[Mike Evangelist]

Although this isn't really related to EyeTV, I thought some of you might find this information useful.

Apple just released version 10.5.5 of Leopard, and we've seen some reports of odd visual glitches on the screen, and even completely scrambled screen images, after applying the update. A couple of our techs have experienced this problem.

It appears that it can be resolved (in some cases) by using the combo updater, rather than updating using the software update mechanism. The full combo updater can be downloaded from Apple here: 10.5.5 Combo Update

[moose48]

I have experienced this problem, the video in eyetv is now in green and purple and looks solarised ( ie in negative). I applied the combo updater but this has not fixed it. Video played in VLC and quicktime looks fine.
Any other tips?

[will900]

I am experiencing this green and purple problem also. The same as moose48.

[Nick Freeman]

Please post screenshots here that show this problem - we haven't seen such discoloration yet in our offices.

Also give us a general idea of what Mac models you're using (processor type, speed, graphics system, etc)

Since the problem happened after 10.5.5, one possibility is that the update changed some files that EyeTV uses. However, we didn't see any such problems during testing of earlier beta builds of 10.5.5, and most EyeTV users are not reporting this.

It's also possible some files were changed by mistake, and perhaps an EyeTV reinstallation will help.

Right now, it's too soon to speculate, but the screenshots and system information will help.

[Nick Freeman]

It seems that by the process of elimination, this problem may be caused by the new version of OpenGL installed by OS X 10.5.5.

I would like you to try something - we can tell EyeTV to bypass OpenGL for playback. Perhaps that will help.

Open the Terminal application, and type in the following:

defaults write com.elgato.eyetv "use OpenGL" -bool NO

This will disable OpenGL and EyeTV will use Quicktime instead...

Try EyeTV again - any change?

to turn this back on

defaults write com.elgato.eyetv "use OpenGL" -bool YES

This has helped an user with this exact problem.

QuickTime playback isn't as efficient as EyeTV's engine, so this may cause slightly reduced performance, particularly with HD images.

If you experience such images with weird colors after installing OS X 10.5.5, then please contact us at http://support.elgato.com . Open the System Profiler application for OS X, and save the report as XML (with a .spx extension). Compress and send that file to support, so we can try to compare Macs with this problem, and find the exact part that's not working (perhaps a video card model).

Ultimately, this seems to be a problem that Apple will have to solve via a future OS X update.

[will900]

I will try it when I get home from work. Thank you for your quick response.

[will900]

It worked!
Pasting

defaults write com.elgato.eyetv "use OpenGL" -bool NO

into the terminal fixed the problem.
This is what it looks like before the fix:

----------------------------------
Powermac g5 Dual Core 2.0Ghz
3.5GB Ram
OS 10.5.5
EyeTV 3.0.3

[will900]

I just noticed that with the "fix", I lose all controls that normally popup on top of the video. For example, If I go to edit a show I have no controls to place markers. I have tried to download the combo update to 10.5.5 multiple times to see if re-applying it will fix the problem, but the disk image keeps failing to mount because of a check sum error. I know this is not your fault, thank you for your assistance.

[Nick Freeman]

Unfortunately, OpenGL is usually used in EyeTV for video playback, as well as with all of the overlays that show up on top of video (like the On Screen Menu).

So, turning off EyeTV's use of OpenGL may help with this OS X 10.5.5 problem, but it will likely have side-effects involving anything that floats on top of video, and perhaps the editor as well.

Therefore, if you've seen this strange video problem, make sure to contact us at http://support.elgato.com with your System Profiler report. That way, we can work on pinpointing the cause, and then tell Apple what they need to fix (if they don't know already).

[will900]

I have submitted my System Profile under the "submit a ticket" option. I hope this helps the process.

[will900]

I would like to know if anyone is experiencing this same issue with Apple DVD Player or flip4mac in quicktime, because I now see that I am having the same exact problem as this article:

http://support.elgato.com/index.php?_m= ... cleid=3097

In those programs too. This means it definitely is a graphics problem in the OS and not just an EyeTV thing.

I posted the same question in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=86&t=3347