# DIRECTV2PC v5628 - Issues & Discussion



## Doug Brott

*Important Note:*

Please, * DO NOT CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT* about this version.
Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated.

*The Contents of this Download: (Differences based on last National Release)*

*Download v5628*
*Download DIRECTV2PC Playback Advisor*

*New features*

No new features since last version

*Improved/Updated*

Frame Skips when clicking replay multiple times
Dual Monitor touch ups
Codecs
Under the hood
Updated messaging
Parental Controls
Remove 'beta' logo
Trick Play bar during in-progress recordings

*Notes*

Please use your existing DIRECTV2PC key .. If you do not have one, please complete the Beta Download process @ http://www.directv.com/directv2pc
New Codecs may be download & installed as part of the setup/activation process after installation.


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## veryoldschool

This weekend I upgraded from Vista to Win7.
This version installed fine and activated using my old key. WooHoo. 

CPU usage is less than 10% with my old P4 & my ATI 3650 card. [double Woo Hoo]


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## bsboggs

Parental controls can still be bypassed simply by stopping and restarting the program.

I start DIRECTV2PC then set the parental controls to "lock now". DIRECTV2PC stays locked until I exit the program.
When I (or someone else) restart(s) DIRECTV2PC the parental controls are in an unlocked state. I am using DIRECTV2PC 
with an HR20-100 and an HR21-200.


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## itzme

I have an older NVIDEA GeForce FX5200. I know its not among the supported cards, but I've gotten DTV2PC to work with previous versions. I've installed this v5628 and I when I go to play anything I get the error about _my card doesn't support screen capture protection_. I have the latest drivers from NVIDIA. Has anyone found a fix for this error, or have I just upgraded myself to version that'll never work with my card?


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## veryoldschool

itzme said:


> I have an older NVIDEA GeForce FX5200. I know its not among the supported cards, but I've gotten DTV2PC to work with previous versions. I've installed this v5628 and I when I go to play anything I get the error about _my card doesn't support screen capture protection_. I have the latest drivers from NVIDIA. Has anyone found a fix for this error, or have I just upgraded myself to version that'll never work with my card?


Have you tried using the VGA output?
This worked with the earlier version and my nVidia 6600. I have yet to load this on that PC and see if it still works.


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## itzme

veryoldschool said:


> Have you tried using the VGA output?
> This worked with the earlier version and my nVidia 6600. I have yet to load this on that PC and see if it still works.


I haven't tried. But my DVI is superior to that, right? It's a 22" hi res screen, so I wouldn't want to sacrifice any graphics quality just for DTV2PC. I just fiddle with it every few months.


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## bobnielsen

itzme said:


> I haven't tried. But my DVI is superior to that, right? It's a 22" hi res screen, so I wouldn't want to sacrifice any graphics quality just for DTV2PC. I just fiddle with it every few months.


I expect that is something you will just have to live with, or upgrade to a newer graphics card. I doubt that the MPAA and networks will back down on their insistence on HDCP.


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## bobnielsen

Since the beta log is gone, will the check for updates finally start working so we won't need to do a complete uninstall/install each time their is a new version?


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## dettxw

Downloaded and installed with no problems on the desktop. 
I'm experiencing good playback with most shows but do have to investigate the last episode of _The Great American Road Trip_ (HD) recorded from local OTA that crashes the program. An earlier recording plays OK.

Note that the Advisor version has not changed.

Still seeing non-repeatable random pixelation/breakup though I think that will continue until the server side is improved.


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## phat78boy

I've got it installed, but my key now says its no good. I've resubmitted for a new key, but no email yet. Any idea how to go about getting a new key besides the regular way?


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## TXD16

Unfortunately, still no HD joy with the on-board ADI (SoundMax) audio with digital output disabled on an Asus P5B-Deluxe motherboard, although I do find the new error message verbiage of "The video's audio is protected and requires an audio driver with HDCP support; changing the audio output to analog might allow audio playback" quite refreshing.


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## R8ders2K

FWIW, I recently upgraded my Intel Core 2 Duo based 24" iMac to Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). I'm running XP Pro SP3 under Boot Camp 3.0. 

DIRECTV2PC v5628 seems to run fine.


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## veryoldschool

zkc16 said:


> Unfortunately, still no HD joy with the on-board ADI (SoundMax) audio with digital output disabled on an Asus P5B-Deluxe motherboard, although I do find the new error message verbiage of "The video's audio is protected and requires an audio driver with HDCP support; changing the audio output to analog might allow audio playback" quite refreshing.


 My guess is you're using XP. Disabling the digital output with the SoundMax control panel doesn't work the same as using the Vista method.
"It seems" your options are to change to Vista [ugh] or get a $10 sound card that doesn't have a digital output and then disable the motherboard sound.


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## TXD16

veryoldschool said:


> My guess is you're using XP. Disabling the digital output with the SoundMax control panel doesn't work the same as using the Vista method.
> "It seems" your options are to change to Vista [ugh] or get a $10 sound card that doesn't have a digital output and then disable the motherboard sound.


Based upon what I have experienced thus far with DirecTV2PC, it ain't yet worth a $10.00 sound card and it sure as heck ain't worth a "change" (yes, I did notice that you intentionally chose not to use the word "upgrade" ) to Vista.


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## dettxw

dettxw said:


> Downloaded and installed with no problems on the desktop.
> I'm experiencing good playback with most shows but do have to investigate the last episode of _The Great American Road Trip_ (HD) recorded from local OTA that crashes the program. An earlier recording plays OK.
> 
> Note that the Advisor version has not changed.
> 
> Still seeing non-repeatable random pixelation/breakup though I think that will continue until the server side is improved.


Also downloaded and installed with no problem on the laptop.
Same problem with the last episode of _The Great American Road Trip_ (HD) recorded from local OTA, crashes the program, but plays with no problem from the DVR.


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## dettxw

phat78boy said:


> I've got it installed, but my key now says its no good. I've resubmitted for a new key, but no email yet. Any idea how to go about getting a new key besides the regular way?


Did you use a new unique email address?


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## veryoldschool

zkc16 said:


> Based upon what I have experienced thus far with DirecTV2PC, it ain't yet worth a $10.00 sound card and it sure as heck ain't worth a "change" (yes, I did notice that you intentionally chose not to use the word "upgrade" ) to Vista.


Hey "if you wanted" the $10 would work, but then DirecTV2PC may not be for everyone.
I'm here mostly to share what I've found testing to help others that want it.


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## phat78boy

dettxw said:


> Did you use a new unique email address?


Yea, tried 4 different email addresses. Maybe cause I'm using the same name?


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## dettxw

phat78boy said:


> Yea, tried 4 different email addresses. Maybe cause I'm using the same name?


You know I got my numbers before they implemented that current process so hard for me to comment on it, what with never having gone through it. 
I would have thought that the different email addresses would have done it.
couldn't hurt anything to try a new name and address.


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## TXD16

veryoldschool said:


> Hey "if you wanted" the $10 would work, but then DirecTV2PC may not be for everyone.
> I'm here mostly to share what I've found testing to help others that want it.


What I would like is for CyberLink/DirecTV to fix their broken software/firmware.


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## veryoldschool

zkc16 said:


> What I would like is for CyberLink/DirecTV to fix their broken software/firmware.


Actually what you're asking is to have them remove the HDCP, which isn't going to happen.
If I understand "your problem", it's that your sound card driver doesn't support HDCP and has a digital output. I understand from "your view point" that you feel it's this software, but since it works with sound chip drivers that do support HDCP and with sound chips that don't have a digital output, isn't "the real problem" your lack of a driver that supports HDCP from ADI?
A $10 sound card does work. I have an ADI SoundMax chip that works "but" it doesn't have a digital output.
XP doesn't allow you to disable the digital output, like Vista & Win7 does.
I'm "fairly sure" the software isn't going to change, since it's been this way for the past year, so you can add a $10 sound card [without a digital output] and "resolve" your problem, or move to a newer version of Windows, which gives you the option to disable the digital output.
These are what does work.
The last option is to just not care [$10 worth] about using this app.


