Media Portal and Dell Mini 10 TV settings assistance (1 Viewer)

[941ranger]

Ok as the title impies, I'm looking at the tv settings with a Dell mini 10. I formatted and restored two days ago, updated all the drivers ( through the dell site which showed some major improvements since my last visit to them) and windows xp updates as well as following the wiki guide here to make sure I'm up to speed, went great install had no glitches and was a breeze. Before the reformat.. not so much lol but hey got that cleaned up fast and working right, before hand no tv server at all.


My mini has the tv tuner (dell 1010 model) and while the dell tv app is ok I went looking for something more and found MediaPortal. Great software plays movies music everything my issue is the tv, if this gets setup I'll be using it permanently as I have the mini hooked up to my 40" out in the main room.

I understand that for basic cable I need to use standard QAM to scan for channels however I've tried them all and do not seem to get results. So has anyone tried a Dell MIni 10 with the tv portion and gotten results? I am using basic cable meaning not set top box just the basics I like the news and comedy central

By the way again great software the MediaPortal team came up with!

 

[mm1352000]

Hi and welcome 941ranger!

Okay, so we are dealing with an ATSC/QAM tuner. When you said "...I've scanned them all..." I guess that means you've tried all the standard options ("QAM Standard", "QAM HRC" etc.). Have you connected the tuner to an aerial, or to a cable connection? If to an aerial then I *think* you need to scan for ATSC channels, otherwise scanning for QAM channels (ie. ticking "tune QAM instead of ATSC") is what you want to do. Although it will take a while, you need to let the scans complete. The other thing you want to make sure is that the Dell software for the tuner is closed and that there are no background processes preventing TV Server from using the tuner (only one application can use the tuner at a time).

If you're fairly confident that you've done all of the above correctly, then I'd need to ask to see some logs. Retrieving logs is *really* easy. You can follow the instructions in the link in my signature. Briefly, find the "debug mode" shortcut in the MediaPortal folder in your start menu. Run that and select the 3rd option - "export all currently present logs" - then click proceed. That will create a zip file of your logs on your desktop. Please post that here (use the "manage attachments" function with the full reply mode...) with the answer to the question about whether you've connected the tuner to an aerial or cable connection.

Let me know if you have any trouble with the instructions,
mm

 

[941ranger]

mm1352000,

Thanks for a fast reply! Yes, I'm using a cable connection and not aerial, have ensured through the process manager that none of the dell tv apps are running, only dell dock which is more or less an app launcher makes the desktop less messy for me. I went ahead and did another scan on the QAM std, QAM Alternative. While it does take a while I do prefer to let it finish, as it helps to complete steps before troubleshooting things .

Anyway I'm attaching the log file you asked about. I did ensure the cable tuner selection was selected as well just to double check.

 

[941ranger]

Also, I'm sure it will show in the log files, I'm using 1.1.3 (if I'm not mistaken) would the 1.2 beta be useful to upgrade to? I will wait to see what you say before I start making changes.

 

[941ranger]

Ok quick update.. The good: MediaPortal is deff setup correctly. The bad: Dell misrepresented the hardware they sell.. This is the third and final pc/laptop/product I will get from them. Inspiron Mini 1010 Netbook Details | Dell shows that the tv tuner is for digital signals.. last a I checked that's ALL there is now as in no analog. well.. this tuner from what I've scrounged up from online can pick up a *few* ota digital signals but no cable/satalitte digital signals. Unless someone knows of a way to get a tuner to view this then I guess I'm out of luck..

 

[mm1352000]

Hi again 941ranger

I'm sorry for the hassle and confusion. I too was confused since I thought by saying "...the dell tv app is ok..." you meant that the tuner worked (ie. received all the channels that you expected), but you wanted more powerful software.

Inspiron Mini 1010 Netbook Details | Dell shows that the tv tuner is for digital signals.. last a I checked that's ALL there is now as in no analog. well.. this tuner from what I've scrounged up from online can pick up a *few* ota digital signals but no cable/satalitte digital signals.

I must say that I struggle to get to grips with the terminology that Americans use to describe broadcasting methods/standards. My understanding at the moment:
OTA digital = ATSC
OTA analog = NTSC (has been phased out)
Cable = encrypted and clear QAM
Satellite = DVB-S/S2, ATSC

On the page that you linked Dell calls the tuner a "digital" tuner - not very clear. Endgadget is more specific. They say it only supports OTA ATSC... which is a little unusual since most ATSC tuners from companies like Hauppauge also support clear QAM (cable). That was why the first thing I said in my first response to you was "okay, so we are dealing with an ATSC/QAM tuner...".

If Endgadget are right then I'm afraid QAM is not supported. I really do apologise for not picking up on that earlier...

mm
:sorry: