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<blockquote data-quote="mm1352000" data-source="post: 719278" data-attributes="member: 82144"><p>Hi again</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I understand, believe me - I've had to go through similar things with my computer at times. Computers are great when they work, but they're the worst nightmare when they don't, and getting good support can be really hard.</p><p></p><p></p><p>I believe the issue is a combination of tuner + driver + DiSEqC (possibly plus other hardware). If everyone had the same troubles as you then nobody would use MediaPortal, so you have to understand that your situation is totally not normal. People always have some degree trouble when they first start off, but that is to be expected since the learning curve when putting together an HTPC for the first time is quite steep - there is a lot to know. These problems are very rarely problems that take weeks to resolve...</p><p></p><p>So what are the exact problems. My guess is:</p><p>---------------------------------------------------</p><p>1. Tuner function after resume from sleep.</p><p>---------------------------------------------------</p><p>You have clearly said several times that you have gone to use MediaPortal (wake the client/server), get the "no signal" problem, when you tried other applications they had the same problem, and after a reboot everything worked fine again. This is a *very* typical problem for many people. There can be a number of causes of <strong>MediaPortal</strong> not functioning properly after resuming from sleep, but when the tuner doesn't work in other applications then you know it is a hardware/driver problem. That isn't to say that you aren't experiencing MediaPortal problems too, but the first and biggest issue would be with hardware.</p><p>TBS have had problems with this in the past; they have had this problem *with your tuner*. You can read about on their forum in the link I posted in my last post, and in other threads. It is unfortunately a common problem for a lot of tuner manufacturers, and even hardware manufacturers in general. There is nothing that I or anybody in the MediaPortal team can do to fix these problems. Sometimes they can be worked around with things like delaying the start of TV Server, using a specific driver version, or using devcon to restart the driver. There is no workaround that is guaranteed to work <strong>except to prevent the server from going to sleep</strong>. If the server must be able to sleep then you need to work with the tuner manufacturer to get the problem fixed, find a workaround that works for you, or buy a different tuner (this is a real lottery!).</p><p>As far as MediaPortal/TV Server are concerned, the best thing you can do is:</p><p>1. Script devcon to restart the tuner driver after resume from sleep.</p><p>2. Start TV Server after devcon has restarted the tuner driver (ie. start TV Server from the script).</p><p>3. Use a static IP address.</p><p></p><p>Like Cody on the TBS forum said, the best thing for you to do to start troubleshooting this problem would be to try the tuner in another PC and see if you get the same behaviour.</p><p></p><p>-----------------------</p><p>2. DiSEqC problem</p><p>-----------------------</p><p>If TV Server has a problem with DiSEqC then that is definitely something we can look at. I freely admit am not 100% confident in TV Servers DiSEqC function for your tuner. Some users have <a href="https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/tv-cards-333/tbs6980-dvb-s-s2-tuning-issue-diseqc-77808/" target="_blank">reported issues</a> in the past, and it is unclear whether they have been solved as user feedback is contradictory.</p><p></p><p>Are you certain that the channels from Astra 19,2 are being received when you did the second scan? I would say that some/all of the transponders on 19,2 are also present on 23,5, so you might get signal, but the wrong channels would be picked up (ie. some of the channels from 23,5 are being received again). You can do a simple test to check whether DiSEqC is working:</p><p>1. Use lyngsat (Astra <a href="http://www.lyngsat.com/astra19.html" target="_blank">19,2 here</a>, <a href="http://www.lyngsat.com/astra23.html" target="_blank">23,5 here</a>) to find a transponder on 19,2 that is not on 23,5 and vice versa.</p><p>2. Use each DiSEqC setting and the single transponder advanced scan to try to scan the two transponders.</p><p></p><p>If one of the transponders is picked up no matter what DiSEqC setting you use then the problem is:</p><p>- TV Server not sending the right commands OR</p><p>- tuner not sending commands OR</p><p>- switch not receiving commands</p><p></p><p>All of these are possible. Just 1 or 2 months ago one of the team members had a problem with their DiSEqC switch. It did not seem to respond to TV Server or any other software. It turns out that the switch was cheap. A replacement switch (I think he bought Triax) worked perfectly.</p><p></p><p>You can narrow down the problem by testing DiSEqC functionality in other applications. If switching sometimes fails or doesn't work at all then there is a good chance that the switch is the problem.</p><p></p><p>There is one thing that you need to be aware of: TV Server does not ask your tuner to resend the DiSEqC command when you change between channels on the same transponder. If you are testing TV Server then you *must* test with channels on different transponders.