tv server fails to start during installation (1 Viewer)

[mm1352000]

Any reason why WMC is able to see the card/ tuners and not MediaPortal??

Oh, MediaPortal (technically: TV Server) can see the card. The problem is that it can't load it. When it tries to load the first tuner, TV Server runs into a serious and low level error (access violation exception) which forces TV Server to crash instantly. We can't work around the situation or handle the error differently. That's why I said I suspected a driver problem.

I presume you're aware that the tuners can only be used in one application at a time. In other words, you need to close WMC (and ideally disable all its background services - can be done in the 3rd party checks section in TV Server configuration) before attempting to start TV Server.

Some background info...
From my perspective this is a really unusual error. I've never seen anything like it before. Furthermore, lots of people here are successfully using MediaPortal with TBS tuners.

 

[Jon A]

Hi, yes I always close WMC and have also tried stopping the Windows Media Center Receiver Service. Problems still persists. I guess I will have to talk to TBS ?

 

[mm1352000]

It is WMC's background recording and EPG grabbing which can conflict. I didn't think those functions were tied to the receiver service... but then I am not particularly familiar with WMC, so I could be wrong.

The only other suggestions I have...
1. At your own risk, you can try modifying TV Server's application config file (c:\Program Files (x86)\Team MediaPortal\MediaPortal TV Server\TvService.exe.config). That file can be opened in any text editor (notepad, wordpad etc.), though you may have to run the editor with administrative privileges in order to save the changes (because the file is under Program Files). Within the <runtime>...</runtime> section, add:

<legacyCorruptedStateExceptionsPolicy enabled="true" />

You will have to restart TV Server for the change to take effect.
After making this change it is possible that TV Server may not crash immediately as it has been doing... however it may crash at some other time due to the nature of the problem.
In general I don't recommend doing this. However, it may give additional information about the problem... and hopefully you'd get far enough to be able to test if the tuners are at least usable in MediaPortal.

2. Check your security software (Sophos???). Ensure it hasn't randomly quarantined MediaPortal or TV Server files, and isn't preventing TV Server from interacting with your tuners.

Beyond this I'd definitely be contacting TBS if I were you.

 

[Jon A]

Hi, I have now used tv server configuration to disable all of the WMC services and the problem still occurs. I will have a look at your suggestions later and also drop TBS an email. Thanks for your time.
Jon[DOUBLEPOST=1443274335][/DOUBLEPOST]Hi just a thought, is there any issue with the slot that the TBS card uses on the motherboard? I recall it's in a full size pcie slot not the short one that is normally used for such cards. This was following advise from TBS when the PC was built.
Jon

 

[CyberSimian]

Hi just a thought, is there any issue with the slot that the TBS card uses on the motherboard?

TBS cards have a reputation for being fussy about the version of the PCI-Express supported by the motherboard BIOS. I have two TBS6284 cards, but only one works correctly (when installed in the 4x slot). The card in the 1x slot disappears from "Device Manager" on wake from sleep (which is why I use hibernation!).

Since your card seems to have worked correctly with WMC, your problem may be something else, but if you have one or more spare slots, it might be worth trying other slots to see if the problem disappears or exhibits different symptoms. If the problem is the motherboard BIOS not supporting the card correctly, that might explain why WMC and MP give different results. Have you checked to see if there is an updated BIOS for your motherboard?

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[Jon A]

Hi, yes that was the issue I was having and hence why I changed slots. I have a couple of things to check now and will come back and let you know how I get on.
Many thanks.
Jon

 

[mm1352000]

TBS cards have a reputation for being fussy about the version of the PCI supported by the motherboard BIOS.

I take it you mean PCIe (PCI Express)? (...which is very different to PCI).

It is true that some people have had compatibility problems trying to use tuners based on PCIe v1.x-compatible chipsets in motherboards with PCIe v2.x or PCIe v3.0 slots. However the primary symptom - that cards would never be recognised by Windows until a BIOS/EFI update was made available by the motherboard vendor - is quite different to the symptoms described in this thread. To be clear, this problem is not limited to TBS products and only affects certain motherboards.

The card in the 1x slot disappears from "Device Manager" on wake from sleep (which is why I use hibernation!).

