This thread is a fork of

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1025170

to focus on the Kworld ATSC 115 tuner card on Myth.

I installed Mythbuntu 8.04 from scratch on the same hardware posted at the top of that thread,

BioStar NF4 Ultra-A9A mobo (already had socket 939 x2 3800 cpu)
AMD X2 3800
Nvidia 7300GS PCIe 256MB
1 GB Crucial PC3200 DDR
Maxtor 120GB OS drive
Maxtor 200GB data drive for recordings
Pioneer DVD-RW
HP DVD-RW
Packard Bell Fast Media Remote with serial port receiver- works fine

downloaded the firmware script per

http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/AVerTV_HD_A180

from

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MythTV_Hardware_DVB?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=get_dvb_firmware

then used the commands

chmod +x get_dvb_firmware
./get_dvb_firmware nxt2004

to download the firmware. You need to install unzip from Synaptic or apt-get first in Mythbuntu 8.04.

I copied the *.fw file to /lib/firmware/$kernel_version

Then I ran MythTV Backend setup as usual, and the Kworld was detected fine for both analog and DVB (ATSC), using the stock MythBuntu 8.04 load- no v4l-dvb update necessary, it appears.

The channel scan ran fine, picking up most of my locals, except 2 of them came up with the error "no tables" (where "no signal" would be reported) even though they locked.

I set up the storage directories in a valid, user enabled path, and all the other settings.

I exited, ran mythfilldatabase, which appeared to complete fine, then ran the frontend.

Watch TV produces a blank screen then goes back to the front end menu, just like the Pinnacle 800i did. I don't think ths issue is related to the card type- some bug or config issue with MythBuntu 8.04...

Please post your /var/log/mythtv/mythbackend.log

Please post your /var/log/mythtv/mythbackend.log

Well, the Watch TV blank screen issue was simple- just needed to set the permissions on the recording (Default, LiveTv, etc) directories to Read/Write from Read Only- rookie mistake, or is that mythstake ;)

Just write clicked on my /home/$user/dvr folder I had created in the Thunar GUI file manager ("Explorer" file manager in XP for Win refugees) and changed the Permissions in the Properties dialog tab.

I'll attach the mythbackend.log anyways for other's training purposes :D

In my defense, Myth should pop up an error message warning about the write permissions before going back to the frontend main menu for such a simple issue.

I am certain that's all that was needed to fix the Watch TV blank screen on the Pinnacle 800i card, too, just as waterhead suggested on the 800i thread.

Hehe. That one's bitten us all :)

Any hints on the "-no tables" issue re: channel scan? I suspect it has something to do with the channels.conf or the Schedules Direct chanel database, but I'm only guessing.

The picture looks great in Watch TV mode :)

However, the channel guide is *very* sluggish- using the arrows on the remote or keyboard has a serious lag when trying to move around the schedule grid.

Any hints to help alleviate this lag?

"No tables" usually means it was not able to get a good lock; there are several stages of locking for ATSC tuner/demods, and if you don't get them all, you get no data.

However, the channel guide is *very* sluggish- using the arrows on the remote or keyboard has a serious lag when trying to move around the schedule grid.

Any hints to help alleviate this lag?

Pretty sure it's a race condition (something to do with deinterlacing). Workaround is here --> http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1023703

Hehe. That one's bitten us all :)

The stupid thing is, I created the /home/$user/dvr directory in Thunar (GUI file manager) within the $user account, so I just assumed the folder (dvr directory) would automatically have write permissions for the $user account, which Myth runs under.

I don't know if this is a Linux-ism, *buntu-ism or a bug in Thunar...

In any event, I'm buttoning up this box, which was built for a coworker, and plan to give it to him this weekend, assuming something doesn't get mucked up after doing some updates and adding the xubuntu-desktop and some other apps he needs (Oo, wine, audio and video tools, disc burning apps, etc).

It appears getting the "basics" (i.e. tuning, viewing TV, scheduling recordings like a PVR) up and running for OTA ATSC with the Kworld 115 card on Mythbuntu 8.04 is straightforward, and simpler than an XP load from scratch + video/audio drivers + tuner card drivers and recording apps on win.

For the Kworld 115, you don't need anyting more than what's been posted in this thread. Might want to avoid the Pinnacle 800i for a while, though ;)

The stupid thing is, I created the /home/$user/dvr directory in Thunar (GUI file manager) within the $user account, so I just assumed the folder (dvr directory) would automatically have write permissions for the $user account, which Myth runs under.