</p><p></p><p>-------------------------</p><p>3. Freezing problem</p><p>-------------------------</p><p>I think we agree that the cause of this problem was your use of the 1.5 TB green drive for timeshifting/recording. I accept that MediaPortal currently has high HDD IO requirements. You should continue to use <a href="https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/submit-code-patches-mediaportal-tv-server-etc-325/fix-stuttering-corrupted-streaming-live-tv-91214/" target="_blank">Miroslav's patch</a> at least until 1.2.0b is released. To be honest I'd also recommend using a 7200rpm drive for timeshifting/recording even with the patch, but that is your choice.</p><p></p><p>--------------------------</p><p>My Recommendations</p><p>--------------------------</p><p>I would fully understand if you want to give up at this point. It sounds like you have spent a lot of time and effort on this "project" and have only met with frustration. I have done my best to help, *and I'll continue to do so for as long as you want to keep trying to get things to work*. If you continue to try, then you will make it much easier on yourself if you:</p><p><strong>1. Update OS and drivers</strong></p><p>This is pretty self explanatory. Use the most up-to-date drivers for your video card, motherboard chipset, tuner... everything. Get drivers direct from the manufacturer if possible (for example, get the motherboard drivers from Intel/AMD rather than Asus, Gigabyte etc.). Also, make sure you use update.microsoft.com to get the latest updates for your operating system (especially SP1 if you're using Windows 7).</p><p><strong>2. Try to solve one problem at a time.</strong></p><p>I can't stress how important this is. Attempting to solve everything at once is just going to lead to more problems and headaches. If I were you I would start by trying to solve the DiSEqC problem (or the freezing problem if it still exists). Solving one problem at a time means being consistent with your testing, and disabling anything that could cause problems. If I were you, I would:</p><p>- disable sleep/standby/hibernate</p><p>- disable EPG grabbing</p><p>- install MediaPortal client on the server, and always use that for testing instead of TV Server preview</p><p>- don't use any plugins (including FTR)</p><p><strong>3. Use logical and simple tests if possible, and perform the test several times</strong></p><p>What do I mean? Well take the DiSEqC problem as an example. Let us assume that the switch works. Your experience up until now says that TV Server has problems controlling the switch. The obvious thing to try first is to see if it is really a TV Server problem or a driver/switch problem. You do that by attempting to use DiSEqC with another application like ProgDVB or DVBDream. If it works well and consistently in other applications then TV Server is likely to be the problem. Otherwise you may have a faulty switch or a driver problem...</p><p></p><p></p><p>==========================</p><p>==========================</p><p>Like I said above, I am *truly sorry* for your frustration and I understand if you want to give up and try another option. I'll be here to help in any way I can no matter what you decide to do. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="mm1352000, post: 719278, member: 82144"] Hi again I understand, believe me - I've had to go through similar things with my computer at times. Computers are great when they work, but they're the worst nightmare when they don't, and getting good support can be really hard. I believe the issue is a combination of tuner + driver + DiSEqC (possibly plus other hardware). If everyone had the same troubles as you then nobody would use MediaPortal, so you have to understand that your situation is totally not normal. People always have some degree trouble when they first start off, but that is to be expected since the learning curve when putting together an HTPC for the first time is quite steep - there is a lot to know. These problems are very rarely problems that take weeks to resolve... So what are the exact problems. My guess is: --------------------------------------------------- 1. Tuner function after resume from sleep. --------------------------------------------------- You have clearly said several times that you have gone to use MediaPortal (wake the client/server), get the "no signal" problem, when you tried other applications they had the same problem, and after a reboot everything worked fine again. This is a *very* typical problem for many people. There can be a number of causes of [B]MediaPortal[/B] not functioning properly after resuming from sleep, but when the tuner doesn't work in other applications then you know it is a hardware/driver problem. That isn't to say that you aren't experiencing MediaPortal problems too, but the first and biggest issue would be with hardware. TBS have had problems with this in the past; they have had this problem *with your tuner*. You can read about on their forum in the link I posted in my last post, and in other threads. It is unfortunately a common problem for a lot of tuner manufacturers, and even hardware manufacturers in general. There is nothing that I or anybody in the MediaPortal team can do to fix these problems. Sometimes they can be worked around with things like delaying the start of TV Server, using a specific driver version, or using devcon to restart the driver. There is no workaround that is guaranteed to work [B]except to prevent the server from going to sleep[/B]. If the server must be able to sleep then you need to work with the tuner manufacturer to get the problem fixed, find a workaround that works for you, or buy a different tuner (this is a real lottery!). As far as MediaPortal/TV Server are concerned, the best thing you can do is: 1. Script devcon to restart the tuner driver after resume from sleep. 