STB Firewire (IEEE-1394) Support

[johnb003]

Hey, I'm working on a new driver for STB using firewire.

I've made a lot of progress so far, and started a thread on avsforum: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1145429

[wayner]

John - I wish you luck - it would be great if you could get this working, even though I have two HD-PVRs. Have you tried to contact Tim M. Moore to see if he would have any info to help? My cable co uses SciAtl cable boxes so I hope that your drivers will work on those as well.

[johnb003]

I tried to contact Tim, but I got no reply. I get the feeling no one has heard from Tim in a long time.

Besides Tim seems to have used an MEI driver to handle the mpeg2ts. Windows now has an AVC Stream driver that could do the same thing but has really really bad documentation. There's very limited information on how to use the driver, I've been forced to disassemble the driver over and over every time I catch a problem.

So far I've managed to use the commands to open a stream, create a connection to a local plug, and attach a read buffer to the stream.

The next step is to set the stream state to run which is what starts the listen command on the lower level 61883 driver. This is failing, and the sad thing is there is no good info about why from any of the times I've reached a failure. AVCStream is meant to simplify the streaming by encapsulating all of the nity gritty details for specific supported formats, however it still requires you to provide a lot of info that no one other than the vendor has any clue about.

Anyway, what happens is one of the many lower level driver commands that's called when you set the stream state to run barfs and returns some generic code that might have some meaning for that particular command but when it comes all the way out the high level driver (avcstrm.sys), and reports, status_canceled, or status invalid parameter, you're totally hosed left scratching your head wondering what to fix. I've been drilling really deep into the driver assembly code and I've fixed a lot of the problems so far, and my theory about this last error is one of the values I guessed for the format when I open the stream is not valid, but doesn't throw the error until the stream is started.

Anyway, I've got some things I can try and I know which low level call is failing, so if I analyze what data actually gets used by that call I can narrow it down.

I think I can figure it out, and if I get really really stuck using avcstrm.sys, I'll just do all of the interfacing with avc and 61883 manually.

If anyone is intimately familiar with the protocols used I would really like to get in touch.

`John

[johnb003]

Man I wish Timmoore was still around

I could learn a lot from a short conversation with him that would save me a lot of time.

I found some old posts from tim on this thread, and it sounds like the mei driver isn't supposed to be used anymore anyway, and that it's just copied still, and really the avcstrm is supposed to be used.

I've been able to reverse engineer most of avcstrm from the disassembly, but my target machine is windows 7 64-bit and so I can't use his driver at all there to try to see what he was doing. I could learn a lot, just by seeing what kind of data he used to initialize avcstrm.

The problem of closing streams leaving the device resources locked sounds like a problem Tim was having with the mei driver but fixed with the avcstrm. So it's puzzling to me, the avcstrm driver is causing problems for me, and I might have to try to write a lower level driver to get this to work.

[jerryb33]

Originally Posted by Opus4

I've talked to a couple poeple who are interested in more details about changing channels on the SA 4250HD via firewire, so in case there are others, I'll post what I did.

I loosely based my firewire setup on these downloadable instructions from MeInMaui. (I say loosely because I didn't remove any existing tuners before setting up the new ones & changed the order of how I did things.)

1. The first thing I did was to do a complete image backup of my system & application drives.
   OK
   
2. The ExeMultiTuner plugin was downloaded & installed in the server's <SageTV install path>\Common folder.
   OK
   
   [
3. As mentioned in my previous post: using channel.exe did not work, at first. After trying the -f -a paramters listed above my previous post, I Googled the 4250HD & found that the colon should not be part of the parameter. This works for my 4250HD:
   channel -f -a4 <Device Number> <Channel Number>
   or:
   Channel –f –a4 –n <Device ID> <Channel Number>
   
   Update: Oct 29, 2008, changed to:
   Channel –f –a6 –n <Device ID> <Channel Number>
   
   OK all three of these commands worked
   channel -f -a:4 -n <Device ID> <Channel Number>
   
   channel -f -a6 -n <Device ID> <Channel Number>
   
   channel -f -a4 <Device Number> <Channel Number>
4. 
   
   Deviating from MeInMaui's instructions, I created the EXEMultiTunerPlugin #.ir files before configuring the tuners. They should be placed in the <SageTV install path>\Common\RemoteCodes\EXEMultiTunerPlugin folder. (Note that the subfolder is named 'EXEMultiTunerPlugin', not 'EXEMultiTuner'; the PDF used the wrong folder name at the time of this post.) OK
   This might allow choosing the proper device code number during the source setup; if not, you should be able to set it in Source Details later, instead of manaully editing the properties file.
   Can't see FW tuner in Source details
   
   The registry setting for EXEMultiTunerPlugin was configured per MeInMaui's instructions, changing the file path as needed & adding the parameters needed for the 4250HD.
   OK
   
5. I already knew which tuner & STB were which, so I simply proceeded to configure the sources & enable the channels I wanted.

SageTV was able to change the channel on both of my STBs via firewire after that.

I haven't yet played with any settings to see if the channel change speed could be improved.


Finally: as many other people in this thread have said -- "thanks" to all those who have done this before & documented what needed to be done.

- Andy

This where I am stuck. Do I have to drop something into the SAGE.properties file? If yes, what is it? There are three or four mmc/encoders entries, but each looks like they are for capturing fw. All I want to do is change channel and use a HD-PVR (not purchased yet). I don't see anything for FW in the setup tuner (only my three tuners 950,1600,1800)

I have registered EXEmultituner. Renamed & edited 2.ir (removing stub device)
pointed them to the correct folder.

[Clift]

Did you tell SageTv to use exemultituner as the channel changing method asopposed to an IR blaster?