I don't know if this is a Linux-ism, *buntu-ism or a bug in Thunar...

It's actually a myth-ism, as the backend requires that the recordings directory be write-accessible to the user "mythtv".

Pretty sure it's a race condition (something to do with deinterlacing). Workaround is here --> http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1023703

I would think the simplest fix would be for Myth to disable any video processing (deinterlacing, etc) when it switches to the program guide mode, then re-enable video processing when it goes back to full screen mode...

Yeah, but that'll never happen as it's just a workaround. A good developer will try to track down and fix the real problem so it won't resurface.

You've got the source code, though, right? :D

Yeah, but that'll never happen as it's just a workaround. A good developer will try to track down and fix the real problem so it won't resurface.



That's the difference between software engineers and computer science/pure programmer types. I consider myself the former.

What point or purpose is there in doing video processing on the channel guide screen? There is no need on that screen, so doing the academic exercise of working through the race condition from a computer science programming perspective gains the user nothing.

Just my attitude from 10+ years writing and maintaining code in a production Unix client/server environment, nothing personal ;).

...and adding the xubuntu-desktop and some other apps he needs (Oo, wine, audio and video tools, disc burning apps, etc).



OK, I'll bite. What's "Oo"??? That one doesn't ring a bell for me.


BTW, thanks for the recommendation of SMPlayer. I had to wait until upgraded from fiesty to hardy to try it because fiesty didn't have new enough libraries.

But I'm really loving it now. It think it's going to replace Kaffeine as my "go-to" player.

OK, I'll bite. What's "Oo"??? That one doesn't ring a bell for me.


BTW, thanks for the recommendation of SMPlayer. I had to wait until upgraded from fiesty to hardy to try it because fiesty didn't have new enough libraries.

But I'm really loving it now. It think it's going to replace Kaffeine as my "go-to" player.

Oo= Open Office

Yes, SMplayer is a godsend for XP converts who were used to Media Player Classic (MPC) with ffdshow.

http://smplayer.sourceforge.net/

Get the latest from the SMplayer forum, which has sticky threads with Ubuntu .deb packages for both SMplayer and mplayer- good to have since mplayer in the default repos is usually out of date-

http://smplayer.berlios.de/forums/viewforum.php?id=5

That's the difference between software engineers and computer science/pure programmer types. I consider myself the former.

What point or purpose is there in doing video processing on the channel guide screen? There is no need on that screen, so doing the academic exercise of working through the race condition from a computer science programming perspective gains the user nothing.

Just my attitude from 10+ years writing and maintaining code in a production Unix client/server environment, nothing personal ;).

I don't take anything personal. :cool:

To continue the argument because I enjoy butting heads with you:

(a) Removing features has a tendency to piss off users -- I'm talking about Mr. Projector Guy with 100+" video real estate who likes to watch the news while he's in the guide scheduling enough recordings to keep 4 of his tuners busy.

(b) You, of all people, must realize that nothing is trivial. Switching between deinterlaced and non-deinterlaced (lol, is that a word?) video every time you call up the epg and again when you close it would create both an unwelcome delay and places where something else could and probably would go wrong.

(c) Even though turning off deinterlacing stops the problem from occurring, it may very well have absolutely nothing to do with the *actual* problem (exactly like running the frontend with -v all stopped the problem). So we still don't know what the actual problem is and whether or not it will affect any future development. This is not good (unless you're Microsoft, of course ;)).

EDIT:

P.S. While we're bragging unnecessarily, I was writing code 15 years before you started your 10+ year career as a software engineer.

I don't take anything personal. :cool:

To continue the argument because I enjoy butting heads with you:


EDIT:

P.S. While we're bragging unnecessarily, I was writing code 15 years before you started your 10+ year career as a software engineer.

You're right- I hate it when people in discussion threads throw out their "experience" and "expert credentials" to justify their opinions or approaches as the "right way"- very bad forum etiquette, but my intent was to just hint where I was coming from.

I am by no means as smart as a lot of other forum members, especially lots of other Linux users on this forum and others like ubuntuforums. I actually strive to surround myself with people smarter than me- I *want* to be the dumbest guy in the room (witin reason ;)). I learn more and improve more that way. It can be a challenge, as people labeled "smart" are too often lacking in social skills and/or have overbearing egos to contend with.

re: a-c

Good points, and at one time in my altruistic, perfectionist past, I would have wholeheartedly agreed about chasing down the root cause and solving the computer-sciency issues at the lowest level. But age and wisdom has taught me to compromise and pick my battles.

