to keep the primary running 24/7, with only weekly
reboots,for cleanup purposes, as I do, so I can hear when email messages come in {with a custom alert
as well} when in other parts of the house.

Though I have to qualify, in that I don't know {yet} if other MyHDs can write to remote drives over a network.
Unless all computers are using Semprons or other single core CPUs.

Edited by browncoat - 1/3/13 at 4:41pm

When I tried to do that I got a message that it wasn't supported and that was that. I don't think it was an option.

Do you think said "cleaners" actually work?


Interesting... as both of my MyHD machines (xpProSp3 & win7Sp1) usually operate with only MyHD running.
Though some times I use XBMC to view .ts files whilst MyHD is recording in the back ground.
Never had it crash under those conditions. (xp box)

My two machines that have MyHD cards (120+daughter and 130+daughter), have a KVM switch in the mix. Currently I don't have the secondary machine connected to the network (therefore it has no internet), I don't have a free connection on the router. I could set it up wireless if I get a PCI wireless card, I suppose, but it's not a priority item. The second machine is just for testing purposes (very rare), or those occasions when I want to make two recordings at once, which is rare. KVM's are cool. One day I hot plugged something into it and it's been acting weird ever since -- occasionally (sometimes frequently!) I have to use the code to switch computers to get the keyboard and mouse working on my main PC (two quick presses of the ScrLk key). I think there's a way to reset the KVM switch so I won't have to do that stuff, but haven't found it yet. I think it's a linksys, I don't have access to my data right now, am using a freshly installed WinXP, haven't even done the MyHD install.

Um, what's "PLM" I see mentioned in recent posts?
I thought an nLited version of XP is to have extra stuff in the install. What's the purpose/need of that?
Edited by Muse - 1/3/13 at 4:36pm

Well, EasyCleaner works for me but the differences in boot times is probably just
milliseconds.

That PLUS HFSlip is if you're building an unattended install CD/DVD with drivers/updates all in one disc.
It can also be use to strip 2000 and XP to the bare essentials to make it faster, stripping 2000 to 95MB it can boot
on a conventional drive in four seconds, XP, because its more burdened, from 650MB or so down to 170 to 225MB
depending what you want/need to keep.

That's why it is called nLite !


AAGGG! now I've missed "Coronation Street" and the start of "Big Bang Theory"
I'll have to find time to watch the recordings later! TY to MyHD!!!

Now according to the forum use agreement.....

D"oh!

http://www.avsforum.com/t/591195/playlist-manager-record-this

Aha. I think this answers the question I was about to ask, namely where scheduled recordings reside. They are evidently stored in the registry. I just installed a new instance of WinXP Pro on my HTPC (the 3rd at the moment), and installed MyHD a few minutes ago. I opened TitanTV, scheduled a recording and I immediately thought to myself "how does it know which MyHD installation on my computer is wanted to record this?" Evidently any installation of MyHD on the machine (i.e. in any partition of a multiboot system) goes to the same place for capture information. Neat.

Edit: Uh, evidently not. I went to a different installation of WinXP/MyHD and it didn't know about the capture I'd just scheduled. Hmm. Don't know how it was done. I assume maybe a loaded MyHD app was grabbed and given the info. Or one registered in the currently open OS if no MyHD app is open, that makes sense. But the capture data is probably stored with MyHD's data, i.e. where MyHD is installed on the system. I suppose the info is stored in epg.mdb.

Edit2: Doh! Of course, each Windows install has its own registry, my idea was cracked. So, the capture info has to be in epg.mdb. I've sometimes wondered if there was:

1. Some way to see what capture scheduling is in place without having to open MyHD (because I have full time timeshifting enabled).
2. A way to edit said capture scheduling without opening MyHD

So, yesterday I look up .mdb and I find a little freeware utility that will look at .mdb. Maybe it's just underpowered but what I saw was just a bunch of evidently binary data, nothing I could use to edit or even see the data.

So, is there a way I can see capture info (even edit it) without opening MyHD?
Edited by Muse - 1/5/13 at 8:12am

Hi,

 

EDIT: I just realized that you may be trying to use MyHD in a quite different way than I do, and you might well be trying to do something that might not be possible.

