Pixtelation on one OTA channel

[Ranman505]

Long time reader but rarely a poster. I can usually get my answer by searching your site. Not this time though. I have been using WMC for years on a PC I built. I have resonantly had a problem with one OTA channel (CBS)having pixelation on both live viewing and playback of recording. I use 2 HDHomeRun's for my tuners. When I use their viewer the channel is fine. I also tried VLC viewer and it is fine. Also if I play the recorded show through VLC it plays fine. But if I use the HDHomeRun app in Kodi it has the same problem as viewing through WMC. In WMC I made sure I have the right frequency listed for the channel. Looks like some kind Codec issue but I don't allow any updates for Windows 7 and the last one was Oct 2016. Can I do anything other than reinstall Windows? Don't know why that would fix it but I'm out of ideas. It has been happily recording OTA shows for many years with no problems.

[adam1991]

live viewing through HDHomerun app: goes to tuner, through network, to the PC running the HDHomerun app, works fine.

VLC....ah, so this is an HD Homerun Extend,with built in hardware transcoding?

But the WMC recorded show also plays fine through VLC....hmmmm...

Are both VLC and the HD Homerun viewer on the same computer? Is that computer your WMC computer? Or is it a different one?

Kodi...kodi....

so I'm going to take a WAG here and suggest that VLC and the HD Homerun app are running on the same computer. Kodi is running on a different computer. WMC is running on a different computer. Possibly Kodi and WMC are running on the same computer, possibly not--but regardless, that computer (or those computers) is NOT running VLC or HD Homerun app.

It may even be that VLC and HD Homerun app are NOT running on the same computer--are running on different computers. That's fine. Regardless, Kodi and WMC are not running on the same computer or computers that run VLC and/or HD Homerun app.

Am I close?

[adam1991]

Also, how are you viewing WMC content? Are you viewing it directly from the computer that is running WMC? Is that computer plugged into your TV, for example? Or into a standard computer monitor?

Or are you viewing WMC content another way? One way would be through an extender, such as XBox or Echo. Another way would be by running WMC on another computer somewhere and simply pointing to the main WMC library, to that disc drive, and watching the shows from there.

[Ranman505]

Thanks for looking into this Adam,
It's just one computer with everything (software)on it. I use KODI to watch movies because I can use the remote. I used to use VLC to watch movies so I still have the program still.
I have a cat5 to HDMI switch going to 4 TV's that I use to watch the recorded OTA shows.
The computer: I bought the best I could get at the time but a bit dated now.
AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
XFX GT240XZNFC GeForce GT 240 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Seagate Momentus XT ST95005620AS 500GB 7200 RPM 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s with NCQ Solid State Hybrid Drive
1Terabite Seagate HD for TV recordings and 1 500GB Seagate HD for music

[adam1991]

Ah.

So one single computer that records and stores OTA content. You can play that OTA content using VLC on that same computer, and all is well. And you have Kodi running on that computer also, correct?

But if I use the HDHomeRun app in Kodi it has the same problem as viewing through WMC.

Are you viewing this OTA channel via Kodi *on* that same computer where the content is stored and Kodi is running? I ask because I have another WAG:

I have a cat5 to HDMI switch going to 4 TV's that I use to watch the recorded OTA shows.

Or are you ALWAYS watching your OTA content on a remote TV that is fed by this cat4 to HDMI switch going to 4 TVs?

Does this problem channel show the problem on ALL of those 4 TVs?

[Ranman505]

Yes all 4 TV's have the pixtelation problem when using WMC when viewing that channel or a recording from that channel. Each TV also has it's own R6 hooked to a splitter that is hooked to a roof top antenna. No problem playing the channel directly through the antenna on any of the TV's.
The switch is a full matrix HDMI over cat5. I use it for a ROKU, BlueRay DVD player and the PC. My wife records a lot of weekly shows and only the CBS channel shows up pixelated during playback and direct viewing through WMC. I told her she would have to just live with it but when I played the same recorded show "Blue Bloods" thorugh VLC I got no pixelation. She currently watching the shows recorded on that channel through VLC but needs a keyboard and can't jump forward through the commercials very easily.

[adam1991]

this all screams network problem, and everything you say simply supports it.

by network, I mean every network component--drivers included.

That it doesn't pixelate other channels confuses me. But when you have pixelation problems like this that include playback, it's usually a network problem.

What happens when you view these same shows using WMC on the WMC computer itself, on a monitor directly connected to it?

[Ranman505]

I just hooked a 13" monitor directly to the PC. Still does it.

[adam1991]

I would say the pixelation you're seeing is in the recorded digital stream itself, but you say that watching the recorded show using VLC doesn't show any pixelation--right? But then you turn around and watch the same recording using WMC (on the PC itself, preferably) and it does show the pixelation?

[Ranman505]

Correct. When a monitor is hooked directly to the PC and using WMC to watch the channel or a recording the pixelation happens. When I use the same set up and switch to VLC the pixelation stops. This is why I think it is a software problem (codec). I have a new SSD coming next week and will try to do a fresh install of Win 7. If that's even possible any more. I have never had to reinstall an operating system before.

[sbaeder]

Since this worked before, do you have any older recorded media from that channel that you can get some information of (i.e. the bit rates, etc.) It could be that the OTA channel changed how they are compressing the stream, and that the built in codec in VLC and/or the native player can handle it just fine, whereas KODI and WMC don't have the ability to fully render the frame (hence pixelation) befor they have to move on to the next frame, etc.

Not sure of the specific tool to use on the encoded file to extract the data, but that's where I'd start looking. If it is a change on their end, not sure a "re-install" will fix it. You might consider one of the "codec" packs to update and supply other codecs before going the re-install route...best of luck

[adam1991]

could this be at all similar to the varying bitrate issue that some video cards handle well but others don't?

Codecs are the right path right now, although I would be surprised if Kodi doesn't have codecs that VLC does.

I would absolutely believe that WMC doesn't have whatever codecs are suddenly needed.

What ZIP code are you in, and what broadcaster is this?

[Ranman505]

The channel is 13.1 our CBS affiliate for 87109 Albuquerque, NM. I checked RabbitEars.Info but really didn't see any changes that would stand out.

[Ranman505]

Update in case anyone lands on this thread.
I tried a new drive for recordings WD Blue 1TB 7200rpm
and reinstalled, from disk, windows 7 on a new ADATA 120GB SSD.
I also got a new better video card MSI GeForce GT 730.
Nothing changed.
I have set up Kodi to use VLC as a default player so we can use the remotes rather than the keyboard. I'm sure it's changes made at the local CBS station that have WMC not being able to handle viewing or recording of that channel but don't know what changes can be made to WMC to mimic VLC.
I'm going to try NextPVR and see if getting away from WMC isn't so bad.

[Ranman505]

I tried MediaPortal 1 and everything worked. I looked and it uses LAV Filters for just about everything. So I uninstalled MediaPortal but left the LAV Filters. Set up WMC to use these. EVERYTHING works! I also set up WMC to play MKV files. Happy Camper Now.