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Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU?

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mat at lessermatters

Jul 21, 2008, 2:21 PM

Post #1 of 12 (818 views)
Permalink

Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU?

Hi there!

I've finally managed to get my system sort of running. Trouble is, my
live TV is jittery and horrible. To me, it looks like the signal is bad
but when I change channel I get a signal of 61% - which isn't bad is it?
I'm sure when I had the box in my living room it was about that.

I testes CPU usage with top and mythbackend was only using 10% of my
CPU! So it can't be that can it?

The antenna is in the same position I have just re-cabled from my loft
into my garage. Could it be bad cable? Are there differing qualities of
UHF cable?

Please help me - I'm so close!!!

Oh, so I can't be accused of not giving enough info:

backend: 1Gig CPU, halfGig ram, Debian Etch, kernel 2.6.22

frontend: 1.8 Gig CPU, halfGig ram, ubuntu 8.04

mythtv 0.21

Here's the messages I get from the front end:

08-07-21 22:09:29.835 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]invalid mb type in P
Frame at 5 14
2008-07-21 22:09:29.835 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]invalid cbp at 3 15
2008-07-21 22:09:29.835 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]00 motion_type at 8 16
2008-07-21 22:09:29.835 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 5 17
2008-07-21 22:09:29.836 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 4 18
2008-07-21 22:09:29.836 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]invalid cbp at 9 19
2008-07-21 22:09:29.836 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]invalid mb type in P
Frame at 9 20
2008-07-21 22:09:29.836 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]invalid mb type in P
Frame at 8 21
2008-07-21 22:09:29.836 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 1 22
2008-07-21 22:09:29.836 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]invalid cbp at 9 23
2008-07-21 22:09:29.837 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]00 motion_type at 10 24
2008-07-21 22:09:29.837 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]slice mismatch
2008-07-21 22:09:29.837 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 0 26
2008-07-21 22:09:29.837 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]00 motion_type at 13 27
2008-07-21 22:09:29.837 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]00 motion_type at 10 28
2008-07-21 22:09:29.837 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]00 motion_type at 4 29
2008-07-21 22:09:29.837 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]slice mismatch
2008-07-21 22:09:29.838 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]mb incr damaged
2008-07-21 22:09:29.838 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]00 motion_type at 30 32
2008-07-21 22:09:29.838 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]00 motion_type at 6 33
2008-07-21 22:09:29.838 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]00 motion_type at 5 34
2008-07-21 22:09:29.910 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 29 15
2008-07-21 22:09:30.222 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]00 motion_type at 13 27
2008-07-21 22:09:30.222 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 8 31
2008-07-21 22:09:30.223 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 2 32
2008-07-21 22:09:30.223 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]00 motion_type at 1 33
2008-07-21 22:09:30.223 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]00 motion_type at 9 34
2008-07-21 22:09:30.223 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 1 35
2008-07-21 22:09:30.564 NVP: prebuffering pause
2008-07-21 22:09:30.576 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 13 30
2008-07-21 22:09:30.576 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]invalid mb type in I
Frame at 0 25
2008-07-21 22:09:30.577 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]invalid mb type in I
Frame at 0 26
2008-07-21 22:09:30.577 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 0 27
2008-07-21 22:09:30.577 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 0 28
2008-07-21 22:09:30.577 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 0 29
2008-07-21 22:09:30.577 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 0 30
2008-07-21 22:09:30.577 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 0 31
2008-07-21 22:09:30.577 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]ac-tex damaged at 0 32
2008-07-21 22:09:30.577 [mpeg2video @ 0xb73d6b88]invalid mb type in I
Frame at 1 33
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peter at vanderwal

Jul 21, 2008, 8:21 AM

Post #2 of 12 (790 views)
Permalink

Re: Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU? [In reply to]

> Hi there!
>
> I've finally managed to get my system sort of running. Trouble is, my
> live TV is jittery and horrible. To me, it looks like the signal is bad
> but when I change channel I get a signal of 61% - which isn't bad is it?
> I'm sure when I had the box in my living room it was about that.
>
> I testes CPU usage with top and mythbackend was only using 10% of my
> CPU! So it can't be that can it?
>
> The antenna is in the same position I have just re-cabled from my loft
> into my garage. Could it be bad cable? Are there differing qualities of
> UHF cable?

I'm no expert, but it might help if you posted what you are using to
capture the video with.