But I do hope the guys that care (Myth developers) *do* find the root cause and fix it- my Scotty-esque bailing wire quick fixes *have* come back to bite me in those years of applied software engineering :D

You have a great attitude, rgb, and it certainly is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. :)

I've learned that humility pays far more dividends than hubris ;)

Back on topic, I just want to reiterate how stupid-easy this build and Myth setup was.

The only extra step I did beyond the MythBuntu Install from it's liveCD menu was add EnvyNG from Synaptic to install the Nvidia driver, which went without issue.

Beyond the Kworld 115 firmware install and Nvidia driver install, all I did was add xbuntu-desktop in MythBuntu Control Center, and then various apps from Synaptic.

After adding Xubuntu-Desktop, Firefox was updated to automagically install Flash and Java plug ins when I hit sites that needed them.

IMO, Mythbuntu is worth the price of admission just for the Control Center applet, which allows easy install of DVD decryption and other restricted codecs from the MediBuntu repos.

I am serious when I say that the most inept, least tech saavy users could get a Myth media center PC up and running from the liveCD install, assuming you make good choices in hardware, like supported tuner cards, chipsets, video cards, etc.

As my new mission in life for the near term is to be Linus Linux-seed (nee Johnny Appleseed ;) ), either building Linux boxen from scratch for others and/or wiping a Win load from others's PC's and replacing with Linux on OEM boxes, the stupid-simple ease of the late model distros is a joy to behold.

But I do hope the guys that care (Myth developers) *do* find the root cause and fix it- my Scotty-esque bailing wire quick fixes *have* come back to bite me in those years of applied software engineering :D

IME, they almost ALWAYS do. Either the root cause gets you somewhere else, or the baling wire itself does, even if you eventually did fix the root cause.

To further elaborate on this build, when I set up the box at the coworker's house, we connected the Rg6 from his roof antenna and did a re-scan of the channels in Myth Backend Setup, and voila- all the local digital channels were locked and added perfectly- no "no tables" error on any channel, which was due to my use of a 50 cent UHF loop antenna for the testing at my house- but still not bad for a piece of wire loop ;)

I verified that all his video plugins for Firefox worked fine for Real/Flash/WMV video feeds from random sites- no issues with VLC plugin or the awesome gecko-mediaplayer plugin for Firefox:

sudo apt-get install gnome-mplayer gecko-mediaplayer

I found out about this at

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=766683

Appears to be an outstanding general purpose video player plugin- I tested with Windows Media and Real feeds at the PBS Frontline website, but haven't tried Quicktime yet.

....

IMO, Mythbuntu is worth the price of admission just for the Control Center applet, which allows easy install of DVD decryption and other restricted codecs from the MediBuntu repos.

....

My solution to that issue was to just use a regular old http session to download copies of win32codecs, libdvdcss2, libdvdread3 (sp?) and libdvdnav and archiving them in a safe place. Then I just install them by double-clicking on them and using gdebi.

Those libs haven't changed in years, so why download each time? And this way I never have to worry about the current repository getting taken down (which has happened a couple of times in the last few years).

The Kworld 115 is working so well in this build that I ordered another from newegg- it's on sale today for $60, free shipping. Great deal for an ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuner card with dual RF inputs and remote that can be made to work with lirc/Myth (though I didn't go through the exercise and just used the $3 Packard Bell FastMedia serial port IR receiver and matching remote).

My solution to that issue was to just use a regular old http session to download copies of win32codecs, libdvdcss2, libdvdread3 (sp?) and libdvdnav and archiving them in a safe place. Then I just install them by double-clicking on them and using gdebi.

Those libs haven't changed in years, so why download each time? And this way I never have to worry about the current repository getting taken down (which has happened a couple of times in the last few years).

I assume you mean the .debs here

http://packages.medibuntu.org/pool/non-free/w/w32codecs/

Is there another location for the proprietary codecs, restricted extras, and lib* debs you mention?

Yeah, actually about a year ago when I was installing Fiesty, Medibuntu (or was it their predecessor???) got taken down and I had to go looking for those libraries in other locations (they had a new site up and running in about a week, so they did gt back up and running fairly quickly). I ending up finding a set in the VLC archives. So they do exist in other places, but they are a PITA to find which is why I decided to just save and install them by hand instead of doenloading them every time.

Heads Up!

