Tell Me Why Install Is Such A Pain? Same Slow Scan Issue!

[Crunch]

Here is my same complaint again.

Go to do a new install of 6.5.5 with two HDHR running 20081222
Server is Vista Ultimate. I have turned off Firewall, Malware Protection, no virus software, UAC is off the only thing running in the Vista security center is windows update and I turned that off.

So install HDHR and all channels are there just as before. I can view channels Ok with VLC.
Digital cable file is in Program Data/silicondust/hdhomerun folder.

Install Sagetv and of course we go to install tuners and we get the 'slow scan'.
Start stop several times, have tried with HDHR setup open and closed during Sagetv setup.... no luck just slow scan and nothing. No warning error message, just nothing. How about a warning that SageTv cannnot find the HDHR 'digital channel' file or something. I would hate to be a new user and run into this it would turn me off the product.

I revert backto older Sagetv install and all is fine.

Day before Christmass and I am ...................

Crunch

[paulbeers]

It sounds like Sage is not finding the scn files that the HDHomerun setup program creates. If Sage does find the scn files then it just does the "fast scan"...otherwise it defaults to the slow (which doesn't work). I use XP, but doesn't Vista put the scn files in the wrong place and so you have to manually move them in order for Sage to find them? Like I said I could be wrong since I use XP for my server and this isn't a problem.

[Crunch]

Originally Posted by paulbeers

doesn't Vista put the scn files in the wrong place and so you have to manually move them in order for Sage to find them? Like I said I could be wrong since I use XP for my server and this isn't a problem.

See this is my point.. SageTv should have this sorted by now it should not be up to me to try and find where to put the file. You are right I think before it was in a different location then Program Data/silicondust/hdhomerun folder but I can't remember where. Did a search but not yet found the post on it. Currently HDHR setup updates the file in the above location each time. So why won't Sagetv find it there??

"It was the night before christmas and all through the land, crunch's head was about to expand.....

[rfutscher]

I believe the instructions tell you to install Sage first.
Run Sage so that it makes all the directories.
Quit Sage.
Install HDHR and scan the tuners.
The HDHR program will make a .scn files in the Sage directory. There will be a .scn file for each tuner but they will all be the same.
Then rerun Sage and add in the HDHR tuners.

[Crunch]

rfutscher,
Have basically followed these instructions...

Step 1: Download and install the latest HDHomeRun release:

Step 2: Download and install the latest SageTV beta:

Run SageTV. Go into Setup, Detailed Setup, Advanced, Check for STV Update. Install any updates found.

Step 3: SageTV must be run at least once after installing a new version so it can update the configuration files. If SageTV has not been run since installing the new version, run SageTV and then quit.

Step 4: Run HDHomeRun Setup.
- Verify that the signal source is set correctly and that the application is set to SageTV.
- Go into the channel editor on the lineup tab and run a new channel scan.
- Verify each channel plays video. Disable any channels that do not work.
- Verify each channel name is correct.
- Enter the zap2it guide number for each channel.
- Apply to save the channel lineup.
- Apply to save and exit.

Step 5: Run SageTV.
- Go into Setup, Setup Video Sources, Channel Setup, and select the first HDHomeRun tuner.
- Set the "Antenna/Cable" setting appropriately.
- Go into the Channel Setup and run a channel scan.
- Repeat for additional HDHomeRun tuners.

My beef is why doesn't the installer from either SageTv or Silicondust ensure this is done correctly. Surely it could check the folders are where they need to be an report an error if not. Seems like things 'run' themselves wether the file is present or not and have never been set to report an error if folders etc are missing. If I select Sagetv in HDHR setup, then surley it knows what folder it is going to put the scn file in and should report back if it can't do it.
Crunch

[Crunch]

Still Stuck
Jafa @ Silicondust says

The HDHomeRun Setup scan results are stored in the Digital Cable.xml file.

If HDHomeRun Setup detects SageTV it will generate SCN files for SageTV. These will be in the Virtual Store directory if running under Vista.

If you have previously run a channel scan in HDHomeRun Setup, then the SCN files will be automatically generated by clicking Apply in HDHomeRun Setup.

The FRQ files are generated by SageTV when you run a channel scan in SageTV. The channel scan should be very fast as it will import the SCN file.

