Can't get started--no cable reception

[mikemorannj]

I purchased the bundled Happauge WinTV PVR-150 PCI card with Beyond TV 4.5. I installed the hardware and the drivers, which all report they are working. In took the cox cable out of my cable-ready TV (with no separate box) and plugged it into the PVR-150. I installed Beyond TV 4.5, which seemed to go OK.

When I crank up Beyond TV and tune a channel, I just get snow across the screen and static for audio. It looks the same on every channel.

I opened a ticket with tech support last week and they sent me an answer to install new drivers (http://snapstream.helpserve.com/inde...articleid=1343), but when I downloaded the file and tried to execute it, Windows complained that it
"is not a valid Win32 application".

I have since e-mailed that problem back to tech support with two days of no response.

Is there some simple setting I have wrong? Did I buy the wrong board? Set it up wrong? I know a lot about computers but next-to-nothing about video.

If anyone can help me, I would appreciate it.

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by mikemorannj

In took the cox cable out of my cable-ready TV (with no separate box) and plugged it into the PVR-150.

You want to split the coax before reaching the TV, otherwise, you are most likely only outputting on channel 3 or 4 of the PVR-150, the content displayed on your tv...

[mikemorannj]

I didn't understand that answer. I unplugged the coax cable that was working fine with my cable-ready TV and plugged that coax into PVR-150 instead of into the TV. I know that I need to get a splitter in order for that cable to work on both the TV and the PVR-150 at the same time, but why wouldn't it work being plugged in directly?

My understanding was that the PVR-150 has a tuner that allows it to select the channel just as a cable-ready TV does, so I thought just plugging in the cable was a good test before going out and buying a splitter with two more cables.

Sorry if I don't understand this stuff and thanks for your help.

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by mikemorannj

but why wouldn't it work being plugged in directly?

The problem is that the coax coming from the wall has hundreds of channels, it goes into your TV which tunes to one channel, and displays it. What is coming out of your TV's coax is most likely also that single channel that the TV has tuned too, not the hundreds of channels that were coming from the wall's coax... Furthermore, that channel (whichever it might be), is transmitted at the frequency of channel 3 or 4...

Think of the older VCR and TV, where you had to put the TV to channel 3 or 4 in order to watch whatever the VCR was playing... You get the exact same thing if you have a cable box pluged in between (though some do allow a bypass mode that will send everything from the incoming coax).

[Bigbird999]

mike
Welcome to that wacky and wonderful and expensive world of the HTPC.

You are correct, if you plug the coax from your wall directly into the 150 tuner, and all is well, you will be able to tune all of the subscribed cable channels (up to about 75 or so).

Since you are not getting a picture something is not set up correctly.

Are you trying to watch TV on your computer monitor?
Did you install the WinTVsoftware that came with your tuner? This is a good test to see if your problem is in BTV or the tuner.
When you say all you get is static, do you mean during the "test" phase of BTVset up? If so, try continuing through the set up as if it were sucessful. For some unknown reason, some of us have never had a "successful" test but BTV works fine.

Post your system specs and we should be able to get you going.

BB

[tscales]

Sorry, but a lot of these answer are incorrect.

Most important, did you run through the setup wizard? Did it show the channels in the wizard?

[mikemorannj]

Yes, I am plugging the coax from the wall straight into the WinTV. I did get the same error during the BeyondTV test phase, but I had already disregarded that and continued on to complete installation.


If I bring up BeyondTV and tune in Live TV on my computer monitor, it gives me snow and static.

The installation instructions in the box told me to just intall the WinTV drivers from the CD enclosed. I looked at that CD and it does not have an installer for any other WinTV software. (I suppose I could probably find it on the Web and download it--is that the next step I should take so that I can test the hardware?)

I have a Windows XP Professional operating system with a new PC running WinTV PVR-150 with Beyond TV 4.5. I did install the Firefly remote that came with the package and it seems to work in that it can control Beyond TV. What other system specs do you need to know? I can look up whatever is pertinent.

Thanks again for all your help.

[mikemorannj]

I did run the Beyond TV Setup wizard, tscales, and my channel guide looks correct. The problem is that I get snow and static when I try to watch a channel on my computer monitor under the Live TV setting.

[nanook105]

Originally Posted by mikemorannj

I did run the Beyond TV Setup wizard, tscales, and my channel guide looks correct. The problem is that I get snow and static when I try to watch a channel on my computer monitor under the Live TV setting.

Is there an FM and TV connector on that card and if so are you connecting to the right one (proverbial shot in the dark) ?

[mikemorannj]

nanook105, there is only one connector that accepts a coax and it says "TV" above it on the edge of the PCI card, so I think I have the right connection. Thanks for taking a shot.

[cfaslave]

Originally Posted by mikemorannj

I did run the Beyond TV Setup wizard, tscales, and my channel guide looks correct. The problem is that I get snow and static when I try to watch a channel on my computer monitor under the Live TV setting.

When you ran the BTV setup wizard it should have given you a preview with video and sound. Did you get a tv picture during this step and don't get a picture (just fuzz) when trying Live TV on BTV after the setup OR did you get fuzz during the setup wizard also?

[tscales]

I'd back up a step and get it working with the Hauppauge software. Before i did that , I would download the best drivers from Snapstream:

http://www.snapstream.com/download/h...stallation.asp

Tom

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by tscales

Sorry, but a lot of these answer are incorrect.

My bad, I missed the part about it not working directly from the wall's coax...

[Vilas]

Mikemorannj -

I recently purchased the same bundle you have, and also am connecting directly to CATV straight out of the wall.

I also experienced the same problems you are describing.

First, everyone on the forums suggests using the drivers from Snapstream, however those drivers do not seem to work with my PVR - 150. I either get static, or I can't change the channel. I've opened a support ticket with SS, but they have been no help.

To get mine working properly, I had to do the following:

1. Download the latest drivers from Hauppauge -

http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/suppo...vr150.html#drv

2. Shut down BTV. Install the new drivers for the PVR - 150. Reboot.

3. After the reboot, shut down BTV again if you have it loading automatically.

4. Run through the Setup Wizard. When you get to the Capture Card setup, delete the current card, and add it again.

As I said, this process worked for me, but I spent a good deal of time trying to figure out what the problem was, as I couldn't get it going "straight out of the box."

And, as I mentioned, I've been fighting some other problems with my PVR - 150, must noticably an intermittant audio video synch problem that I've never solved. I've tried everything suggested in these forums, including two different machines, so I've been through the above process a number of times.

I've never made the Snapstream supplied drivers work, which is unfortunate, as several people in these forums have stated they are better than the Hauppauge drivers for BTV. I opened the support ticket in the hope that SS could identify something that has changed with the most recently shipped PVR - 150's, but apparently either that's not case, or they're not aware of it.

Anyway, give the above process a try, and good luck.

[mikemorannj]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Either I didn't understand what to do (highly possible) or they just did not work for me.

I first reinstalled all the Snapstream drivers and went through the process of rerunning the Setup wizard. I tried it several times with different variations. Each time, I got the same result--no reception. Sometimes I uninstalled drivers, sometimes not. Every time the driver install program announced that it had worked and Beyond TV was happy too, but no reception.

Then I moved on to try to use the native Happauge drivers. I downloaded the files and when I tried to execute the "base driver" EXE, it announced that I do not have compatible hardware, so I never got a chance to try the next steps.

Did I do anything wrong?

Or is it time to bundle this stuff up, send it back and pay for Tivo. :-(

Thanks to everyone trying to help me. I still haven't gotten any response from Snapstream support after four days.