The Kworld 115 is now $50 shipped at newegg with Free Shipping! Lowest it's ever been on the net-

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815260005

I've paid $75 and $60 for this card with shipping, so this is a great deal.

Perfect time to stock up for Myth/Mythbuntu builds....

The Kworld 115 is working so well in this build that I ordered another from newegg- it's on sale today for $60, free shipping. Great deal for an ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuner card

Have you ever used the Kworld in NTSC mode under Myth? I've added a HDHR, and now I'm thinking about using the Kworld to record NTSC to resolve conflicts on the analog channels. But all of the instruction for Myth that I've run across assumes the ATSC/QAM application...

RGB - do you have any specific tips on getting the remote to work? I have tried playing around with lirc, but I'm a linux noob and still trying to figure it out. I've got a 8.04 x64 system running nicely with 2 kworld 115 cards, and the only thing holding me back from "production" use is the remote. I can't figure out how to get a driver to load for the IR receiver.

Thanks in advance!

Have you ever used the Kworld in NTSC mode under Myth? I've added a HDHR, and now I'm thinking about using the Kworld to record NTSC to resolve conflicts on the analog channels. But all of the instruction for Myth that I've run across assumes the ATSC/QAM application...

I've used in NTSC mode, and in dual mode (able to tune QAM and NTSC, but not both at the same time). If you just want to use it for NTSC set it up as a V4L tuner. There are a couple of tricks to get audio working right (some people, including me, had problems, but I don't remember what I did to fix them, but I know there are answers on the ubuntuforums).

RGB - do you have any specific tips on getting the remote to work? I have tried playing around with lirc, but I'm a linux noob and still trying to figure it out. I've got a 8.04 x64 system running nicely with 2 kworld 115 cards, and the only thing holding me back from "production" use is the remote. I can't figure out how to get a driver to load for the IR receiver.

Thanks in advance!

Last I checked (and this would be a while ago) the kernel required patching for the IR receiver on the card to work. This may not be true for newer kernels... But if I were you, I'd just buy or make a 3rd party IR receiver and use the remote with that (or some other remote).

Have you ever used the Kworld in NTSC mode under Myth? I've added a HDHR, and now I'm thinking about using the Kworld to record NTSC to resolve conflicts on the analog channels. But all of the instruction for Myth that I've run across assumes the ATSC/QAM application...

I have not used it for NTSC analog yet. It is dedetected as a V4L tuner card in the Myth Backend setup, so in theory, it shouldn't be any more complicated than adding it twice, once as a DVB card, and then again as a V4L card.

Someone else will have to speak for how to add channels separately and how to switch "input Source" in the front end, as each tuner type (DVB for ATSC/QAM and V4L for analog) needs to be "connected" to an input source (tuner, Svideo, compisite, etc) according to Myth standards/terminology.

Also, I haven't addressed the analog mode audio issues.

Am I correct in thinking that the actual remote is not a compatibility issue? In other words, once i get a IR receiver & lirc configured correctly, it's just a matter of setting up the lirc.conf file to translate the appropriate signals?

As far as the kernel goes, i've got 2.6.24-16-generic - is that new enough or is there a different patch?

if I decide it's not worth my time to figure out this ir receiver, what cheap/easy options do I have? Keep in mind I have never used a solder gun in my life.

RGB - do you have any specific tips on getting the remote to work? I have tried playing around with lirc, but I'm a linux noob and still trying to figure it out. I've got a 8.04 x64 system running nicely with 2 kworld 115 cards, and the only thing holding me back from "production" use is the remote. I can't figure out how to get a driver to load for the IR receiver.

Thanks in advance!

It appears that MythDora 5.0 (latest) supports the Kworld 115 remote natively, as you can select Kworld cards/remotes in the setup wizard, but I didn't verify operation.

MythDora is a Mythbuntu-like distro based on Fedora instead of Ubuntu

I have not used it for NTSC analog yet. It is dedetected as a V4L tuner card in the Myth Backend setup, so in theory, it shouldn't be any more complicated than adding it twice, once as a DVB card, and then again as a V4L card.


You could do it that way, but myth will think they are two different cards and could potentially schedule a recording on both at the same time, which won't work. Of course you could make sure this didn't happen. But really all you have to do to avoid this is make small modification to the database and make the V4L tuner a child card. That way myth will know they are same card, and you'd switch inputs on the card using the "c" key. This is similar the analog options button you get when setting up a pchdtv card or a Dvico 5 series card. I don't think myth automatically give you this option for the Kworld cards (I'm on .20.2 though still, so newer versions might), but it is a fairly easy add to the database.

this thread might be helpful:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=643415

It also discusses some of the audio issues and potential fixes.




