Dropped frames (or stutter) especially obvious during camera panning

[illingn]

Hi,
I've installed the Colossus card in two machines now, both a respectable spec and only a couple of years old but I'm seeing a stutter every 10 seconds or so with ArcSoft. I can see it during monitoring, capturing and playback (on other devices). I'm capturing from my Sky box at 1080p (via an HDFury) and also my HD camera via HDMI. The stutter appears with both sources. It's especially noticeable during camera panning, but I'm not sure if that's just because it's more apparent then (because there's more going on on the screen) or perhaps it's because of the increased bandwidth requirements during those scenes.

Processor and memory utilisation are very low and hard drives (RAID) seem fine. I've updated drivers and software to the latest versions availabe. I've tried changing every setting I can within Arcsoft. I've also tried viewing/capturing with the Hauppauge "TV" viewing software (sorry, I'm on another computer now and can't remember what the software is called!), and although the stutter seems less frequent, it's still there.

It's a very slight stutter, perhaps just a single frame drop, but it's annoying! Any suggestions would be great. Thanks.

[ktige]

The Colossus is designed to capture at 1080i...not 1080p.

Try a different player interface and be sure you have enough RAM...like 8 gigs of DDR3 at least. ArcSoft and WinTV have problems. I purchased the Colossus about a year ago and I have found it to be an excellent product, but WinTV and ArcSoft have never worked right at the higher bit range, and .m2TS files are murdered by ArcSoft. Originally I thought it was my computer running 4GB on a Pent D, but after spending $1500 on an "enthusiast grade" computer I built over 6 months of research, I had the same problems again--and yes, I repeatedly reinstalled the programs, updated drivers, etc...I am not a noob. Finally, I started switching players to capture...I found NextPVR to be quite stable as it can capture 1080i flawlessly for hours as it runs in the background (for transferring DVR programs). Hauppauge support was not able to offer a solution after months of inquiry...I fixed the problem by ditching the bundled software...try it out and see what happens for you. BTW: other front ends, like VLC, MediaPortal, and WMC work well for people too...there are a lot of options.

I should also note that the HVR tuner series works quite well with WinTV--I have never had a problem with those. Also, check to see if there are any HDCP issues with your HDFury setup and other basics, like connections, software compatibility, etc. Before stretching the limits of the hardware, be sure it works the intended config.

from Haup support site:

What resolutions and bit rates are supported using Colossus?
Record high definition video at up to 1080i resolution, 720p or VGA/D1
Record at datarates from 1Mbs to 20Mbs, constant and Variable Bit Rate
Make Blu-ray format AVCHD recordings, so you can burn your TV recordings onto a standard DVD disk (up to 2 hours of video at 5MBits/sec) and playback on Blu-ray DVD players

I get a black screen in the Showbiz capture module and no output to my TV when I connect my Xbox 360, PS3 to the Colossus.
Make sure you’re gaming system is not set to 1080p. The Colossus does not understand this format. Please set the output resolution to 1080i or 720p. Please see the appropriate setup instructions for your game console

Video is jerky or broken up while capturing?
Most of the time this is caused by the display adapter, make sure your video card meets the minimum requirements.
Also try updating to the latest drivers supplied by the manufacturer.

[illingn]

Thanks Ktige,

You've given me hope! Sorry for the confusion but I did actually mean 1080i.

I wasn't aware other software would recognise the card, I've only tried Adobe Live Encoder (because that's on my PC already). I'll have a tinker and post my results here as soon as I'm able.

Cheers!

[ktige]

The Colossus is supported by:

NextPVR
Windows Media Center (with Hauppauge download)
MediaPortal
streaming to VLC

...look on Haup website for more info. Try these other options; there may be other supported PVRs. One will prob work for you.