Need help setting up TV server MP 1.9 win 8.1 cablecard (USA) (1 Viewer)

[nzdreamer55]

Thanks for the help. I installed the patch and got a new tuning adapter and cable card from the cable company. Changed the setting back to pause. Still having communication problems with the cable company. I have gone through my second tech who really knows nothing about this. Unless it is a cable box or TiVo they are stumped. I suspect that is has to do with my Tuning adapter not communicating with the cable company and so the channels that I am supposed to have don't get decoded or are blocked.

Since getting a new card and tuning adapter, I am now waiting for them to send a CP authorization. My cable card isn't authorized yet. I have a tech coming in a few days.

The waiting continues....

 

[mm1352000]

Changed the setting back to pause.

Again, this is not right. Please use stop. If you're still having problems with stop after installing the patch then please post new log files.

I suspect that is has to do with my Tuning adapter not communicating with the cable company and so the channels that I am supposed to have don't get decoded. or are blocked.

I'm sorry, I can't help with the CableCARD/TA setup. Maybe you should get Ceton support involved. They know the lingo that cable techs understand and can help to make things go smoother.

 

[nzdreamer55]

Sorry. It has been a long day. I mean I changed the card back to STOP not pause after I installed the patch. It seems pretty much faster detecting the cards now. Thanks.

 

[nzdreamer55]

Thanks for the help. After a call the cable company (3rd tech to come out) we got it working. There are still some bugs, but it has to do with the cable company and the signal to my place. I can watch channels now. Need a little help with aligning up channels though as there are a lot of channels with unknown. Is there a way to use some of the data from the scan to identify the channels? I can also use my cable box to get info about the channel and then use that to figure out who is who.

There is one more thing that I wanted to ask about. I am not able to get all the channels that I am paying for. After spending a lot of time with techs, and looking at the scanned channels that I have, I have realized that I might need to make some changes. One of the techs told me that charter cable broads casts every 6 MhZ and that they are on intergers. So when I use my cable box to look at the settings for channel 781. It is on 183000 Khz There is a listing called FDC which is 75 Mhz and RDC which is 11.5 Mhz.

When I put in the frequency into the channel for 781 and try to tune, I get nothing. If I stick with the scanned channel frequency (181250) I also get nothing. I also notice that other channels have the same frequency but different service numbers.

Since I can hook up the cable box to the wall, the cable company says that everything is fine on their end.

Ideas?

Thanks

 

[mm1352000]

Hello again Steve

Thanks for the help. After a call the cable company (3rd tech to come out) we got it working. There are still some bugs, but it has to do with the cable company and the signal to my place. I can watch channels now.

Great.

Need a little help with aligning up channels though as there are a lot of channels with unknown. Is there a way to use some of the data from the scan to identify the channels? I can also use my cable box to get info about the channel and then use that to figure out who is who.

If you've got a lot of unknown channels then you've likely done something wrong.
Please follow the instructions here carefully:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/threads/cablecard-tuner-support-for-mediaportal-1.112585/

In particular, take note of:

1. Go to the "scan" tab in the "general" section of TV Server configuration.
2. Change the SDT/VCT setting to roughly 120 seconds. You may need to increase this time if you find channels are missing or don't have proper names.

Channels should be assigned their correct names and virtual channel numbers automatically. If some channels or names are missing (ie. some channels are named like "Unknown...") then you should delete all channels and rescan with a higher SDT/VCT timeout setting.

There is one more thing that I wanted to ask about. I am not able to get all the channels that I am paying for.

What do you mean by "get"?
Does the scan not find them at all... or does the scan find them, but they don't work?
Once again please take note of the advice above: you need to delete all channels and rescan with a higher SDT/VCT timeout if you find channels are missing and/or are named "Unknown...".

After spending a lot of time with techs, and looking at the scanned channels that I have, I have realized that I might need to make some changes. One of the techs told me that charter cable broads casts every 6 MhZ and that they are on intergers. So when I use my cable box to look at the settings for channel 781. It is on 183000 Khz There is a listing called FDC which is 75 Mhz and RDC which is 11.5 Mhz. When I put in the frequency into the channel for 781 and try to tune, I get nothing. If I stick with the scanned channel frequency (181250) I also get nothing. I also notice that other channels have the same frequency but different service numbers.

