Adding a second Tuner Card?

[jphhughes]

Carlgar, I have installed just the 250 card set up for using the tuner on the card for basic TV although eveything seems ok when I try and select an program to view from the program guide I get the error message "there was an unknown error in playback" no picture .

[carlgar]

Do you have a hyper-threading CPU? If so, I recommend that you run with HT disabled. I have seen similar type messages, but don't recall seeing that. This may be because you are using SageTV 2.0 vs the SageTV 1.4 I am using.
Can you play the file with WMP to make sure the file is OK. If it is you should try changing your decoders from InterVideo NonCSS Video Decoder for Hauppauge to default and back again. Try playing a video after each change. I have never figured out exactly what causes those problems but they went away after I disabled HT on my CPU.

[jphhughes]

UPdate: After delecting the Sage properties file whihc had all of the previous information about two tuners etc, I have the 250 working as it should from basic cable using the capture card as the tuner.

Now I will try installing the 350 using the cable box and USB-UIRT. Any suggestions. Thanks again.

[jphhughes]

Just to let everybody know I have both cards installed and working. Having said that I still have a ways to go like installing zone control for the USB-UIRT and more importantly understanding how the two cards work when watching Tv and recording at the same time.

My thanks to eveyone for your help. I'm sure I will be back with more questions but will do my best to work things out myself.

PS: this turned out to be more complex than I ever expected. The only way I got the cards to work with Sage was to delete my properties file. When i did that I lost the STV I was using with the nice weather feature so now I have to redo all of that, but thats the way it goes.

[mls]

Guess this is a bit late for you, but for anyone else that gets in that situation...

You could have shut down SageTV, then opened the properties file in notepad and deleted all the mmc/encoder lines.

When you start SageTV it checks for all available tuners and would have added them back into the file.

Then, all you would have to do is use the Wizard to add which tuner(s) and channel guide setup again. Would not have lost any of the other "goodies" for the STV's that way.

[jphhughes]

A good bit of information to know. Another question I'm having a hard time understanding how to use the two tuners in the PC. I know its been said that Sage control this and you can somewhat control it using the merit setting.

So my specific question is if I have a scheduled recording and Its being recorded by Sage and I decide to watch live TV how do I do.

[Opus4]

Originally posted by jphhughes
Another question I'm having a hard time understanding how to use the two tuners in the PC. I know its been said that Sage control this and you can somewhat control it using the merit setting.

Most of it is transparent ot the user -- SageTv simply automatically makes use of both tuners, as it sees the need.

So my specific question is if I have a scheduled recording and Its being recorded by Sage and I decide to watch live TV how do I do.

If you have a free tuner, it will be used for live TV. If they are both in use, it will automatically stop any Intelligent Recording w/o warning & start live TV. If they are both manual/fav recordings, it will ask for each tuner whether you want to cancel the recording to watch live TV. If nothing is canceled, it will show an error message about not beng able to watch the selected show.

Just give it a try to see exactly what happens... you won't break it.

- Andy

[mls]

If it's already recording something with one tuner you can select another show to watch and it will kick in the 2nd tuner.

If it's already using both tuners to records shows and you select to watch something else... Then it will pop up a box asking if you want to cancel what it is recording and change to the channel you want to watch instead.

Sometimes (do to a small bug in Sage) it may pop up that box even when it doesn't have to. If that happens just select "Do Nothing" and it will work around it. That way you won't accidently cancel out a recording you wanted it to do.

[mls]

As another side note... If you are watching LiveTV and Sage needs to use that tuner to record something (like a Favorite or Manually selected recording) it will pop up a box a couple minutes ahead of time asking if it is ok to change the channel to the one to record from.

If you don't do anything at all when that happens, it will automaticlly assume you don't care and will change channels by itself when it needs to.

I think most of the stuff you may want/need to know is in the FAQ section. Check it out if you haven't already done so.

[jphhughes]

OK I understand what both of your are saying and I would have assumed as much perhaps no knowing all of the details you explained. However my configuration is not working that way so let me try and explain it and hopefullly cover the important details.

I have one tuner setup ( I believe the 350) through the STB using the UIRT. I have the second tuner setup for basic cable set with tuning from the card. Under this setup when I start Sage and just go to live TV under the system info screen it tell me that I am recording a show on Hauppauge WinTv PVR PCI II Caputre #2(this has the higher merit rating)
Recording nothing on Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II Capture.

I believe the #2 device is the 350, now when I change channels everything is ok. Then I go to TV guide and try to record another show, at that point i would expect it to use the second tuner and let me continue to watch the current show. Instead it just switches channels to the show I told it to record.

Do you have any suggestions on sept by step process to check if things are working as they should.

[mls]

Originally posted by jphhughes
OK I understand what both of your are saying and I would have assumed as much perhaps no knowing all of the details you explained. However my configuration is not working that way so let me try and explain it and hopefullly cover the important details.

I have one tuner setup ( I believe the 350) through the STB using the UIRT. I have the second tuner setup for basic cable set with tuning from the card. Under this setup when I start Sage and just go to live TV under the system info screen it tell me that I am recording a show on Hauppauge WinTv PVR PCI II Caputre #2(this has the higher merit rating)
Recording nothing on Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II Capture.

I believe the #2 device is the 350, now when I change channels everything is ok. Then I go to TV guide and try to record another show, at that point i would expect it to use the second tuner and let me continue to watch the current show. Instead it just switches channels to the show I told it to record.

Do you have any suggestions on sept by step process to check if things are working as they should.