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## TXD16

veryoldschool said:


> Actually what you're asking is to have them remove the HDCP...


Actually, no, I'm not.



> If I understand "your problem", it's that your sound card driver doesn't support HDCP and has a digital output.


No, I have no problem at all with the lack of HDCP support for the system in question. It does appear, however, that CyberLink/DIRECTV have something of an issue with it.



> I understand from "your view point" that you feel it's this software, but since it works with sound chip drivers that do support HDCP and with sound chips that don't have a digital output, isn't "the real problem" your lack of a driver that supports HDCP from ADI?


No, the issue appears to be that the software has a problem recognizing when the digital audio output has been disabled on certain configurations, mine included.



> XP doesn't allow you to disable the digital output, like Vista & Win7 does.


That is not correct. If I disable the digital output on my soundcard, the digital audio port ceases to function.



> I'm "fairly sure" the software isn't going to change, since it's been this way for the past year...


I suppose we will just have to wait and see, but until it is fixed, you can certainly count on me to do my part to keep the issue fresh on DIRECTV's mind.


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## Drew2k

Per the release notes, "Beta" has been removed from the logo, so it would appear the software is less likely to change than ever before.


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## hdtvfan0001

This version continues the trend of the last 3 whereby the detection of receivers in inconsistent. Running XP SP3.

Upon startup, one DVR is detected, but not others.

In doing a scan a different DVR is detected, but not the first (or others).

Upon another scan....I get one, the other, and sometimes none. No pattern, no rhyme no reason.

Detection is sometimes in 5 seconds, other times in 1 minute.

I was conviced this was tied to my Norton 360 here. I even completely disabled Norton and any firewall, but the problem did not change.

This did not occur using the same hardware here going back about 4 versions and all version previous to that - *its just started happening since they started to institute the codec download process in the DirecTV2PC install startup*. I'm running VGA here, not digital, so that's not a source of any problem.


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## dettxw

hdtvfan0001 said:


> This version continues the trend of the last 3 whereby the detection of receivers in inconsistent. Running XP SP3.
> 
> Upon startup, one DVR is detected, but not others.
> 
> In doing a scan a different DVR is detected, but not the first (or others).
> 
> Upon another scan....I get one, the other, and sometimes none. No pattern, no rhyme no reason.
> 
> Detection is sometimes in 5 seconds, other times in 1 minute.
> 
> I was conviced this was tied to my Norton 360 here. I even completely disabled Norton and any firewall, but the problem did not change.
> 
> This did not occur using the same hardware here going back about 4 versions and all version previous to that - *its just started happening since they started to institute the codec download process in the DirecTV2PC install startup*. I'm running VGA here, not digital, so that's not a source of any problem.


FWIW, didn't see that on my two PCs. Both showed all the DVRs right away with no problems. Combination of DECA, hardwired, and 802.11n (@5GHz) here.

edit - Oh, and running Norton 2009 package here.


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## hdtvfan0001

dettxw said:


> FWIW, didn't see that on my two PCs. Both showed all the DVRs right away with no problems. Combination of DECA, hardwired, and 802.11n (@5GHz) here.


Thanks for your info....that is why I suspect something in configuration, especially with Norton somehow.

But in reality - many people in the field have Norton firewalls in place...so DirecTV2PC should play nice regardless of that.

It worked very well here right up until the time the installs included the messages and downloads of the codecs. That's when things went wacko.


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## veryoldschool

zkc16 said:


> Actually, no, I'm not. *Then what are you asking for? *
> 
> No, I have no problem at all with the lack of HDCP support for the system in question. It does appear, however, that CyberLink/DIRECTV have something of an issue with it.  *So your system doesn't support HDCP, but you feel that's alright and that DirecTV should still allow you to use this app?*
> 
> No, the issue appears to be that the software has a problem recognizing when the digital audio output has been disabled on certain configurations, mine included. *I agree with this. The current version [and all earlier] looks at how Windows has configured the outputs. SoundMax is a separate app, so what you're wanting is for this app to recognize every sound driver control panel and be able to see if the digital output is or isn't enabled. I know of at least three different sound chips [VIA, ADI, C-Media] that use different software. *
> 
> That is not correct. If I disable the digital output on my soundcard, the digital audio port ceases to function. *I think this is answered above. Disabling your digital output in the sound app control panel isn't the same as having it disabled by the OS.*
> 
> I suppose we will just have to wait and see, but until it is fixed, you can certainly count on me to do my part to keep the issue fresh on DIRECTV's mind.


You can sure keep "flagging the issue". I reported it last year and have little hope that it's going to change.
A $10 sound card would get this working for you, which may be the cheapest/only way to get this app to work for you with XP.
[with this, I'll stop trying to help you, good luck]


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## JT01

Greetings all,

I installed v5628 yesterday with no problems. However, as I have on the 2 previous versions, I continue to have flicker/tearing problems with SD programming - see previous post here for more detail.

HD programming is fine, even excellent, but the flicker with SD is still there. There is a lot of SD programming I enjoy and would like to watch on the PC, but the flicker prevents me from doing so. I'm using XP sp3 with the latest Nvidia driver (190.62 with a Nvidia 8600GT card). The advisor shows everything green. Hopefully this will be fixed before Directv2pc goes live. Thank you.


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## tbolt

Playback Advisor - needs updating 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Doug,

The Playback Advisor needs to be updated.

It complains that my XFX Radeon HD 4650 
Graphics Card Driver needs to be updated.

I have the current driver installed and it works fine.
ATI Catalyst Version is 9.8. Driver file version is 8.640.0.0




See my log below:


Check Item PC Playback Ready? Info 
CPU : Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6600 @ 2.40GHz Yes 
__dwItemID=1001__ : szLibCPUName = Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6600 @ 
__dwItemID=1002__ : dwLibClockRate = 2393 
__dwItemID=1003__ : dwLibFamily = 6, dwLibModel=15, dwLibStepping=6 
__dwItemID=1004__ : dwLibNumPhysicalProc = 2, dwLibNumCorePerPackage=2, dwLibNumLogicalPerCore=0 
__dwItemID=1005__ : dwLibCorePerPackage = 2, dwLibTotalLogicals=2 
__dwItemID=1006__ : szWMIName=Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6600 @ 2.40GHz 
__dwItemID=1007__ : szWMIManufacturer=GenuineIntel 
__dwItemID=1008__ : dwWMIMaxClockSpeed=2397 
__dwItemID=1009__ : bBatteryExist=0 
__dwItemID=1010__ : szGuess=Core Duo TXX (Conroe) 
GPU (Hardware acceleration) : ATI Radeon HD 4650 Yes 
System Memory : 2048 MB Yes 
Operating System : Windows XP Service Pack 3 Yes 
Graphics Card : ATI Radeon HD 4650 Yes 
__dwItemID=1301__ : Adapter Compatibility: ATI Technologies Inc. 
__dwItemID=1302__ : VideoProcessor: ATI Radeon Graphics Processor (0x9498) 
Screen Capture Protection : Yes Yes 
__dwItemID=1304__ : ATI PCOM=Yes 
__dwItemID=1304__ : ATI SORT=No 
__dwItemID=1305__ : GPUDetectPass Yes 
Graphics card video memory : 1024 MB 
Graphics Card Driver : 8.640.0.0 No More Info 
__dwItemID=1501__ : 2D Driver=6.14.10.6983 
__dwItemID=1502__ : COPP=Yes 
__dwItemID=1504__ : DEVICE=N/A 
Video Connection Type : Digital(with HDCP) Yes 
Network Adapter : ETHERNET: Intel(R) 82566DC Gigabit Network Connection - Packet Scheduler Miniport Yes 
Program version : 1.0.0.1525 
System language : 0409 ENU English English 
Time : Thu Aug 27 11:04:40 2009 
Computer : Desktop 
System Name : THUNDERBOLT


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## veryoldschool

JT01 said:


> Greetings all,
> 
> I installed v5628 yesterday with no problems. However, as I have on the 2 previous versions, I continue to have flicker/tearing problems with SD programming - see previous post here for more detail.
> 
> HD programming is fine, even excellent, but the flicker with SD is still there. There is a lot of SD programming I enjoy and would like to watch on the PC, but the flicker prevents me from doing so. I'm using XP sp3 with the latest Nvidia driver (190.62 with a Nvidia 8600GT card). The advisor shows everything green. Hopefully this will be fixed before Directv2pc goes live. Thank you.


