Video from TiVo Premiere Elite breaks up

[pmsj]

I'm having trouble with video from my new quad-tuner TiVo (Premiere Elite). After copying a program from my TiVo box with TiVo2Go, when I open it in VideoReDo it plays fine for a second or two. Then the video breaks up and quickly reassembles, plays OK for a bit and the process repeats. Note this is a standard def recording, not HD (I'll get to that later!).

I've uploaded a 6MB sample in quadTiVo/breakup01.mpg for someone to look at.

This happens in both the current and beta releases of VRD Plus Version 3:

3.10.3.629 (beta) and 3.10.3.609 (current release)

My cable system is Comcast in San Jose, California.

I did search the forum for this issue but couldn't find a match.

Note that I've been using TiVo2Go with VRD for years without any trouble, but the quad-tuner HD box is a whole new game for me. My previous TiVo boxes were Humax DVD recorders and the dual-tuner series 3, all non-HD.

Thanks in advance for any help!

[ggieseke]

The Premiere boxes introduced the ability to download in Transport Stream format instead of the more traditional Program Stream format, and that can cause the symptoms you're seeing.

If you use Desktop, VRD should be able to handle it but you can try again by disabling the "Use fastest transfer method" in File - Preferences.

If you use kmttg and process the files with tivodecode, that's the problem. Tivodecode can't handle the new TS format correctly. There's an option in recent kmttg releases that lets you disable TS transfers.

TS transfers are faster than PS transfers, but a Premiere is so much faster than the older TiVos that you should still see an improvement.

[grenneam]

The Premiere boxes introduced the ability to download in Transport Stream format instead of the more traditional Program Stream format, and that can cause the symptoms you're seeing.

If you use Desktop, VRD should be able to handle it but you can try again by disabling the "Use fastest transfer method" in File - Preferences.

If you use kmttg and process the files with tivodecode, that's the problem. Tivodecode can't handle the new TS format correctly. There's an option in recent kmttg releases that lets you disable TS transfers.

TS transfers are faster than PS transfers, but a Premiere is so much faster than the older TiVos that you should still see an improvement.

Hi I have essentially the same problem. My Tivo Box went belly-up and they sent me another but it was a different model. I now have a Tivo Premiere. I tried downloading some Tivo recorded programs to my PC for editing and found the same problem as PMSJ. I've read your answer and found that I don't think my version of VideoReDO is anywhere close to current because I can't find the settings you describe. My version says It's dated Nov 16, 2010. I have no clue as to why it hasn't been updating itself. If my interpretation of your answer to PMSJ is correct, KMTTG is some sort of software that will interpret a TIVO file and make it into something manageable. Is that correct? Also is there anything I can do with my version of VRD to eliminate this problem of the picture and sound intermittently breaking up?
Thanks for any help you can provide.

[Dan203]

The newest version of Plus is the beta version posted here...

http://www.videoredo.net/msgBoard/sh...ld-3-10-3-629d

You should try it out and see if it fixes the problem.

[ggieseke]

The "use fastest transfer method" setting is in TiVo Desktop 2.8.x, not VideoReDo. KMTTG is a 3rd-party app that can download directly from a TiVo and process the files into various other formats.

VideoReDo uses the decryption filter that's built into the TiVo Desktop software, so unless Desktop or VRD is really out of date it should work even when using transoprt stream downloads. TiVo has officially stopped offering the free version of Desktop but you can still download the latest version.

http://assets.tivo.com/assets/exe/ti...sktop2.8.3.exe

[grenneam]

The "use fastest transfer method" setting is in TiVo Desktop 2.8.x, not VideoReDo. KMTTG is a 3rd-party app that can download directly from a TiVo and process the files into various other formats.

VideoReDo uses the decryption filter that's built into the TiVo Desktop software, so unless Desktop or VRD is really out of date it should work even when using transoprt stream downloads. TiVo has officially stopped offering the free version of Desktop but you can still download the latest version.

http://assets.tivo.com/assets/exe/ti...sktop2.8.3.exe

Thank you for the reply and the clarifications. You are right. I did some more "delving" and found that I had Version 2.8 of the TIVO Desktop, and that they (Tivo) had a newer version of the "Used to be Free" desktop, Version 2.8.2! Tivo now charges for the current version of the Tivo Desktop - Thank you Microsoft for Windows 8! After a little searching around the internet I was able to find and download the 2.8.2 Version of the Tivo desktop, I think I got it from CNET. I did a partial Uninstall of my old version. I KEPT the old settings. Installed the 2.8.2 version and everything seems to be working OK again. During the INSTALL it did ask me if I wanted to use the Fastest Xfer and I unchecked that per your recommendation. So thanks again; and I hope this information will be useful so someone else who may be having the same problems.

[Dan203]

I wouldn't recommend unchecking that "use faster transfer" option. Basically that tells the TiVo to use a Program Stream format vs the newer Transport Stream format. The newer format is not only faster it is also more reliable, in that it doesn't stop when it hits a glitch in the source, and it supports H.264 which some cable systems are starting to use and will deploy more broadly in the future. At this point the only reason to use the old PS format is if yoou plan to decrypt using tivodecode, because it doesn't work with TS. However VRD doesn't need to decrypt so that's unnecessary for editing in VRD.

[grenneam]

Ok Dan. I will change it in the preferences. Thanks for the reply, the Link to the 2.8.3 version and the very complete explanations. Best regards!