I have 4 of .scn files created about the time I did the setup.
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\SageTV\SageTV\Silicondust HDHomeRun Tuner 1013E5CC-0-0-QAM.scn

So why won't sage use it for a fast scan??
Is \SageTV\SageTV\ (twice) correct? not my doing that is the path it created and there is other files in there.

Crunch

[Cooper]

This folder path looks to be the UAC path. I went through all this not just sage but other applications as well. Problem was when they were installed UAC was turned on and after turning off I ran into all the issues.

[Opus4]

Just copy the .scn files to the SageTV directory where sagetv.exe is located. SageTV won't see the scan files in the VirtualStore if UAC is turned off or if service mode is in use.

- Andy

[Crunch]

Thanks Andy,
The short story was this morning I am back on WinXP.
But even that had its issue. The install went fine with a fast scan on the first tuner. I added the 3 other HDHR tuners and when I went to use Sage it worked, then didn't. Checking the SageTV directory I saw 4 scn files and only 1 frq file. So I removed tuners and added them the same as before using the 'same lineup'. I kept the Sage folder open and checked the frq file was added for each tuner this time as I added them. When I had 4 frq files all was fine. But someone new at this or not expecting this to happen would be wondering what went wrong.

Re Vista.
I had read the post
Where to find Sage properties files in Vista FAQ and had a post at Silicondust from Nick 'We do not recommend disabling UAC' Playing with UAC sure can make things difficult , I can see that. But again to me it seems impossible to get this to install 'out of the box'.
So was completely grounded when this doesn't work. I mean, I have a clean install of Vista with all updates and setup as it installed from Micro$oft. This is a retail version on the MB and bits you see in my sig. All I am doing is installing 2 HDHR units and SageTV and for whatever reason it will not install by following the directions. There always seems to be one part that fails somehow.

Challenge!!
So I am thinking I might set up my vista hard drive and offer a challenge for you Jeff or Nick. $50 to the charity of your choosing if you can do a first time flawless Vista install via 'Windows Remote Assist'.

Kevin

[LaoChe]

I am having the same trouble. I have been trying for days with 6.5.5 and the HDHR SW 20081222. Every channel in Sage seems to be "no signal" but in HDHR setup/VLC I can see them fine. As an example

1) CH78-8 is ALN. I can verify that it is ALN by viewing it in VLC.
2) I set the guide name/number to ALN/111 (which is the local guide info - Beld Braintree, MA - 02184) and check "enabled"
3) The .scn file ends up with
"CH:55 major:1008 minor:111 prog:8 phy:78 frq:547250000 mod:0 #:ALN"
The only other reference to "111" is
"CH:111 major:0 minor:0 prog:6 phy:75 frq:529250000 mod:0 #:NECN"
I can also verify that this is really NECN by viewing it in VLC

At first I didn't have the .scn files in the right directory but I fixed that (I know it is working because the scan is now very fast). But Sage has 2 channel 111s:

111 - NECN New England Cable News and
111- ALN - [78-1008-111] AmericanLife TV Network

Neither has a signal.

It seems to be using the CH:111 to find the channels but that isn't something I can change. Am I totally missing something?

Thanks a lot.

BTW this is a new Vista install. UAC is still active. (Vista Ultimate, 4GB RAM, Intel dual core 3.0GHz, ATI 9600).

[Wheemer]

I have had so much difficulty in setting up my hdhr that I gave up on it.

It seems that we the users are expected to become the development team. And even after submitting bug reports they still only only half fix things.

I don't think Sage nor Silicon Dust really care enough to fix all of the issues.

[paulbeers]

While I can't speak for setting up the HDHomerun on a vista PC, just last week I moved my HDHomerun to a new Sage Server and set up all the channels within about 10 minutes. The only real annoyance is that you have to make sure that the channel name matches Zap2it and that you put the Zap2it channel number (in my case my locals are all 800+) in the channel setup screen. Then when Sage scans the scn files, you have to manually change the logical channel if you want it to match up with their OTA channels.

[gplasky]

I just moved my HDHR to a new WHS server. And it took me zero minutes. I had just copied the Sage directory and the Digital Cable.xml over from the original machine after reinstalling all the software. Worked first time without an issue.

Gerry