 While I'm not seeing any tearing, I am seeing problems with MPEG-2.
Both HD and SD recordings will either drop frames or simply freeze for a few moments. Audio is smooth and continues, but the video will pause.
SD recordings need to remove the closed captioning "bit crawl" at the top of the screen.
Planet Earth [HD MPEG-2] can show full screens pans without any jumping/freezing, yet later in a more static scene, will pause and then jump ahead.
SD also has these pauses.
CPU loading is ~ 20% for HD & ~ 10% for SD, so I doubt it's the cause.
MPEG-4 doesn't have this problem.
I haven't monitored CPU loading since the earliest days of this app and supporting h.264 decoding "but" HD MPEG-2 CPU loading was higher back then. I'm using an old Pentium 4 HT and when I ran it at 2.8 GHz, the HD MPEG-2 would utilize 100% CPU. 
It's currently running at 3.4 GHz and the CPU loading of 20%, seems to point to changes in the codec, but since the playback has declined, this should be improved, as whatever steps have been made, have reduced the playback quality.


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## tbolt

VOS,

Question: 

How do you make the determination if a program is MPEG-2 or HD MPEG-4 ?


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## pancho16

Greetings Everyone!

Peformed a clean install with Win7 Professional RTM x64 on Sat. Installed build 5514. Tried to activate using a key that WORKED (the day before on Vista), failed. I tried 3 more times, all new keys & e-mail addresses, no luck.

Tested 2 other machines in my house that have never run Directv2pc (both running Vista SP2 x86), all fail with 2 more new keys. 

Today,installed build 5628, again with no success. I ran through every forum entry looking for a clue, but alas... have come up empty (outside of 'request another key'). I can ping

activation.cyberlink.com

I have no firewall enabled on the OS, turned off the anti-virus/anti-spyware, disabled VMware virtual NICS, but nothing seems to work. I completely understand problems with "BETA" software, but 3 different machines.. there has to be something else wrong here. Any way to turn on logging that to help troubleshoot the activation errors? 

I appreciate any suggestions.. Thx!

Pancho


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## veryoldschool

tbolt said:


> VOS,
> 
> Question:
> 
> How do you make the determination if a program is MPEG-2 or HD MPEG-4 ?


All SD [except maybe some locals in some DMAs] is MPEG-2
All HD on channels "in the 70s" is MPEG-2.
All other HD is MPEG-4.


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## dettxw

veryoldschool said:


> All SD [except maybe some locals in some DMAs] is MPEG-2
> All HD on channels "in the 70s" is MPEG-2.
> All other HD is MPEG-4.


and OTA HD is mpeg2.


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## veryoldschool

dettxw said:


> and OTA HD is mpeg2.


 Ah yes, "I forgot" :lol:


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## veryoldschool

pancho16 said:


> Greetings Everyone!
> 
> Peformed a clean install with Win7 Professional RTM x64 on Sat. Installed build 5514. Tried to activate using a key that WORKED (the day before on Vista), failed. I tried 3 more times, all new keys & e-mail addresses, no luck.
> 
> Tested 2 other machines in my house that have never run Directv2pc (both running Vista SP2 x86), all fail with 2 more new keys.
> 
> Today,installed build 5628, again with no success. I ran through every forum entry looking for a clue, but alas... have come up empty (outside of 'request another key'). I can ping
> 
> activation.cyberlink.com
> 
> I have no firewall enabled on the OS, turned off the anti-virus/anti-spyware, disabled VMware virtual NICS, but nothing seems to work. I completely understand problems with "BETA" software, but 3 different machines.. there has to be something else wrong here. Any way to turn on logging that to help troubleshoot the activation errors?
> 
> I appreciate any suggestions.. Thx!
> 
> Pancho


I don't have an answer [sorry] "but" the fresh install of Win7 "killed" the Vista key. Friday/SAT I upgraded my Vista to Win7. I then tried DirecTV2PC and it had to reactivate, which it did. In doing this the key was transferred from my Vista install to my Win7 install. Had I not done this, "I'd bet" doing yesterday's install of 5628 would have required a new key.
I have failed activation on another PC and then realized it was the wrong key for that computer. I've "reused" this key on the correct computer.
There have been times in the past where we've had activation problems and it was the server, so all of us had the same thing. It can take a day or so before they reboot the server.
"I'd say" to not use your old key(s), use one of your new ones on one PC and save your others. Keep checking here to see if others can activate [today] and then see if the problem has gone away for you.


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## TXD16

veryoldschool said:


> You can sure keep "flagging the issue". I reported it last year and have little hope that it's going to change.
> A $10 sound card would get this working for you, which may be the cheapest/only way to get this app to work for you with XP.
> [with this, I'll stop trying to help you, good luck]


With all due respect, VOS, this is a combined issues/discussion thread and I was posting an issue, not seeking your help.


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## keenan

The 30 sec slip doesn't work for me on this version, it just freezes the screen. Selecting a position on the progress bar gets it going again. I don't know if this is particular to this version alone as I never really used it in the past as it was unreliable in previous versions, I've basically always used the progress bar. 

I suspect this app is never going to be as robust as the various stand-alone PVR applications available. It works, but usability/robustness is quite aways down the scale from those dedicated apps.


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## veryoldschool

keenan said:


> The 30 sec slip doesn't work for me on this version, it just freezes the screen. Selecting a position on the progress bar gets it going again. I don't know if this is particular to this version alone as I never really used it in the past as it was unreliable in previous versions, I've basically always used the progress bar.
> 
> I suspect this app is never going to be as robust as the various stand-alone PVR applications available. It works, but usability/robustness is quite aways down the scale from those dedicated apps.


 Ctrl K still works here, though it is a bit slow.

This app will never "match" others that don't seem to have to do the DirecTV decoding [also].


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## keenan

veryoldschool said:


> Ctrl K still works here, though it is a bit slow.
> 
> This app will never "match" others that don't seem to have to do the DirecTV decoding [also].


Forgot about the Ctrl K, I'll have to try that. The Instant Playback button works great though.

Yes, I realize the D* app will never be as good as the others, it's not meant to be a stand-alone application, it's clunkiness and quirkiness ensures it will never get widespread use amongst DirecTV subscribers.

P.S. - The Ctrl K freezes the screen as well, in fact it stops the stream from the DVR, both methods do in fact.


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## JT01

veryoldschool said:


> While I'm not seeing any tearing, I am seeing problems with MPEG-2.
> Both HD and SD recordings will either drop frames or simply freeze for a few moments. Audio is smooth and continues, but the video will pause.


