STRANGE! Channel 9 (not other channels?) WHITE BACKGROUND STUTTER (mostly during ads)

[Mikey_M]

Hi All

This stuttering is turning out to be one tough sucker to track down.
I have a rather strange request. To those suffering with this stuttering problem on channel 9, I need to ask a favour. If you have air conditioning, set up the offending PC and tv card in that room. Crank up the air con to get the room as cold as possible, let the PC settle for a half hour or so and then see what happens with channel 9.
If you could post your reults here it would be much appreciated.
If you note the room temp, signal and quality level on the Dvico control panel and wether there was an improvement or not, would be a big help.
At the moment the hardware, codec and RF guys at Dvico are looking at the problem.

Thanks and Regards

Mike

[pawelg]

Originally Posted by Mikey_M

Hi All

Just to let you know that this problem with Channel 9 is the number one priority with the engineers at Dvico atm. I've been working with them to sort this out. Emails and files have been flying back and forth throughout the week. So rest assured that something is being done and that a fix for it will be released soon.
Will keep you posted as things progress ... stay tuned

Regards

Mike

I have the same case opened with them since November. There was heaps of channel 9 transport streams uploaded and... I'm waiting.

Lets hope they actually work on it
Good to see that I'm not the only one pressuring them.

[Mikey_M]

Hi All

I've been at them 3 times a day on average, trying to convince them of certain things.
Slowly getting through to them.
The first problem they had is that all the data sent to them was corrupt because of their cards not working properly.
I've sent them some data I've been gathering here with some other gear that I have.
I've told them exactly what the problem is and how to replicate it, but engineers being engineers they don't like to admit to certain things. Being an electronics tech with over 20 years experience and the majority of that on aircraft electronics, I've found that engineers take it very personally when you point out a stuff up, ala "design fault".
While I remember, I've seen a pic of the new version Dual Digital 4 card. Totally different setup compared to the original one.

Regards

Mike

[Mark1]

Originally Posted by Mikey_M

Hi All

I've been at them 3 times a day on average, trying to convince them of certain things.
Slowly getting through to them.
The first problem they had is that all the data sent to them was corrupt because of their cards not working properly.
I've sent them some data I've been gathering here with some other gear that I have.
I've told them exactly what the problem is and how to replicate it, but engineers being engineers they don't like to admit to certain things. Being an electronics tech with over 20 years experience and the majority of that on aircraft electronics, I've found that engineers take it very personally when you point out a stuff up, ala "design fault".
While I remember, I've seen a pic of the new version Dual Digital 4 card. Totally different setup compared to the original one.

Regards

Mike

If this turns out to be a heat/design problem (as mention earlier in this thread and being hinted at by Mike), then they better F#$KING replace this PCIe I have had for less than 3 months with one that isn't all F#@KED up!!!!!!

[Kevmeister]

I too have the stuttering problem with the Dual PCIe version of the card.

I contacted LakoPacific today and was told I am the first person to have notified them of the problem.

test7875, did you actually contact LakoPacific technical support also?

Frankly, these guys were the most unhelpful technical support mob I have ever spoken to. The technical support rep said they had test the card in two systems and neither had exhibited the flaw and was completely unwilling to help. Suggested I get on the DVICO forums.

Also suggested that because I was running integrated graphics then that was probably my problem. Really the guy was just looking for a way out of having to actually help the customer.

And this is the Australian Distributor. Suggest that anyone having these problems contacts LakoPacific and tells them. See if they give you the "first we've heard of it" excuse.

Mikey_M, good to see that you've got some dialogue happening with DVICO directly (especially after my experience with LakoPacific). Let's hope they can find a fix.