[Taddeusz]

I don't know if anyone has seen it but Andy's FWChannelProxy utility seems to be a better interface to FW channel changing than the ExeMultiTuner plugin. At least for STB's supported by Tim Moore's channel.dll. You can find it here:

FWChannelProxy

Anything should be better than running an exe by calling a dll. If I had the know-how I'd attempt to make a more modern FW changing util. But alas this cannot be.

[jerryb33]

Originally Posted by Clift

Did you tell SageTv to use exemultituner as the channel changing method asopposed to an IR blaster?

That is my problem, What are the steps to do this? In any of the setups I don't see anything referring to EXEmultituner.

Originally Posted by Taddeusz

I don't know if anyone has seen it but Andy's FWChannelProxy utility seems to be a better interface to FW channel changing than the ExeMultiTuner plugin. At least for STB's supported by Tim Moore's channel.dll. You can find it here:

FWChannelProxy

Anything should be better than running an exe by calling a dll. If I had the know-how I'd attempt to make a more modern FW changing util. But alas this cannot be.

Have it and still can't see device.

FWchannelProxy instalation steps:
6. Start the Sage Service
7. Try to change a channel (On what don't see anything new)
Nothing in the log file!!!!!!

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by jerryb33

That is my problem, What are the steps to do this? In any of the setups I don't see anything referring to EXEmultituner.



Have it and still can't see device.

FWchannelProxy instalation steps:
6. Start the Sage Service
7. Try to change a channel (On what don't see anything new)
Nothing in the log file!!!!!!

What kind of STB do you have and do you have the proper drivers installed for it?

[jerryb33]

I am assuming you ask for the FW drivers. ( latest ---ExDeus' STB firewire driver package) I can change channels through the command mode.

Notice in my SAGE log file the capture device SCI/ATL 4250 is mentioned.
If that means anything !!!

[paul56]

Is anyone using Cox AND does their IEEE work?
I am getting the run-a-round here in 'Vegas about trying to get it to work.
I have had a rep call last week and this week. He keeps asking me what I am hooking it up to.
sheeehs..


pd

[jerryb33]

Originally Posted by Taddeusz

I don't know if anyone has seen it but Andy's FWChannelProxy utility seems to be a better interface to FW channel changing than the ExeMultiTuner plugin. At least for STB's supported by Tim Moore's channel.dll. You can find it here:

FWChannelProxy

Anything should be better than running an exe by calling a dll. If I had the know-how I'd attempt to make a more modern FW changing util. But alas this cannot be.

FWChannelProxy with S/A4250HDC

Getting back to FW channel changing!

Using FWChannelProxy, I do have it installed on my 1800 s-video input.

In command line, I can change the channel via FW. In SAGE, not.

This is my a portion of my log file, but no channel change

CanMacroTune
CanMacroTune
MacroTune 726
LoadLibrary 108658688
-f 2 726
HR = 1
CanMacroTune
CanMacroTune
MacroTune 725
LoadLibrary 108658688
-f 2 725
HR = 1
CanMacroTune
CanMacroTune
MacroTune 724
LoadLibrary 108658688
-f 2 724
HR = 1
CanMacroTune
CanMacroTune
MacroTune 728
LoadLibrary 108658688
-f 2 728
HR = 1

Went to Andy's blog and he mentioned a re-write dated around 6/1/2009.
Went to D/L it and it is the one I have(1/22/2009). Has he ever got back to you (Taddeusz) with the newer one?

Just a thought is channel.dll newer than 2006?

[Taddeusz]

I just haven't had a chance to test out the new DLL.

It sucks that the FW interface is so old. But that's what happens when the programmer disappears and doesn't disclose the source code.

[jerryb33]

So it looks like a dead issue for S/A 4250hdc units.

[Taddeusz]

Before a Cox tech retardedly replaced my previous box, which was a 4250HDC, I had FW working fine on it. The one I have now is the slightly older model with DVI and no integrated CableCard.

You sure you've set it up correctly? Renamed the file to the device number that you use on the command line (i.e. FWChannelProxy2.dll if the device number is 2).

[jerryb33]

My panel device=2 and that is my file FWChannelProxy2.dll.

CanMacroTune
CanMacroTune
MacroTune 728
LoadLibrary 108658688
-f 2 728
HR = 1

This is the log (last entry) - What is missing (I think) -a command.
It looks like the command in the dll is (-f 2 728)
When I change in command = channel -f -a6 2 728, it changes.
When I try changing in (watch TV) The screen goes out of sync and I have to stop it and come back in. The channel number did change but 4250 is still on the previous channel.

On another note, my properties file shows the H. 1800 capture video mmc/encoders/ with a - sign. (mmc/encoders\-1439942206) confused.

I did erase the whole section for the -1439942206 and set it up again. It did show the Fwchannel in the tuner setup and I set it up that way.
It put it in the -*2206/3/0 section.

There is a 2206/1/0, 2206/1/14218, 2206/2/0, 2206/2/1, 2206/3/0, 2206/3/1, and a 2206/99/0 section. What are these 2206/?/? for?

[Taddeusz]

I think the updated version of FWChannelProxy allows setting the -a command.

[jerryb33]

How do I get the updated version? The version in the D/L section is the old one.

[Clift]

Jerry it sounds like you did not install the exemultitunerplugin dll file in your sageTV directory (C:\Program Files\SageTV\Common)?

edit: Okay I think I got it now. You need to go back to your source setup, channel change options. It's called Tuner Control... Change Tuning Device or something like that. when you get there, change the method to exemultitunerplugin and you should be set.

[Taddeusz]

Originally Posted by jerryb33

How do I get the updated version? The version in the D/L section is the old one.

It's the last one available in the forum posting on his site.