As for UHF cable, there are literally hundreds of different types of coax
cable. Many of these have characteristics that are wrong for use as TV
antenna cable.
Did you put new connectors on the cable? It's easy to do this wrong and
end up with a bad picture.

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peter at vanderwal

Jul 21, 2008, 8:26 AM

Post #3 of 12 (791 views)
Permalink

Re: Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU? [In reply to]

> I'm no expert, but it might help if you posted what you are using to
> capture the video with.

Dooh! sorry, you put it right there in the subject line.
<damn snakes>

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mat at lessermatters

Jul 21, 2008, 11:46 PM

Post #4 of 12 (775 views)
Permalink

Re: Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU? [In reply to]

Peter VanDerWal wrote:
>> Hi there!
>>
>> I've finally managed to get my system sort of running. Trouble is, my
>> live TV is jittery and horrible. To me, it looks like the signal is bad
>> but when I change channel I get a signal of 61% - which isn't bad is it?
>> I'm sure when I had the box in my living room it was about that.
>>
>> I testes CPU usage with top and mythbackend was only using 10% of my
>> CPU! So it can't be that can it?
>>
>> The antenna is in the same position I have just re-cabled from my loft
>> into my garage. Could it be bad cable? Are there differing qualities of
>> UHF cable?
>>
>
> I'm no expert, but it might help if you posted what you are using to
> capture the video with.
>
> As for UHF cable, there are literally hundreds of different types of coax
> cable. Many of these have characteristics that are wrong for use as TV
> antenna cable.
> Did you put new connectors on the cable? It's easy to do this wrong and
> end up with a bad picture.
>
> _______________________________________________
>
Thanks for the reply.

I'm guessng making a UHF cable wrong means having the outer wire
touching the inner core (co-axial). I will check this but I'm sure it's
right.

I need to determine if the problem stems from the antenna or something
else. This is why I mentioned the signal being at 61% which seems high
to me.

cheers
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mikep at randomtraveller

Jul 22, 2008, 3:15 AM

Post #5 of 12 (765 views)
Permalink

Re: Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU? [In reply to]

mat wrote:
> Peter VanDerWal wrote:
>>> Hi there!
>>>
>>> I've finally managed to get my system sort of running. Trouble is, my
>>> live TV is jittery and horrible. To me, it looks like the signal is bad
>>> but when I change channel I get a signal of 61% - which isn't bad is it?
>>> I'm sure when I had the box in my living room it was about that.
>>>
>>> I testes CPU usage with top and mythbackend was only using 10% of my
>>> CPU! So it can't be that can it?
>>>
>>> The antenna is in the same position I have just re-cabled from my loft
>>> into my garage. Could it be bad cable? Are there differing qualities of
>>> UHF cable?
>>>
>> I'm no expert, but it might help if you posted what you are using to
>> capture the video with.
>>
>> As for UHF cable, there are literally hundreds of different types of coax
>> cable. Many of these have characteristics that are wrong for use as TV
>> antenna cable.
>> Did you put new connectors on the cable? It's easy to do this wrong and
>> end up with a bad picture.
>>
> Thanks for the reply.
>
> I'm guessng making a UHF cable wrong means having the outer wire
> touching the inner core (co-axial). I will check this but I'm sure it's
> right.
>
Also having an iffy contact between the central cable conductor and the pin or
receptacle it's supposed to make contact with.

Also not screwing tightly down the connectors to the sockets (assuming F type or
similar) or not having a tight fit (push-on connectors). Lack of a tight fit may
allow moisture into the cable amongst other things.

Routing the cable which involves tight kinks or bends. Routing the cable next to
power cables for any length.

Bad connection at the antenna end. It's usually a screwed clamp, sometimes not
easy to do when you are perched up a ladder or astride the roof.

If you've stapled or clipped it down, maybe you pinched the cable or damaged the
screen somewhere. Not easy to notice when you are doing it, especially in tight
spaces or dark corners, and *really* difficult to find.

Am I paranoid? No, just been finding these kinds of faults for far too long :P

--

Mike Perkins

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knowledgejunkie at gmail

Jul 22, 2008, 3:31 AM

Post #6 of 12 (766 views)
Permalink

Re: Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU? [In reply to]

2008/7/22 mat <mat[at]lessermatters.co.uk>:
> I'm guessng making a UHF cable wrong means having the outer wire
> touching the inner core (co-axial). I will check this but I'm sure it's
> right.
>
> I need to determine if the problem stems from the antenna or something
> else. This is why I mentioned the signal being at 61% which seems high
> to me.

