Tuning into HD channel

[Thomas Wischgol]

I am still trying to get SageTV 3.0.11 working with my AverMedia A180. It works fine for some channels (ABC and PBS) but not for others. I checked the available channels on antennaweb.org and noticed that all those channels which I can receive with AverMedia's software but not with Sage are those where the analog signal is on the same channel (for example NBC analog on channel 2, NBC digital on 2.1). Is this just a coincidence or is Sage confused and tries to receive the digital channel where the analog is and thus is not able to find the digital signal? Is there a way to force Sage to use a specific minor channel? I tried to add a channel in the channel setup but no success so far.

Thanks,
Thomas

[Kingjamez]

I'm having the same issues exactly. I don't think that the channel mapping or adding system knows what to do with digital channels yet.

-Jim

[wazkaren]

I'll second that. I'm also have a problem where one digital channel is missing. I can manually add the channel and then record/watch that added channel but I can't get any EPG data for it. The guide shows "No Data".

Greg

[Goodspike]

I'm not having the same issue, but wonder this. I don't have any analog channels set up at all. All SageTV knows I can receive are digital channels (and even then I selected only the few I actually watch).

Would doing that solve this issue?

[Mike Young]

Same here, I only added the digital, I think what we are seeing is a Sage 'Feature'
I recently was informed that Sage automatically combines network channels that are the 'same' it probably sees 4 and 4.1 as the 'same' fortunatley it does not do this with Dish Network channels and OTA HD, but it WILL do this with DISH network channels and OTA SD....so its probably removing your HD channels in favor of the SD.
Just a guess.

mike/

[Thomas Wischgol]

Thanks for your reply. I am glad to see that I am not the only one with this problem (even though that does not help). I tried removing the Hauppauge USB2 so that I only get the digital channels in my lineup. But that did not change anything. When I select a digital channel (besides ABC or PBS) all I get is a black screen. Even when I select the view button in the channel setup dialog I only get this black screen even though AverTV is able to pick up that specific channel. Since this occurs only with those channels that send the analog signal on the same one (e.g. channel 2 instead of 2.1) I thought Sage might find a signal but cannot decode because it is analog since the A180 does not have an analog tuner. Any clues?

Thanks,
Thomas

[wazkaren]

Originally Posted by Mike Young

Same here, I only added the digital, I think what we are seeing is a Sage 'Feature'
I recently was informed that Sage automatically combines network channels that are the 'same' it probably sees 4 and 4.1 as the 'same' fortunatley it does not do this with Dish Network channels and OTA HD, but it WILL do this with DISH network channels and OTA SD....so its probably removing your HD channels in favor of the SD.
Just a guess.

mike/

I had thought of that but I only have the problem with one channel. I have two other digital channels that also have a corresponding analog channel but I have no problem with those.

Greg

[Mike Young]

so, you are actually seeing the Digital channels in your guide, but tuning to them produces black screen....and getting no guide info....could be area specific, in my case I selected local broadcast channels for the A180 and enabled only the Digital stations (the SD channels will show up in the lineup too but you dont want to select them) so for instance ...my NBC is listed as channel 44 I think, even though it is 4.1 and the SD channel is 4. on the Sage Guide the SD channel is 4 and the Digital channel is 44.
same for ABC, its 32 or something in Sage, the but really 7.1

[Fluffdaddy]

I'm having Same problem some of you guys seem to have

[Thomas Wischgol]

Originally Posted by Mike Young

so, you are actually seeing the Digital channels in your guide, but tuning to them produces black screen....and getting no guide info....could be area specific, in my case I selected local broadcast channels for the A180 and enabled only the Digital stations (the SD channels will show up in the lineup too but you dont want to select them) so for instance ...my NBC is listed as channel 44 I think, even though it is 4.1 and the SD channel is 4. on the Sage Guide the SD channel is 4 and the Digital channel is 44.
same for ABC, its 32 or something in Sage, the but really 7.1

Ah, that clarifies a few things; thanks a lot! So Sage shows the analog channels as well in its listing during channel setup and it uses the frequency assignment for the channels. So, ABC, FOX and PBS were the only "real" digital channels in the lineup I saw during channel setup. I was able to add the missing ones. For some of them I get "No Data" in the EPG but I think this issue is discussed in another thread. However, when I try to tune into NBC I get a sage.PlaybackException ERROR (-3, 0x80040271) (There was a problem accessing the file system). It actually recorded the show (I was able to view it using Windows Media Player) but Sage for some reason cannot play it. Any ideas as to why that is?

Edit: It seems that a couple of reboots have solved the problem with the access to the filesystem. Maybe there were some issues with the file handles.

