[solved] TV-Server on Windows Server 2012 Essentials (1 Viewer)

[HTPCSourcer]

Hello,

Despite other people reporting success, I keep having issues setting up a TV Server on WSE 2012.

The crazy thing is that it did initially work. I had set up a clean install of WSE 2012E on an Asus H87I-Plus Mainboard, then plugged in a simple Cine S2 V6 with CI module, installed MediaPortal TV Server in combination with a SQL Express 2012 database, imported my settings (export.xml) from a functional TV Server setup on my main HTPC - and all was working.

The issues started when I installed a DuoFlex S2, which is a double tuner extension to the Cine S2. Suddenly the original CIne S2 Tuners could not log on a Signal (or rather did not get PMT), while the two new tuner of the DuoFlex were working. After subsequent Driver uninstall and redetection of the Cards, I ended up with no tuner working, while they all four were correctly dispalying in the device Manager and TV-Server config.

At some point I decided to reinstall he whole System, which I did yesterday, with CIne S2 + DuoFlex inserted. Today I installed the Driver - and all four Tuners were immediately there. Updating the sat tuner settings and then scanning on any of the four tuners gave 100% signal and quality, but did not yield any station!

I am really getting frustrated. There is an error message when starting up - and indeed the TV Service does not run when I connect to the WSE 2012 server and I have to start it manually.

Desktop experience is of course installed. Out of despair I even tried to load the Win 8.1 BDA Drivers as described by HomeY here: no Change, still not being able to get a PMT.

I would probably give up here, if it hadn't worked the first time. Will appreciate any help!

Thanks,
HTPC_Sourcer

 

[Benoire]

Hi @HTPC_Sourcer

I run Windows Server 2012 R2 as my TV Host and it works perfectly fine. Are you running Server Essentials or Server 2012 R2 with the essentials role? I recall that the native essentials version had the BDA drivers built in automatically but the full server version does not.

So for my install I have to do the following (I virtualise my systems so I need to pass through the devices first though!)

Install Server 2012 R2
Install BDA drivers
Install TBS 6981 drivers
Install MP TVE3
Customise

I run a modded version of TVE3 anyway so I have to do a bit more work but in essence that is all I have to do... I did notice that I have to install the drivers after the BDA drivers otherwise it screws up!

 

[HTPCSourcer]

@Benoire ,

Running Server 2012 Essential - not R2.

Essentials normally comes with BDA drivers, hence the TV Server install should work out of the box, but it doesn't. Are you saying that I now have messed up the system by manually adding BDA drivers? I do recall though that I also did this the first time when everything was working. I can always roll back to the previous status, i.e. prior the installation of the Cine S2 drivers; am saving the server installation everyday automatically now.

 

[Benoire]

It might be that the 8.1 bda drivers are not compatible with Server 2012 Essentials as that is based on the architure that 8 uses and not 8.1. The best thing you can do right now is try to open TV setup give it a mo and then grab all the logs and post them here, I'll have a look. Otherwise I would do a clean install (if possible) not a roll back and just install server 2012 essentials followed by the drivers and then tvengine including the default mysql and see what happens.

 

[4Fred]

Here is what I did when I tested it and it worked just fine.
Dont do the hack with BDA drivers when using the essentials role, essentials role does that for you.
That being said, I know that for a fact on 2012 R2... R2... not 100% sure cuz I only tested on R2.

 

[HTPCSourcer]

@Benoire , logs were attached to the first post.

 

[mm1352000]

Hmmm, from an amateur/unexperienced-with-Server-Windows person: this sounds more like hardware or driver problems than BDA problems. I would not have installed the Win 8.1 BDA drivers; further, I would now do a fresh install of Windows to get rid of them.

The "no PMT" issue means TsWriter is not receiving a stream from the tuners. The fact that the Cine tuners stopped working after you plugged in the DuoFlex to me suggests hardware issues. Maybe bad ribbon cable, or cable not plugged in correctly, or plugged into wrong socket (if that is even possible), or power issues, or power not plugged into either the Cine or DuoFlex.

If I were you I would:

• disconnect the DuoFlex
  
• reinstall Windows
• install Cine drivers and check if everything works; if not stop and post log files
  
• connect the DuoFlex again and check if everything works; if not stop and post log files

If you have DVBViewer or some other TV software then it would also be helpful to use that to double check your results.

 

[HTPCSourcer]

Hi @mm1352000

I could not agree more to what you say. Instead of DVBViewer I tried the DD-TV tool from Digital Device and could not get PMT either (there is a nice display showing the status of the different elements upon scanning). So it's very likely a driver issue.

Now the good news: I just got it working !!!!

I uninstalled the driver. Then instead of installing the msi directly, I went through a Powershell session with elevated privileges and called up misexec:

runas /user:domain/account "msiexec /i c:\DigitalDevices-DVB-Driver-2.5.3.92-x64.msi"

And that did it. At this very moment the scan is running and finds all stations as it should. I did not yet test if I am getting live TV picture, etc. but this should not be any serious issue.

The BDA stuff that I tried to inject does not seem to hurt. I may go back to the previous status by reinstalling a server backup that I did before. Notwithstanding, I would very much appreciate if you took a look into the error message in my first post and possibly gave a hint how to solve this.

Thanks,
HTPC_Sourcer

 

[mm1352000]

Now the good news: I just got it working !!!!

Nice!

I uninstalled the driver. Then instead of installing the msi directly, I went through a Powershell session with elevated privileges and called up misexec:
runas /user:domain/account "msiexec /i c:\DigitalDevices-DVB-Driver-2.5.3.92-x64.msi"
And that did it.

Ahhhh. Drivers must be installed with admin privileges. If your normal user account isn't admin that might explain it.

Notwithstanding, I would very much appreciate if you took a look into the error message in my first post and possibly gave a hint how to solve this.

I wonder if this is [also] a permissions or user account issue. There is nothing else that springs to mind as a potential cause.

mm

 

[Benoire]

Perhaps, I think setuptv requires admin privileges for me, I just happen to be local and domain administrator