Well for a start, the cable box is showing center frequencies but TV Server uses analog video carrier frequencies (due to Microsoft BDA convention). So you shouldn't expect them to match. The TV Server frequency should always be 1.75 MHz (1750 kHz) below the cable box frequency.
Having said that, there is a further complication: if you're using a tuning adaptor/resolver then the frequencies change.
In any case the frequency isn't even used when tuning.
My advice is: do not mess with the tuning details. In fact don't even look at them. You'll likely waste a lot of time and dig yourself into a hole.
If you're missing channels and [delete channels + increase the SDT/VCT timeout + rescan] doesn't help then please post your full log files (ie. use the watchdog tool with option 3, then attach the zip file here) and tell me about the channels you're having problems with (channel numbers and names, plus exactly what is wrong).

Regards,
mm

 

[nzdreamer55]

Thanks again for the help. I increased the time of SDT/VCT 1200s and did get more channels, but still have a lot of unknown channels (should I increase it more?). The viewing issue that I am having is with certain channels. Channel 11 fails to preview, Channel 781 also fails. Channel 32 works fine, channel 812 starts then just freezes. My cable company has lots of channels that you must pay for extra or that are not for the general audience here in america (967 PLBYE I suspect is the Playboy channel - adult entertainment). This channel while it does not preview, I suspect that it work to show a blank screen with a phone number to call your cable company to purchase this channel. This is what I see from a set top box hooked to a TV.

Our cable company has gone "all digital" and all encrypted. Just a FYI

So I have taken your advice and not messed with the tuning details.

Thanks so much for the help and let me know what I can do next.

-S

P.S. Is there a way to get the channel numbers that are listed in the TV server to match with the channels within Mediaportal? I though putting the SID in front would work, but not the case.

 

[mm1352000]

Apologies in advance for this long post. There is no short answer to your questions/comments. Please read carefully.

Thanks again for the help.

No problem.

I increased the time of SDT/VCT 1200s and did get more channels, but still have a lot of unknown channels (should I increase it more?).

In short: no you shouldn't increase it more. I think you've got all the names you're going to get. No more scanning is necessary.

The long answer is more complex...
Unfortunately Charter isn't broadcasting revision detection descriptors so TV Server can't ever be 100% confident that it has received all available lineup information. However, considering that cable providers are meant to cycle the lineup information every 60 to 120 seconds, 1200s is way longer than you should have to wait to receive all lineup info. On that basis I'm assuming that TV Server has acquired all the lineup info and that Charter isn't providing names for some channels.

The question then becomes: how many of these "Unknown..." channels are there, and why would Charter not give them names?

To answer those questions I had to do some "exhaustive" (it took several hours) analysis of the last scan in your log files. That analysis revealed the following channel statistics:

• 673 total definitions
  
• 175 total hidden
  
• 102 MPEG 2 [digital] hidden
  
• 73 non-MPEG 2 [analog???], all hidden
• 43 duplicates

You end up with 557 channels in the TV Channels section:
557 = 673 total - 73 non-MPEG 2 [can't be tuned by current CableCARD tuners] - 43 duplicates

The duplicates are worth a mention as I've never noticed them in anybody else's logs, and I'm hoping you can help me understand them.
From a technical perspective they appear to be channels with the same source ID (ie. same name and guide data) but different channel numbers:

• MTV3S [145/223]
  
• ESPN [35/119]
• ESPN2 [36/171]
• VH-1 [60/231]
  
• FSWST [37/111]
• FSNPT [38/118]
• NBCSP [67/128]
  
• GOLF [74/131]
• CITY [20/138]
  
• TOON [49/413]
  
• CMT [84/423]
• BOOM [102/257]
• MVPLX [79/893]
• DYSTR [98/127]
• LMNET [90/797]
• GOLTV [274/182]
• STYLE [52/185]
• FLIXW [76/296]
• NFLNE [14/297]
• INDPX [77/184]
• RTPLX [78/240]
• CNHD [779/661]
  
• NGWHD [346/662]
• PUBLI [2/892]
• EDU [19/154]
• KPMR [16/254]
• KTAS [17/663]
• PEG [21/169]
• KSBO [22/123]
• VME [195/414]
• JWLRY [86/141]
• INSP [99/602]
• DISXD [82/429]
• DISJR [23/418]
• OWN [53/419]
• BLOOM [95/155]
• TVLND [73/420]
• INDIS [65/421]
• MLB [75/411]
• TWCS [24/412]
  
• TWCD [25/183]
• DISXH [695/232]
• FBN [94/272]

Are they different packages or something???