 This sounds like my problem - dropping frames/freezing makes motion jerky and could look like tearing. I'm pretty sure the HD programming I was watching was MPEG-4 - will have to try something from an HD MP2 channel. You also mentioned CPU load - I'll have to check on that, but it's an Intel E8400 Dual Core with 4 gig of ram, so should be adequate or Directv2pc won't run well on a lot of machines. Thanks for looking into this - hopefully this situation will improve in subsequent releases.


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## veryoldschool

keenan said:


> Forgot about the Ctrl K, I'll have to try that. The Instant Playback button works great though.
> 
> Yes, I realize the D* app will never be as good as the others, it's not meant to be a stand-alone application, it's clunkiness and quirkiness ensures it will never get widespread use amongst DirecTV subscribers.
> 
> P.S. - The Ctrl K freezes the screen as well, in fact it stops the stream from the DVR, both methods do in fact.


 Well, if Ctrl K works here and not there :shrug:
I have no idea as to how widespread this app will be amongst DirecTV subs, "but" it is the only way to stream recordings from the DVRs.


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## veryoldschool

JT01 said:


> This sounds like my problem - dropping frames/freezing makes motion jerky and could look like tearing. I'm pretty sure the HD programming I was watching was MPEG-4 - will have to try something from an HD MP2 channel. You also mentioned CPU load - I'll have to check on that, but it's an Intel E8400 Dual Core with 4 gig of ram, so should be adequate or Directv2pc won't run well on a lot of machines. Thanks for looking into this - hopefully this situation will improve in subsequent releases.


 Yes you have plenty of "horsepower" and after reading your post, I looked at it here. There does seem to be a problem with the MPEG-2 decoding, that wasn't there with earlier versions, though I don't know which one was the starting of this problem.
The "only real change" here was upgrading to Win7 this weekend. I don't know if that changed my CPU loading, but you're having the same issue with XP so...


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## keenan

veryoldschool said:


> Well, if Ctrl K works here and not there :shrug:
> I have no idea as to how widespread this app will be amongst DirecTV subs, "but" it is the only way to stream recordings from the DVRs.


Yeah, I don't know, maybe it's something in my network setup, but the thing is, I'm not going to go digging around changing settings etc just to get this one app working, especially when everything else works perfectly, which includes streaming to and from a TiVo and a PS3.

This app is a novelty for me, I'm never going to rely on it or use it very much, too quirky. Now, the DirecTV PC tuner card program that was scrapped would be something I would have definitely been very interested in.


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## waynebtx

The install of DIRECTV2PC v5628 went without a hich play back of OTA get audio just fine video is like watching a slide show. All other recording play back just fine.


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## veryoldschool

waynebtx said:


> The install of DIRECTV2PC v5628 went without a hich play back of* OTA get audio just fine video is like watching a slide show*. All other recording play back just fine.


 This does sound like a bad case of the MPEG-2 playback I posted above.


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## HDinVT

Clean install and download/install of codecs. My HR20 is found, and I can navigate through the entire GUI and my playlist. I just can't actually play anything. I recieve this message:
"DIRECT2PC cannont connect to the reciever. The protected content cannot be played back at this time."


Windows Vista Ultimate on:
Dell XPS 410
Dell 2001FP monitor
NVIDIA GeForce 7300 LE (Red in Advisor).
using D-SUB(VGA) cable/connections.

In order to get the previous version(V5514) to work I had to go completely analog. I'm still analog getting the above message. Going to verify I still have the most current driver for the 7300, but maybe this software has finally evolved to the point my old hardware can't handle it.


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## ejjames

I see where some might find this more useful than others. For me, it's worth its weight in gold and i hope someone from directv reads this, or maybe someone could provide me with an address to see that this gets into the proper hands.

i am disabled, and confined to my bed 90percent of the time no one is home. i have a computer monitor mounted to the wall on a swivel arm above my bed. my HR20-700 is in a different room. 

anyway, it's great to be able to watch directv in full hd. i use it for many hours during the day.
thank you all for the work to bring a product to market, not because it is likely to bring in large numbers of new customers, but simply to provide an added value to those of us with your service.

eric schnabel


----------



## tivobyte

I have two HR20-100's and I only see one when I "Pick Receiver".

I'm running Windows 7 RTM and had the same problem a few weeks ago when playing with the app.

I had another PC that could see the OTHER receiver, but that has also been upgraded to Windows 7 and I don't have 2PC on it yet.

Are there limites on how many DVR's you can connect to? Can only one PC work at a time on a given DVR? Is the key tied to an individual DVR?

Not much info about how all the key stuff should work (or perhaps it just isn't working for me)

This would be a great solution in a 3 HR20 house (the 3rd one is not networked yet)

When is that darn new Tivo thing due out that will eliminate the need for all of these DVR's?


----------



## dettxw

tivobyte said:


> I have two HR20-100's and I only see one when I "Pick Receiver".
> 
> I'm running Windows 7 RTM and had the same problem a few weeks ago when playing with the app.
> 
> I had another PC that could see the OTHER receiver, but that has also been upgraded to Windows 7 and I don't have 2PC on it yet.
> 
> Are there limites on how many DVR's you can connect to? Can only one PC work at a time on a given DVR? Is the key tied to an individual DVR?
> 
> Not much info about how all the key stuff should work (or perhaps it just isn't working for me)
> 
> This would be a great solution in a 3 HR20 house (the 3rd one is not networked yet)
> 
> When is that darn new Tivo thing due out that will eliminate the need for all of these DVR's?


Make sure that the problem DVR is still properly set up for networking and reboot it - solve many problems.

DirecTV2PC works with 4 DVRs, why don't you get 17 more and tell us if that works? 

Don't you have the new Tivo thing yet? :lol:


----------



## CalypsoCowboy

I installed 5628 and everything worked fine for the one show I tried. This is just my first attempt at getting it working so I can't comment on anything other than I couldn't get 5514 working, once I got this installed and activiated it installed a codec pack and then went back into the app. I was suprised to see it working on a Vista x64 system.


----------



## khark

I downloaded the program and tried to install it but got an error message saying the file is corrupted and cannot be installed so I downloaded it again with the same result.

Does anyone have any idea how to get an uncorrupted file?


----------



## Doug Brott

khark said:


> I downloaded the program and tried to install it but got an error message saying the file is corrupted and cannot be installed so I downloaded it again with the same result.
> 
> Does anyone have any idea how to get an uncorrupted file?


I'd suggest dumping your browser cache and then redownload. The second download is probably just a copy of the first file which became corrupted somehow.


----------



## tbolt

Today, the trick play (Fast Forward) became completely unuseable in 5628. It would not
forward and the app stoped playing the HD Video. When I hit play again to restart it
it took me back to the Resume/Play from the start/Done screen.

I uninstalled, then re-installed 5628 and retried it - same result.

Went back to 5314 and it's still works great

Signed,
Confused


----------



## khark

Doug Brott said:


> I'd suggest dumping your browser cache and then redownload. The second download is probably just a copy of the first file which became corrupted somehow.


I did this and downloaded again. When I opened the file I got this error message: ! D:\Go!Zilla\Downloads\DIRECTV.v5628.zip: CRC failed in DIRECTV_SHELL.V5628_CYBERLINK_DMS090512-02_R23\DIRECTV.v5628_CyberLink_DMS090512-02.exe. The file is corrupt
! Cannot execute "D:\DOCUME~1\KENTHA~1.KEN\LOCALS~1\Temp\Rar$EX01.094\DIRECTV_SHELL.V5628_CYBERLINK_DMS090512-02_R23\DIRECTV.v5628_CyberLink_DMS090512-02.exe"

I suppose I might as well give up on it.


