FireDTV-Random occurences of Channel Scrambled-using SVN with CAM time delay setting (1 Viewer)

clone_tk422

Portal Pro
April 14, 2007
95
1
TV-Server Version: 12-27-2007 01-37h Revision 16742
MediaPortal Version: 0.2.3.0 + 12-27-2007 01-37h Revision 16742
MediaPortal Skin: Xface
Windows Version: Vista 32
CPU Type: AMD X2 4600+
HDD: 2 x SATA 2 - 160GB, 500GB
Memory: 2 GB DDR2
Motherboard: ASUS M2NE
Motherboard Chipset: Nvidia 570 Ultra
Motherboard Bios: 1202
Video Card: Nvidia 7600 GT
Video Card Driver: 163.75
Sound Card: Soundmax On Board
Sound Card AC3:
Sound Card Driver: 6.10.01.6110
1. TV Card: DVICO Dual Digital 4 / 2
1. TV Card Type: DVB-T
1. TV Card Driver: 3.63.01
2. TV Card: FireDTV S2
2. TV Card Type: DVB-S
2. TV Card Driver: 4.5N
MPEG2 Video Codec: Nvidia Purevideo Platinum
MPEG2 Audio Codec: Nvidia Purevideo Platinum
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case: Zalman HD-160
Cooling: Case FANS
Power Supply: Thermaltake 450
Remote: Dvico Supplied
TV: Samsung Rear Pro CRT SP52Q7HRX
TV - HTPC Connection: DVI - 1920i

I have a FireDTV S2 with latest firmware drivers using an Irdeto 2.21 purple cam with smartcard.

I am having issues that once every days and usually after booting up get the error in client that my channel is scrambled.

So I have immediately closed the client and opened up the firedtv viewer appl supplied with hardware and verifed that the CAM and card are read correctly. And they are. I select the same channel that was reported as being scrambled in MP and it plays in firedtv fine.

I find if I reboot my PC, MP will now correctly show the channel which it just said was scrambled. In hindsight I probably should have first tried restarting the tv service as that might be what the problem is.

I have installed the server SVN where you have the option to select the time period to wait for CAM to unscramble and I have this set at 20 seconds which should be more than enough time. And most of the time it works.

Except for these few random occurences where it just reports as being scrambled when clearly the driver is able to access to card and CAM.

I have attached my logs, not sure which ones I need but the only one that mentions scrambled is the tv.bak log which i renamed to tv.bak.log so it could be uploaded here

The only one I didnt attach is tswriter.log as that was like 10 MB

Would be really great if I could get this issue sorted as I am worried I am going to have stuff scheduled and it will fail because of this error

Thanks
 

gibman

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  • October 4, 2006
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    well the "time period to wait for CAM to unscramble" setting is not doing u any good it seems.
    All it does it sit and wait 20 sec. before finally calling it quits.

    When the problem happens, can you view the TS buffer file from the tvserver in vlcplayer ?
    Just drag and drop the TS file to vlcplayer.

    If vlcplayer plays the file ok, then I guess there is a problem where the tvservice thinks the channel is scrambled.
    Does it help if u stop TV in client, and then start it again ?

    Or do u have to restart the tvservice ?

    The problem might be in tswriter.ax in the VideoAudioScrambledAnalyzer class.

    /gibman
     

    level20peon

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  • January 4, 2007
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    I also have this problem sometimes when I try to start watching TV on some channels. I think this might be related to audio-issues (latest changes in TV-Server / client with TSreader.ax over past few weeks made them occur, see my signature) because if I tune into another random channel TV playback starts. Afterwards I can tune into the channel which initially didn't work. This is the second most annoying bug currently present in my setup.


    -level20peon
     

    gibman

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  • October 4, 2006
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    I do NOT have any CI based DVB card, only FTA stuff.
    So I am unable to do anything realted to testing.

    So you have to do this work.

    Please verify if you can or cannot playback the buffered TS file located in the timeshifting folder on the server.
    Test if vlcplayer is able to playback the file when u receive the dreaded "scrambled" error.

    /gibman
     

    level20peon

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  • January 4, 2007
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    In my case the playback doesn't start as well as tuning at all if the "scrambled" message appears.

