Solved WMC Pixelating When Playing & Recording

[Lady Fitzgerald]

All the programs I recorded yesterday with WMC (I'm using two Silicon Dust Homerun HD dual tuners) show up pixelated and the audio is choppy when I try to play them back with both WMC and VLC. I get the same thing when I try to view TV live with WMC. Previous recordings play back just fine.

I've ruled out mechanical issues because I can watch live TV with no trouble using Silicon Dust's viewing program so the problem has to be with WMC. I tried restoring an image I made a couple of days ago (using Macrium Reflect) before the problem started but no joy; the problem persists.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to sort this out?

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Anyone?

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

The only sound heard was a lone cricket chirping in the distance.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Heck, the cricket died. Anyone?

 

[mitchell65]

Can't have you sitting there all lonely thinking "nobody cares". It's just they nobody seems to have any idea what the problem is. So I'll have a go:
Has this problem just occured or have you only just started using WMC? It sounds like a duff cable to me!

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Can't have you sitting there all lonely thinking "nobody cares". It's just they nobody seems to have any idea what the problem is. So I'll have a go:
Has this problem just occured or have you only just started using WMC? It sounds like a duff cable to me!

Thanks for replying! I've been using WMC for a bit over a year. I have my doubts it's a cable since I can still watch OTA TV live using Silicon Dust's own viewer but WMC's pixilates.

 

[mitchell65]

Then I wonder if it is a Windows Update causing the problem? Have you tried uninstalling WMC and reinstalling with the latest version?
I Googled "Windows Media Centre pixelated" and found lots of entries. This one looked interesting:
View topic - WMC live tv Pixelation and artifacts - Must be WMC

 

[wasnotwas]

The only time I get pixelated TV in WMC is when the particular channel has somehow got tuned to a source in an adjacent region, and so has lower signal. R click the channel in epg, edit channel, edit sources. In this screenshot the highlighted source is 71%, but the correct one is 100%



sources are used top down (if checked)

 

[Layback Bear]

Lady you are not forgotten, I have been watching.

I just don't know how to help you with this matter.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Then I wonder if it is a Windows Update causing the problem? Have you tried uninstalling WMC and reinstalling with the latest version?
I Googled "Windows Media Centre pixelated" and found lots of entries. This one looked interesting:
View topic - WMC live tv Pixelation and artifacts - Must be WMC

How do I uninstall WMC and reinstall it?

I read the articles several times in the link you provided and can't make any sense of them (other than downloading and installing the newest Intel driver and I'm not certain I know how to install the driver).

I have a case opened with SiliconDust but, so far, no response.

Ever since the first of the year, I've been dealing with nothing but problems, mostly caused by the stupidity of the people I've been dealing with. Can we just cancel 2016 and move on to 2017?

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

The only time I get pixelated TV in WMC is when the particular channel has somehow got tuned to a source in an adjacent region, and so has lower signal. R click the channel in epg, edit channel, edit sources. In this screenshot the highlighted source is 71%, but the correct one is 100%

View attachment 386645

sources are used top down (if checked)

Sadly, the problem is happening on all channels.

Where did you find that screen in WMC?

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Lady you are not forgotten, I have been watching.

I just don't know how to help you with this matter.

Thanks, Jack!.

 

[derekimo]

How do I uninstall WMC and reinstall it?

This is the only way I know,

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/5023-windows-features-turn-off.html

Basically you are just turning it off then turning it back on.

It's under media features.

 

[mitchell65]

Then I wonder if it is a Windows Update causing the problem? Have you tried uninstalling WMC and reinstalling with the latest version?

How do I uninstall WMC and reinstall it?

You might consider disabling WMC then after rebooting your PC, re enable it. See here:
Uninstall, Disable, or Remove Windows 7 Media Center
Might be worth a try!

 

[wasnotwas]

Sadly, the problem is happening on all channels.

Where did you find that screen in WMC?

In the program guide (EPG) -

R-click name of channel eg BBC1
L-click Edit Channel
L-click Edit Sources

I'm in the UK, using quad pci-e internal tuner card for free OTA non encrypted transmissions (aka Freeview in UK). If your tuner setup is different (eg cable) YMMV.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Then I wonder if it is a Windows Update causing the problem? Have you tried uninstalling WMC and reinstalling with the latest version?
I Googled "Windows Media Centre pixelated" and found lots of entries. This one looked interesting:
View topic - WMC live tv Pixelation and artifacts - Must be WMC

We have a winner! I finally heard from SiliconDust and, after fooling around with diagnostics, the problem was narrowed down to packet loss due to throttling. Mitchell's link above touched on the solution but didn't give me enough info to work with. SiliconDust provided me a link that went into more detail and, after a lot of head scratching (which left a new hole in my head) trying to figure out to do it, I made the recommended registry change (after first making an image) and the problem appears to have gone away.

It appears I may have created the problem when I made the switch from a Wi-Fi connection to an Eternet connection since the problem started around the same time I made the switch although I didn't make the connection (pardon the pun) until today.

Thanks to everyone for helping out!

 

[Layback Bear]

Happy computing and T.V. watching.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Happy computing and T.V. watching.

Thanks, Jack!

 

[mitchell65]

Delighted to hear that you are back as a Happy Bunny