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Air2pc channel setup
http://forum.linhes.org/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3357		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  aovermy [ Thu Jan 27, 2005 6:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Air2pc channel setup
So, I got my replacement air2pc card and it's working a lot better. I'm able to modprobe skystar2 without crashing anything and I'm able to do azap on my channels.

So how do I add channels to mythtv? I tried the usual, setup a labs.zap2it.com account and pick digital broadcast channels only, then assign that source to my air2pc card.

Here's the results of a failed manual recording:

2005-01-27 17:54:14.786 Started recording "9_1 WGNDT" on channel: 3009 on cardid
: 3, sourceid 3
2005-01-27 17:54:14.792 scheduler: Last message repeated 2 times
2005-01-27 17:54:14.800 DVB#0 ERROR - Could not find dvb tuning parameters for t
ransport 0
2005-01-27 17:54:14.815 DVB#0 ERROR - Failed to get channel options for channel
9_1.
2005-01-27 17:54:14.812 scheduler: Schedule Change
2005-01-27 17:54:14.842 Changing from None to RecordingOnly
2005-01-27 17:54:14.858 DVB#0 Recorder: Card opened successfully.
2005-01-27 17:54:14.884 DVB#0 ERROR - No PIDS set, please correct your channel s
etup.
2005-01-27 17:54:15.888 DVB#0 WARNING - No data from card in 1 second.
2005-01-27 17:54:16.893 DVB#0 WARNING - No data from card in 1 second.
2005-01-27 17:54:17.896 DVB#0 WARNING - No data from card in 1 second.
2005-01-27 17:54:18.900 DVB#0 WARNING - No data from card in 1 second.

Obviously I've done something wrong in setup. Any one else seen this or setup this card?

Thanks.
Author:  Liv2Cod [ Thu Jan 27, 2005 8:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
You have to go back and edit your channel IDs. I recommend using mythweb, since it's the easiest interface.

In my case, the local PBS station (KQED) operates on 9.1, 9.2, 9.3, 9.4, and 9.5. I used the utilities that come with the pcHDTV card to sniff the streams being transmitted and discovered that the channels are all broadcast on UHF channel 30, and have program ids of 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. So in the "freqid" column of the mythweb interface, I put in 30-3, 30-4, etc. for the channels.

The next version of MythTV will be smarter about relating pids to channel numbers, but for now it has to be done manually.
Author:  aovermy [ Fri Jan 28, 2005 12:00 am ]
Post subject: 
found it. This is a DVB-ish card, so DVB-ish means must be used. So I added my transports from antennaweb.org and then did a scan for channels within them according to this page:
http://www.digitalregime.com/mythdvb/setup/ and, after I went back into my transports and ensured they were all setup as ATSC and not DVB, it all worked.

I have been able to record 3 minute increments of digital TV!!!
Author:  Liv2Cod [ Fri Jan 28, 2005 1:14 am ]
Post subject: 
When you get some experience with your Air2Pc card give us a report! There's a few of us with pcHDTV cards but I haven't seen any user experience reports with the new DVB card.
Author:  aovermy [ Fri Jan 28, 2005 3:32 am ]
Post subject: 
I'll do that. Now that I have HD signals except for WBBM-DT (low VHF channel, not going to receive it without significantly upgrading my antenna, and even then possibly not given that I'm 10 miles from downtown and can see the Sears Tower on clear days) I need to set up my frontend. I know that with HD, a beefier front end than normal will be required.

Plus I'll need a HDTV :? Yes, I don't have one yet. I've been researching to determine which will work "best" for me. At least I should be able to pick my video card and TV such that they will play nice together.

Amy
Author:  Liv2Cod [ Fri Jan 28, 2005 11:36 am ]
Post subject: 
You will find that digital signals carry much better than analog. I'm 40-50 miles away from my source (Sutro tower in S.F.), and my antenna is in my attic instead of outdoors! Digital sources come booming in, while analog ones are not just unwatchable -- they are totally missing. "Nothing but snow" for analog but digital is perfect.
Author:  aovermy [ Fri Jan 28, 2005 6:16 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yes, that's my experience with UHF digital signals. They're perfect. Although living where I do my analog UHF come in nice too. It's the low VHF digital station that's deranging me at the moment. There are rumours that WBBM (the CBS affiliate here who currently has real channel 3 as channel 2-1) is going to get a UHF channel. I sure hope so. It is the most grumbled about channel on avsforums too. It's not signal strength either, I get pretty good signal strength, I just get real low signal to noise. And VHF is much more susceptible (especially low VHF) of environmental noise than UHF.

Right now, my aerial (Stealthtenna from ChannelMaster) is in my bedroom on the 2nd floor. I plan to move it to the attic eventually (the attic is just a wall away from my bedroom as it is a converted attic anyway, but it is uninsulated so that might help, though I doubt it.

Amy
Author:  Liv2Cod [ Fri Jan 28, 2005 11:32 pm ]
Post subject: 
I was amazed at the difference between having an antenna in my house vs. in the attic. At first I couldn't understand why the attic was so superior. Then I realized -- my house has a stucco exterior. The stucco is put on a layer of chicken wire... in other words my house is a big Faraday cage designed to screen out RF!

The roof has no chicken wire and is much more transparent to RF. My reception could be improved by putting my antenna on the roof with a mast, I'm sure, but I'm not eager to suffer the stares of my neighbors who think we have a "no antenna" policy in our neighborhood. (Anyone who has studied the FCC regulation knows such restrictions are invalid, in spite of the CC&R's.) I just don't want to be the person who "made the neighborhood go downhill."
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