[consolefx]

Hello everyone, my name is Hasan and I am the technical support manager at Lako Pacific. We are the sole distributor of the Dvico brand in Australia. Each card in the range is extensively tested before it is approved for sale in Australia. As both the Dual 4 and Express cards have been on the market for some time we have not encountered any issues regarding Channel 9. One of our customers called me last week and mentioned that he was having problems with Channel 9 as discussued in this thread. Last Friday I tested a Dual 4 and a Dual Express in two of my test PC's both running Vista and I did not have any issues with Channel 9. I discovered today from another customer who called me that the issue is within the MediaCenter software and not within the included Fusion software. I will retest both cards in MediaCenter and I will post my results later this afternoon. I am in constant contact with Gary Ahn at Dvico who has requested some video streams for an EPG issue in the Fusion software which he will be downloading from our FTP. I will mention this issue to him as well. I will keep everyone posted when I have some more news.

[test7875]

Originally Posted by consolefx

Hello everyone, my name is Hasan and I am the technical support manager at Lako Pacific. We are the sole distributor of the Dvico brand in Australia. Each card in the range is extensively tested before it is approved for sale in Australia. As both the Dual 4 and Express cards have been on the market for some time we have not encountered any issues regarding Channel 9. One of our customers called me last week and mentioned that he was having problems with Channel 9 as discussued in this thread. Last Friday I tested a Dual 4 and a Dual Express in two of my test PC's both running Vista and I did not have any issues with Channel 9. I discovered today from another customer who called me that the issue is within the MediaCenter software and not within the included Fusion software. I will retest both cards in MediaCenter and I will post my results later this afternoon. I am in constant contact with Gary Ahn at Dvico who has requested some video streams for an EPG issue in the Fusion software which he will be downloading from our FTP. I will mention this issue to him as well. I will keep everyone posted when I have some more news.

Hi Hasan,

Im glad this finally is getting the visibility it deserves.

This is a MAJOR issue with the card .. experienced by NUMEROUS users.

I can provide emails with Gary-anh from as early as April this year discussing the problem and if you do a search on this web site there are threads even before that.

Please keep us posted, ask about DVICO on this site and youll see people have stopped using them almost completely.

Im sure im not alone by saying we look forward to the response.

Thanks

[Mark1]

And guess who the customer who called them today was

Really, who uses Vista Premium WITH Media Center to run their dual HD tuner card with the 'included' software!! ?

If a tuner card doesn't work as smoothly OR isn't 100% tested in the Media Center environment, as much as it is fully tested to work in the 'included' software - Its not ready to be released.

BESIDES, on the Dvico web blurb it states;
"FusionHDTV Express is compatible with Microsoft Media Center Edition and many other 3rd party media center software as well as MCE of Vista."
So, I couldn't care less if it may or may not work with the Fusion software - I'm not cluttering up my system to find out. As far as I'm concerned, trying to blame it on the MC program is just a cop out

This is what I was told about a month ago when I submitted the problem to Dvico;
"Hi.
This is our know issue and we noticed that it is something to do with original stream.
Stream is changed the resolution or size when you can see white scean.
I reported this issue to our codec team, but they didn't find the solution yet.
i think we need some time to improve this problem.
Please be patient and we will update it when we have improved for this.
Thanks."

That sounds like admission of the problem, so FIX it.

Gary, if you are reading this thread, please post and keep us up to date with whats going on. Hasan told me today you can fix ANYTHING & EVERYTHING, so lets see it.
Its true what test7875 says. I have used Dvico cards for the last year since building my HTPC. My other card was the PCI Dual Digital (1st Edition). And I have been paid out so many times, and have been told to switch cards on numerous occasions. And what do I go do, UPDATE IT WITH ANOTHER DVICO CARD! I'm either stupid, or really faithful. Please don't let me down or I will change...

[DVB4U]

[quote=Mark1;177624]
This is what I was told about a month ago when I submitted the problem to Dvico;
"Hi.
This is our know issue and we noticed that it is something to do with original stream.
Stream is changed the resolution or size when you can see white scean.
I reported this issue to our codec team, but they didn't find the solution yet.
i think we need some time to improve this problem.
Please be patient and we will update it when we have improved for this.
Thanks."

That sounds like admission of the problem, so FIX it.
[quote]
It seems to me that DVICO are not really understanding the issue and maybe thinking that it is a decoder/codec issue, which it is not, from what you guys are saying, as it happens in Media center which can use a different decoder.

