Mpeg4 issue changing channels

Ask fellow members about Ceton's infiniTV tuners here.
Forum rules
Ceton no longer participate in this forum. Official support may still be handled via the Ceton Ticket system.
Post Reply
Paw Paw

Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 12:49 pm
Location: Houston, TX

HTPC Specs: Show details

Mpeg4 issue changing channels

#1

Post by Paw Paw » Sat Dec 03, 2016 9:19 pm

Comcast Houston has rolled out Mpeg4 in mass. My Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCI and Windows 7 system has not had a problem displaying the Mpeg4 channels. However, I have noticed one quirk. If I am viewing an Mpeg4 channel and switch to an Mpeg2 channel that is “Copy Once” I get a blank Screen with just audio.

Switching from Mpeg4 to Mpeg2 “Copy Freely” channels is not an issue. Since I do not have many “Copy Once” channels in my package it is not a major issue for me. Also, I have found that if I am on an Mpeg4 channel I can switch to a “Copy Freely” Mpeg2 channel and then to the “Copy Once” Mpeg2 channel and get the picture and sound.

Has anyone else seen this issue? Is there a patch or update that might resolve it or do we just “live with it” since Windows Media Center” is officially dead.

User avatar
spanner

Posts: 269
Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2011 6:36 pm
Location: Corbett Oregon USA

HTPC Specs: Show details

#2

Post by spanner » Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:37 pm

Paw Paw wrote:Comcast Houston has rolled out Mpeg4 in mass. My Ceton InfiniTV 4 PCI and Windows 7 system has not had a problem displaying the Mpeg4 channels. However, I have noticed one quirk. If I am viewing an Mpeg4 channel and switch to an Mpeg2 channel that is “Copy Once” I get a blank Screen with just audio.

Switching from Mpeg4 to Mpeg2 “Copy Freely” channels is not an issue. Since I do not have many “Copy Once” channels in my package it is not a major issue for me. Also, I have found that if I am on an Mpeg4 channel I can switch to a “Copy Freely” Mpeg2 channel and then to the “Copy Once” Mpeg2 channel and get the picture and sound.

Has anyone else seen this issue? Is there a patch or update that might resolve it or do we just “live with it” since Windows Media Center” is officially dead.
Ya I think this issue has become pretty common since the comcast switch. There are about tree channels we normally watch that always have this issue. I find that switching to a working channel and back again normally(sometimes more than once) works. so far it has not effected recordings.

crawfish

Posts: 465
Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2012 5:16 am
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#3

Post by crawfish » Sun Dec 04, 2016 8:24 pm

Sounds like the problem I first encountered with Cox in 2011. Much more on it in this message from 2013:

http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... 705#p60705

I posted in 2015 that it was silently resolved by Cox:

http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... 641#p99641

Sorry, no workaround that I know of beyond tuning a "good" channel or restarting WMC or even ehrecvr.

hballard2

Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Aug 12, 2015 7:16 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#4

Post by hballard2 » Wed Jan 18, 2017 3:30 am

Paw Paw,

I'm curious to know if you are still having success viewing/ recording HD copy protected channels? I, too, am in the Houston Comcast market and I've been slowly losing my channels to the mpeg4 transition. Recently, I noticed I can't watch Root Sports (ch 639) on my Ceton InfiniTV 4 and I'm about to lose it. Like all the HD channels I have lost, I get the dreaded "Subscription Required" message when tuning in. Switching channels doesn't help. Recordings fail with "No signal on ch xxx".

Looks like Comcast is successfully pushing us CableCard users out and forcing us to start using their boxes with the woefully inadequate storage space.

Paw Paw

Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2013 12:49 pm
Location: Houston, TX

HTPC Specs: Show details

#5

Post by Paw Paw » Wed Jan 18, 2017 12:47 pm

I have never had an issue receiving or recording anything with my Ceton card. My issue is with changing channels. In order to tune an Mpeg2 copy once channel I must first tune an Mpeg2 copy freely channel and then I can switch to an Mpeg2 copy once channel. If I try to go from and Mpeg4 channel directly to an Mpeg2 copy once channel I get sound but no picture. This is an issue with WMC not the Ceton card and I am afraid I am just stuck with it since WMC is dead code.

I am running firmware 13.10.28.177 and driver package 13.3.22.1342 on my Ceton Infiniti 4 PCI card and have very few issues with the "subscription Required" problem. I also have an inline amp on my cable line and have a strong signal to my Ceton card running from +10 to +6 dbm with a good S/N ratio

I just checked and 639 is still and Mpeg2 channel. I am not sure your issue is with the Mpeg4 conversion

Dkeyguy1

Posts: 163
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2012 3:38 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#6

Post by Dkeyguy1 » Wed Jan 18, 2017 3:21 pm

What you are describing, I have had an issue with before, and found that if I changed tuner order for the channel in question, another tuner on the same card would display things just fine. I still have one card that does it on two channels. I upgraded to the latest firmware and it changed the outcome. Overwriting with the same firmware did also do it for me. But because it was that simple for me to overcome, I didn't look into it further.
Things to do, places to go.... As quick as it is you should check to see if all of the tuners do it. I had this on Ceton and Home Run tuners as well.
Attributed it to cable signal, CableCard, firmware related and moved on. Haven't thought about it in months. Had to dust just to get to the memory.
Sorry I can't give you a solution.
I'm running 15_1_13_152 firmware on the Ceton tuners, can't say what's on the HomeRuns. At least 2 years out though.

Post Reply