Anyhow, that's what TV Server finds. For the record, the Ceton tuner thinks you have 498 channels. I suspect that is:
498 = 673 total - 175 total hidden

Of the 557 channels in TV Server's channel list, there are 90 that don't have names.
All of those are hidden MPEG 2 channels.
That leaves 12 hidden MPEG 2 channels which do have names, and they are:

• DISXD
• DISXD
• TVG
• DF&H
• RTPI
• MMXHD
• ACTMH
• MTVTR
• BBCAM
• DXDHD
• HLMKH
• HRTV

Maybe they are test or obsolete channels. I don't know.

Anyhow, the end result is that those 90 channels that are named "Unknown..." are channels that (a) Charter has hidden for some reason and (b) Charter has not assigned names.

The viewing issue that I am having is with certain channels. Channel 11 fails to preview...

As I said in my last post:

Please follow the instructions here carefully:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/threads/cablecard-tuner-support-for-mediaportal-1.112585/

This time please take note of the section:

Testing Channels

It is very tempting to use the "preview" button in the "TV Channels" section of TV Server configuration. In many cases preview will work, but on some systems you may find that channels don't seem to work at all, won't play video, or won't play audio. If this happens to you, don't panic - it does not mean that your channels aren't working.
I recommend you use the "manual control" section of TV Server configuration as it is a more robust method of testing. This method allows you to timeshift and/or record specific channels and check the signal and stream quality.
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...ion/TV-Server_Configuration/11_Manual_Control

In other words: avoid using preview for testing please.

Putting that aside...
Channel 11 (KKFX) tuned successfully:
[collapse][2014-09-30 10:02:12,244] [Log ] [5 ] [INFO ] - atsc:Tune:ATSC:tv:Cable KKFX Freq:169250 ONID:40007 TSID:0 SID:4 PMT:0x0 FTA:False LCN:22 phys:22 maj:11 min:0 mod:Mod256Qam
...
[2014-09-30 10:02:13,765] [Log ] [5 ] [INFO ] - subch:0-0 tswriter StartTimeshifting...
[2014-09-30 10:02:13,769] [Log ] [5 ] [INFO ] - card: WaitForFile - waiting _eventAudio & _eventVideo[/collapse]

...but would have appeared to fail. It appeared to fail because the TV service crashed. The underlying reason for the crash is unknown, but for the record here are the Windows event logs:
[collapse]
"9/30/2014 10:02:19 AM";"Windows Error Reporting";"(0)";"Information";"Fault bucket , type 0 Event Name: BEX Response: Not available Cab Id: 0 Problem signature: P1: TVService.exe P2: 1.8.0.0 P3: 53a6f5b9 P4: StackHash_5861 P5: 0.0.0.0 P6: 00000000 P7: PCH_D2_FROM_ntdll+0x0003D2EC P8: c0000005 P9: 00000008 P10: Attached files: C:\Windows\Temp\WER79AA.tmp.appcompat.txt C:\Windows\Temp\WER8013.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue\AppCrash_TVService.exe_49a4567f29a26bad5258bc845da5d9c247a5340_6df910a4_cab_0e488011\memory.hdmp C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue\AppCrash_TVService.exe_49a4567f29a26bad5258bc845da5d9c247a5340_6df910a4_cab_0e488011\triagedump.dmp These files may be available here: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue\AppCrash_TVService.exe_49a4567f29a26bad5258bc845da5d9c247a5340_6df910a4_cab_0e488011 Analysis symbol: Rechecking for solution: 0 Report Id: 7d2980b4-48c3-11e4-bed7-ac7ba14e3c4c Report Status: 4 Hashed bucket: ";"1001"
"9/30/2014 10:02:24 AM";"Windows Error Reporting";"(0)";"Information";"Fault bucket 50, type 5 Event Name: BEX Response: Not available Cab Id: 0 Problem signature: P1: TVService.exe P2: 1.8.0.0 P3: 53a6f5b9 P4: StackHash_5861 P5: 0.0.0.0 P6: 00000000 P7: PCH_D2_FROM_ntdll+0x0003D2EC P8: c0000005 P9: 00000008 P10: Attached files: C:\Windows\Temp\WER79AA.tmp.appcompat.txt C:\Windows\Temp\WER8013.tmp.WERInternalMetadata.xml C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue\AppCrash_TVService.exe_49a4567f29a26bad5258bc845da5d9c247a5340_6df910a4_cab_0e488011\memory.hdmp C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportQueue\AppCrash_TVService.exe_49a4567f29a26bad5258bc845da5d9c247a5340_6df910a4_cab_0e488011\triagedump.dmp These files may be available here: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive\AppCrash_TVService.exe_49a4567f29a26bad5258bc845da5d9c247a5340_6df910a4_0570d90f Analysis symbol: Rechecking for solution: 0 Report Id: 7d2980b4-48c3-11e4-bed7-ac7ba14e3c4c Report Status: 0 Hashed bucket: 477c54dfd2583ca03e418ce707892c18";"1001"
[/collapse]