My understanding is that this is a known (and separate) issue with many tuner designs based on the Phillips/NXP/Trident/Entropic SAA7160 (and SAA7162) chipset. I speak from personal experience with 2 x Pinnacle PCTV 7010ix cards and a DigitalNow DNTV Live! Quattro S - all based on the SAA7162. Blackgold BGT3540 cards which are based on the same chipset have similar problems. Again, this problem is definitely not confined to TBS products.

Since your card seems to have worked correctly with WMC, your problem may be something else

I would agree that this is likely to be something completely different.

 

[mm1352000]

Hi just a thought, is there any issue with the slot that the TBS card uses on the motherboard? I recall it's in a full size pcie slot not the short one that is normally used for such cards. This was following advise from TBS when the PC was built.
Jon

Jon, if the card - with its current driver, in its current slot - works with WMC then it should also work with MP . As previously mentioned, the fact that it doesn't is unusual and something I haven't seen before.

In general it should be possible to use a PCIe x1 card in x1, x2, x4, x8 or x16 slots without prejudice. Same deal for x2 cards in x2, x4, x8 and x16 slots, x4 cards in x4, x8 and x16 slots etc. This is the way PCIe was designed to work. I don't know what issues you previously had. However, I'd defer to TBS's recommendation for the specific symptoms you described to them, with your combination of peripherals, motherboard, BIOS version, drivers etc. (such issues are very dependent on individual system's hardware, software and configuration).

 

[Jon A]

Hi just a thought, is there any issue with the slot that the TBS card uses on the motherboard? I recall it's in a full size pcie slot not the short one that is normally used for such cards. This was following advise from TBS when the PC was built.
Jon

Jon, if the card - with its current driver, in its current slot - works with WMC then it should also work with MP . As previously mentioned, the fact that it doesn't is unusual and something I haven't seen before.

In general it should be possible to use a PCIe x1 card in x1, x2, x4, x8 or x16 slots without prejudice. Same deal for x2 cards in x2, x4, x8 and x16 slots, x4 cards in x4, x8 and x16 slots etc. This is the way PCIe was designed to work. I don't know what issues you previously had. However, I'd defer to TBS's recommendation for the specific symptoms you described to them, with your combination of peripherals, motherboard, BIOS version, drivers etc. (such issues are very dependent on individual system's hardware, software and configuration).

Hi, the issue is as described above - the TBS card refused to wake up after sleep in the x1 slot.
Jon[DOUBLEPOST=1443380978][/DOUBLEPOST]Hi, everyone is telling me that if it works with WMC and current driver then it should work with MP. Given the logs I have provided is it worth doing some further diagnosis. Could I provide more info with a debug version of TV server?? I'm open to suggestions over and above those mentioned above.
Jon[DOUBLEPOST=1443381096][/DOUBLEPOST]

Hi just a thought, is there any issue with the slot that the TBS card uses on the motherboard?

TBS cards have a reputation for being fussy about the version of the PCI supported by the motherboard BIOS. I have two TBS6284 cards, but only one works correctly (when installed in the 4x slot). The card in the 1x slot disappears from "Device Manager" on wake from sleep (which is why I use hibernation!).

Since your card seems to have worked correctly with WMC, your problem may be something else, but if you have one or more spare slots, it might be worth trying other slots to see of the problem disappears or exhibits different symptoms. If the problem is the motherboard BIOS not supporting the card correctly, that might explain why WMC and MP give different results. Have you checked to see if there is an updated BIOS for your motherboard?

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

Hi, I have checked and there is a BIOS upgrade that I could try although the readmes don't highlight any issue that I'm having. There are also two beta updates.
Jon

 

[CyberSimian]

I have checked and there is a BIOS upgrade that I could try although the readmes don't highlight any issue that I'm having. There are also two beta updates.

If you are now at the "clutching at straws" stage, I would suggest testing all of the newer BIOSes that are available. However, try to get a copy of your existing motherboard BIOS beforehand, so that you can re-install it if the newer BIOSes turn out to be worse than your current BIOS.

Also have a look in the BIOS settings to see if there is any sort of "PCI Express compatibility mode" setting (it may be present under some other name). If it exists, try the alternative settings to see if one makes a difference.

My TBS6284 card suffers from the "disappears from Device Manager" problem in both the 1x slot and the 16x slot (the one normally used for the graphics card); only the 4x slot works on wake from sleep. But apart from that, MP seems to operate the cards correctly; I have not had the problem that you are experiencing (so your problem could well be something completely unrelated, as mm seems to think).

-- from CyberSimian in the UK