 

EDIT2: Please read my next post first to see if I now understand what you are trying to do.

I had to download a newer version of the MyHD manual, install Korean fonts to read english text.???

 

My brain is slow to understand some things these days. Sorry.

 

Well the experts are still slow in responding so I will help you a bit.

 

The MyHD captures ARE stored in the registry, but looking ay them with RegEdit is of little value as only part of the information is displayed and it is not for humans to ever look at!

 

    Yes, each Windows install has its own registry and there is NO connection between them.

 

Wrong, epg.mdb is the Electronic Program Guide. 

       

Quote:

 

I also have full time timeshifting enabled, and even when MyHD is doing a capture I often display the MyHD control panel and make changes to captures.

 

When timeshifting is occuring you can display the onscreen guide (To add captures) and then hit FAV to see the captures (And delete them).

 

They IMHO have done a very good job seperating the control panel and the tuner functions. During a capture the tray icon has an option to display the control panel.

 

 

 

I just said, just open the MyHD control panel and do it. (There are some restrictions like trying to set up a new start time for the current occuring capture.)

 

Well, CW_EPG can change a capture to a watch, or a watch to a capture but no editing of starting and ending times. Entries can be deleted or added using CW_EPG and you can look at the entries in a friendly way.

 

Be forewarned, changes made using MyHD's control panel may be delayed and CW_EPG may display incorrect information. The only way I have found to make sure that CW_EPG and MyHD are in sync after making changes using MyHD's control panel is to restart the computer. (MyIRC is involved, I will not attempt to explain this subject because I am unsure of what is really going on with the delayed writes to the registry.)

 

I am sure that Terry or someone else perhaps can explain this subject better.

 

 I am sure you will have more questions, but this perhaps may help your understanding a little.

 

SHF

Edited by SFischer1 - 1/5/13 at 10:36pm

Hi,

 

OK, you are watching a program using MyHD with full time timeshifting enabled.

 

For some reason you pause the program and then later as the program has now completed you close MyHD to continue watching later.

 

As you have "Preserve Timeshift Buffer Files" checked the program will be kept in the timeshift files.

 

---

You do not wish to start the MyHD program to edit a capture because by starting MyHD with full time timeshifting enabled the saved program may be partially overwritten.

 

---

 

Quote:

If this is a correct description, then I think that all I can say is "sorry".

 

 

Something has to change, addition of another capture device and not do captures with MyHD, save the timeshift files to another folder, pay the $25 to Schedules Direct and start using CW_EPG or ...

 

Perhaps someone else has a solution, with just the MyHD card I do not see any.

 

I do not have this problem because my HDHomeRun Tuners do most of my captures and my live timeshifting using MyHD is planned to never have your problem.

 

I now have switched to doing some of my timeshifting of live programs by scheduling a capture using a HDHR tuner and then using VLC Media player to play, pause, rewind as HDHR writing the file and VLC reading the same file at the same time works as long as I never catch up.

 

All my captures including MyHD ones are scheduled using CW_EPG. MyHD's control panel is sometimes used to adjust the ending time due to CW_EPG's not having any editing features that would help.

 

SHF

Oh, I suppose that would be what? The channel info, favorite channel info? Onscreen guide? You mean TitanTV? FAV? Where is that? A button on the remote? Excuse me, I'm on my laptop now.

Edit: I turned on my HTPC and took a look and yeah, FAV is a button on the remote (actually programmed into my universal). I've never used it. What exactly (or inexactly) does it do? I figured Favorite Channels or something...
- - - -
Actually you do understand my situation (full time timeshifting in conjunction with preserve files when closing MyHD) except that you should realize that the timeshifting I've already done when I restart MyHD will not be overwritten, at least not if I have enough room in my limited size buffer, which I do because I have it set so big and I very frequently (actually, usually) either delete everything in the buffer when I'm done watching what I want to or I sweep it off into another folder to watch at some later time. I currently have my buffer (H:\MyHD Buffer) set at 2000 minutes, which gives me a ton of wiggle room. This is on a big 2TB USB connected drive with lots of room, I don't have problems setting the buffer as large as I want nowadays.

