[mythtv-users] Suddenly Unable to watch LiveTV?

[Rich West]

I searched around on Google and on the mailing list archives, but I 
wasn't able to come up with a viable answer. :(

I've had MythTV up for a little over a year now, and, although there 
have been some bumps in the road, it's been running as a great solution 
for us.  Recently, though, I was told of some problems when attempting 
to "Watch TV".  Specifically, my in-laws were over, and it took them a 
couple of times to get it to display video.  I didn't think much of it 
since it eventually worked and since we never really use "Watch TV" 
anyhow.. :)

However, I discovered today when my in-laws were over that we couldn't 
"Watch TV" at all.  It would pause with a blank screen for about 3 to 5 
seconds or so, then come back to the main menu screen.  Recordings work, 
and if I go to the program guide and record a current running show, it 
will record and it can be watched.  I tried it with and without "Avoid 
conflicts with LiveTV" to no avail.

The mythtv logs show:
2008-01-20 23:59:59.022 MainServer::HandleAnnounce Playback
2008-01-20 23:59:59.025 adding: mythtv4 as a client (events: 0)
2008-01-20 23:59:59.028 TVRec(5): Changing from None to WatchingLiveTV
2008-01-20 23:59:59.031 TVRec(5): HW Tuner: 5->5
2008-01-21 00:00:00.097 ret_pid(0) child(9812) status(0x0)
2008-01-21 00:00:01.102 ret_pid(0) child(9812) status(0x0)
2008-01-21 00:00:02.111 ret_pid(0) child(9812) status(0x0)
2008-01-21 00:00:03.115 ret_pid(0) child(9812) status(0x0)
2008-01-21 00:00:04.118 ret_pid(0) child(9812) status(0x0)
2008-01-21 00:00:05.123 ret_pid(0) child(9812) status(0x0)
2008-01-21 00:00:06.126 ret_pid(0) child(9812) status(0x0)
2008-01-21 00:00:07.129 ret_pid(0) child(9812) status(0x0)
2008-01-21 00:00:08.132 ret_pid(0) child(9812) status(0x0)
2008-01-21 00:00:09.134 ret_pid(0) child(9812) status(0x0)
2008-01-21 00:00:10.136 ret_pid(0) child(9812) status(0x0)
2008-01-21 00:00:11.139 ret_pid(9812) child(9812) status(0x0)
2008-01-21 00:00:11.140 External Tuning program exited with no error
2008-01-21 00:00:11.279 MPEGRec(/dev/video2) Error: Error getting codec 
params using old IVTV ioctl
                        eno: Bad address (14)
2008-01-21 00:00:11.301 TVRec(5): Changing from WatchingLiveTV to None
2008-01-21 00:00:11.720 Finished recording The Good Night Show "Shapes": 
channel 1295
2008-01-21 00:00:11.734 MythSocket(1394b00:-1): writeStringList: Error, 
socket went unconnected.

I've seen some references to the possibility that the channel changing 
script might be just too slow (using directv.pl), but I don't quite know 
how to speed that one up.  In fact, it seems slower than I remember.  I 
did some quick timings, and it is taking ~10 seconds for the 
change_channel script to exit.  Could this be the source of the 
problem?  Is there a way to tell mythtv to wait, say, 15 seconds, before 
giving up?  Is this a case where mythtv *is* giving up, or am I barking 
up the wrong tree?

-Rich