HDHomeRun only works intermittently with MediaPortal 1.6.0? (1 Viewer)

[RedPenguin]

My friend and I are having the same issue with MediaPortal and HDHomeRun that we both cannot seem to find a soltuon for.

His setup:

HDHomeRun Prime (ClearQAM)
Windows 7
MediaPortal 1.6.0

My Setup:

HDHomeRun DUAL (ClearQAM)
Windows 7
MediaPortal 1.6.0

What happens is, we both will scan for channels on the tuners and find them. Then previewing will work properly.

After watching live TV, MediaPortal will randomly change to messages such as no tuners avaible or just not showing the channels.

Nothing else accesses the HDHomeRuns on our networks.

To get a better example, I watched a channel at 2AM, then 3AM without touching the PC, HDHomeRun, etc a recording at 3AM only recorded for 2.5 minutes before failing.

It's as if TV viewing/recording is just totally random.

The HDHomeRun;s own software itself isn't experiecing issues.

 

[mm1352000]

Hello RedPenguin

My friend and I are having the same issue with MediaPortal and HDHomeRun that we both cannot seem to find a soltuon for.

Okay.

His setup:

HDHomeRun Prime (ClearQAM)
Windows 7
MediaPortal 1.6.0

So to be clear, is he using the PRIME for clear QAM only (ie. without a CableCARD)?

My Setup:

HDHomeRun DUAL (ClearQAM)
Windows 7
MediaPortal 1.6.0

Okay.

What happens is, we both will scan for channels on the tuners and find them. Then previewing will work properly.

Could you please describe exactly what options you're selecting when you scan.

After watching live TV, MediaPortal will randomly change to messages such as no tuners avaible or just not showing the channels.

Nothing else accesses the HDHomeRuns on our networks.

To get a better example, I watched a channel at 2AM, then 3AM without touching the PC, HDHomeRun, etc a recording at 3AM only recorded for 2.5 minutes before failing.

It's as if TV viewing/recording is just totally random.

The HDHomeRun;s own software itself isn't experiecing issues.

Okay. These kinds of problems are almost impossible to troubleshoot without log files. Please could you ensure TV Server and MediaPortal log level is set to debug:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...ion/00_Configuration/11_General#Log_verbosity
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_.../TV-Server_Configuration/06_General#Log_Level

Then, next time you experience a problem use the watchdog with option 3 to export log files:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_..._Non_Reproducible_Problems_within_MediaPortal

...and post/attach them here.

Please be sure to describe what happened from your perspective. Channel names and times would be helpful.

Note: I'm assuming you're both running single-seat systems (ie. MediaPortal and TV Server installed on the same PC). If TV Server is on a different PC, please use the watchdog to grab the log files on the PC running MediaPortal, then on the PC running TV Server:

1. Open TV Server configuration.
2. Click "open log directory" in the top left corner.
3. Zip all the files you find there.
4. Post/attach the zip file with the MediaPortal log zip file.

Thanks,
mm

 

[RedPenguin]

Hello RedPenguin

Hello

So to be clear, is he using the PRIME for clear QAM only (ie. without a CableCARD)?

Correct, we both are using ClearQAM only in our setups.

Could you please describe exactly what options you're selecting when you scan.

We are both using:

"Clear QAM Cable" and "QAM Standard" as the only options we have changed.

Okay. These kinds of problems are almost impossible to troubleshoot without log files. Please could you ensure TV Server and MediaPortal log level is set to debug:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...ion/00_Configuration/11_General#Log_verbosity
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_.../TV-Server_Configuration/06_General#Log_Level

Then, next time you experience a problem use the watchdog with option 3 to export log files:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_..._Non_Reproducible_Problems_within_MediaPortal

...and post/attach them here.

Please be sure to describe what happened from your perspective. Channel names and times would be helpful.

Note: I'm assuming you're both running single-seat systems (ie. MediaPortal and TV Server installed on the same PC). If TV Server is on a different PC, please use the watchdog to grab the log files on the PC running MediaPortal, then on the PC running TV Server:

1. Open TV Server configuration.
2. Click "open log directory" in the top left corner.
3. Zip all the files you find there.
4. Post/attach the zip file with the MediaPortal log zip file.

Thanks,
mm

I have attached my logs, I am still waiting on my friend to produce his own logs.

 

[mm1352000]

Hello again

First thanks for the log files - they help a lot.

So to be clear, is he using the PRIME for clear QAM only (ie. without a CableCARD)?

Correct, we both are using ClearQAM only in our setups.

Okay. Please make sure that your friend uses the PRIME "wrapper" tuners. They're the tuners named like "Silicondust HDHomeRun Tuner".

Refer to the explanation n the wiki if you want more background about that:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...rver_Configuration/02_TV_Servers/7b_Scan_ATSC

Could you please describe exactly what options you're selecting when you scan.

We are both using:
"Clear QAM Cable" and "QAM Standard" as the only options we have changed.

Excellent.

I have attached my logs, I am still waiting on my friend to produce his own logs.