Thanks,
Thomas

[jkoutrouba]

Originally Posted by Mike Young

the SD channels will show up in the lineup too but you dont want to select them

I just disabled all of the analog channels in the screen where you can turn them on and off manually. That way, I only have the digital channels available. I still have problems with my local PBS station, though I don't know if it's the station (their digital broadcast has been unreliable in the past) or my system. Usually it comes up black when I try to tune it in, but sometimes it works. I haven't been able to figure out a pattern yet.


-JK

[Fluffdaddy]

Originally Posted by jkoutrouba

I just disabled all of the analog channels in the screen where you can turn them on and off manually. That way, I only have the digital channels available. I still have problems with my local PBS station, though I don't know if it's the station (their digital broadcast has been unreliable in the past) or my system. Usually it comes up black when I try to tune it in, but sometimes it works. I haven't been able to figure out a pattern yet.


-JK

Same here. Some times PBS will not come in with my A180 card, but will with my Dishnet 6000 ird. Same Roof antenna with splitter....... Hummm

[Thomas Wischgol]

While watching Jay Leno today I noticed that Sage is using the SD digital channel of NBC. In my area they broadcast NBC HD on 2.1 and NBC SD on 2.2. Both of them are digital but - of course - I would prefer to receive the HD version. Is there a way to force Sage into using a certain minor channel? I would think it must be doable somehow since all the PBS subchannels show up in my lineup.

Thanks,
Thomas

[Mike Young]

When you download the lineup for your area, cant you simply inactivate the SD channel ? - Look for the Call letters and forget the channels...its should be something like WNBCHDT or something - as opposed to WNBCDT

mike/


mike/

[Thomas Wischgol]

Originally Posted by Mike Young

When you download the lineup for your area, cant you simply inactivate the SD channel ? - Look for the Call letters and forget the channels...its should be something like WNBCHDT or something - as opposed to WNBCDT

mike/


mike/

Well, this is a channel that was not in the original lineup and I added it later. So I had to give it a channel somehow. So I am wondering what to put in as the channel number to definitely get the first and not the second minor channel.

Thanks,
Thomas

[paulbeers]

I am having two problems. My PBS/NBC/FOX are fine. No problems whatsoever. Now my CBS station won't come in. It works great in the Dvico software (I have Fusion5 lite) and the Signal Checker software that came with my Fusion5 Lite shows that I am getting 100% signal (I am only about 5 miles from the towers and basically wide open fields between me and the tower) from the CBS station, so I know I am tuned it. It just shows a Black screen when I try to watch anything. I assume this has to do with Sage not quite tuning the station correctly. I have recorded stuff from CBS with the Fusion5 lite software and played it in Sage and no problems so it isn't my Codecs or anything like that. Any ideas how I can manually adjust the tuning? Secondly, I have the same problem a few others have with a "missing" channel. ABC is not listed at all in the EPG. Now I have added it, but of course since Sage didn't automatically add it for me, it isn't pulling the info from Zap2it, so all I get is No Data instead of shows listed. Is there anyway to Trick Sage to use my SD ABC television line up for my HD channell? I believe ABC was one of the last channels to add HDTV here, so I have a feeling that Sage isn't updated since it went live with HDTV. I am in Des Moines, Iowa in case anyone else is from here and having the same problems (although I doubt there are many people here from Des Moines!).

Thanks a head of time for your thoughts!

P.S. I am testing HDTV on my desktop pc, not my sage box, because in no way could a 766 celery be able to support HDTV content!

[mkanet]

paulbeers, I think you're having the same problem I'm been having. It works great in the DVICO app, but just a black screen with no audio in SageTV. If your problem is the same as mine, it's not codecs or signal, nor zap2it. It's the way SageTV handles audio/video PID's in the ATSC broadcast stream. This issue will be addressed in the upcoming SageTV beta.

[Kingjamez]

Paul,
It sounds like Sage is tuning to the "SD" channel and not the "HD" channel. I have the same issue where Sage thinks the SD channel is .1 and the HD channel is .2. In my experience remapping subchannels that are the same base channel doesn't work yet.

-Jim

[paulbeers]

Like I said there are actually two problems. 1: is the black screen which it sounds like is being worked out. That will fix my CBS problem. My second problem is with the local ABC channell. My ABC problem is that Sage did not automatically add it when I stated I was in the Des Moines/Ames area. I was able to manually add the channel but that means the EPG does not download the tv guide from Zap2it and therefore I can't program television shows. A solution to this problem, like I mentioned in my earlier post, would be to somehow tie the SD show lineup to my HD content since MOST of the time they are the same (at least it would be close enough for my usage).

P.S. My SD CBS channel comes in as channel 8 and HD is 31.

[InsertHere]

On the black screen issue, has anyone figured out a solution? I had an A180 working great in a SagePC as the only tuner, but when I added it to my Sage PC (clean install) with a PVR500 and PVR250MCE, I started getting the black screen problem. As with the other threads I've read, the A180 works fine with HD apps outside of Sage on the same PC, but Sage gives no love.

Is it pretty much agreed that we're waiting for the next Beta on this?