How to, Technotrend S3200 or Hauppauge Nova-HD S2?

[ElGato]

OK, I have been lurking for a while and I just can not seem to find a definative answer to the following question;

How do I set up, (either the S3200 or Nova-HD S2), in SageTV?

I can get either recognised without issue, but neither will scan for channels depsite what I do. I have just invested in a STX-HD100, primarily for viewing my media library, including the mkv content, but having Sat TV as well would be the icing on the cake.

[jaminben]

I use a Nova-HD S2 and have no problems scanning for channels. What happens when you try and scan?

I would remove the other card, run hcwclear from the Nova-HD S2 install cd and reinstall the drivers. Then run Sage tuner setup again.

Have you tried other software to see if the cards are actually working?

[ElGato]

Thanks for taking the time to reply jaminben;

I should have been clearer, I have only one card in at the moment, the Nova-HD S2, I did run hwclear before installation.

Both cards work brilliantly in DVBViewer no issues, even with the HD channels.

When I scan, regardless of which card, it appears to start OK, but then will finish after approx 5 seconds, with a No Signal sign in the top right where the channels are shown with a -1 underneath briefly, and then returns to the channel setup screen with nothing added.

I should have added this to original post, but I an also using the latest TSSplitter.ax file.

[ElGato]

Update: Now when I try to scan for channels I get a sage:PlaybackException error.

Now I am treating this as 'not a bad sign', as now I am unable to playback HD material. I have been able to in the past. So I am assuming that the scan is maybe finding a HD source causing it to error? Clutching at straws I know but at the moment it's all I got.

[doc]

To watch HD material from the nova-hd-s2, I had to install cyberlink powercinema that came with the card.

I also had to go to setup-detailed setup-advanced and turn 3d acceleration to disabled.

The rest is a bit of a blur, but I can't check until tomorrow.

[ElGato]

I can view HD material with the Nova in DVBViewer, in fact I set up the ITV HD channel earlier today and it was playing very well, until I installed CoreAVC out of desperation. It still plays but the video is very slow at updating, like it is with BBC HD.

To be honest ITV HD plays as I would have expected, just like BBC HD, but when I first set it up I was gobsmacked at how smooth it was.

My machine is a P4 Pentium D 2.53Ghz, so I didn't expect anything special, but having seen it play smooth it's frustrsting to now have it not so smooth.

I have PowerDVD 8 installed but getting desperate enough now to try anything once. I will give PowerCinema a go.

Thanks for all the suggestions, it's so close yet so far. Would be interested to know from those who have a working HD S2 set up, (barring FireDTV), what their set up is, with regards to software and decoders installed/used.

[jaminben]

Originally Posted by ElGato

Would be interested to know from those who have a working HD S2 set up, what their set up is, with regards to software and decoders installed/used.

I personally use the least amout of codecs as I can get away with

mpeg2 - Nvidia Purevideo
Dvix - DivX
h264/mkv - CoreAvc

Haali media splitter
AC3

those are the only ones I've ever needed for the file types I have.

BBC HD and ITV HD (in around about way) worked fine with Coreavc. All other channels worked great with Nvidia Purevideo.
But its a personal choice and my layout may not work for you, so basically its trial and error.

If I were you I'd uninstall everything inclucding codecs, Sage and all left over folders after uninstalling to try and get back to a clean a slate as possible. However your not me and someone else might have a better idea.

[ElGato]

OK, not entirely sure of the implications as SageTV is very new to me, but from the start of this thread I had only installed the SageTV server for WHS v6.4.3, and was running the Sage.exe from that, assuming it was some kind of client. I now think I was wrong.

Since installing the 'real' SageTV client I can now once again play all my media, including mkv's as before. On a previous install I had also installed the SageTV client.

How ever the nirvana of satellite TV still eludes me for the moment, any other comments or sugestions greatly welcomed.

[John@TunerUK]

I can't tell you what's wrong with your setup, but if I tell you what did and didn't work through my various stages, it might help you eliminate some problems.

I have the Technotrend S2-3200. After installing the drivers that came with it, Sage recognised it straight away and would find over 600 channels, including BBC HD (Althoug I couldn't view it before I installed the CoreAVC Pro decoder).
I then inserted the Common Interface, the CAM, and the sky decryption card, and with that my 'Paid for' channels worked straight away. Previously they would show no signal.

