G450eTV audio not synced in PC-VCR

[virgildlv]

Okay, I got PC-VCR to record and playback - but now my problem is although audio is synced during live, it slowly loses sync on the recorded program.

After a couple of minutes recording, I notice that the audio is not synced with the video in the recorded program - whether in recording of timeshifting.

My settings for recording are
Video = MPEG-2 SP 704x480 30fps
Audio = 16 bits 44100 sampling rate

My system is a P4 1.8GHz on an MSI 875P Neo with 512MB DDR and AD1980 based onboard audio. Hard disk is a 7200rpm 80GB Maxtor

Am running WinME with latest updates. Have VT 2.10 and drivers 6.82. Monitor resolution is 1024x768/32-bit. System monitor reports Processor Usage is about 66% during recording.

I do notice frames dropped when system is recording while doing some stuff in Windows, but not when I leave it alone to record.

Any ideas?

[virgildlv]

Okay, while looking for possible sources of delays, I decided things like antivirus (AVG) should be disabled/removed - but the error persists.

I seem to notice that when I do some activities during PC-VCR recording, some frames are dropped, and the more dropped frames, the worse the lag gets. Can anyone else confirm that this behavior is by design?

Is it something to do with the AC'97 implementation? Would using an SB Live! card help?

Is it something to do with using my main drive as the recording drive? But my drive is pretty fast - isn't it?

Are there "optimal" setting for caching and buffers?

[Gian]

Hi virgildlv
I had the same problem months ago with my PIII 700 with MSI motherboard. I fight a lot with BIOS setup, driver and so on but nothing changed. I solved the problem disabling on-board audio and using an external audio board.

If you have one try and let me know.

ciao
Gian

[Gian]

Sorry, not external: I mean a PCI audio board

Gian

[virgildlv]

Gian

Thanks for the answer. Am looking into that as my next option as "reinstalling the OS" seems difficult.

I am trying to understand what is supposed to happen in the event dropped frames do occur - what was your experience with the recorded program?

Assume this is the original material (Caps are video and lowercase are corresponding audio) and some frames (vowels in this example) are dropped...

AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYy Zz

1. Is the previous working frame padded in?
-aBbCcDdDeFfGgHhHiJjKkLlMmNnNoPpQqRrSsTtTuVvWwXxYyZ z

2. Is the audio segment also dropped?
--BbCcDd--FfGgHh--JjKkLlMmNn--PpQqRrSsTt--VvWwXxYyZz
or
BbCcDdFfGgHhJjKkLlMmNnPpQqRrSsTtVvWwXxYyZz

3. Is the audio "bufferred" resulting in a lag eventually when many video frames are dropped?
-aBbCcDdEFeGfHgJhKiLjMkNlPmQnRoSpTqVrWsXtYuZvBwCxDy Fz

Thanks for your input.

[Gian]

If I remember well, I had a delay of audio (I'm not sure), about 2 sec after about 1 hour.
I had not dropped frame in recording: only 4 or 5 frame in 2 hours.
My settings for recording are:
Video = MPEG-2 SP 352x288 25fps
Audio = 16 bits 44100 sampling rate
I had the problem with win98SE and XP

ciao
Gian

[virgildlv]

So i guess that means

3. Audio is "bufferred" resulting in a lag eventually when many video frames are dropped i.e.

AaBbCcDdEeFfGgHhIiJjKkLlMmNnOoPpQqRrSsTtUuVvWwXxYy
Zz

becomes

-aBbCcDdEFeGfHgJhKiLjMkNlPmQnRoSpTqVrWsXtYuZvBwCxDy
Fz

when frames represented by vowels are dropped.

[virgildlv]

Okay, I reinstalled a new OS - WInXP, applied drivers, service packs and patches.

PC-VCR works OK in 1 hr of recording
After over 2 hrs, found a number of dropped frames - I think it's because of the spanning as it reaches the 4GB limit.

I also found that WinXP's right-click bug is causing dropped frames so I disable "transition effects for menus and tooltips" which is located in Control Panel - Display - Appearance - Effects.

Everything seems OK so far... no more dropped frames when I am recording via PC-VCR while simultaneously browsing on a dial-up line.

[Gian]

good

ciao
Gian