[mythtv-users] Misc. PVR-350 TV-out issues

[Rudy Zijlstra]

Gerald Schepens wrote:

> I have a few issues since I've started using the PVR-350's TV out.  
> Picture quality is not one of them -- it's great!  However there are a 
> few other things. which I have a hunch may be interrelated.
>
> My ivtv version is 1.9-22-rh9.at.  Myth is 0.14-58.rh9.at.   Kernel 
> 2.4.20_28_36.rh9.at.
>
> [Point of order from a list administrator: would it be better for me 
> to have posted a separate message for each issue, so that each would 
> become a thread?  Let me know if you have an opinion on that.]
>
> 1)   My regular video card is an nVidia geforce4 ti4200.  I have a 
> monitor attached to it, on which my console appears at boot.  However, 
> once my ivtv-fb loads, the console goes back a few pages and sticks 
> there.  Once I'm in X, it seems that my console out is sort of being 
> directed to my PVR350!  Is it possible that the ivtv-fb driver is 
> taking over /dev/fb0 when it shouldn't?  (Because, doesn't the kernel 
> use fb0 as a video card frame buffer for displaying the console?)  And 
> is there a fix for this?

ivtv-fb should be /dev/fb1 in your case. Check dmesg before you start X. 
at load time ivtv-fb tells you which fb it has got.

>
> 2)   When I'm watching live TV and I press "m" on my remote to get the 
> TV listing display, the PVR350's screen gets dimmer but the picture 
> continues to update on the screen, as though the picture were 
> preparing to be overlaid with the osd.  No real problem so far, but 
> the listing appears on my monitor rather than on the TV.  Although 
> this is workable, I'd rather it continued to function like it did when 
> I was using my nvidia tv-out, with the tv-display displaying the osd.  
> I understand the difficulty involved because suddenly we're asking the 
> card to display something that isn't part of an mpg stream.    
> Nevertheless, if somebody knows whether this can be done, great, but 
> it's not enough of an issue to make me switch back to using the nvidia 
> tv-out.
>
Hmm, sounds like you have X or mythtv confused (or both). Its partially 
displaying on the PVR350, and partially on the monitor. All should go to 
the PVR 350. Are you using a dual screen setup? If so, try with only 1 
screen for the PVR350. When that is working try to get dual screens working.

> 3)   If I rewind or fast forward through a recording too rapidly, 
> mythfrontend sometimes hangs.  Some of the time, it appears to take 
> the kernel along with it.  When it's just mythfrontend that gets hung 
> up, I have to switch to a terminal and kill the mythfrontend process.  
> When I restart mythfrontend, the pvr-350 TV out usually won't function 
> any longer.  Sometimes I can't switch to a terminal to kill 
> mythfrontend -- the remote, the keyboard and the mouse all seem to 
> have no effect on the system and I have to cycle power on the PC.  In 
> this case, I wonder if ivtv-fb hasn't misbehaved.  Has anyone else had 
> this experience?

This is a ivtv issue. Is being worked on very actively at the moment. 
Check the ivtv mailing list for more info.

Cheers,

Rudy