----------



## veryoldschool

khark said:


> I did this and downloaded again. When I opened the file I got this error message: ! D:\Go!Zilla\Downloads\DIRECTV.v5628.zip: CRC failed in DIRECTV_SHELL.V5628_CYBERLINK_DMS090512-02_R23\DIRECTV.v5628_CyberLink_DMS090512-02.exe. The file is corrupt
> ! Cannot execute "D:\DOCUME~1\KENTHA~1.KEN\LOCALS~1\Temp\Rar$EX01.094\DIRECTV_SHELL.V5628_CYBERLINK_DMS090512-02_R23\DIRECTV.v5628_CyberLink_DMS090512-02.exe"
> 
> I suppose I might as well give up on it.


Is this a download magager: "Go!Zilla"?
You might try not using this [if it is]. I've downloaded this file without problems "and" downloaded others where they say to disable any download managers.


----------



## dennisj00

I give up. New laptop - gets green on EVERYTHING in the advisor. . . downloaded current version, requested new key, waited 2 hours and finally downloaded again and requested key, got it and it says 'Protected Content cannot be played back at this time".

What a waste of an evening.


----------



## TAnsley

I just installed 5628 on my Win7 RTM x64 system with NVidia 9800GT video card.

Everything seems to be working fine until I try to play something from the DVR.
I get the initial info data and timebar, then Windows informs me that the application has stopped and it is collecting data.

I have tried running in compatibility mode as Vista SP2 as well with same results.

Any thoughts?


----------



## khark

veryoldschool said:


> Is this a download magager: "Go!Zilla"?
> You might try not using this [if it is]. I've downloaded this file without problems "and" downloaded others where they say to disable any download managers.


Go!zilla is a download manager but I don't use it, the files are just stored in that folder. I also downloaded the file on my laptop and my wife's desktop that don't have any download manager and had the same problem with both.

I don't think it is worth the trouble but thanks for trying to help.


----------



## veryoldschool

khark said:


> Go!zilla is a download manager but I don't use it, the files are just stored in that folder. I also downloaded the file on my laptop and my wife's desktop that don't have any download manager and had the same problem with both.
> 
> I don't think it is worth the trouble but thanks for trying to help.


 I'm sorry you're having this problem. I've had bad [damaged] compressed before myself, "but" in over a year of testing and reading all the posts about DirecTV2PC, I have never seen this problem before.
I downloaded this version on Monday.
I would have to think "the problem" is somehow on your end, "until" someone else posts that they have the problem.
"FWIW": I just downloaded the program and both uncompressed it and then even uncompressed the install program down to the individual files.
So there isn't anything wrong with it/them here.


----------



## khark

veryoldschool said:


> I'm sorry you're having this problem. I've had bad [damaged] compressed before myself, "but" in over a year of testing and reading all the posts about DirecTV2PC, I have never seen this problem before.
> I downloaded this version on Monday.
> I would have to think "the problem" is somehow on your end, "until" someone else posts that they have the problem.
> "FWIW": I just downloaded the program and both uncompressed it and then even uncompressed the install program down to the individual files.
> So there isn't anything wrong with it/them here.


I have been doing some research trying to find what would cause corrupted downloads but so far I am not having much luck with finding a solution.


----------



## khark

I decided to try downloading using the Opera 10 browser. I still got a corrupted file.


----------



## JT01

Greetings all,

Today I started recording a football game in HD on my HR20-700. After about an hour into the recording I decided to start watching it via Directv2pc, something I've done in the past with previous versions. Trying to start viewing resulted in an error 503 - exact words are:

*Sorry this title is unavailable right now. Remote playback is in use by another viewer on your network (error 503).
*

There is only one pc on my network that has Directv2pc installed - the one I was trying to use to watch the recording of the game. I also made sure playback had not been started directly on the HR20 and tried rebooting the pc to no effect. The game is still recording as I post this message - when it finishes, I'll try again with Directv2pc and let you know the results. I have no problem viewing other content that is previously recorded, except for SD playback problems mentioned in previous posts. Thanks in advance.

_*Update:* I tried to view this again after the recording finished (and the HR20 was turned off) - it still gives the same error message above (Sorry, etc.).......... This really looks like a bug to me - D2pc thinks the program is being viewed by another pc when there are no other D2pc installations on my network.
_


----------



## boufa

O.k, I was going to complain about this release, it would not allow me to watch programs. It said something about screen capture device, blah, blah. I just ran the last version last week without any issues.

I d/l'd the adviser, and ran it. It says that my Video Connection type is Digital (without HDCP) and that was my only red dot.

Just out of curiousity, I moved the adviser program to the second monitor on my system, and reran it... wow now it shows video connection type as analog and give me all green down the board. So I can run it as long as it is on my secondary monitor (where it will likely be most of the time anyways)

My question is what does it mean my video connection type is digital (I understand that) but how can I get that connection to be hdcp compliant.


----------



## veryoldschool

boufa said:


> O.k, I was going to complain about this release, it would not allow me to watch programs. It said something about screen capture device, blah, blah. I just ran the last version last week without any issues.
> 
> I d/l'd the adviser, and ran it. It says that my Video Connection type is Digital (without HDCP) and that was my only red dot.
> 
> Just out of curiousity, I moved the adviser program to the second monitor on my system, and reran it... wow now it shows video connection type as analog and give me all green down the board. So I can run it as long as it is on my secondary monitor (where it will likely be most of the time anyways)
> 
> My question is what does it mean my video connection type is digital (I understand that) but* how can I get that connection to be hdcp compliant*.


If your video card supports HDCP, then you'd need to buy/get a monitor that supports HDCP.


----------



## the new guy

Trick play is completely useless for me with this version. When I click on any button other than pause or stop, the picture freezes and the audio stops. If I press pause or stop at this point, the screen goes a dark purple color, and I am booted out to that recording's menu. It is the same for SD and HD recordings. The result is the same with content from both of my DVR's (one is running the latest CE, the other is running an older CE from a few weeks ago). My system specs are linked in my signature, and my hardware is definitely up to this.

I don't know what they did "under the hood," but I think I liked this software better when it was beta.


----------



## keenan

It looks like I'm not the only one having trick play issues with this version. As I noted earlier, in my case, it just stops the playback, including the stream from the DVR, the program comes to a complete halt. Just tried it again and I'm seeing some of the same behavior *the new guy* is experiencing. If I try any other than clicking on the progress bar to skip ahead, the program stalls.


----------



## smitmw1

Same loss of trick play here. So what is the common thread? XP sp3?


----------



## keenan

XP-Pro SP3 here.


----------



## tbolt

You wrote:
It looks like I'm not the only one having trick play issues with this version. As I noted earlier, in my case, it just stops the playback, including the stream from the DVR, the program comes to a complete halt. Just tried it again and I'm seeing some of the same behavior the new guy is experiencing. If I try any other than clicking on the progress bar to skip ahead, the program stalls.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Having the same exact problem here.
Went back to Version 5314 - and it still works in that version.

So, I would say that Version 5628 is broken with regards to trick-play.


----------



## tbolt

XP sp3 here as well.

Does anyone have trick-play working under Vista or Win 7 RTM
with version 5628?


----------



## veryoldschool

tbolt said:


> XP sp3 here as well.
> 
> Does anyone have trick-play working under Vista or Win 7 RTM
> with version 5628?


 As I replied to keenan's post before: Yes, trick play is working here. I just repeated verifying it [again] and there isn't a problem. [Win7]


----------



## ddockery

I upgraded to the latest version and can now successfully watch one my second monitor while I actually work. Thanks you DirecTV!

Or not, I guess I spoke too soon. I can't seem to playback a program that is currently being recorded.


----------



## loveMRV

I have run the Advisor sw and i tells me I need to change my video card (HD 3600) because I need screen capture protection. I have updated my video drivers to the current version but still same results. Is there a configuration setting that I can do to set this protection on?