I'm getting crossed up on what you are saying you are doing verses what it appears you may actually be doing. So, let's take it a few steps at a time...

First, if you go into the Guide and just select a show it could do one of several things depending how you have other options set up. And, how you do things will also depend if you are using a mouse or a remote control.

At this point, it sounds like you select a show from the Guide and it then starts playing that show as LiveTV... which is ok, if that's they way you want it to work and have it set up.

That actually is causing a recording to be made in order to allow you to step back (rewind) or pause the playback and then resume without losing anything.

If you do not tell it to stop recording what you were watching and then go over to look at the recordings section it will tell you it is still recording that so you can get back to it again.

So, I guess what the problem here is I don't know what you are trying to do as far as setting a program to be recorded (manually) verses what it will record if you just select a show to watch live.

If you're using the Hauppauge remote (or even the StreamZap for that matter)... If you want to set specific shows to be recorded (manually selected), then just move to that show in the Guide and press the Record button on the remote. That will mark it to be recorded.

Anyway, it's really easy to work with. Think your exspecting it to be doing something differently and would need to know just how you are doing things to figure out what you mean?

Give me the exact steps (keyboard, mouse, remote buttons) you are using and then we can see if it's doing what it's supposed to be doing or not?

[jphhughes]

Ok blow by blow.

Start SageTv press liveTV button on remote, sage tunes to channel 30. Go to guide see a program I want to record, I press record button this puts red border around program entry. All seems ok. This was after I saw your suggestion to delete all the encoder entries in the properties file and then add back the capture devises. I sure hope this continues to work. The reason I say that is a get intermittent image freeze. Will let you know . thanks again for the help.

PS the systems information screen confirms one capture device shows watching TV the other capture device shows recording a program.

[jphhughes]

I would like to confirm that I understand how to identify the two tuners in my system. I have attached a file which shows a screen shot of the two capture cards in my system as well as the linesin the properties file that related to these tuners. So my guess is that the card labeled 1 in the screen shot is #0 (1642691032) in the Sage properties file and then this leaves card 2 as the #1(551195575) card in the properties file. Can someone be kind enough to confirm this or set me streight if I am wrong. Thanks.

[jphhughes]

Sorry the attachment did no show up, here is the wording:

1. Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II Capture #2 TV Tuner Channel 3: Cablevision Digital = Oakland
2. Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II Capture TV tuner: Cablevision = oakland

mmc/encoders/1642691032/encoder_merit=0
mmc/encoders/1642691032/encoding_host=
mmc/encoders/1642691032/encoding_host_login_md5=
mmc/encoders/1642691032/last_cross_index=0
mmc/encoders/1642691032/last_cross_type=1
mmc/encoders/1642691032/never_stop_encoding=false
mmc/encoders/1642691032/video_capture_device_name=Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II Capture
mmc/encoders/1642691032/video_capture_device_num=0

mmc/encoders/551195575/encoder_merit=0
mmc/encoders/551195575/encoding_host=
mmc/encoders/551195575/encoding_host_login_md5=
mmc/encoders/551195575/last_cross_index=3
mmc/encoders/551195575/last_cross_type=1
mmc/encoders/551195575/never_stop_encoding=false
mmc/encoders/551195575/video_capture_device_name=Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II Capture
mmc/encoders/551195575/video_capture_device_num=1

[carlgar]

The only way I know for sure to ID the cards is to watch something live and see which tuner you are watching Sage 1 or Sage 2. While watching disconnect the signal cable until you get static.
From my experience, SageTV seems to have a lot of problems with being consistent with the tuner assignments.
I have 3 tuners in my properties file:
1642691032
551195575
551195576

Since I have 2 250's, I would expect the last two to be the 250's, but as I recall the last one listed always ended up being the 350. I just use trial and error when assigning the merit until I get what I want.
Perhaps the reason SageTV does not do a better job of IDing the cards is that it does not know for sure what cards it is using.

[jphhughes]

Sage says I am watching/recording a program on Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II Capture #2 . When I disconnect the cable form the SET to box connected to the 350 I get static. Sage also say I am not recording anything on "Hauppauge WinTV PVR PCI II Capture " so I assume its safe to say tha the 350 is connected to "capture #2". Yes?

[carlgar]

Yes. But never a good idea to assume.
Why do you think the 350 is Capture #2? I believe this may be correct because I think SageTV finds the 250 cards first, then the 350.

[jphhughes]

I think the 350 is Cpature #2 because when I remove the cable from the 350 I get static. Also because Sage tells me that the other capture device in not in use . Am I still misssing something here ?

[carlgar]

I think so but it probably is not worth being concerned.
You do know that you are recording from the 350.
I may be in error but I believe you only know that sage shows you are watching Sage 2.
I do not believe you can be sure that Sage2 is the Capture #2 device.

I just realized you are probably getting your infomation from the info screen which would provide you with the correct information.
I always just used the recording screen which just shows me Sage 1, Sage 2 and Sage 3. From what I am seeing on my screen name Sage 1 is Capture #2, Sage 2 is Capture (#1) and Sage 3 is Capture #3.

[jphhughes]

Yes I was getting the information from the system information screen.

Not to confuse the situation any further but I just have to bring up this point. I do not have any merit set in properties file. Tonight when I started Sage and pressed the remotes livetv button I checked to see on the info screen what devise it was using for livetv . It showed the non capture#2 device as the one being use. Now I though to myself "how is that possible" because if the non capture#2 device is the 250 then how could it be displaying on the TV . Only the 350 outputs to the TV. I don not have the 250 set up for TV out.