...Channel 781 also fails...

I see that you tried to preview channel 781 (KKFXD) prior to the latest scan. The TV service log doesn't go back far enough for me to get a complete picture of what happened but the TsWriter log seems to show the channel timeshifting successfully several times.
[collapse]
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,414] [679c0f0] [858] - debug: AddChannel()
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,414] [679c0f0] [858] - analyzer: reset
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,414] [679c0f0] [858] - PatParser::Reset
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,414] [679c0f0] [858] - NIT:Reset
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,414] [679c0f0] [858] - PatParser::Reset done
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,414] [679c0f0] [858] - cagrabber: reset
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,414] [679c0f0] [858] - debug: done AddChannel()
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,422] [679c0f0] [858] - epg: reset
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,422] [679c0f0] [858] - epg:ResetEPG()
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,422] [679c0f0] [858] - mhw reset
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,977] [679c0f0] [858] - CMpTsFilter:ause()
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,977] [679c0f0] [858] - Pause filter...
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,977] [679c0f0] [858] - HRESULT = 0x0
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,978] [679c0f0] [858] - CMpTsFilter::Run()
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,978] [679c0f0] [858] - Run filter...
[2014-09-29 15:18:31,978] [679c0f0] [858] - HRESULT = 0x0
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,192] [679c0f0] [858] - pmtgrabber: set callback:5d4fed8
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,192] [679c0f0] [858] - pmtgrabber: grab pmt:f40 sid:1
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,441] [679c0f0] [1110] - pmtgrabber: got pmt f40 sid:1
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,441] [679c0f0] [1110] - pmtgrabber: PMT pids changed from:
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,441] [679c0f0] [1110] - pcr pid: 0
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,441] [679c0f0] [1110] - pmt pid: 0
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,441] [679c0f0] [1110] - pmtgrabber: PMT pids changed to:
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,441] [679c0f0] [1110] - pcr pid: f41
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,441] [679c0f0] [1110] - pmt pid: f40
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,441] [679c0f0] [1110] - video pid: f41 type: MPEG2
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,441] [679c0f0] [1110] - audio pid: f42 language: eng type: AC3
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,441] [679c0f0] [1110] - audio pid: f43 language: spa type: AC3
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,441] [679c0f0] [1110] - pmtgrabber: got new pmt version:1 ffffffff, service_id:1
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,441] [679c0f0] [1110] - pmtgrabber: do callback pid f40
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,520] [679c0f0] [858] - analyzer: set video pid:f41
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,520] [679c0f0] [858] - analyzer: reset
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,525] [679c0f0] [858] - analyzer: set audio pid:f42
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,525] [679c0f0] [858] - analyzer: reset
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,530] [679c0f0] [858] - analyzer: set audio pid:f43
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,530] [679c0f0] [858] - analyzer: reset
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,747] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT SetVideoAudioObserver observer ok
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,747] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT set filename:\Mediaportal\timeshiftbuffer\live8-0.ts.tsbuffer
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,747] [679c0f0] [858] - CDiskRecorder:etChannelType() - Channel type is 0
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,747] [679c0f0] [858] - CDiskRecorder:etChannelType() - Channel type is 0
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,750] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT paused=yes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,750] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT Received from TvService: pmt pid:0xf40 serviceId: 0x1 pmtlength:97
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,750] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT Old pids cleared
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,750] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT got pmt - tableid: 0x2 section_length: 94 sid: 0x1
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,750] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT PMT parsed - Pid 0xf40 ServiceId 0x1 stream count: 3
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,750] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT pcr pid:0xf41
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,750] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT SetPcrPid clear old PIDs
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,750] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT add video stream pid: 0xf41 fake pid: 0x30 stream type: 0x2 logical type: 0x2 descriptor length: 14
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,750] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT add audio stream pid: 0xf42 fake pid: 0x40 stream type: 0x81 logical type: 0x81 descriptor length: 26
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,750] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT add audio stream pid: 0xf43 fake pid: 0x41 stream type: 0x81 logical type: 0x81 descriptor length: 26
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,750] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT paused=no
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,754] [679c0f0] [858] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT Start 'D:\Mediaportal\timeshiftbuffer\live8-0.ts.tsbuffer'
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,766] [679c0f0] [1110] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT start of video detected
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,787] [679c0f0] [1110] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT clear TS packet queue
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,787] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::WriteToTimeshiftFile() - Reset write buffer throttle
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,787] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 376 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,787] [679c0f0] [1110] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT Info : Next broadcaster program clock reference rollover : 0 days 20:58:08 0
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,787] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 564 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,787] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 940 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,805] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 940 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,805] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 940 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,805] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 940 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,805] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 940 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,805] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 1880 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,805] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 1880 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,805] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 1880 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,805] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 1880 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,805] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 1880 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,809] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 3760 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,809] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 3760 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,821] [679c0f0] [1110] - Recorder: TIMESHIFT start of audio detected
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,827] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 3760 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,827] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 6016 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,827] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 7520 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,829] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 9400 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,837] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 15416 bytes
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,851] [679c0f0] [1110] - CDiskRecorder::Flush() - Throttle to 32336 bytes (max)
[/collapse]