----------



## veryoldschool

loveMRV said:


> I have run the Advisor sw and i tells me I need to change my video card (HD 3600) because I need screen capture protection. I have updated my video drivers to the current version but still same results. Is there a configuration setting that I can do to set this protection on?


There is no "setting" that I know of.
I'm using a 3650 without any problems.
Have you tried installing this version of DirecTV2PC?
In the past I've had "red" reports, but it still worked.


----------



## ddockery

Hmmmm, now the program that wouldn't play while in progress says that it can't play because it's protected. That makes a bit more sense. I thought my monitor was HDCP but apparently I need to dig into that a bit.


----------



## veryoldschool

ddockery said:


> Hmmmm, now the program that wouldn't play while in progress says that it can't play because it's protected. That makes a bit more sense. I thought my monitor was HDCP but apparently I need to dig into that a bit.


 Try using the VGA connection/cable. If this works, then it's a HDCP issue.


----------



## TXD16

zkc16 said:


> Unfortunately, still no HD joy with the on-board ADI (SoundMax) audio with digital output disabled on an Asus P5B-Deluxe motherboard, although I do find the new error message verbiage of "The video's audio is protected and requires an audio driver with HDCP support; changing the audio output to analog might allow audio playback" quite refreshing.


*Update:* Recently reverted to NR 0312 and above issue no longer exists as HD playback capability has been fully restored on referenced platform. I would certainly think it reasonable to expect that future NRs would maintain this functionality.


----------



## tbolt

Hi,

What is NR 0312?


----------



## veryoldschool

tbolt said:


> Hi,
> 
> What is NR 0312?


 NR = Nation Release [software version 0x0312]


----------



## The Merg

My setup:

Dell Dimension 4600
Pentium-4 2.8 GHz
2.5 GB RAM
320 GB / 80GB HDD
Windows XP-SP3
evga GEForce 7800 GS Video Card w/ 256 MB
DVI-D Connection
Acer x193w+ Monitor w/ HDCP Support
R22-100

According to the Playback advisor, my CPU is too slow and my video card is not compatible (no HDCP support). Past versions of DirecTV2PC still worked fine, but I am now getting the infamous "Your computer or monitor do not support playback of protected content..." message. 

What's interesting is that I do not have any HD content as I do not have HD service. I thought that HDCP was setup to protect HD content, so why would it prohibit me from watching an SD show recorded on an SD-DVR?

- Merg


----------



## Smoot178

Hey everyone, requesting a little help.

I setup Directv2pc today. It installed without a flaw, I put in my code, connected to my HR23-700 perfectly fine the first time.

My DVR list comes up, everything loads up. I go to play something and it says "Directv2pc ould not connect to the receiver. The protected content cannot be played back at this time."

I think it MAY be because I am on wireless but others have gotten it to work just fine. By the way does the receiver itself require internet access? I have it on a wireless router that connects my PC and receiver between rooms, however, my internet is using a different hardwired ethernet.

Help!


----------



## The Merg

Smoot178 said:


> Hey everyone, requesting a little help.
> 
> I setup Directv2pc today. It installed without a flaw, I put in my code, connected to my HR23-700 perfectly fine the first time.
> 
> My DVR list comes up, everything loads up. I go to play something and it says "Directv2pc ould not connect to the receiver. The protected content cannot be played back at this time."
> 
> I think it MAY be because I am on wireless but others have gotten it to work just fine. By the way does the receiver itself require internet access? I have it on a wireless router that connects my PC and receiver between rooms, however, my internet is using a different hardwired ethernet.
> 
> Help!


Welcome to DBSTalk.com! :welcome_s

Did you run the DirecTV Playback Advisor? Did it show you as all green or were there any red marks? Most likely, either your monitor or your video card are not HDCP capable. If you are using a DVI connection (most likely), you can try to use an analog VGA connection and you shouldn't have a problem. Of course, if you are viewing HD content, there will be a good decrease in the quality of the video.

- Merg


----------



## The Merg

When running, DirecTV2PC I can access the DirecTV Cinema tab, which is not used anymore on my R22-100. However, I can still see items that were on my R22 prior to the tab going away. As you can see from the list, the French Open item is from 2008 and for whatever reason does not have an expiration date and will not go away. The _Welcome to DirecTV on Demand_ item that expires on 01/01 is actually from before the end of last year and never deleted itself.

- Merg


----------



## itzme

Some I'm considering a new Dell desktop and I'd like it to work perfectly with DTV2PC. I'm NOT a gamer. Can anyone tell me if the first card below would work, and if DTV2PC would work any better with the upgraded cards below that? Is it worth it for me to upgrade? THANKS


1-Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 Graphics [Included in Price]
 2-ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB [add $30]
 3-ATI Radeon HD 4350 512MB [add $60] Dell Recommended
 4-Vidia GeForce GT 220, 1024MB [add $100]


----------



## dettxw

I'm not familiar with the ATI products as I have all nVidia, but just reading these posts over time it seems to me that people have better luck with nvidia vs ATI. 

If you're going to get an ATI at least get the 4350.


----------



## morbid_fun

Win Vista and Win 7 RC
Athlon 64 x2 4800
4GB Ram
500 GB HD
ATI x1900
Samsung 2333sw LCD Monitor

Past versions of the software worked fine, but I am now getting OSD, "Your computer or monitor does not support playback of protected content..". 

As with Merg I do not have HD programming. Only SD.


----------



## veryoldschool

The Merg said:


> Welcome to DBSTalk.com! :welcome_s
> 
> Did you run the DirecTV Playback Advisor? Did it show you as all green or were there any red marks? Most likely, either your monitor or your video card are not HDCP capable. If you are using a DVI connection (most likely), you can try to use an analog VGA connection and you shouldn't have a problem. Of course, if you are viewing HD content, there will be a good decrease in the quality of the video.
> 
> - Merg


Actually, the "DirecTV2PC could not connect to the receiver. The protected content cannot be played back at this time." message is more likely because the receiver isn't responding. Sometimes rebooting the DVR will resolve this.
These messages can be somewhat cryptic. I think all content is now "protected", so if HDCP was the [first] problem, the message would be "The protected content cannot be played, check for an update for your video drivers" or "check for updates for your audio drivers".
They all look close at first read, but:

Cannot connect to receiver, should be a receiver problem
Can not playback protected content, is either a video or audio HDCP problem, and the message "should" suggest which.
[again] the messages do look almost the same, but each is slightly different.


----------



## veryoldschool

itzme said:


> Some I'm considering a new Dell desktop and I'd like it to work perfectly with DTV2PC. I'm NOT a gamer. Can anyone tell me if the first card below would work, and if DTV2PC would work any better with the upgraded cards below that? Is it worth it for me to upgrade? THANKS
> 
> 
> 1-Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 Graphics [Included in Price]
> 2-ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB [add $30]
> 3-ATI Radeon HD 4350 512MB [add $60] Dell Recommended
> 4-Vidia GeForce GT 220, 1024MB [add $100]


I used to be a big fan of nVidia and not so much of ATI, "but" ATI has worked quite well with DirecTV2PC.
All four should work, "but" the 3450 is known to work. I'm using the 3650 and I tend to stay away from "integrated graphics" as the drivers tend to be limited.


----------



## veryoldschool

What graphics card do I need to play DTCP-IP content on my computer? 
It is recommended that you have one of the graphics cards with the following graphics processor unit (GPU) installed on your computer in order to play DTCP-IP content.

Intel 965G, G33 graphics
*nVidia*
GeForce 7800 GTX 512, GeForce 7900 GX2, GeForce 7900 
GTX, GeForce 7950 GX2, GeForce 8400 series, GeForce 8500 series, GeForce 
8600 series, GeForce 8800 series
*ATI (minimum requirements)*
X1800 series, X1900 series
*ATI (recommended requirements)*
ATI Radeon HD 2400, 2600, 2900, 3400, 3600, 3800 series
Video RAM: Graphics card memory requires 256MB or above.

