Control Cable Box from Firewire

[googlie]

For some reason I cannot get this to work. In the instructions listed above when I get to this part:

"6. Restart BTV. In the Web Admin -> Settings -> Audio and Video Inputs, for the tuner connected to your STB, click Edit Settings, select Channel Change from the Tuner drop-down. Save changes"

When I go to live TV - will not display anything when I use Av/C Panel or AV/C Tuner with the Firewire STB Chanell Changer V1.0.8...

Log says
11/9/2005 23:28:58] Failed to build device-specific capture graph!
[11/9/2005 23:28:58] Failed to build generic capture graph!
[11/9/2005 23:28:58] BTV Live TV failed to attach to graph..

BUT -
If I use Hauppauge PVR II tuner - the Channel Changer doesn't show up as an option in the "Tuning Settings" area...

More info:
BTV 3.7.2
My firewire is fine - I use CapDVHS already to move recordings from my 6208 to the HTPC for archiving.
XP Pro SP2.

Any ideas?

TIA

Googlie

[optikhog]

I'm not familiar with the "Av/C Panel or AV/C Tuner" you're referring to - who is the manufacturer for this? Does this tuner work in LiveTV without the firewire dll?

[googlie]

Originally Posted by optikhog

I'm not familiar with the "Av/C Panel or AV/C Tuner" you're referring to - who is the manufacturer for this? Does this tuner work in LiveTV without the firewire dll?

Those are the Hardware devices - The STB (Set Top Box). In my case - a Motorola 6208

[optikhog]

Originally Posted by googlie

Those are the Hardware devices - The STB (Set Top Box). In my case - a Motorola 6208

BTV cannot yet use an external cable box as a tuner. How did you get BTV to even recognize the box as a device?

Or am I somehow misunderstanding what you're asking?

[googlie]

I apparantly have confused the issue - here's the simpified version. I've followed the instructions - got to step 6 and:

... the Channel Changer doesn't show up as an option in the "Tuning Settings" area...

Apologies for muddieing the water. The rest was to show tha the FIREWIRE part is installed correctly - I think.

Googlie

[optikhog]

The most important step in this case in ensuring that the .dll is in the right place. If it is in the correct directory, it will show up regardless of all other configuration. Where is channel.dll on your system?

[brianvlee]

Thanks to all who have contributed to this issue. I set up my Motorola 6200 to use Firewire last night with BTV 3.7.4 and everything seems great so far. Now for the inevitable question: Has any brave soul tried this out with BTV 4.0? I'm afraid my upgrade decision must rely on this as USB-UIRT tuning was just too unreliable with my setup.

[optikhog]

Originally Posted by brianvlee

Thanks to all who have contributed to this issue. I set up my Motorola 6200 to use Firewire last night with BTV 3.7.4 and everything seems great so far. Now for the inevitable question: Has any brave soul tried this out with BTV 4.0? I'm afraid my upgrade decision must rely on this as USB-UIRT tuning was just too unreliable with my setup.

Yep, works perfectly with 4.0!

[googlie]

Originally Posted by optikhog

The most important step in this case in ensuring that the .dll is in the right place. If it is in the correct directory, it will show up regardless of all other configuration. Where is channel.dll on your system?

It appears to be in the correct place.
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\SnapStream\Beyond TV\tuner

I checked the logs - that's where it's pulling the config from...
Very strange.

What line in the registry or config file can I look at to compare. Any ideas?

<<edit>> well I was going to go to version 4 anyways, might as well try a fresh install!

[googlie]

Got it working, but I cannot really say whether or not it was me being an idiot, or the installation of a fresh product...or both. ( I was pretty tired last night when I was doing the install)

Well - after taking just a little more time to think it through, and drawing the "circuit" out on paper , I made the adjustments necessary to make this work.

The instructions provided in this thread are fine - IF you are converting from an existing Cable Box and some sort of blaster. I was not as I was using BTV to record all the analog and my HDTV Digital STB to record the digital channels and most importantly, the HD content.

Seeings how BTV4 only does OTA HD, I'll be putting it back to the way it was until I can find a cheap STB on sale. Then I'll have a 2 tuner setup, one with digital and this very slick Firewire tuning , one with Analog cable, and leave my HD PVR to do the really pretty stuff. In essence a 3 PVR setup.

(for anyone else with a similiar setup - since you've probably got your firewire working if you've followed this thread, here's a pretty good guide on getting that HD content off an STB and into a state for archiving - Guide

Googlie

[brianvlee]

Originally Posted by brianvlee

Thanks to all who have contributed to this issue. I set up my Motorola 6200 to use Firewire last night with BTV 3.7.4 and everything seems great so far. Now for the inevitable question: Has any brave soul tried this out with BTV 4.0? I'm afraid my upgrade decision must rely on this as USB-UIRT tuning was just too unreliable with my setup.

Perhaps I spoke a bit prematurely, everything works great most of the time, but there is a percentage of times (probably higher than 5%) where the box still fails to change to the correct station. I have not been around to witness this when it occurs (the beauty of PVR computer is not having to be, right?), but usually I can see evidence of two out of three channel numbers in varying order appear at the start of the recording. For instance, I record a program on channel 11 each weekday, and most of the time it works fine, but yesterday only "01" flashed instead of "011", which meant the box never left the station it was already on. Anyone have problems with this, or better yet a solution? I'm wondering if maybe the input is coming in too quickly for the box to handle. Still, if that was the problem, you'd think it would mess up more than it is. Thanks in advance.

[optikhog]

I am seeing this on occasion as well. However, I also have a serial port tuner hooked up to my DCT25xx box and see the same problem with roughly the same frequency. Methinks ultimately it's the tuner boxes themselves choking on the signal for some reason.

[brianvlee]

Originally Posted by optikhog

I am seeing this on occasion as well. However, I also have a serial port tuner hooked up to my DCT25xx box and see the same problem with roughly the same frequency. Methinks ultimately it's the tuner boxes themselves choking on the signal for some reason.

Before I got the DCT6200 I had a DCT2244 that I controlled via serial cable. I found that it only had problems if I changed the station with the Comcast remote. Something about the IR caused problems with the serial tuning and I'd usually have to restart BTV. Why this would pose a problem I have no idea, but I think the same IR interference may be happening with the Firewire connection. I can't be sure though. If that's the case then it is an annoying problem because sometimes it is best to tune with the Comcast remote, especially when wanting to watch a HD on a movie channel that BTV doesn't support. Much easier to be able to use the standard remote instead of having to switch inputs all the time back to BTV in order to change channels.

[hlclark78]

optikhog:

Are you just channel changing in BTV4 or are you capturing via Firewire too? I am still debating about the upgrade because I am not sure if my Mini-ATX Via C3 computer can handle BTV4 Link, (just SD). My main TV is HD but it has plenty of CPU.

I have a 4 day holiday weekend starting tomorrow to start messing around. But any help would be awesome.

I have Channel.exe changing my 6200 these days. It's so rock solid that I am afraid to touch anything.

[noodleNT]

hlclark78,
I have link running in sofware mode on a old P3 550 box with an old Vodoo 3D card. It works but changing channels is painfull when watching live TV. I find pulling up the guide first is much easier. I bet you can get it to work on mini-ATX. I haven't tested HD yet though. This might bring the machine to a holt.