TV-Server -- TechnoTrend S2-3200 problems (1 Viewer)

[rayskater]

TV-Server Version: 1.0 RC1 SVN 05-16-2008
MediaPortal Version: 1.0 RC1 SVN 05-16-2008
MediaPortal Skin:
Windows Version: Vista Home Premium SP1 32bit
CPU Type: AMD Athlon64 X2 4850e 2x2.5GHz
HDD: WD GP 750GB 5400-7200U/m
Memory: 2048MB Aeneon X-Tune PC2-8500 CL5
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
Video Card: on-board Radeon HD 3200
Video Card Driver: 8.475.0.0
Sound Card: on-board Realtek
Sound Card AC3: no AC3
Sound Card Driver: 6.0.1.5532
1. TV Card: Technotrend S2-3200
1. TV Card Type: DVB-S/S2
1. TV Card Driver: 5.0.0.12
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: Cyberlink PDVD 7.x
MPEG2 Audio Codec:
h.264 Video Codec: Cyberlink PDVD 7.x
Satelite/CableTV Provider: Astra 19.2°E, Hotbird 13°E
HTPC Case: HFX classic
Cooling: heat pipes, massive case
Power Supply: Silverstone ST30NF
Remote: MCE
TV: Eizo 2411W
TV - HTPC Connection: DVI

While building my first HTPC and experimenting with different software, I came across MediaPortal. This software fascinates me -- it appears to be the right compromise between proprietary device drivers and codecs on the one hand side and Open Source glue on the other side. Unfortunately it is not that easy to get it up and running. I think that there is a problem in the communication between TV-Server and my TV-Card. I tried to isolate three scenarios.

Scenario A - need to attach CI module for changing channels
===========================================

log - 1 - no CI installed
log - 2 - CI installed

Initially it took about 10 seconds to tune one channel. Afterwards it was not possible to change the channel. Instead MediaPortal had to be restartet and then again one channel could be tuned.

The problem can be reconstructed in TV Server Configuration - Manual Control by:
- Start TimeShift for an FTA channel
- Select another FTA channel and Start TimeShift

The TsWriter "log - 1 - no CI installed" file contains a lot of messages of the kind

18-05-2008 16:56:31.339 TechnoTrend: Get CI Slot State
18-05-2008 16:56:31.339 Technotrend: bdaapiCIGetSlotStatus failed:15
18-05-2008 16:56:31.339 TechnoTrend: DescrambleMultiple1)
18-05-2008 16:56:31.339 TechnoTrend: DescrambleMultiple: serviceId:28673
18-05-2008 16:56:31.339 TechnoTrend: IsCamPresent: 1
18-05-2008 16:56:31.339 TechnoTrend: IsCamReady: 0

TV-Server seemed to have assumed a CAM even though there was no CI module attached to the card. I attached the optional CI module, without CAM, and the same test succeeded, i.e. reasonably fast channel tuning and channel switch possible -- see "log - 2 - CI installed".

With CI modele installed I'm able to use MediaPortal for watching TV, changing channels, and reading EPG's.

Scenario B - Can't start MediaPortal twice
=============================

log - 3 - start MediaPortal twice
- start MediaPortal and tune a channel
- terminate MediaPortal
- start MediaPortal and tune a channel
error: can't create graph

TV-Server seems to not release the TV-card upon termination of MediaPortal, because it is neither possible to use the TV-Card with another software unless TV-Service is stopped.

Scenario C - Can't recover from Stand-by
=============================

log - 4 - MediaPortal standby
- start MediaPortal and tune a channel
- go to standby (S3 or S1)
- wake up from standby
error: can't create graph

log - 5 - TV Server standby
- start TV Server Configuration
- Manual Control: tune a channel
- go to standby
- wake up from standby
- press Stop TimeShift, press Start TimeShift
error: can't create graph

Scenarios B and C work if TV Service is restarted before invoking MediaPortal a second time or if the computer recovers from standby. I hope there finds a smarter solution as well.

Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong?
(Btw. I ran Filmerit...)

 

[rayskater]

The problems boil down. The driver of the TV card seemed to be the main reason. I downgraded from 5.0.0.12, as available from the manufacturer web site, to the version 4 supplied on CD with the card. Then Scenario B (start MediaPortal twice) was working; Scenario C (recovery from standby) not.

Then I found a reference to a driver 5.0.0.15 in the German section of this forum. In the download area of my dealer even version 5.0.0.19 is available. With these versions everything seems to work well. The results of Scenario C are now incredible: Power consumption in standby S3 is 4W. Pressing the power button of the remote, it takes 18 seconds until TV is up and running in full screen mode!

Looking under the hood some remaining issues seem still to be there though:

Remaining issue Scenario A:
Switching of TV channels only works if a CI module is attached to the card.
TV Server Configuration -> Manual Control
reports "FTA: False" for FTA channels.
Is anyone using this card without CI module attached?

Remaining issue Scenario B:
There still seems to be something wrong in the communication between TVServer and the driver software. After the termination of MediaPortal it is not possible to use the card with another software, e.g. TechnoTrend MediaCenter, until TVService gets stopped. TVService does not seem to release the card completely if MediaPortal is terminated or if timeshifting gets stopped manually under TV Server Configuration -> Manual Control.

These remaining issues are minor, however, as MediaCenter and TVServer are working very well now!

 

[Stone]

is the TVServer stable or do you have to restart the TV-Server service sometimes?
And how fast are the zapping times?

I ask cause I want to move from XP to Vista.

Thanx!

 

[rayskater]

No. TVService is not stable at all. Standby was working for the first time wiith TechnoTrend drivers 5.0.0.15 and 5.0.0.19. But I have to regularily restart either MediaPortal or TVServer. I'm afraid there finds multiple bugs, which cannot be related to the TV-Card only, like:
- MediaPortal: Volume eventally cannot be increased anymore
- MediaPorta/TVServer: live TV is not working after standby
- grabbing EPG from DVB is not amusing
Channel change time is about 5 seconds, which would be acceptable for me if the rest was working.

One reason for my problems might be that I'm pressing the Power button of my remote if I want to go to standby. I read that one should not do this and configure the scheduler instead. Isn't this strange? Does not really look&feel like a RC1 to me.

I'm experimenting with MCE at the moment. The new DVB-T Emulator (TechnoTrend MCE-Tools 1.0.4) seems to be great: stable operation in MCE, channel change time about 1 second.

 

[LuziferBowls]

i have pretty much the same problem, i just can't change channels (I don't have a CI).
The first time i tune a channel everything is fine, but changing doesn't work.
If there is a solution to this let me now ... i got the TT 3200 today and used the newest driver.

 

[LuziferBowls]

OK at least for me it is solved. I installed the Software from the CD and used the CyberLink Codec that came with it. Now everything works way better then ever before. Channel changing is down to 1-2 seconds. And there seems to be not the tinyest problem anymore.

 

[kszabo]

I had similar issues with my TT S2-3200 but now (after months) everything is fine. My solution

- Vista SP1 (this solved many resume-from-standby issues)
- Driver 5.0.0.12 and 5.0.0.19 are fine
- MP RC1 with SVN 19376 (MP 0.2.3 with earlier svns had problems with channel change), with TV-Server with mS SQL
- haali mediasplitter, ffdshow and PowerDVD 7
- HibernateTrigger: small software, i wrote a small script wich is executed through HibernateTrigger that closes MP before going into hibernate and starts MP after resume with 20 sec delay (sometimes TV Server was not able to start fast enough)
- EPG grabber disabled if idle (enabled while timeshifting without problems)
- all updates, software and system drivers (latest .net Framework, AMD DualCore Optimizer, MS Visual C++ 2005 SP1 etc)