_*Note:* We strongly recommend that you update your graphics card driver to the latest version._ 
*Graphic Card Memory:*
We recommend having at least 256 MB of video memory to ensure the smooth playback of DTCP-IP content.
*Note*_: If you want to use digital output during DTCP-IP content playback (through DVI or HDMI connection), make sure the graphics card is HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) compatible. If your graphics card is not HDCP-compliant but has a DVI connector, you can use a DVI-to-VGA converter (or cable) to output the video in analog format. To determine whether your graphics card is HDCP-compliant, please visit the hardware manufacturer's web site._ ​


----------



## veryoldschool

The Merg said:


> My setup:
> 
> Dell Dimension 4600
> Pentium-4 2.8 GHz
> 2.5 GB RAM
> 320 GB / 80GB HDD
> Windows XP-SP3
> evga GEForce 7800 GS Video Card w/ 256 MB
> DVI-D Connection
> Acer x193w+ Monitor w/ HDCP Support
> R22-100
> 
> According to the Playback advisor, my CPU is too slow and my video card is not compatible (no HDCP support). Past versions of DirecTV2PC still worked fine, but I am now getting the infamous "Your computer or monitor do not support playback of protected content..." message.
> 
> What's interesting is that I do not have any HD content as I do not have HD service. I thought that HDCP was setup to protect HD content, so why would it prohibit me from watching an SD show recorded on an SD-DVR?
> 
> - Merg


 This seems to be the "gotchya":
_*Note*: If you want to use digital output during DTCP-IP content playback (through DVI or HDMI connection), make sure the graphics card is HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) compatible. If your graphics card is not HDCP-compliant but has a DVI connector, you can use a DVI-to-VGA converter (or cable) to output the video in analog format._


----------



## tbolt

itzme said:


> Some I'm considering a new Dell desktop and I'd like it to work perfectly with DTV2PC. I'm NOT a gamer. Can anyone tell me if the first card below would work, and if DTV2PC would work any better with the upgraded cards below that? Is it worth it for me to upgrade? THANKS
> 
> 
> 1-Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 Graphics [Included in Price]
> 2-ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB [add $30]
> 3-ATI Radeon HD 4350 512MB [add $60] Dell Recommended
> 4-Vidia GeForce GT 220, 1024MB [add $100]





If you can afford it, go with the Nvidia Option 4 for a couple of reasons:
1. You may need the extra memory - the Directv web page for Directv2pc says 512MB minimum and 1024MB recommended. Which conflicts with what's quoted in the playback advisor. I upgraded to 1024MB and it helped my playback of HD content tremendously.

Also could help with future Operating System requirements.

2. Driver Support - Nvidia is very good at that. I bought an ATI card 4650
and returned it after I found out how difficult it was to install under Linux
(Dual Boot system).

You may not have these issues that I mentioned and others here may disagree with me but, pound for pound, you will be better served by Nvidia and 1024MB.

Just my humble opinion.


----------



## veryoldschool

tbolt said:


> If you can afford it, go with the Nvidia Option 4 for a couple of reasons:
> 1. You may need the extra memory - the Directv web page for Directv2pc says 512MB minimum and 1024MB recommended. Which conflicts with what's quoted in the playback advisor. I upgraded to 1024MB and it helped my playback of HD content tremendously.
> 
> Also could help with future Operating System requirements.
> 
> 2. Driver Support - Nvidia is very good at that. I bought an ATI card 4650
> and returned it after I found out how difficult it was to install under Linux
> (Dual Boot system).
> 
> You may not have these issues that I mentioned and others here may disagree with me but, pound for pound, you will be better served by Nvidia and 1024MB.
> 
> Just my humble opinion.


While it's always good to hear from others, the 1024 MB video memory just seems WAY overboard.
Our receivers only have 256 of memory, yet they playback fine.
I think you & I have "been here before", and I've seen what 128 worth of video memory does, "plus" what 256 does on the same GPU.
Nvidia has been a good choice for some time.
Last year I tested the ATI 2600 pro, 256 meg, and it worked fine, though this was before DirecTV2PC utilized the h.264 decoding, so my CPU was doing all the work.
This was the main reason a went with the "silent" 3650 for this PC.
Whether or not, you had driver problems with Linux, shouldn't have any impact for DirecTV2PC.
If itzme wants to do some gaming, then the extra $100 may be worth it.
If, on the other hand, DirecTV2PC is the main/only reason, then any of the cards/chips should work, but [again] I tend to stay away from integrated video.

"I can see" if you're running dual monitors and not dual cards that more than 256 megs might be a good idea.

If this is the page you're refering to: http://www.cyberlink.com/prog/event/2008/directv2pc/enu/index.jsp

and this:

Processor
Dual or quad core processors recommended

System Memory (RAM)
512 MB (minimum), 1 GB or more is recommended

Video RAM
512 MB (minimum) graphics card memory, 1 GB or more is recommended
My processor is a single core "old" Pentium 4 HT
XP with a gig of system memory is closer to minimum & Vista should have 2 gigs.
Video RAM of 256 & 512 haven't shown any problems or different playback either.

Here's the Advisor log off this PC:


Code:


CPU : Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.40GHz Upgrade Recommended More Info 
__dwItemID=1001__ : szLibCPUName = Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU     
__dwItemID=1002__ : dwLibClockRate = 3398     
__dwItemID=1003__ : dwLibFamily = 15, dwLibModel=3, dwLibStepping=4     
__dwItemID=1004__ : dwLibNumPhysicalProc = 1, dwLibNumCorePerPackage=1, dwLibNumLogicalPerCore=2     
__dwItemID=1005__ : dwLibCorePerPackage = 1, dwLibTotalLogicals=2     
__dwItemID=1006__ : szWMIName=Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.40GHz     
__dwItemID=1007__ : szWMIManufacturer=GenuineIntel     
__dwItemID=1008__ : dwWMIMaxClockSpeed=3398     
__dwItemID=1009__ : bBatteryExist=1     
__dwItemID=1010__ : szGuess=Pentium 4     
GPU (Hardware acceleration) : ATI Radeon HD 3600 Series Yes   
System Memory : 2048 MB Yes   
Operating System : Windows 7  Yes   
Graphics Card : ATI Radeon HD 3600 Series Yes   
__dwItemID=1301__ : Adapter Compatibility: ATI Technologies Inc.     
__dwItemID=1302__ : VideoProcessor: ATI display adapter AGP (0x9596)     
Screen Capture Protection : Yes Yes   
__dwItemID=1304__ : ATI PCOM=Yes     
__dwItemID=1304__ : ATI SORT=Yes     
__dwItemID=1305__ : GPUDetectPass Yes   
Graphics card video memory : 512 MB     
Graphics Card Driver : 8.640.0.0 Yes   
__dwItemID=1501__ : 2D Driver=8.640.0.0     
__dwItemID=1502__ : COPP=Yes     
__dwItemID=1504__ : DEVICE=N/A     
Video Connection Type : Digital(with HDCP) Yes   
Network Adapter : ETHERNET: Marvell Yukon 88E8001/8003/8010 PCI Gigabit Ethernet Controller Yes   
Program version : 1.0.0.1525     
System language : 0409 ENU English English     
Time : Tue Sep 08 12:23:58 2009


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## The Merg

veryoldschool said:


> Actually, the "DirecTV2PC could not connect to the receiver. The protected content cannot be played back at this time." message is more likely because the receiver isn't responding. Sometimes rebooting the DVR will resolve this.
> These messages can be somewhat cryptic. I think all content is now "protected", so if HDCP was the [first] problem, the message would be "The protected content cannot be played, check for an update for your video drivers" or "check for updates for your audio drivers".
> 
> They all look close at first read, but:
> Cannot connect to receiver, should be a receiver problem
> Can not playback protected content, is either a video or audio HDCP problem, and the message "should" suggest which.
> [again] the messages do look almost the same, but each is slightly different.