The issue is not critical, it's just one of annoyance, being that starting MyHD to inspect my capture settings adds more files to the end of the timeshift. It's not a biggie, I can go in there if I want and delete those files after reclosing MyHD (after all, the date/time is clearly indicated for those files), but doing so adds more steps, more things to do.

One thing I would like that doesn't seem to be supported AFAIK is to be able to see in the buffer where one timeshift recording ends and the next starts if they happen to be contiguous. IOW, suppose I'm recording one program and switch to another channel. Unless I make note of the time I do that, later on I have no way of being able to find the beginning of the second program without bothersome hunting. And it is especially bothersome because at least on my system, moving the time marker in the control panel is not well behaved. I can try to drop it at -2:15 (minus 2 hours 15 minutes), for example, and it will instead go to -2:45 or -1:50. Try again and it may be no better. At times I've actually changed the REW default from 10 seconds to 100 seconds in order to find the spot I'm looking for.

I mentioned earlier in the thread that I have some custom code to facilitate timeshifting with MyHD. One simple one is to purge the MyHD Buffer, a simple .bat file. I don't see any way to purge the buffer from within MyHD other than changing the size of the buffer, which strikes me as odd. I have a shortcut to the batch file on my desktop, tucked in a corner, that simply erases all the files in the buffer. I close MyHD before running it. Unless there's something in the buffer I want to keep, I run the batch file every time I close MyHD. I seldom do a capture that isn't a "Watch" capture these days.

The other custom code thing I do (and I actually pasted the code into this thread) is a FoxPro (xBase) procedure that renumbers all the files in the buffer to make them go smoothy from 0 to n, where n+1 is the number of files in the buffer. I have to close MyHD to run this (I think I tested it once to see what happens if I don't and I didn't like the results!). Before running the procedure I delete files from the buffer, usually parts that I've already watched or know I don't want to watch. If I don't run the procedure, MyHD will not behave well (i.e. I find it difficult to go to the beginning or figure out WTH is going on by virtue of what I'm seeing in the control panel for navigating the timeshift. My experience is that MyHD can act very strangely when the timeshift buffer files are not numbered sequentially. My procedure solves those problems perfectly.
Edited by Muse - 1/6/13 at 9:08am

Hi,

 

You are doing by hand what I do having CW_EPG do it's intended purpose with five active tuners (Four HDHR, one MyHD with two antennas) and the two Fusion tuners just sitting there just enabling Fusion to play captures.

 

As you have so much space, I suggest adding a HDHR with two tuners and start using CW_EPG.

 

Captures will be recorded that you just delete, they are neatly seperated so no messing around with the timeshift files that were an afterthought in MyHD. Timeshifting was never intended as an replacement for captures in MyHD like you are doing with great pain.

 

With program listings so far into the future you should soon be able to build a watch list that covers your wants.

 

SHF

Hm, I will look into this. I gather that one HDHR includes two tuners, judging from this.

The reason I stopped doing captures is a bit complex perhaps:

1. I have to wait for a capture to end before I can start watching it.
2. I suppose if I have full time timeshifting enabled (which I always do) that buffer files will be created as I watch a capture, but I can't just go smoothly from one to the other if I want, the way I can with strictly buffer files. You can watch any part of a timeshift (including a compound timeshift consisting of recordings of different channels) by moving around in the buffer, either by dragging the marker or by using REW/FF in addition to using the numeric keys, which I do have enabled (usually).

Actually dealing with the buffer doesn't bother me so much, what does is things like what happened today. I started MyHD on one channel and programmed a Watch on another channel, knowing that at the appointed time my timeshift would jump to the beginning of the programmed Watch, and that I would be watching the new channel in real time. I realize there's nothing I can do about that, was prepared for it, and moved the playback to where I was in watching the first program, pressed Pause and came back in 3 hours expecting (as usual) to be able to finish watching the first program and then watch the 2nd program from where it kicked in. This usually works fine and as expected but yesterday for some reason MyHD had stopped adding files to the buffer about an hour after I'd left the machine. The only thing to do was to close MyHD and reopen it, find my place where I'd put on pause before leaving the machine and resume. Of course, I only got to see the first hour of the 2nd program. This was on the new install in the newly setup WinXP I did a few days ago. Sigh.
Edited by Muse - 1/6/13 at 11:20pm