    About the audio part: I provided some test-recordings and logs in the other thread... I don't know what else I could test anymore.


    -level20peon
     

    hoppy

    Portal Pro
    March 10, 2006
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    Cambridge, UK
    I also have the same problem occasionaly and it usually hapens straight after power up, the second request to tune to the same channel always works for me. Only a suggestion, but would it be possible to have an option for mp to try the tune request a second time if the cam dosn't respond first time? This would almost certainly solve the issue but obviously not fix the problem :)

    I have a floppy DTV DVB-S card with a dragon cam.

    If you need logs of when this hapens and I'll keep trying until it hapens.
     

    clone_tk422

    Portal Pro
    April 14, 2007
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    well the "time period to wait for CAM to unscramble" setting is not doing u any good it seems.
    All it does it sit and wait 20 sec. before finally calling it quits.

    When the problem happens, can you view the TS buffer file from the tvserver in vlcplayer ?
    Just drag and drop the TS file to vlcplayer.

    If vlcplayer plays the file ok, then I guess there is a problem where the tvservice thinks the channel is scrambled.
    Does it help if u stop TV in client, and then start it again ?

    Or do u have to restart the tvservice ?

    The problem might be in tswriter.ax in the VideoAudioScrambledAnalyzer class.

    /gibman


    Well i got the problem again tonight but I couldnt try playing the .ts file as no file existed. It was not making one and I guess because it said cant start timeshiftingm channel scrambled.

    But this time All I did was press OK and pressed TV on again and it worked straight away
     

    Turminder

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    April 9, 2008
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    Hi,

    I was just wondering if you guys ever found a solution to this issue?

    I'm using an technotrend 3200s2 with CI and MediaGuard CAM. (TV-Vlaanderen and CanalDigitaal)

    The standalone MP client works perfectly in this setup.
    When using Tvserver (Rev18584) with the client plug-in throws a "cannot start timeshifting; channel scrambled" for a set of specific channels, while other scrambled channels are decoded correctly.

    This is not random; the same channels will fail always, while others (also scrambled) are decoded.
    Turning up the delay for detecting an unscrambled signal does not change this.
    I can't find any differences in the log between an failing and a working channel; the only difference is the timeout waiting for an unscrambled signal.

    I've tested the setup with the soft delivered with the sat card and all channels are decoded without any issues.
    Also my simple phillips decoder that came with the sat kit does not give any issues.
    (running all the latest drivers, service packs, etc.)
     

    lsandini

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  • December 17, 2006
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    Turminder, that's exactly what's happening to me, but with a DVB-C FloppyDTV and encrypted channels.

    No cure found up to now, and I am ordering a different brand of tuner since I tried everything else.

    Lorenzo
     

    erosco

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  • June 25, 2007
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    I have very similar problems using a Floppy DVB-S card with CAM and SelectTV smartcard. I have a few points but unfortunately no final answer.

    I too see the above symptoms and am yet to work out the combination of events that screws up MP.

    I am aware (from my comms days) that different channel groups use different keys for decoding, and depending on your provider these keys are rotated periodically.

    Thus, you may have one group of channels happily playing using key-A (because it's changed everynight at midnight) but the other group rotated it's key (B) to a new sequence at noon.. if your PC or MP didn't happen to be running (listening to the Sat/Cable signal at that time) it would have missed the key change/update..

    By powering off your PC then back on you force the cable/sat decoder to listen for key changes and not use any 'old' stale keys it had in memory..

    This would explain your scenario. (and I'm sure is my problem at times). The only 'real' solution I've found is to leave my PC running 24x7 so I don't miss key updates or use an S1 type of standby which I don't feel gives me much gain as power is running..

    Finally.. I do also see the situation where MP seems to get out of sync with the CAM while FireDTV works... I think the FireDTV interface to the CAM is NOT through the standard 'CI' API that the CI program uses and that I assume MP uses. In this situation if I start the FireDTV program 'CI' I get an 'error getting MMI object' message.. I assume this is the same error MP gets via the API and why it reports channel scrambled.. If I stop and start the CI program a few times I find the CAM interface comes good and MP also starts working.. I feel this is a FireDTV issue and not MP issue.

    hope this info helps/makes sense.

    Cheers
    erosco
     

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