You're right. I just didn't read the OP's post closely enough and just assumed he was getting the protected content message.

- Merg


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## The Merg

veryoldschool said:


> This seems to be the "gotchya":
> _*Note*: If you want to use digital output during DTCP-IP content playback (through DVI or HDMI connection), make sure the graphics card is HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) compatible. If your graphics card is not HDCP-compliant but has a DVI connector, you can use a DVI-to-VGA converter (or cable) to output the video in analog format._


Ya know, I saw that, but wasn't quite sure if that would apply to me since I only have SD. I thought that HDCP was encoded into the HD transmissions/recordings, so how am I getting hit with it if I only have SD?

- Merg


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## veryoldschool

The Merg said:


> Ya know, I saw that, but wasn't quite sure if that would apply to me since I only have SD. I thought that HDCP was encoded into the HD transmissions/recordings, so how am I getting hit with it if I only have SD?
> 
> - Merg


Yeah, it's "the digital" part. Since you've got digital access out the backend [network], it seems even SD is affected.
I first "banged into" the HDCP for my audio chip, last year with a Starz [SD] VOD. I didn't make much sense since this was SD and the DirecTV2PC is "only" two channel audio.


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## The Merg

veryoldschool said:


> Yeah, it's "the digital" part. Since you've got digital access out the backend [network], it seems even SD is affected.
> I first "banged into" the HDCP for my audio chip, last year with a Starz [SD] VOD. I didn't make much sense since this was SD and the DirecTV2PC is "only" two channel audio.


Oh well, maybe I'll grab a cheap HDCP capable card off of Newegg during one of their sales. I liked being able to watch something while the wife was watching her show, but I can always find something else to do.

Thanks,
Merg


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## tbolt

veryoldschool said:


> While it's always good to hear from others, the 1024 MB video memory just seems WAY overboard.
> Our receivers only have 256 of memory, yet they playback fine.
> I think you & I have "been here before", and I've seen what 128 worth of video memory does, "plus" what 256 does on the same GPU.
> Nvidia has been a good choice for some time.
> Last year I tested the ATI 2600 pro, 256 meg, and it worked fine, though this was before DirecTV2PC utilized the h.264 decoding, so my CPU was doing all the work.
> This was the main reason a went with the "silent" 3650 for this PC.
> Whether or not, you had driver problems with Linux, shouldn't have any impact for DirecTV2PC.
> If itzme wants to do some gaming, then the extra $100 may be worth it.
> If, on the other hand, DirecTV2PC is the main/only reason, then any of the cards/chips should work, but [again] I tend to stay away from integrated video.
> 
> "I can see" if you're running dual monitors and not dual cards that more than 256 megs might be a good idea.
> 
> If this is the page you're refering to: http://www.cyberlink.com/prog/event/2008/directv2pc/enu/index.jsp
> 
> and this:
> 
> Processor
> Dual or quad core processors recommended
> 
> System Memory (RAM)
> 512 MB (minimum), 1 GB or more is recommended
> 
> Video RAM
> 512 MB (minimum) graphics card memory, 1 GB or more is recommended
> My processor is a single core "old" Pentium 4 HT
> XP with a gig of system memory is closer to minimum & Vista should have 2 gigs.
> Video RAM of 256 & 512 haven't shown any problems or different playback either.
> 
> Here's the Advisor log off this PC:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> CPU : Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.40GHz Upgrade Recommended More Info
> __dwItemID=1001__ : szLibCPUName = Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU
> __dwItemID=1002__ : dwLibClockRate = 3398
> __dwItemID=1003__ : dwLibFamily = 15, dwLibModel=3, dwLibStepping=4
> __dwItemID=1004__ : dwLibNumPhysicalProc = 1, dwLibNumCorePerPackage=1, dwLibNumLogicalPerCore=2
> __dwItemID=1005__ : dwLibCorePerPackage = 1, dwLibTotalLogicals=2
> __dwItemID=1006__ : szWMIName=Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 CPU 3.40GHz
> __dwItemID=1007__ : szWMIManufacturer=GenuineIntel
> __dwItemID=1008__ : dwWMIMaxClockSpeed=3398
> __dwItemID=1009__ : bBatteryExist=1
> __dwItemID=1010__ : szGuess=Pentium 4
> GPU (Hardware acceleration) : ATI Radeon HD 3600 Series Yes
> System Memory : 2048 MB Yes
> Operating System : Windows 7  Yes
> Graphics Card : ATI Radeon HD 3600 Series Yes
> __dwItemID=1301__ : Adapter Compatibility: ATI Technologies Inc.
> __dwItemID=1302__ : VideoProcessor: ATI display adapter AGP (0x9596)
> Screen Capture Protection : Yes Yes
> __dwItemID=1304__ : ATI PCOM=Yes
> __dwItemID=1304__ : ATI SORT=Yes
> __dwItemID=1305__ : GPUDetectPass Yes
> Graphics card video memory : 512 MB
> Graphics Card Driver : 8.640.0.0 Yes
> __dwItemID=1501__ : 2D Driver=8.640.0.0
> __dwItemID=1502__ : COPP=Yes
> __dwItemID=1504__ : DEVICE=N/A
> Video Connection Type : Digital(with HDCP) Yes
> Network Adapter : ETHERNET: Marvell Yukon 88E8001/8003/8010 PCI Gigabit Ethernet Controller Yes
> Program version : 1.0.0.1525
> System language : 0409 ENU English English
> Time : Tue Sep 08 12:23:58 2009


Yes, that is the page I'm reffering to.

You have quite the speed demon of a Pentium 4 - 3.2GHZ
Seriously, that was one of the fastest P4s that was ever built.

I believe I saw a difference (reduction) in the the playback stuttering/pausing in HD recordings that I experienced when I went from a 512MB Graphics card to a 1024MB Graphics Card.

However, on the same day that I went to a 1024MB card, I also
changed the power supply from a 400W to a 600W.

Recordings that would hiccup every time during the first 2 seconds of
play now play cleanly.


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## veryoldschool

tbolt said:


> Yes, that is the page I'm reffering to.
> 
> You have quite the speed demon of a Pentium 4 - 3.2GHZ
> Seriously, that was one of the fastest P4s that was ever built.
> 
> I believe I saw a difference (reduction) in the the playback stuttering/pausing in HD recordings that I experienced when I went from a 512MB Graphics card to a 1024MB Graphics Card.
> 
> However, on the same day that I went to a 1024MB card, I also
> changed the power supply from a 400W to a 600W.
> 
> Recordings that would hiccup every time during the first 2 seconds of
> play now play cleanly.


We've discussed this before and you're the first in all of these releases [over a year] that has "thought" more video RAM did anything.
The P4 is a 3.4 GHz "and" the only reason I got it was because with the earliest versions [that didn't support h.264 video chip decoding] HD MPEG-4 needed 3.3+ GHz [overclocking] Pentium 4 HT. Then the newer version with video card decoding came out and the CPU loading was off loaded to the GPU. [figures, once I get something, I no longer needed it :lol:]
Getting "more horsepower" never hurts anything, but not always do you need it.
My main interest has been to see just "how little" you need to run this app. I've been doing this since day one and by now have a fairly good idea of what works and doesn't.


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## Doug Brott

There has been an update to the DIRECTV2PC application.

Please visit the following thread: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=164503


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