Is my PVR-150 dying?

[gilded07]

sageTV 6.3.5
SageMC 6.3.7
Win XP Home SP2
Directv via serial tuning

I just ordered Cox Expanded Cable (analog) and I plan to add a PVR-500 as well. I want to run directv and cox parallel before I cancel directv (10 yr veteran). I used to use this PVR-150 w/ BTV & Cox analog for several years with no problems. However, today when I plugged in the cox cable feed and removed the composite video and audio cables that connect to the directv stb, the PVR-150 card doesn't tune any channels (the guide works fine but I get snow or the wrong channel) and only picks up 25 or 30 of the ~99 channels. I have the cox cable feed split and going into a TV right beside the server and the TV can pick up all the cox channels and tune them fine - it works perfect. I plugged the directv source back in and told Sage to revert back to serial tuning & directv and everything was fine when using directv.

I used HCWclear to get rid of the hauppauge drivers and downloaded and installed the latest hauppauge drivers (I did this twice). The driver version and date that I had BEFORE I reinstalled them and AFTER I reinstalled them is version 2.0.48.24227 dated 8/15/06. So the drivers don't seem to be the problem as the driver version / date didn't change.

Is it possible that the tuner on the card has gone bad? How do I test the tuner?

Thanx.

[gilded07]

UPDATE

I tried older hauppauge PVR-150 drivers: 2.0.18.22280 dated 10/6/04.

Still have the same problem...most channels won't come in, when tuning the channel that comes in doesn't match the guide (the guide is correct), and the image quality is very grainy and poor. I guess I'll have to shell out a $100 to buy a PVR-500 to do my side-by-side comparison of Directv vs Expanded Cox Cable.

Before I buy the PVR-500 does anyone have any ideas to get the tuner on the card to work?

Thanx.

[Conejo]

Try installing the WinTV software and see what tuning results you get using that to channel surf.

Also, make sure you select CABLE so that you don't end up trying to tune the 14-83 UHF range.

And unless you know that COX is going to continue to provide you with ANALOG SERVICE for the near future, you may not want to invest in an analog tuner. I believe most cable systems will be transitioning people to digital-signal cable boxes so it will be a similar setup to what you have with DirecTV.

[othy]

Originally Posted by Conejo

And unless you know that COX is going to continue to provide you with ANALOG SERVICE for the near future, you may not want to invest in an analog tuner. I believe most cable systems will be transitioning people to digital-signal cable boxes so it will be a similar setup to what you have with DirecTV.

Good point. I actually just had to look into this for my father-in-law. Cox (in Phoenix, at least) has committed to providing analog for three years beyond the OTA transition. Information is available on their web site. Of course, ymmv depending on your location at provider!

Tim

[matt91]

Originally Posted by othy

Cox (in Phoenix, at least) has committed to providing analog for three years beyond the OTA transition. Information is available on their web site. Of course, ymmv depending on your location at provider!

Tim

Just ensure that the commitment applies to the full "extended basic" set of analog channels (i.e., 2-99). I believe that the FCC is requiring the locals be carried in analog though 2012, so just check that they aren't referring to this.

Matt

[Ryand833]

I realize this might be a dumb question, but did you re-setup the tuner in Sage to use the TV-tuner on the card and not the composite inputs?

[gilded07]

Installing the Hauppauge WinTV software was a great idea...I knew the driver download also included viewing software but it didn't occur to me to use it to test the tuner.

The Hauppuage WinTV software received and tuned all the Cox channels, eliminating the possibility that the tuner was bad.

I went back into Sage re-added the video source, selected cox expanded, etc. and it still wouldn't work. Just because I was out of ideas I did it again and selected composite input as if I were connecting to the directv stb. There was no composite cable connected to the card, only coax. After 30 seconds or so of searching Sage couldn't find anything with a composite input. I then reselected the cable tuner option and it worked! I can't explain why what I did worked but it did. Maybe letting the tuner card see that there was no longer a composite input 'cleared' it . Using placeshifter on a PC, the picture isn't as good as the digital feed from the directv stb but I don't notice a difference when using an MVP and my lower resolution CRT tv.

The one thing I can't figure out now is my comskip doesn't work right. It misses commercials and has short coms marked where there isn't a commercial. It worked great w/ the Directv feed. Since I don't think its related to my original tuner question, I'll post it in a new thread.

And I have read the cox webpage that discusses their intent (as of now, anyway) to continue offering the analog package for three years past the 2/2009 FCC-mandated change. If I get 3 yrs out of a new (or used) analog tuner, I'll consider that a good investment. The technician said based on the fact that cox has more analog customers than digital, he thinks they'll continue to honor the 3 yr commitment. The one thing that could change is if more of those analog customers convert to digital, then they may change their mind. He said something else interesting. He said that although I only subscribe to the 'analog' package, all of the programming is delivered digitally. He said cox has fiber under ground right up to the demarcation point in my front yard. I suppose that's supported by the fact that I could use a clearQAM tuner to get unencrypted HD signals through my 'analog' cable package.

Thanx again.