[mythtv-users] ATSC tuner recommendation?

[Harry Orenstein]

On Thursday 02 April 2009 04:36:48 pm Timothy E. Krantz wrote:
> > Well I don't have mine yet to tell you if I got it to work or
> > not.  It should be here in a couple of days.  BUT a previous
> > poster indicated that he was using the cx88 drivers with it.
> > Looking in cx88-cards.c I see :
> >
> >        [CX88_BOARD_ATI_HDTVWONDER] = {
> >                 .name           = "ATI HDTV Wonder",
> >                 .tuner_type     = TUNER_PHILIPS_TUV1236D,
> >                 .radio_type     = UNSET,
> >                 .tuner_addr     = ADDR_UNSET,
> >                 .radio_addr     = ADDR_UNSET,
> >                 .input          = {{
> >                         .type   = CX88_VMUX_TELEVISION,
> >                         .vmux   = 0,
> >                         .gpio0  = 0x00000ff7,
> >                         .gpio1  = 0x000000ff,
> >                         .gpio2  = 0x00000001,
> >                         .gpio3  = 0x00000000,
> >                 },{
> >                         .type   = CX88_VMUX_COMPOSITE1,
> >                         .vmux   = 1,
> >                         .gpio0  = 0x00000ffe,
> >                         .gpio1  = 0x000000ff,
> >                         .gpio2  = 0x00000001,
> >                         .gpio3  = 0x00000000,
> >                 },{
> >                         .type   = CX88_VMUX_SVIDEO,
> >                         .vmux   = 2,
> >
> > etc...  I am assuming/hoping that it will work with this
> > driver. I 'think'
> > this is a pure capture card and not an "all in wonder" that
> > the wiki article is talking about.  I will let you know my
> > findings when I get my card and know more.  $12 was worth the
> > try in any case for me.
>
> Following my own post, tacky I know...
>
> Well my card came today.  I dropped it into a box and it came right up with
> the cx88 drivers.  I am able to scan/tune QAM256 stations fine.  So far I
> am NOT able to scan/tune regular old NTSC stations.  I am not sure why not.
>  I have tried doing so with both of the coax inputs on the card to no
> avail.  I will say that it "scans" the QAM stations a lot more quickly than
> my Pinnacle 800i cards do.  Not sure that really matters to me.
>
> cx88[1]: subsystem: 1002:a101, board: ATI HDTV Wonder
> [card=34,autodetected], fr
> ontend(s): 1
> cx88[1]: TV tuner type 68, Radio tuner type -1
> tuner' 2-0061: chip found @ 0xc2 (cx88[1])
> tuner-simple 2-0061: creating new instance
> tuner-simple 2-0061: type set to 68 (Philips TUV1236D ATSC/NTSC dual in)
> cx88[1]/1: CX88x/1: ALSA support for cx2388x boards
>
> BTW, this HDTV wonder card has NO remote control with it.
>
> If anyone knows how to make the NTSC tuner work, I would be interested.....
>
> Tim
>
>
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Tim,

From my modprobe.conf:

# hdtv wonder options
options cx8800 video_nr=1 vbi_nr=1
options dvb_core dvb_shutdown_timeout=0
alias snd-card-1 cx88_alsa
options cx88_alsa index=1

Most of these are because the HDTV Wonder is my second TV card.  I also have a 
script to test the card:

[foobar]$ cat wonder_test
#!/bin/sh
if [ $1 -eq $1 2> /dev/null ]
then
  mplayer tv://$1 -tv device=/dev/video1:driver=v4l2:chanlist=us-
cable:alsa:adevice=hw.1,0:amode=1:audiorate=48000:forceaudio:volume=100:immediatemode=0:norm=NTSC-
M 
else
  mplayer tv://32 -tv device=/dev/video1:driver=v4l2:chanlist=us-
cable:alsa:adevice=hw.1,0:amode=1:audiorate=48000:forceaudio:volume=100:immediatemode=0:norm=NTSC-
M
fi


Sometimes I have to reload the modules in order to get NTSC to work.  For that 
I use this script:

[root]# cat wonder_reload
#!/bin/sh
#
# unload hdtv wonder modules
#
/sbin/modprobe -r tuner
/sbin/modprobe -r cx8800
/sbin/modprobe -r cx88_dvb
/sbin/modprobe -r tuner_simple
/sbin/modprobe -r tuner_types
#/sbin/modprobe -r nxt200x
/usr/bin/pkill pulseaudio
/bin/sleep 2
/sbin/modprobe -r cx88_alsa
#
# reload hdtv wonder modules
#
/sbin/modprobe cx88_dvb
/sbin/modprobe cx8800
/sbin/modprobe cx88_alsa
/sbin/modprobe tuner


Try the test script first (the parameter is the channel, default is 32).  Then 
try the appropriately modified modprobe.conf options (depending on if your card 
is the first or second TV card).

If they don't work, try the reload script (run as root), give it a minute, 
then try the test script again.  Make sure the firmware is loaded (not sure if 
NTSC needs it, but better safe than sorry).  Check dmesg to verify firmware 
load.

HTH!


-- Harry O.