Having said that, looking at the TV Server configuration logs I can see that preview was very slow:

[2014-09-29 15:18:32,862] [Log ] [SetupTv ] [INFO ] - preview KKFXD user:-1 -1 setuptv D:\Mediaportal\timeshiftbuffer\live8-0.ts.tsbuffer
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,867] [Log ] [SetupTv ] [INFO ] - play:\Mediaportal\timeshiftbuffer\live8-0.ts.tsbuffer
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,876] [Log ] [SetupTv ] [INFO ] - TSReaderPlayer:add TsReader to graph
[2014-09-29 15:18:32,879] [Log ] [SetupTv ] [INFO ] - load file in Ts
[2014-09-29 15:18:42,897] [Log ] [SetupTv ] [INFO ] - TSReaderPlayer:render TsReader outputs
[2014-09-29 15:19:49,415] [Log ] [SetupTv ] [INFO ] - run graph
[2014-09-29 15:19:49,427] [Log ] [SetupTv ] [INFO ] - TSReaderPlayer:running:1

That's probably due to codec issues, and precisely why I recommend not to use preview. If you want to check the video/audio use MediaPortal because you can control which codecs are used; if you want to just check timeshifting/recording success/fail and stability use TV Server configuration manual control.

...channel 812 starts then just freezes.

I don't see any reason for a freeze. Again, please don't use preview for testing. It is not a good indicator of behaviour in MediaPortal.

My cable company has lots of channels that you must pay for extra or that are not for the general audience here in america (967 PLBYE I suspect is the Playboy channel - adult entertainment). This channel while it does not preview, I suspect that it work to show a blank screen with a phone number to call your cable company to purchase this channel. This is what I see from a set top box hooked to a TV.

I don't see any attempts to preview this channel. Nevertheless, my suggestion would be: don't assume that you'll get the same behaviour as a set top box. I think it is unlikely that TV Server would show you the same screen as your set top box.

P.S. Is there a way to get the channel numbers that are listed in the TV server to match with the channels within Mediaportal? I though putting the SID in front would work, but not the case.

What do you mean "match"?
Can you please walk me through an example?

Regards,
mm

 

[nzdreamer55]

OMG! That is really a lot and very helpful. OK so it seems like I have all the channels that I can get. There are a lot of moving parts (crashing TV server, slow preview-BTW it has never been fast even when I use mediaportal, duplicate channels) and I would like to take it step by step. Can you recommend a step by step approach? Should I start by trying every channel and noting what happens? Do I need to play with codecs and try each channel? Is there a way I can address the long time it takes to start watching the channels? Could it be the fact that I have the record folder on a mechanical drive?

To make it easier for me to match things, is there a way to get the major channel number matched with the call letters for the channel within media portal? So the example would be with Channel 11 (KKFX) , when I go into mediaportal, the number isn't showing only the call sign. I don't need guide data, just numbers would be helpful.