2. Start TV Server after devcon has restarted the tuner driver (ie. start TV Server from the script). 3. Use a static IP address. Like Cody on the TBS forum said, the best thing for you to do to start troubleshooting this problem would be to try the tuner in another PC and see if you get the same behaviour. ----------------------- 2. DiSEqC problem ----------------------- If TV Server has a problem with DiSEqC then that is definitely something we can look at. I freely admit am not 100% confident in TV Servers DiSEqC function for your tuner. Some users have [URL="https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/tv-cards-333/tbs6980-dvb-s-s2-tuning-issue-diseqc-77808/"]reported issues[/URL] in the past, and it is unclear whether they have been solved as user feedback is contradictory. Are you certain that the channels from Astra 19,2 are being received when you did the second scan? I would say that some/all of the transponders on 19,2 are also present on 23,5, so you might get signal, but the wrong channels would be picked up (ie. some of the channels from 23,5 are being received again). You can do a simple test to check whether DiSEqC is working: 1. Use lyngsat (Astra [URL="http://www.lyngsat.com/astra19.html"]19,2 here[/URL], [URL="http://www.lyngsat.com/astra23.html"]23,5 here[/URL]) to find a transponder on 19,2 that is not on 23,5 and vice versa. 2. Use each DiSEqC setting and the single transponder advanced scan to try to scan the two transponders. If one of the transponders is picked up no matter what DiSEqC setting you use then the problem is: - TV Server not sending the right commands OR - tuner not sending commands OR - switch not receiving commands All of these are possible. Just 1 or 2 months ago one of the team members had a problem with their DiSEqC switch. It did not seem to respond to TV Server or any other software. It turns out that the switch was cheap. A replacement switch (I think he bought Triax) worked perfectly. You can narrow down the problem by testing DiSEqC functionality in other applications. If switching sometimes fails or doesn't work at all then there is a good chance that the switch is the problem. There is one thing that you need to be aware of: TV Server does not ask your tuner to resend the DiSEqC command when you change between channels on the same transponder. If you are testing TV Server then you *must* test with channels on different transponders. ------------------------- 3. Freezing problem ------------------------- I think we agree that the cause of this problem was your use of the 1.5 TB green drive for timeshifting/recording. I accept that MediaPortal currently has high HDD IO requirements. You should continue to use [URL="https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/submit-code-patches-mediaportal-tv-server-etc-325/fix-stuttering-corrupted-streaming-live-tv-91214/"]Miroslav's patch[/URL] at least until 1.2.0b is released. To be honest I'd also recommend using a 7200rpm drive for timeshifting/recording even with the patch, but that is your choice. -------------------------- My Recommendations -------------------------- I would fully understand if you want to give up at this point. It sounds like you have spent a lot of time and effort on this "project" and have only met with frustration. I have done my best to help, *and I'll continue to do so for as long as you want to keep trying to get things to work*. If you continue to try, then you will make it much easier on yourself if you: [B]1. Update OS and drivers[/B] This is pretty self explanatory. Use the most up-to-date drivers for your video card, motherboard chipset, tuner... everything. Get drivers direct from the manufacturer if possible (for example, get the motherboard drivers from Intel/AMD rather than Asus, Gigabyte etc.). Also, make sure you use update.microsoft.com to get the latest updates for your operating system (especially SP1 if you're using Windows 7). [B]2. Try to solve one problem at a time.[/B] I can't stress how important this is. Attempting to solve everything at once is just going to lead to more problems and headaches. If I were you I would start by trying to solve the DiSEqC problem (or the freezing problem if it still exists). Solving one problem at a time means being consistent with your testing, and disabling anything that could cause problems. If I were you, I would: - disable sleep/standby/hibernate - disable EPG grabbing - install MediaPortal client on the server, and always use that for testing instead of TV Server preview - don't use any plugins (including FTR) [B]3. Use logical and simple tests if possible, and perform the test several times[/B] What do I mean? Well take the DiSEqC problem as an example. Let us assume that the switch works. Your experience up until now says that TV Server has problems controlling the switch. The obvious thing to try first is to see if it is really a TV Server problem or a driver/switch problem. You do that by attempting to use DiSEqC with another application like ProgDVB or DVBDream. If it works well and consistently in other applications then TV Server is likely to be the problem. Otherwise you may have a faulty switch or a driver problem... ========================== ========================== Like I said above, I am *truly sorry* for your frustration and I understand if you want to give up and try another option. I'll be here to help in any way I can no matter what you decide to do. :) [/QUOTE]
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