No channels found (1 Viewer)

[UffeBiker]

TV-Server Version: 1.0
MediaPortal Version: 1.0
MediaPortal Skin: Default
Windows Version: XP Pro SP3 Swedish
CPU Type: Intel P4 3.6 GHz
HDD: SATA RAID
Memory: 2 GByte
Motherboard: Dell
Video Card: ATI X850
Video Card Driver: 8.541.0.0
Sound Card: Creative SB Audigy 2 ZS
Sound Card AC3:
Sound Card Driver: 5.12.4.445
1. TV Card: Pinnacle nanoStick (73e)
1. TV Card Type: DVB-T
1. TV Card Driver: 3.12.4.0
2. TV Card:
2. TV Card Type:
2. TV Card Driver:
3. TV Card:
3. TV Card Type:
3. TV Card Driver:
4. TV Card:
4. TV Card Type:
4. TV Card Driver:
MPEG2 Video Codec:
MPEG2 Audio Codec:
h.264 Video Codec:
Satelite/CableTV Provider:
HTPC Case:
Cooling:
Power Supply:
Remote:
TV:
TV - HTPC Connection:

Hi! I have a problem with my Pinnacle nanoStick (73e). Neither the Pinnacle software TVCenter Pro or the MediaPortal TV Server can find any channels when scanning. BUT... if I install the Pinnacle software and/or MediaPortal in a fresh Windows XP Pro SP3 installation in a VirtualBox running within the very same computer both of them finds all channels that are present in the area! VirtualBox supports USB so that was why it was used instead of Microsft VirtualPC 2007 SP1. I have tried uninstalling and installing so many times now that my fingers are getting tired of all clicking and typing. I have been in contact with Pinnacle support 4 times without any help. So, is there anyone in this forum (preferably someone who has actually coded parts of the interface between the MediaPortal code and the hardware drivers) who can tell what is going on and what might be the cause? Besides the Pinnacle software and MediaPortal I have Magix Movie Edit Pro 14 (video editing software) and TVersity media server installed. A long time ago I had another USB TV card "Zap" which worked at the lower frequency band but had problems with channels at higher frequencies. The drivers for Zap have been uninstalled. I have tried installing them in the VirtualBox installtion but they don't seem to interfere with Pinnacle.

I have the following error in tv.log:
2009-03-29 11:51:04.562500 [SetupTv]: Util: Version of installed Psisdecd.dll: 6.5.1.900 Path: C:\WINDOWS\system32\psisdecd.dll
2009-03-29 11:51:04.562500 [SetupTv]: Util: Psisdecd.dll error - Your version 6.5.1.900 of Psisdecd.dll has too many bugs!
Please check our Wiki's requirements page.


I have downloaded the recommended KB from Microsoft but when I try to install it it says that this KB is for Win XP SP2 and can not be installed on Win XP SP3! Sigh...

This is how it looks in tv.log when scanning:

2009-03-29 11:51:51.328125 [6]: dvbt: tune: Running graph for channel TvLibrary.Implementations.DVB.TvDvbChannel
2009-03-29 11:51:51.328125 [6]: dvbt: tune: SubChannel 0
2009-03-29 11:51:51.328125 [6]: dvb: LockedInOnSignal waiting 20ms
2009-03-29 11:51:51.359375 [6]: dvb: LockedInOnSignal waiting 20ms
2009-03-29 11:51:51.375000 [6]: dvb: LockedInOnSignal waiting 20ms
2009-03-29 11:51:51.406250 [6]: dvb: LockedInOnSignal waiting 20ms
2009-03-29 11:51:51.421875 [6]: dvb: LockedInOnSignal waiting 20ms
2009-03-29 11:51:53.343750 [6]: dvb: LockedInOnSignal could not lock onto channel - no signal or bad signal
2009-03-29 11:51:53.343750 [6]: dvbt: TuneVBT:tv: Freq:537875 ONID:-1 TSID:-1 SID:-1 PMT:0xFFFFFFFF FTA:False LCN:10000 BandWidth:8
2009-03-29 11:51:53.359375 [6]: dvbt: tune: Assigning oldChannel
2009-03-29 11:51:53.359375 [6]: dvbt: tune: Current Channel != null DVBT:tv: Freq:538000 ONID:-1 TSID:-1 SID:-1 PMT:0xFFFFFFFF FTA:False LCN:10000 BandWidth:8
2009-03-29 11:51:53.359375 [6]: dvbt: tune: Graph is tunning
2009-03-29 11:51:53.359375 [6]: dvbt: tune: Getting default locator
2009-03-29 11:51:53.359375 [6]: dvbt: tune: Putting bandwidth 8
2009-03-29 11:51:53.359375 [6]: dvbt: tune: put_ONID -1
2009-03-29 11:51:53.359375 [6]: dvbt: tune: put_SID -1
2009-03-29 11:51:53.359375 [6]: dvbt: tune: put_TSID -1
2009-03-29 11:51:53.359375 [6]: dvbt: tune: Carrier frequency 537875
2009-03-29 11:51:53.359375 [6]: dvbt: tune: put_Locator

 

[timhj]

Hey Uffe,

I had a similar problem (there's a post about it on the second page), different card (mine's a dvico) but the same issue.

