TBS: CI/CAM support and other improvements (5 Viewers)

[mm1352000]

@kszabo
I feel I need to respond somehow...
Looking back at your post history and then reading your post today, I do feel your comments are a little unfair. At least I certainly find it hard to accept them.

Last year you said you had the patch working with a Conax CAM:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...other-improvements.103276/page-33#post-998030

I even helped with the TV plugin patch issue you reported:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...hannels-dvb-s2-hellohd-on-eutelsat-9a.121700/

My point is that to say:

My CAM module never worked with any of the patches till now. never and believe me, I tried.

...could be true for your Unicam CAM, but according to your own posts it is definitely not true for your Conax CAM. Since you say "my CAM" without specifying, anybody reading this who doesn't know the history might think that all CAMs will never work. That is not the full truth.

Continuing with your previous posts, I can see that 7 months ago you said you had bought the Unicam and it wasn't working:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...ther-improvements.103276/page-36#post-1011656

I responded quickly asking for log files which were never provided. In other words, I tried to help but my hands were tied due to lack of information.

Less than one month ago you reported that your setup is not working again. I responded [again] on the same day asking for log files... which so far have not been supplied. So, my hands are still tied.
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/...ther-improvements.103276/page-55#post-1058051

If you want help then I'm still happy to provide it. In fact, I really like to try to solve problems like this... so I do hope you post your log files. I have only two requirements:

1. Make sure you closed the TBS MCE CI tool before starting the TV service.
2. Reproduce the problem then post full TV Server log files.

If you're not interested in pursuing the issue that is fine. Well to be really honest, it would be a little disappointing for me... but I'd survive.

If you want to make a comment to new people thinking of buying a tuner that is also fine. However, please don't assume that the patch is not reliable in general just because it won't work for one of your CAMs. Also, please don't assume that other tuners are better or can be recommended more highly just because they do work for one of your CAMs. If you ask @ramu about your favoured TT S2-3200, he might tell you he has been battling a CAM-specific problem with his S2-3200 since 2010/2011 too. My experience: I have two CAMs which both work with TBS tuners... but only one works with my TT 3200.

So which tuner is really better? In the end some tuners are preferred by some people and other tuners preferred by other people. That is life.

Final comment: CAM-specific issues are real. TV Server has almost zero input/control over such issues. For TBS hardware that is 99% in the domain of the driver and tbcCIapi.dll (closed source TBS DLL).

Regards,
mm

 

[kszabo]

I must apologise for initiating a discussion like this which cost valuable time of yours, developers and "trolling" the thread.

- I edited my post and specified the CAM (Unicam Evo, not a "industry standard" CAM even, I know)
- I do not have the time always to track down things and create logs (family, job tec). Sometimes I solve issues with workarounds (like abandoning TBS and putting back my old TT S2-3200). I would have to take apart my HTPC to switch the CAM bak into the TBS, make a new scan etc.... I still try to give you feedback like "unicam evo ci menü does not open but opens in all other software/tunercard/TV".

And I agree that this must be a problem of tbcCIapi.dll. I "critisied" the TBS product incuding software and NOT YOUR great work and dedication to the matter.

I do not favor the TT S2-3200 also... my the Technisat Skystar HD2 also not... tuner cards and TV general is the achilles point of MP. They are expensive and have tons of compatibility issues. I guess 90% of my troubleshooting has to do with TV/tuning. I do not even have a recommendation. I had high hopes for TBS. It can generate frustration

Thank you for your answer and time once again. I will try to find some time to generate a TV Server log as I try to open the CI Menü.

 

[kszabo]

just to be fair :
so I took apart my htpc, patched 1.6 again with the files from 184218_1.6_patch.rar just to be sure (it was already). Look at that, TV Server could open the CI Menü for the first time! I must say that I updated the Firmware of the Unicam Evo CAM about 2 weeks ago (from troja 3.19 to 3.23). I cannot test descrambling as I do not want to switch antenna cables and make new scans/card mapings.

 

[mm1352000]

Thanks for spending the time kszabo - I really appreciate it.

so I took apart my htpc, patched 1.6 again with the files from 184218_1.6_patch.rar just to be sure (it was already). Look at that, TV Server could open the CI Menü for the first time!

That's great news.