At this point BBC HD would show a sageplayback exception error. I trialed the CoreAVC Pro decoder, which then gave me smooth playback of BBC HD without any more input from me. I then purchased the full version and have been using that ever since.

I can't actually see ITV HD at the moment, but it's been a month or so since I've scanned for channles, so perhaps I need to rescan.

I have had a few signal problems when using service mode, but not when using the standard mode. Perhaps try both to be sure.

My main viewing in the living room is done using the actual server running SageTV, not Sage Client. I only use Sage Client in the bedrooms.

[ElGato]

Originally Posted by John@TunerUK

I can't tell you what's wrong with your setup, but if I tell you what did and didn't work through my various stages, it might help you eliminate some problems.

I have the Technotrend S2-3200. After installing the drivers that came with it, Sage recognised it straight away and would find over 600 channels.

Well that's the frustrating aspect of it, for some, 'it just works', but for others, like myself it doesn't. There appears to be no conclusive method for making it work. I bought the Nova-HD S2 as I figured being hauppauge it would somehow be 'more compatible'. I may put back the S2-3200 and try again with that.

Thanks for the info.

[ElGato]

OK if someone stumbles across this via a search, it would appear that v6.3.10 works OK, neither of the betas I had tried would scan, thats v.6.4.2 or v6.4.3.

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by ElGato

OK if someone stumbles across this via a search, it would appear that v6.3.10 works OK, neither of the betas I had tried would scan, thats v.6.4.2 or v6.4.3.

Then be sure to submit a bug report.

- Andy

[ElGato]

Originally Posted by Opus4

Then be sure to submit a bug report.

- Andy

I'm back on 6.3.10 right now but would be happy to reload one of the betas and submit a report.

As indicates at the start of this thred, very new to Sage, so and guidance as to what would be required from the report and how to generate it, would be greatly appreciated.

No worries, just found the beta Forum and bug report form. Should have one submitted soon.

[ElGato]

OK< obviously didn't have to load the beta again, just described my issue, how ever if you want/need me to try anything with v6.4.3 loaded, let me know.

I'm still in the 'messing around' stages at the moment, so don't mind screwing it up once in a while.

[doc]

Originally Posted by ElGato

I'm back on 6.3.10 right now but would be happy to reload one of the betas and submit a report.

I filed a bug report this morning as I still couldn't scan on 6.4.4

After some playing around though, I did a clean install of 6.3.10 and it scanned the channels ok. I then upgraded to 6.4.4 and it scanned ok.

If I did a clean install on 6.4.4, then the scan would just stop on the scan screen where it says

Channels found:0
Testing channel 0

I then copied back the sage.properties file from the upgraded version, and it scanned, so it must be something missing in the properties file, I think.

I've had to give up playing now though as Doctor Who's only an hour away!

[pukka]

hi all,

i have a Hauppauge Nova-HD S2 and i have a problem with BBC HD which is the video is in a 4:3 format and not 16:9 but it looks like it chopping the right hand 1/3 off if that makes sense

i have the nvidia codec and the coreavc sagetv 6.3.10 installed on WHS. has anyone come across this?


Thanks

Paul

[ElGato]

Originally Posted by doc

If I did a clean install on 6.4.4, then the scan would just stop on the scan screen where it says

Channels found:0
Testing channel 0

I also tried 6.4.4, same result.

Originally Posted by doc

I then copied back the sage.properties file from the upgraded version, and it scanned, so it must be something missing in the properties file, I think.

I've had to give up playing now though as Doctor Who's only an hour away!

That's interesting, might play around with that. So I load 6.3.10, get a good scan, wipe it, saving the sage.properties file, and then clean install 6.4.4, finally copying back the sage.properties file, (after making a copy of the 6.4.4 version of course for comparison).

What about the .lnb and .frq files?

[ElGato]

Originally Posted by ElGato

That's interesting, might play around with that. So I load 6.3.10, get a good scan, wipe it, saving the sage.properties file, and then clean install 6.4.4, finally copying back the sage.properties file, (after making a copy of the 6.4.4 version of course for comparison).

OK, so that works, (of course remembering to delete the Sage.properties.autobackup helps, :P). I guess this mean upgrades from valid installs should be OK, it's the new install that is somehow screwed.

I did notice that the Sage.properties file from v6.4.4 is about half the size of the one from v6.3.10.