If you use tzap outside of MythTV, you should be able to see
signal-to-noise (SNR) and bit error ratio (BER) data for your current
setup. Even if the signal is strong enough, if there are too many
errors in the stream you will not get a usable signal.

I recabled the house with CT-100 cable and F-connectors, and am having
good results. If you require signal amplification, place it as near to
the aerial (a masthead amp for example) rather than at the wall
outlet. You can also use a continuity tester to ensure the coax core
and shielding are isolated.

--
Nick Morrott

MythTV Official wiki:
http://mythtv.org/wiki/
MythTV users list archive:
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users

"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin
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simon.allcorn at gmail

Jul 22, 2008, 5:58 AM

Post #7 of 12 (758 views)
Permalink

Re: Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU? [In reply to]

Hi,

Also check you are turning on the onboard amp on the 500-t:

search for 'force_lna_activation' in this wiki page:
http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Hauppauge_WinTV_Nova-T_500_PCI

>signal-to-noise (SNR) and bit error ratio (BER) data for your current

SNR should be good*
BER should be low*
uncorrectable error rate (UER ? not sure) should be none*

* I currently have 2 nova-t cards and 1 nova-s card. the above stats are all
in terms of %ages, but tzap and szap seem to report them back differently -
in some instances a BER of 100% is good for the nova-t, but a BER of 0% is
good for the nova-s ! (or something like that)
I'll get you a better answer if your interested by repeating these tests if
your interested.

Simon

knowledgejunkie at gmail

Jul 22, 2008, 6:15 AM

Post #8 of 12 (757 views)
Permalink

Re: Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU? [In reply to]

2008/7/22 Simon Allcorn <simon.allcorn[at]gmail.com>:
> Hi,
>
> Also check you are turning on the onboard amp on the 500-t:
>
> search for 'force_lna_activation' in this wiki page:
> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Hauppauge_WinTV_Nova-T_500_PCI
>
>>signal-to-noise (SNR) and bit error ratio (BER) data for your current
>
> SNR should be good*
> BER should be low*
> uncorrectable error rate (UER ? not sure) should be none*
>
> * I currently have 2 nova-t cards and 1 nova-s card. the above stats are all
> in terms of %ages, but tzap and szap seem to report them back differently -
> in some instances a BER of 100% is good for the nova-t, but a BER of 0% is
> good for the nova-s ! (or something like that)
> I'll get you a better answer if your interested by repeating these tests if
> your interested.

The differences in the statistics available are dependant upon the
driver and underlying hardware, which is why different cards can
report such different values.

--
Nick Morrott

MythTV Official wiki:
http://mythtv.org/wiki/
MythTV users list archive:
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users

"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin
_______________________________________________
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mat at lessermatters

Jul 22, 2008, 2:28 PM

Post #9 of 12 (738 views)
Permalink

Re: Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU? [In reply to]

Nick Morrott wrote:
> 2008/7/22 Simon Allcorn <simon.allcorn[at]gmail.com>:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> Also check you are turning on the onboard amp on the 500-t:
>>
>> search for 'force_lna_activation' in this wiki page:
>> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/Hauppauge_WinTV_Nova-T_500_PCI
>>
>>
>>> signal-to-noise (SNR) and bit error ratio (BER) data for your current
>>>
>> SNR should be good*
>> BER should be low*
>> uncorrectable error rate (UER ? not sure) should be none*
>>
>> * I currently have 2 nova-t cards and 1 nova-s card. the above stats are all
>> in terms of %ages, but tzap and szap seem to report them back differently -
>> in some instances a BER of 100% is good for the nova-t, but a BER of 0% is
>> good for the nova-s ! (or something like that)
>> I'll get you a better answer if your interested by repeating these tests if
>> your interested.
>>
>
> The differences in the statistics available are dependant upon the
> driver and underlying hardware, which is why different cards can
> report such different values.
>
>
I figure out the problem, of course that was after shortening the cable
as much as I could, testing signal quality with tzap etc. Anyway, I
_think_ it was because the antenna cable was draping over the PSU and
the cover was off. It works Perfectly now!

Whoo HOO!

Right, now one other problem - I really want to move my old recording
data AND my games setup data from my old 0.20 DB to this one????