I finally got it working like this:
-- Install the proprietary software and drivers (which in your case is the pinnacle drivers and the pinnacle tv player).
-- Double uninstall the proprietary drivers (not the player software), get rid of them from the windows 'add/remove software' tool in the control panel and use the pinnacle 'remove driver' tool if it exists.
-- Reboot the computer and windows should pick up the 'new' hardware
-- Choose to let windows search automatically for the driver and let it install the windows drivers.
-- Open up the Proprietary (Pinnacle) tv viewing software and let the tv play for half an hour (with picture in picture on if it's a dual card) or so.
-- Make sure you've installed the dvb hotfix (run the runme.bat file before continuing as sometimes the driver install can replace the psisdec.dll file with an unstable version)
-- Immediately after that run the media portal tv server configuration again and try your scan.

Let me know how it goes.

 

[UffeBiker]

Hi!
Thanks for the tips. I have indeed installed the hotfix in my "native" Windows installation, i.e. the one not working. Inside the VirtualBox installation I have not yet run the hotfix but this installation is working. There is no driver uninstall feature for the Pinnacle drivers, not in the Control Panel Add/remove Programs and not in the Pinnacle menu group. The only available option is a complete uninstall of the Pinnacle software, maybe including the drivers. Who knows? While looking around I noticed the following: in C:\Windows\System32\Drvstore are many more entries (11) for Pinnacle PCTV software in the non-working installation than there is in the working installation (5 entries). Could this be causing trouble? It looks like this (all created at the time when I installed the Pinnacle software, first from the CD that was delivered with the hardware and then a much newer version downloaded from Pinnacle Support), the working installation has only been installed with the newest downloaded software:

Non-working native Win XP Pro SP3 DRVSTORE:

PCTV800i_27911FEF0ABD722F55D1D93B1F15B2633085A4AA
PCTVEMPA_2F7BD2C4E47BED8624A9FFC3F25FE600C17EEB60
PCTVEMPV_2F7BD2C4E47BED8624A9FFC3F25FE600C17EEB60
PCTVyu_CD800DB0D7A6DBDC21EEEA1271EAC73865D7E409
PCTVDiBIR_9A4EA24600053E3A82BD329702C8EB0C200E6808
PCTVDiB_E874B1FBA739E60FFEE2D3A4420EC43DF47B19B9
PCTVEMPV_BD521CB4CF0B80BD1A6226A150571844F80BF824
PCTVEMPA_BD521CB4CF0B80BD1A6226A150571844F80BF824
PCTVIR_26DC7BED589EB696F85DEA4E9EBC6A4BAD9BE0F3
PCTV_F4CCE04882559923EEDE4B0723D80FED157E75A6
AF15BDA_809CDAFE7E69F276E5C8F74BFBA5F50F723B2BCB


Working VirtualBox Win XP Pro SP3 DRVSTORE:

PCTV800i_27911FEF0ABD722F55D1D93B1F15B2633085A4AA
PCTVDiB_E874B1FBA739E60FFEE2D3A4420EC43DF47B19B9
PCTVEMPA_2F7BD2C4E47BED8624A9FFC3F25FE600C17EEB60
PCTVEMPV_2F7BD2C4E47BED8624A9FFC3F25FE600C17EEB60
PCTVyu_CD800DB0D7A6DBDC21EEEA1271EAC73865D7E409

 

[timhj]

if there's no uninstall option you should be able to uninstall them from the control panel.
system -> hardware -> device manager -> sound / video controllers
open up the tuners, then click driver and there should be some way to uninstall them there... just make sure you get rid of the drivers or otherwise it'll just re-install the pinnacle ones on next boot...

make sure you run the hot fix after re-installing the drivers too.. can't stress that enough.

cheers,
tim

 

[UffeBiker]

I uninstalled the driver from the device manager but it comes popping back as soon as I reboot the computer. After a complete uninstall of the Pinnacle Software it still pops back automatically. When I searched the Windows registry for "PCTV" there are a lot of entries left even though the software uninstall process theoretically should remove them. I guess this is why Windows is known for becoming slower and slower over time; no uninstall seems to clean up the registry completely. Could it be that hard??? I think I will try my luck with Pinnacle support once more tomorrow evening and show them hard evidence of all left stuff in the registry and in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRVSTORE. The stuff in the DRVSTORE are by the way referenced by some of the entries left in the registry.