[mythtv-users] Strange Ceton issues.

Erik Jensen eriksjunk at laurelwoodart.com
Sun Jul 31 22:03:08 UTC 2011


I recently received my Ceton tuner card, and got the cable card this weekend.

Unfortunately, they did not have self install kits when I called, but
they did waive the installation fee. I only have Linux (no Windows),
but the tech was happy enough to just let me pull up the needed
information on the web interface. Given that he also gave me a powered
splitter which significantly boosted my signal strength to all of my
devices, I can't really complain too much about having to have someone
come out.

While the card was authorized just fine, all playback was extremely
stuttery and filled with artifacts, with mplayer indicating lots of
corruption in the stream. It was completely unwatchable. I also
noticed that the Ceton card got quite hot even when idle, with the
with the web interface reporting a temperature of just over 61°C.  I
tried the card in two different slots, and with several SD and HD
channels, with no change.

Finally, I took the card out of my backend and put it in my desktop
computer.  And... it worked perfectly! Playback was smooth, and the
card stayed at least 10°C cooler (between 48°C and 51°C), even when in
use.

I tried putting it back in my backend machine, and had the same
problem again, with the card heating up to 58°C before the computer
had even finished booting and reaching over 60°C shortly thereafter. I
tried removing all other expansion cards, with no change.

I am at a loss as to what might be causing the problem, and how to
resolve it. The card has more ventilation in the backend system that
my desktop, so it is pretty clear that the change in temperature is a
symptom, not the cause. All other PCIe cards in the backend (A dual
ClearQAM tuner card, a gigabit ethernet card, and two eSATA cards)
work perfectly.

Any ideas on troubleshooting steps to try would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

-- Erik Jensen


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