Okay, no worries.
In your log files I see that TV Server successfully tunes NatGeo (channel 84) at about 22:50.

[2014-01-24 22:49:17,287] [Log ] [24 ] [INFO ] - Controller: find free card for channel NatGeo
...
[2014-01-24 22:49:17,303] [Log ] [24 ] [DEBUG] - card: user: TV-XBMC:5:-1 tune ATSC:tv:Cable Unknown 84-8 Freq:583250 ONID:0 TSID:36222 SID:8 PMT:0xFB0 FTA:True LCN:84 phys:84 maj:0 min:0 mod:Mod256Qam
...
[2014-01-24 22:49:19,343] [Log ] [24 ] [DEBUG] - card: Tuner locked: True
[2014-01-24 22:49:19,344] [Log ] [24 ] [INFO ] - **************************************************
[2014-01-24 22:49:19,344] [Log ] [24 ] [INFO ] - ***** SIGNAL LEVEL: 100, SIGNAL QUALITY: 87 *****
[2014-01-24 22:49:19,345] [Log ] [24 ] [INFO ] - **************************************************

20 seconds later you stop timeshifting:

[2014-01-24 22:49:39,623] [Log ] [17 ] [INFO ] - Controller: StopTimeShifting 5

About 35 seconds later you attempt to start a manual recording of the same channel... but it fails, apparently because TV Server can't lock on signal:

[2014-01-24 22:50:14,607] [Log ] [scheduler thread] [INFO ] - Scheduler: Time to record NatGeo 10:50 PM-11:25 PM Manual (NatGeo)
...
[2014-01-24 22:50:16,689] [Log ] [scheduler thread] [INFO ] - dvb: LockInOnSignal could not lock onto channel - no signal or bad signal

Odd.
I think the key to the problem is this sneaky little line:

[2014-01-24 22:50:14,637] [Log ] [scheduler thread] [INFO ] - atsc:using previous channel tuning settings

In other words, TV Server assumed your tuner was already tuned to the correct channel and figured it didn't need to retune. I guess the HDHomeRun can't handle that "shortcut".

To prove that is the problem simply start TV on any channel... then stop TV... then attempt to start TV on the same channel. I expect it to fail.

One thing that would really help to avoid/mask the problem: enable TV Server to use all your tuners.
Right now TV Server is only using one of the HDHR tuners; it is ignoring the second HDHR tuner and the HVR-980 tuner. To fix this, simply link all your channels to all your tuners using the mapping section:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...Server_Configuration/03_TV_Channels/2_Mapping

Select HDHR tuner 2 up the top; select all the channels on the left (select first channel, hold down shift, press "end"); click ">>". Repeat for the Hauppauge tuner.

mm

 

[RedPenguin]

I gave the multiple card mapping a try.

That HVR-980 on my PC though is my HVR-950 (non-Q model) card that only does ATSC.

It let me place the channel twice in a row but then when I tried for the third time, it went back to failing again.

 

[mm1352000]

That HVR-980 on my PC though is my HVR-950 (non-Q model) card that only does ATSC.

Ahh, okay. Don't map the cable channels to that tuner then.

It let me place the channel twice in a row but then when I tried for the third time, it went back to failing again.

Okay, this proves that my guess was correct. As it stands, the only thing you can do is tune another channel. That should then allow you to tune the original channel.

 

[RedPenguin]

That HVR-980 on my PC though is my HVR-950 (non-Q model) card that only does ATSC.

Ahh, okay. Don't map the cable channels to that tuner then.

It let me place the channel twice in a row but then when I tried for the third time, it went back to failing again.

Okay, this proves that my guess was correct. As it stands, the only thing you can do is tune another channel. That should then allow you to tune the original channel.

That's what I thought also, but now it's saying "No Signal" for every single channel, no matter what I try.

 

[mm1352000]

That's what I thought also but now it's saying "No Signal" for every single channel, no matter what I try.

Can you please post the TV Server log files again please.

 

[RedPenguin]

Looks like what ever it was worked itself out. It usually works with your suggestion of trying another channel in between.

Not sure what to do if I have a recording at 3:30PM then one at 6:00PM on the same channel, though.

Here is the log from when it temp failed though:

 

[mm1352000]

NickToons and NatGeo are carried on the same frequency (583.25 MHz, channels 84.8 and 84.11). Tuning NickToons followed by NatGeo (or vice versa... or any other channel carried on that frequency would show the same problem).

Not sure what to do if I have a recording at 3:30PM then one at 6:00PM on the same channel, though.

Try the attached patch.

1. Open TV Server configuration.
2. Go to the "manual control" section.
3. Click "stop service".
4. Close TV Server configuration.
5. Open Windows Explorer.
6. Navigate to the TV Server install directory (typically c:\Program Files (x86)\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal TV Server).
7. Take a backup of TVLibrary.dll.
8. Replace TVLibrary.dll with the attached version.
9. Open TV Server configuration (click "yes" to start the TV service).

You should now be good to go, problem solved.