[mythtvnz] WinTV Nova S - won't tune

Wed Jul 25 21:56:08 BST 2012

On 25/07/12 08:03, Johan Schuld wrote:
>     Message: 2
>     Date: Tue, 24 Jul 2012 20:25:44 +1200
>     From: Glenn Ramsey <gr at componic.co.nz <mailto:gr at componic.co.nz>>
>     To: MythTV in NZ <mythtvnz at lists.linuxnut.co.nz
>     <mailto:mythtvnz at lists.linuxnut.co.nz>>
>     Subject: [mythtvnz] WinTV Nova S - won't tune
>     Message-ID: <500E5C08.8050800 at componic.co.nz
>     <mailto:500E5C08.8050800 at componic.co.nz>>
>     Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>     Hi,
>
>     Does anyone know if there is any special configuration required to get the
>     Hauppauge WInTv Nova S plus to work? On my machine the card is found and all the
>     right modules seem to be loaded but it won't tune, using mythtv or Stephen W's
>     dvbtune script. There shouldn't be anything wrong with the dish or cable because
>     a freeview receiver and the other card I have in the machine both work OK[1].
>
>     The machine is running Mythbuntu 12.04 with kernel 3.2.0-26.
>
>     Ideas?
>
>     Glenn
>
>     [1] actually the other card (TeVii s480) doesn't quite work OK, which is why I
>     bought the second card, but it does tune. Only one of the tuners works reliably,
>     the other often fails to start or tune or record. I found some references to
>     others having the same problem.
>
>
> A few things that could cause the problem, you don't give much details so will
> give you a quick run-down with the risk of suggesting things you have already
> tried or done.
>
> I assume you have downloaded the Nova-S firmware from the net somewhere and put
> it in the firmware folder (from memoy /lib/firmware)? These generally don't come
> with the distros as it's Haupauge propriatry. Maybe different with Mythbuntu
> though.
>
> Do you split the coax? Remember that this will affect the signal strenght. If in
> doubt unplug from your old card and just plug it in to the Nova-S.
>
> I've spent hours with this card before until I realised I simply did not have
> the right amount of 0's at the end of one of the frequencies. Easy to miss as
> there are so many.
>
> What is not working with the other card? If it's reception issues, it might
> still be the dish being misaligned or something in front of it. The TeVII card
> might just pick up the signal, and the Nova-S might just not although I would
> not expect this. Settop boxes seem to be able to work with less signal strenght
> somehow...
>
> Does dmesg list the card als installed? anything in /var/log/messages or myth's
> logs?

I tried the card on a Windows XP box using the Hauppauge software and it found 
all the channels and I was able to watch TV, so that mostly rules out the 
hardware as the issue. Not completely, since it was a different machine.

The output from dmesg is this:
$ dmesg | grep cx88
[   13.437577] cx88/2: cx2388x MPEG-TS Driver Manager version 0.0.9 loaded
[   13.473297] cx88/0: cx2388x v4l2 driver version 0.0.9 loaded
[   13.477665] cx88[0]: subsystem: 0070:9202, board: Hauppauge Nova-S-Plus DVB-S 
[card=37,autodetected], frontend(s): 1
[   13.477674] cx88[0]: TV tuner type 4, Radio tuner type -1
[   13.653977] cx88[0]: hauppauge eeprom: model=92001
[   13.684512] input: cx88 IR (Hauppauge Nova-S-Plus  as 
/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:15.2/0000:05:00.0/0000:06:00.2/rc/rc0/input6
[   13.684790] rc0: cx88 IR (Hauppauge Nova-S-Plus  as 
/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:15.2/0000:05:00.0/0000:06:00.2/rc/rc0
[   13.684992] input: MCE IR Keyboard/Mouse (cx88xx) as 
/devices/virtual/input/input7
[   13.685170] rc rc0: lirc_dev: driver ir-lirc-codec (cx88xx) registered at 
minor = 0
[   13.685176] cx88[0]/2: cx2388x 8802 Driver Manager
[   13.685198] cx88-mpeg driver manager 0000:06:00.2: PCI INT A -> GSI 18 
(level, low) -> IRQ 18
[   13.685209] cx88-mpeg driver manager 0000:06:00.2: setting latency timer to 64
[   13.685220] cx88[0]/2: found at 0000:06:00.2, rev: 5, irq: 18, latency: 64, 
mmio: 0xfb000000
[   13.685550] cx8800 0000:06:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 18
[   13.685563] cx88[0]/0: found at 0000:06:00.0, rev: 5, irq: 18, latency: 0, 
mmio: 0xfd000000
[   13.685572] cx8800 0000:06:00.0: setting latency timer to 64
[   13.775492] wm8775 1-001b: chip found @ 0x36 (cx88[0])
[   13.794144] cx88[0]/0: registered device video0 [v4l2]
[   13.794317] cx88[0]/0: registered device vbi0
[   13.794415] cx88_audio 0000:06:00.1: PCI INT A -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 18
[   13.794427] cx88_audio 0000:06:00.1: setting latency timer to 64
[   13.794474] cx88[0]/1: CX88x/0: ALSA support for cx2388x boards
[   13.830417] cx88/2: cx2388x dvb driver version 0.0.9 loaded
[   13.830426] cx88/2: registering cx8802 driver, type: dvb access: shared
[   13.830433] cx88[0]/2: subsystem: 0070:9202, board: Hauppauge Nova-S-Plus 
DVB-S [card=37]
[   13.830438] cx88[0]/2: cx2388x based DVB/ATSC card
[   13.830442] cx8802_alloc_frontends() allocating 1 frontend(s)
[   13.919907] DVB: registering new adapter (cx88[0])

Output from dvbtune:

$ dvbtune -f 1733000 -s 22500 -p h -m -c 0 -tone 0
Using DVB card "Conexant CX24123/CX24109"
tuning DVB-S to L-Band:-1217365736, Pol:H Srate=22500000, 22kHz=off
polling....
Getting frontend event
FE_STATUS:
polling....
Getting frontend event
FE_STATUS: FE_HAS_SIGNAL
polling....
Getting frontend event
FE_STATUS: FE_HAS_SIGNAL FE_HAS_CARRIER
polling....
Getting frontend event
FE_STATUS: FE_HAS_SIGNAL
polling....
Getting frontend event
FE_STATUS: FE_HAS_SIGNAL FE_HAS_CARRIER

etc

I don't see any error messages in any of the logs: syslog, kern.log, dmesg, from 
doing the above. Although yesterday I saw this, but it may have been caused by 
me fiddling about with different parameters.

Jul 24 19:04:59 tv kernel: [   89.309649] cx88[0]: irq mpeg  [0x100000] ts_err?*
Jul 24 19:04:59 tv kernel: [   89.309669] cx88[0]/2-mpeg: general errors: 0x00100000

Glenn