picture "tears" and audio crackles watching TV on

[dzachau]

I have a Hauppage WinTV PVR 350. I run my TV cable input through my VCR tuner and then to the WinTV card in order to get the best picture quality.I am watching the TV image through a KDS LCD monitor. I notice that when watching certain programs on the History Channel I periodically get what looks like a "tearing" of the picture horizontally (ussually towards the top when there is a white sky or bright white image). Along with this horizontal tearing of the picture is audio distortion. The symptoms dissappear when the scene changes or I switch channels. I have not noticed the symptom on other channels. Otherwise, the picture is crystal clear. Can anyone tell me about this video/audio symptom and the fix?? If there is a need for more data just let me know. I really want to get my picture/audio quality to the point where I can enjoy the History channel on my computer from time to time.

[lordsmurf]

Sounds like false MV (anti-copy).

[dzachau]

Interesting, I forgot to mention that between my VCR and the Win-
TV Card is a Datavideo TBC that the signal runs through. Could the TBC be causing the intermittant distortion you are speculating about??

[lordsmurf]

No.

[dzachau]

Lord smurf: What is false MV (anticopy) and why would it show up in the picture via a tuner card connected to a computer and not on a free-standing TV set? Thanks in advance for your response!

[junkmalle]

Could the TBC be causing the intermittant distortion...?

Why don't you remove the TBC and find out.

[dzachau]

Good point. However, before I venture under my desk and start unplugging and re-plugging wires can anyone tell me what the fix would be if my problem is fals mv (anticopy)?? Is there a simple workaround?

[junkmalle]

Macrovision works in part by generating timing errors in the video sync pulses. This can cause tearing like you're seeing. Sometimes bad video tapes can generate a false macrovision -- timing errors caused by head misalignment or stretching of the tape.

Generally one uses a TBC to remove macrovision, true of false. Since you're already using a TBC that's not going to work. I have seen screenshots from people who find their TBC sometimes introduces tearing at the top of the picture. So it's worth it to remove the TBC to see if the situation improves.

By the way, I have a PVR-250 and record via an S-Video cable from cable the cable box, analog and digital, all the time. I've never seen any tearing.

[dzachau]

Thank you for your detailed response! I will disconnect the TBC and give it a try. thanks again!

[dzachau]

OK, I took the TBC out of the loop. Problem still exists. It also exists whether or I run the signal through my VCR tuner or directly into the PVR 350. As I watch it occur, it almost appears related to the signal coming from the cable station. When the the video "tearing" and audio "scratching" sound problem first started to occur, I thought it was due to my monitor having the Brightness setting too high. This is because I have only seen the symptom when the screen has a white background with a dark image (such as when an old black and white film is being shown, or a commercial is shown with white background and large font dark lettering). The tearing is typically at the top of the picture, but has appeared in the middle. And, so far, I have only seen it on the History Channel station. Any other ideas on the culprit and fix would be most appreciated

[junkmalle]

Have you tried using the 350's own tuner?

Television does have a problem where sometimes the picture spills over into the audio. This only (?) happens when there is a very bright picture and the result is a cackling or buzz in the audio. I think I've only seen this happen on locally produced ads.

I'm watching the History Channel on my PVR-250 right now and haven't see anything unusual yet...

[dzachau]

Yeah, I have tried using the 350's tuner and get the same symptom. As you described the video "spilling over" into the audio that sounds exactly what I am experiencing. You are correct, I have noticed it mainly in ads. On the History Channel it seems to mainly come when they are playing old B/W footage...and then only episodically. Is there any fix for the video "spilling" over onto the audio??

[Megahurts]

dzachau,

Does this problem happen on a Stereo TV using the tuner input from the cable (no cable box)?

If not, try a different VCR or set the VCR to record in mono mode and see what happens. Maybe your VCR does not have a decent MTS decoder.

If so, I suspect a local cable company problem.

Just a thought,

Chas

[junkmalle]

Is there any fix for the video "spilling" over onto the audio??

I don't think there's any fix. It happens when the studio uses illegal colors in the NTSC signal (for example an ad may have been created in RGB on a computer and a tech converted it to YIQ for TV without limiting the extreme colors). You might be able to fix the colors with a proc amp but the spillage into the audio has already occured on broadcast.

If the tearing is in the top (or bottom) 5 percent of the picture, regardless of what's causing it, you won't see it on TV because of overscan (you don't see the outer 5 to 10 percent of the picture on TV). If you burn that recording to DVD it will also be in the overscan area. If you're making video for the computer you may want to mask or crop it.

You might post a sample image for everyone to see...