[mythtv-users] Trouble with DVB-T cards or software -- no /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0 output

[Simon Iremonger]

I have been having a lot of trouble trying to make DVB-T cards
   work properly with dvb tools etc. for use with mythtv....

I have 2 cards, for which EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM applies to
   either (using only 1 card in machine at any time)...

One card is an (apparently supported) V-STREAM dvb-T card
   with a CX23883-19 IC...
The other card is an "LR6650" which apparnetly work according
   to page:-
   http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/computing/users/leek/ukdvb.php

I have been using a gentoo system, and have tried various
   kernel builds with no success.  I have used the
   bytesex.org kenrel patch to make such kernels in the
   first place....

The kernel I have made work, and the modules loaded etc.
   show that the card has been detected and the FRONTEND
   has been registered okay (slightly different messages
   with the 2 slightly-different-cards).

In any case, after (I'm sure) loading all the right modules
   etc... from reading various pages/information --
   I build linuxtv.org 'dvb-apps' CVS version fine and
   use the "dvbscan" program on the dvb-t/uk-Mendip
   frequency/channel configuration...

This DVBSCAN usuall succeeds, occasionally failing with
   a timeout, and produces a list of channels on the
   MUX's available, successfully which shows me that
   my DVB-T card must be working mostly.  I used the output
   of this scan redirected [or "tee"'ed] to create an
   output channel-list file...

I then used tzap with -c parameter pointing to my
   channel-list-config-file, the channel name in
   double-quotes, and some other parameter (something
   like "-xa" or similar -- to setup card/driver ready
   for recieving by another program... Can't remember
   the exact parameters now.
This quickly gives a few lines of FE_HAS_LOCK and
   exits tzap (which I thought this is supposed to
   leave the dvr0 device usable when tzap is no
   longer running).

BUT --

I then try to cat
   /dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0

(expecting to recieve all the ""binary rubbish""
   on that channel) -- and I get nothing!!

I am finding the same problem on both my cards
   and various different kernels etc... I just
   can't seem to get it to w0rk!

Am I doing something daft here?

Any help much appreciated out there..


--S Iremonger,  BusinessWebsite <simon at businesswebsite.com>