Again really thanks for the help. I hope that I can make this work.

 

[mm1352000]

Can you recommend a step by step approach?

Only the same walkthrough I've already linked:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/threads/cablecard-tuner-support-for-mediaportal-1.112585/

If that is not what you're looking for then please be more specific about what you're trying to achieve.

Should I start by trying every channel and noting what happens?

Hmmm, I'm not sure how to respond.
I guess my one word answer would be "no"... but more to the point: there should be no need to do that, and no need to even think about asking that question.
From my perspective: at the most basic level, your scanned channels should "just work" in MediaPortal (assuming you've configured the TV codec preferences appropriately). In other words, the biggest hurdle should be getting the channels scanned in correctly. After they're scanned in you should have no problems viewing them. The fact that you're asking this question suggests you're having a lot of trouble even after the channels are scanned in correctly. From my perspective that's not expected and far from ideal.

I wholeheartedly agree that we should try to keep this simple. Let's take on one problem at a time and solve them step by step.

...starting with direct and concise answers to your questions:

Do I need to play with codecs and try each channel?

Your existing MediaPortal TV codec configuration seems to be fine. Microsoft DTV-DVD and LAV are imminently sensible choices. Therefore I would say: no, do not play with the codecs. However: yes, do try a few channels that are part of your subscription (because they are the channels you can expect to work) in MediaPortal (because that is the best way to test). If you find channels are not working, post fresh log files (watchdog/debug-tool option 1) and let me take a look. Based on the logs I can tell you whether it is necessary to revisit codec settings.

Is there a way I can address the long time it takes to start watching the channels?

Yes. Post fresh log files using the standard MP support process:
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_MEDIAPORTAL_1/16_Support/3_Forums/2_Log_Files

Make sure to specify the name and number of the channel(s) you try (please, no more than 5), how long the changes appeared to take, and what you expect as a more reasonable channel change time.
Based on your comments I will take a look at the log files and determine what is taking the most time during tuning, then advise what you can do to address.

Could it be the fact that I have the record folder on a mechanical drive?

In short: no. That will have minimal effect. In the order of fractions of a second.

To make it easier for me to match things, is there a way to get the major channel number matched with the call letters for the channel within media portal? So the example would be with Channel 11 (KKFX) , when I go into mediaportal, the number isn't showing only the call sign. I don't need guide data, just numbers would be helpful.

Yes.
MediaPortal configuration, TV/radio section.
http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/1_...nfiguration/22_TV/1_TV_Client#Channel_numbers

Tick "show channel numbers".
You should also untick "select channel by index" if you expect enter the channel's number with your remote or keyboard to cause MP to switch to that channel.
If you have used the "add SID..." option in TV Server configuration then you'll have to delete all your channels and rescan to get rid of those [wrong] numbers.

Regards,
mm

 

[nzdreamer55]

Sorry it has taken me a while to get back to you. I folllowed the instruction for

How to collect and attach log files to a support thread

for the reproducible error. Here is what I did:

I first followed the instruction on collect and attach log files and started the watchdog. I then started mediaportal and with my keyboard navigated to the TV section. I then clicked on the button "Channel"and then...

Selected Channel #1 KEYT (USA channel 3)
No picture or sound for ~ 5 minutes. Unable to move mediaportal curser. Error message poped up that said something about no signal.
never started

Selected Channel #5 KQED (USA 8)
at 1 minute screen went black and at 1:15 the TV ON button was highligated. No picture or sound.

Turned TV On button to off

Selected Channel #18 TBS (USA 32)
8 seconds went by and picture and sound present. TV ON Button was highlighted

Turned TV On button to off

Selected Channel #37 CMDY (USA 58)
TV ON button was highligated before 1 minute (didn't notice this change as I was watching for a picture). No picture or sound as of 2 minutes. Unknown error message popped up. Turned TV ON button to off

Selected Channel #392? KKFXHD (USA 781) 25 sconds into it an error message said "unknown error" then disapeared.
5 minutes after selecting the channel I could not get mediaportal to respond. Needed to use control alt delete to start task manager and end mediaportal process. The watchdog then created the zip log file

I also noticed that I forgot to turn off the non-US channel indexing before creating the log files but I don't think that will matter.

I have attached the zip file that was created.

Thanks again

-S