I must say that I updated the Firmware of the Unicam Evo CAM about 2 weeks ago (from troja 3.19 to 3.23).

Ahhh, okay. Yes CAM firmware could make a difference. Another variable...

I cannot test descrambling as I do not want to switch antenna cables and make new scans/card mapings.

Okay, understood. Well, maybe if you decide to try the TBS tuner again some time in the future, let us know if it works.

 

[kszabo]

Thank you for your reply. I have still two points:

1. Do your TBS cards get pretty hot after few hours usage too? I have the feeling that other cards run cooler. I must admit that it sits direct near my passive cooled ATi card which itself gets pretty hot too and above the northbridge heatsink (in the only PCIe slot, the other cards sit more far away). I even mounted an extra fan to move the air a bit here because of this

2. @mm1352000 could you eventually update your first post with the several actual patches (at least with the MP1.6, with corresponding tbsCIapi.dll as well necessary driver version) as it is quite difficult to find the proper one at the moment as this thread has 57 pages so far... maybe I used a faulty combo at some point in the past

 

[mm1352000]

1. Do your TBS cards get pretty hot after few hours usage too?

I haven't really noticed. I did notice that my Anysee E7 S2 tuner ran really hot... but haven't really noticed the TBS ones. Satellite tuners will tend to get hotter than DVB-C or DVB-T tuners because they have to supply power to the dish... and I mostly use DVB-T, so probably not the best person to comment.

2. could you eventually update your first post with the several actual patches (at least with the MP1.6, with corresponding tbsCIapi.dll as well necessary driver version) as it is quite difficult to find the proper one at the moment as this thread has 57 pages so far... maybe I used a faulty combo at some point in the past

The community is handling releases for the patch now. I have no problem if somebody would like to update my post... or I guess I can do it. Just confirm what files you want me to attach and what you want me to say.

mm

 

[FreakyJ]

I'm on my mobile, but if I don't forget it, I will do it later

 

[Chisum]

Some posts ago I recommended the TBS 6928, now I got some strange problems regarding scheduled recordings:

I had two scheduled recordings on 5th march, one at 00:40, one at 04:30, both for SKY Hits, a scrambled channel, which usually works with my installation. In the log you can see the events, both recordings failed. When I started the system again at 18:36, the TV-Server was not available, see log. In this cases I have to shutdown the computer, even pull the plug for some seconds, and then have to restart again. Just to show, that the system works, I succesfully tuned the channel "SKY Hits" again at 18.37.

For me its a strange behaviour. In most cases, scheduled recordings record succesfully, but sometimes they do not and i have not found a pattern behind it. Hopefully someone can help.

 

[mm1352000]

Hmmm....

Looks like TsWriter thinks the stream is scrambled for these recordings:

[2014-03-05 00:40:26,912] [Log ] [scheduler thread] [INFO ] - card: WaitForFile - no audio was found after 15,0072263 seconds
[2014-03-05 00:40:26,912] [Log ] [scheduler thread] [INFO ] - card: WaitForFile - audio and video stream is scrambled

Can you post the TsWriter log too please.

Also, next time this happens, before restarting the TV service or PC please can you try to:
1. Enter the CAM menu.
2. Remove and reinsert the CAM.
3. If (1) failed, try to enter the CAM menu again.

...and let us know the results. Basically we need to try to see whether the cause is the CAM (or CI hardware + driver) or TV Server.

mm

 

[AberDino]

When I started the system again at 18:36, the TV-Server was not available, see log. In this cases I have to shutdown the computer, even pull the plug for some seconds, and then have to restart again.

I've got 2x TBS5980 and 1x TBS5280 USB devices. One TBS5980 has a CAM, the other hasn't. This is a dedicated MP TV Server which is switched on 24/7. I too, sometimes, have a problem where the TBS5980 with the CAM becomes unresponsive and after a reboot it appears as an "unknown device" in device manager so MP can't use it. The other TBS5980 and the TBS5280 continue to work fine. Like you, I have to shutdown the machine and power cycle the TBS5980 with the CAM to make it work again. I have emailed TBS to see if they have any troubleshooting suggestions.

Also, next time this happens, before restarting the TV service or PC please can you try to:
1. Enter the CAM menu.
2. Remove and reinsert the CAM.
3. If (1) failed, try to enter the CAM menu again.

I will do that when I it happens again.