[mythtv-users] HDStar DVB-S2 USB Tuner - firmware won't load

[Gavin Whitehead]

I just tried adding a HDStar DVB-S2 USB tuner to my MythTV 29.1, Xubuntu 
16.04.4 system and hit the 'Waiting on firmware' issue that seems to 
have been around for a long time
(see here and here)
https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=258738
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=963715

The baseboard in the HDStar seems to be the same as is used in a number 
of other tuners.

Has anyone got this tuner working on a 'modern' Ubuntu based system?

I am using Xubuntu 16.04.4

aname -r
4.4.0-116-generic

mythbackend --version
MythTV Version : v29.1
MythTV Branch : fixes/29
Network Protocol : 91
Library API : 29.20180131-3
QT Version : 5.5.1
Options compiled in:
  linux profile use_hidesyms using_alsa using_oss using_pulse 
using_pulseoutput using_backend using_bindings_perl 
using_bindings_python using_bindings_php using_crystalhd using_dvb 
using_firewire using_frontend using_hdhomerun using_vbox using_ceton 
using_hdpvr using_ivtv using_joystick_menu using_libcec using_libcrypto 
using_libdns_sd using_libfftw3 using_libxml2 using_lirc using_mheg 
using_opengl using_opengl_video using_opengl_themepainter using_qtwebkit 
using_qtscript using_qtdbus using_taglib using_v4l2 using_x11 
using_xrandr using_xv using_profiletype using_bindings_perl 
using_bindings_python using_bindings_php using_freetype2 
using_mythtranscode using_opengl using_vaapi using_vdpau 
using_ffmpeg_threads using_mheg using_libass using_libxml2 using_libmp3lame

Relevant section of 'kern.log'

Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    5.876001] dw2102: su3000_identify_state
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    5.876001]
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    5.876002] dvb-usb: found a 'SU3000HD 
DVB-S USB2.0' in warm state.
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    5.876006] dw2102: su3000_power_ctrl: 
1, initialized 0
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    5.876006]
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    5.876825] dvb-usb: will pass the 
complete MPEG2 transport stream to the software demuxer.
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    5.877514] DVB: registering new adapter 
(SU3000HD DVB-S USB2.0)
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    5.885052] dvb-usb: MAC address: 
00:af:78:66:69:eb
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.249349] DS3000 chip version: 0.208 
attached.
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.368671] ts2020 3-0060: Montage 
Technology TS2022 successfully identified
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.368683] dw2102: Attached DS3000/TS2020!
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.368683]
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.368688] usb 1-1: DVB: registering 
adapter 0 frontend 0 (Montage Technology DS3000)...
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.403655] Registered IR keymap rc-su3000
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.403750] input: IR-receiver inside an 
USB DVB receiver as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:12.2/usb1/1-1/rc/rc1/input16
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.403800] rc1: IR-receiver inside an 
USB DVB receiver as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:12.2/usb1/1-1/rc/rc1
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.403801] dvb-usb: schedule remote 
query interval to 150 msecs.
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.403803] dw2102: su3000_power_ctrl: 
0, initialized 1
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.403803]
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.403804] dvb-usb: SU3000HD DVB-S 
USB2.0 successfully initialized and connected.
Mar  4 14:22:38 mc04 kernel: [    6.403828] usbcore: registered new 
interface driver dw2102

Mar  4 14:22:56 mc04 kernel: [   24.991048] dw2102: su3000_power_ctrl: 
1, initialized 1
Mar  4 14:22:56 mc04 kernel: [   24.991048]
Mar  4 14:22:56 mc04 kernel: [   24.999193] ds3000_firmware_ondemand: 
Waiting for firmware upload (dvb-fe-ds3000.fw)...
Mar  4 14:22:56 mc04 kernel: [   25.001577] ds3000_firmware_ondemand: 
Waiting for firmware upload(2)...
Mar  4 14:22:57 mc04 kernel: [   26.087688] dw2102: su3000_power_ctrl: 
0, initialized 1
Mar  4 14:22:57 mc04 kernel: [   26.087688]
Mar  4 14:22:57 mc04 kernel: [   26.122504] dw2102: su3000_power_ctrl: 
1, initialized 1
Mar  4 14:22:57 mc04 kernel: [   26.122504]
Mar  4 14:22:57 mc04 kernel: [   26.135208] ds3000_firmware_ondemand: 
Waiting for firmware upload (dvb-fe-ds3000.fw)...
Mar  4 14:22:57 mc04 kernel: [   26.135252] ds3000_firmware_ondemand: 
Waiting for firmware upload(2)...
Mar  4 14:23:00 mc04 kernel: [   28.796978] dw2102: su3000_power_ctrl: 
0, initialized 1
Mar  4 14:23:00 mc04 kernel: [   28.796978]

The last six lines keep repeating

Initially I didn't have a copy of 'dvb-fe-ds3000.fw' in '/lib/firmware' 
but I downloaded one from here
https://github.com/OpenELEC/dvb-firmware/blob/master/firmware/dvb-fe-ds3000.fw

sha256sum /lib/firmware/dvb-fe-ds3000.fw
ad8c23bfb51642f48d31fe4f797182352bb13a4d4b7247b25aea18e208e0e882 
/lib/firmware/dvb-fe-ds3000.fw