[mythtv-users] The "right" way for non-dev users to test 0.22 RC1?

[Bob Cunningham]

OK, top-posting again because of all-new status.

- Install OK (from rpmfusion-updates-testing on 32-bit F11)
- Configuration OK (including XMLTV load for QAM SD, and channel scan for QAM HD)
- mythfilldatabase OK
- MythMusic OK
- MythWeb OK (still need to clean up channel mapping and tweak other settings)

But I can't watch LiveTV!   My HVR-950Q still works fine with tvtime and xine.

The output from mythfrontend is:

2009-10-27 16:40:12.573 TV: Attempting to change from None to Watching WatchingLiveTV
2009-10-27 16:40:12.578 MythContext: Connecting to backend server: 127.0.0.1:6543 (try 1 of 1)
2009-10-27 16:40:12.579 Using protocol version 50
2009-10-27 16:40:12.582 Spawning LiveTV Recorder -- begin
2009-10-27 16:40:19.586 MythSocket(887ddd8:40): readStringList: Error, timed out after 7000 ms.
2009-10-27 16:40:19.587 RemoteEncoder::SendReceiveStringList(): No response.
2009-10-27 16:40:19.587 Spawning LiveTV Recorder -- end
2009-10-27 16:40:19.587 GetEntryAt(-1) failed.
2009-10-27 16:40:19.589 EntryToProgram(0 at Wed Dec 31 16:00:00 1969) failed to get pginfo
2009-10-27 16:40:19.589 TV Error: HandleStateChange(): LiveTV not successfully started
2009-10-27 16:40:19.589 We have a RingBuffer
2009-10-27 16:40:19.639 TV Error: LiveTV not successfully started

/var/log/mythtv/mythbackend.log contains no errors or warnings.

Since I'm using a HVR-950Q, and since the HD channel scan worked fine, my guess is the problem may be the slow firmware load, which takes about 8 seconds.  The driver seems to reload the firmware at every possible opportunity, independent of the hardware state, each time either the SD or HD device is opened, such as when changing from an SD channel on /dev/video0 to an HD channel on /dev/dvb/adapter0.  So this delay will happen a lot.

Any way to have the frontend be a bit more patient?  Or can I tell the driver to ease up on the firmware reloads?


-BobC


On 10/22/2009 07:59 PM, Jarod Wilson wrote:
> On 10/21/2009 08:45 PM, Bob Cunningham wrote:
>> I'm top-posting a summary of what I've done to "decrapify" my system
>> since it combines stuff from this and other threads. I've also included
>> some minor questions.
>>
>> 1. Remove all mythtv RPMs.
>> *Q*: Any there any non-myth RPMs that should also be removed?
>
> No.
>
>> 2. Drop mythconverg database.
>> *Q*: Should I delete the mythtv mysql user? Could it affect the database
>> init script?
>
> Shouldn't matter.
>
>> 3. Delete all remaining MythTV files:
>> a. In /usr, excluding "mythes*" and other files with similar names.
>> b. In /etc.
>> c. In /var, excluding /var/cache and /var/lib/yum (mainly mythweb)
>> d. Delete ~/.mythtv for each user.
>> *Q*: Should I delete the mythtv user?
>
> Shouldn't matter.
>
>> 4. Clean up nVidia binary driver installation:
>> In the past, I've switched back and forth between RPMs and nVidia's
>> package,
>> which stepped on other libraries.
>
> Yeah, don't do that. Pick one (the packages, if you ask me).
>
>> a. Delete nVidia libraries not in /usr/lib/nvidia.
>> b. Reinstall current F11 OpenGL RPMs.
>>
>> Anything else? Are there tips from other threads I've missed?
>
> I think that should about cover it.
>
>> My 0.22 RC1 Installation Plan:
>> 1. Reboot.
>> 2. Install the F11 0.22 RC1 RPMs from Atrpms.
>> *Q*: Would rpmfusion-updates-testing be better for any reason?
>
> Its better to use ATrpms if you're using ATrpms, RPM Fusion if you're
> using RPM Fusion. If you're not using either one yet, then take your
> pick. The repos have their differences, but some of the arguments for
> which is better are almost religious in nature... ATrpms is a bit more
> diverse in its offerings, packaging 0.21, 0.22 and
> 0.21+vdpau+other+patches, as well as some 3rd-party MythTV-related stuff
> that RPM Fusion doesn't have. RPM Fusion sticks a bit closer to the
> Fedora packaging guidelines, repo formats, development and review
> models, etc. Both have quality MythTV packages though, in my opinion.
>
>> 3. Configure my system per this recipe:
>> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Installing_MythTV_on_Fedora
>
> That page leaves something to be desired. Parts of it are nearly as
> outdated as the document they were transcribed from... :)
>
> At a glance:
>
> - XFS isn't really that problematic anymore. Red Hat now employs a few
> file system hackers who work on XFS, and the issues with it mentioned
> there have mostly been addressed. They're mostly only relevant on a
> 32-bit kernel, if you have software RAID, LVM and XFS all together. No
> problems to speak of on a 64-bit kernel. Case in point, Red Hat now
> offers XFS as a supported file system option on Red Hat Enterprise Linux
> 5.4 for x86_64.
>
> - almost no disks will show up as /dev/hdX anymore
>
> - Neither KDE or Gnome is strictly required, not sure why it says they are
>
> - There are no firewall settings, display setup or sound card config
> pages in firstboot anymore
>
> - Both ATrpms and RPM Fusion nvidia packages auto-configure the nvidia
> driver these days, no need to dick around with xorg.conf by hand (usually).
>
> - No need to install ivtv drivers, they've been in the linux kernel
> proper for ages now
>
> - No need to install lirc drivers, they've been patched into the Fedora
> kernels for a few years now
>
> Other than that, mostly okay info.
>
>
>> With reference to these pages:
>> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Installing_MythTV_SVN_on_Fedora
>
> Even better than some of that: use pre-built svn packages, or build svn
> packages locally, using the rpm spec file in mythtv's packaging svn
> sub-tree. I'm pretty sure I haven't done a direct install from source
> myself in at least five years. In my personal
> not-entirely-humble-in-this-case opinion, its generally a stupid idea to
> use a package-based distribution if you want to install things that
> aren't packaged when its really not that much harder to do it the Right
> Way. I can build new svn snapshot rpms in roughly 10 minutes on my
> backend box (with the aid of ccache and the fact its a pretty snappy box).
>
>> http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/Fedora_10_-_Package_Dependencies
>
> 99% of that is pure insanity. Like, all the parts about installing
> package dependencies.
>
> You get the same with this one line:
>
> # yum-builddep mythtv
>
> (At least, this works for RPM Fusion. For ATrpms, it may be '#
> yum-builddep mythtv-suite' instead. But still. One-liner.)
>
>> And, of course, referring to the docs installed by the RPMs.
>
> Always a good idea.
>
>> I will also search the MythDora wiki for hints.
>
> Could be useful, not sure. Never have had time to look at that myself.
>
>> Am I ready?
>
> You're more prepared than I was the first time I installed MythTV, so
> sure, why not.
>
>