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knowledgejunkie at gmail

Jul 22, 2008, 2:44 PM

Post #10 of 12 (737 views)
Permalink

Re: Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU? [In reply to]

On 22/07/2008, mat <mat[at]lessermatters.co.uk> wrote:

> Right, now one other problem - I really want to move my old recording
> data AND my games setup data from my old 0.20 DB to this one????

The best way of achieving this is to export your old database and
import it into your new backend/mysql system /before/ running
mythtv-setup for the first time on the new system, as this updates the
new database to the most current version but keeps the old data
intact.

It may well be possible to import the data manually from an older
version of the database on a piecemeal basis, but this requires
checking the fields in the oldrecorded/gamemetadata tables and making
sure that the data in the old DB (you don't specify whether you have a
backup of the entire database or just the old recording and games
data) is compatible with the new database schema.

--
Nick Morrott

MythTV Official wiki:
http://mythtv.org/wiki/
MythTV users list archive:
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users

"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin
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mat at lessermatters

Jul 22, 2008, 2:58 PM

Post #11 of 12 (738 views)
Permalink

Re: Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU? [In reply to]

Nick Morrott wrote:
> On 22/07/2008, mat <mat[at]lessermatters.co.uk> wrote:
>
>
>> Right, now one other problem - I really want to move my old recording
>> data AND my games setup data from my old 0.20 DB to this one????
>>
>
> The best way of achieving this is to export your old database and
> import it into your new backend/mysql system /before/ running
> mythtv-setup for the first time on the new system, as this updates the
> new database to the most current version but keeps the old data
> intact.
>
> It may well be possible to import the data manually from an older
> version of the database on a piecemeal basis, but this requires
> checking the fields in the oldrecorded/gamemetadata tables and making
> sure that the data in the old DB (you don't specify whether you have a
> backup of the entire database or just the old recording and games
> data) is compatible with the new database schema.
>
>
I have the entire DB still on my livingroom PC.

"/before/ running mythtv-setup for the first time "

Well, I've already got my new system setup and working. I guess it's no
biggie to trash it all and start again.
I would prefer to just move over the recordings table and games though.
So, I guess it's look at each column and copy it over! oh no, that
sounds like a nightmare.

Seeing as I want to update my living room machine to 0.21 (as it will
now connect to my garage), can I not 'upgrade' my old DB 'in situe' then
copy it over to my new machine, then finally point my livingroom machine
at the copy in the garage? Phew - this complex - is life too short? Hell
no, I love this stuff!
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knowledgejunkie at gmail

Jul 23, 2008, 1:27 AM

Post #12 of 12 (713 views)
Permalink

Re: Nova-t 500 1GigHz CPU? [In reply to]

2008/7/22 mat <mat[at]lessermatters.co.uk>:
> I have the entire DB still on my livingroom PC.

Good

> I would prefer to just move over the recordings table and games though.
> So, I guess it's look at each column and copy it over! oh no, that
> sounds like a nightmare.

To achieve that, you can either

a) move the entire DB (from 0.20) to the new machine, let mythtv-setup
automatically upgrade it to the currently installed database schema,
and then extract the tables you want to save (instructions for this
are on the MythTV wiki). Once you have the tables updated and dumped,
you can drop the database, and then recreate it using the mc.sql
script. Running mythtv-setup at this stage will update the database
schema to the same version as your dumped tables, which can then be
re-imported. The result of this is you get a pristine database
containing only the old data you want to keep.

or

> Seeing as I want to update my living room machine to 0.21 (as it will
> now connect to my garage), can I not 'upgrade' my old DB 'in situe' then
> copy it over to my new machine, then finally point my livingroom machine
> at the copy in the garage? Phew - this complex - is life too short? Hell
> no, I love this stuff!

b) Do an in situ upgrade of the database, and then move it to the new
database host. If you want to keep all of your old settings, this is a
good option - just remember to take plenty of database backups so that
you can easily restore good data if anything 'bad' happens. If you
want to extract certain tables (as mentioned above) and then drop the
updated database on the new host and recreate it from scratch, you
should also end up with a clean database containing your old
recordings/games data.

Things will get much easier after the move to SQLite sometime in the future :)

--
Nick Morrott

MythTV Official wiki:
http://mythtv.org/wiki/
MythTV users list archive:
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users

"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin
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