[pawelg]

Originally Posted by Mark1

...
So, I couldn't care less if it may or may not work with the Fusion software...

But it doesn't work well with Fusion software either.
The transport streams with example of the issue, which I was uploading to Dvico, captured exactly the same behaviour on Channel9.

I'm not using that software on a daily basis but I do have it installed on my rig.
When I've noticed the issue on Channel 9 for a first time the next day I was watching TV via Fusion software to see if the issue lays with VMC.
But that wasn't the case - the issue is same and to the same extent present on the native application which draws conclusion that it's either card (hardware) or the drivers that's at fault.

Regards,

[Mark1]

Great, so it does it in the Fusion Software too. I didn't know, and was asked by Lako Support if I had tried. I didn't want to try because I was never going to use it, so it seemed a pointless question.

When he said he couldn't replicate the problem and I asked what software he was using and he said the bundled software, I said that they should be testing it in MC. Now that has been translated into 'the problem only exists in MC".

Well, sounds like it doesn't, so they can't hide behind that one.

It has been said before on this thread - Nothing you can adjust, change or set makes the problem go away (that includes decoders & vista features etc...). Something needs to be technicaly fixed from Dvico's end.

[test7875]

Originally Posted by Mark1

And guess who the customer who called them today was

Really, who uses Vista Premium WITH Media Center to run their dual HD tuner card with the 'included' software!! ?

If a tuner card doesn't work as smoothly OR isn't 100% tested in the Media Center environment, as much as it is fully tested to work in the 'included' software - Its not ready to be released.

BESIDES, on the Dvico web blurb it states;
"FusionHDTV Express is compatible with Microsoft Media Center Edition and many other 3rd party media center software as well as MCE of Vista."
So, I couldn't care less if it may or may not work with the Fusion software - I'm not cluttering up my system to find out. As far as I'm concerned, trying to blame it on the MC program is just a cop out

This is what I was told about a month ago when I submitted the problem to Dvico;
"Hi.
This is our know issue and we noticed that it is something to do with original stream.
Stream is changed the resolution or size when you can see white scean.
I reported this issue to our codec team, but they didn't find the solution yet.
i think we need some time to improve this problem.
Please be patient and we will update it when we have improved for this.
Thanks."

That sounds like admission of the problem, so FIX it.

Gary, if you are reading this thread, please post and keep us up to date with whats going on. Hasan told me today you can fix ANYTHING & EVERYTHING, so lets see it.
Its true what test7875 says. I have used Dvico cards for the last year since building my HTPC. My other card was the PCI Dual Digital (1st Edition). And I have been paid out so many times, and have been told to switch cards on numerous occasions. And what do I go do, UPDATE IT WITH ANOTHER DVICO CARD! I'm either stupid, or really faithful. Please don't let me down or I will change...

LOL it was worse for me .. i started to put the DD4 is media centers that i was building!

I had to replace them all with hauppauge ones for free ... at least they have local driver support!

No word of a lie just from me im sure Lasko/Dvico has missed out on at least another 500-1000 card sales just because i havent purchased them and anyone asking for help ive told them my experience.

Its getting onto a year now with no resolution. Yesterdat I even told the WA supplier the problem, hopefully he will look to get more hauppauges. Im positive slowly but surely it will hurt Dvico, you only have to do a search on this site for Dvico to see how unhappy people are with their products. I think its finally getting to a critical mass!

[Mikey_M]

Hi All

Finally got hold of some technical data for the cards from Dvico and the other manufacturers of the chips used. I've soldered on some test points to a dual digital 4 card which I've been monitoring.
The good news is I've found the problem. Even better news is with some test software I scored, I was able to try out the theory and channel 9 no longer has a stuttering problem.
I've sent the details to the guys at Dvico, asking them to incorprate the changes into a RC build ASAP, so I can properly test it out with the various versions of windows and cards over the christmas break.

Will keep you posted as the testing progresses.

P.S. The guys at Lako Pacific couldn't find a cricket bat sticking out of their own ass, let alone anything else.

Regards

Mike