Someone else will have to speak for how to add channels separately and how to switch "input Source" in the front end, as each tuner type (DVB for ATSC/QAM and V4L for analog) needs to be "connected" to an input source (tuner, Svideo, compisite, etc) according to Myth standards/terminology.

Also, I haven't addressed the analog mode audio issues.

If you set them up as two cards, pressing "y" will work (but also cycle through any other inputs you have), if you set it up as a daughter card pressing "c" will switch inputs when you are tuned to the Kworld card. Adding channels wasn't any different for me as it was for adding channels to two different cards.

After a round of Automatic Updates earlier this week, this Mythbuntu 8.04 box stopped displaying HD programming live- the "Watch TV" pick broke.

When "Watch TV" is picked, the screen goes black for a second, then back to the main menu.

I suspect one of the updates is the culprit- I would advise others to turn off the Automatic Updates function in Mythbuntu/Ubuntu after they get their Myth box up and running well.

Any hints on troubleshooting/diagnostics/ rolling back chnages from UPdates?

The kernel updated, you probably have to recompile modules. EDIT: wait, you didn't have to custom build that module, did you, so, it should've updated, too. Is there newer firmware?

Also, not following your own advice, I see... ;) If your gonna auto-update, do a full system backup first.

Also, not following your own advice, I see... ;) If your gonna auto-update, do a full system backup first.

Yeah- my bad.

When I gave the machine to the coworker, I forgot to turn off Auto Updates.

Well, the good news is you can re-install easily enough. There's no telling what got hosed.

I know about the supposedly required kernel patch, but I am not entirely convinced of its requirement since those directions are a bit old (march 2007) and since Hardy is built on a newer kernel anyway. I'm afraid I'm not knowledgeable or brave enough to attempt the patch myself either. I'd like to, since I can't find any other directions, so I could guide somebody else, but I just don't have the experience. Instead, I think I'm going to buy a Microsoft USB IR receiver and call it a day. I'm off to ebay to look for IR receivers...

For the problem with watching live TV, try deleting the cards. Then re-add them and do a new channel scan. Don't forget to setup the inputs, etc.

Yeah, double-check permissions, too, before you go re-installing. I wasn't entirely clear in a previous post about this -- the recordings directory has to be *owned* by the user mythtv, not just writable. Some update may be enforcing this more strongly.
chown mythtv:mythtv -R /path/to/media

HEADS UP AGAIN!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815260005

I don't know what's going on, but the Kworld 115 is only $35 shipped today (6/2/08) at newegg!?

Still $35 shipped today (6/3/08) at newegg...

Most ridiculous deal I've seen on a new, retail boxed ATSC/QAM/NTSC tuner/Svideo/Composite capture card that works easily in Linux.

Perfect opportunity for Windows converts to dump their myHD cards or other Win-only HD tuners with WinMCE/Sage/Beyondtv and switch to Mythbuntu 8.04 with the Kworld 115...

All good things...

The Kworld 115 appears out of stock- actually listed as "deactivated"- perhaps newegg won't be restocking?

Only open box left at $49...

All good things...

The Kworld 115 appears out of stock- actually listed as "deactivated"- perhaps newegg won't be restocking?

Only open box left at $49...


Fry's blows these out like once a month.

Fry's blows these out like once a month.

I just did a search against Kworld at frys.com, and there are no Kworld 115's there. The Kworld 120 is totally different and basically doesn't work in Linux, as least not as easily as the 115. Hopefully the 115 will be be produced. Provantage.com might still have them.

Newegg lists them as "In Stock": http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815260005 "while supplies last".

PS -- I just ordered one for $40.52 total, $34.99 plus CA tax, "Rush Processing" & free 3-day UPS Ground shipping.

I just did a search against Kworld at frys.com, and there are no Kworld 115's there. The Kworld 120 is totally different and basically doesn't work in Linux, as least not as easily as the 115. Hopefully the 115 will be be produced. Provantage.com might still have them.

True. They might not have any anymore. However, I distinctly remember the 115 being sold at the Austin store as late as this past Christmas.

Newegg lists them as "In Stock":
PS -- I just ordered one for $40.52 total, $34.99 plus CA tax, "Rush Processing" & free 3-day UPS Ground shipping.

Yes, I just got one also... plan to attempt my first foray into mythtv once it arrives! This should be fun... and I'm glad to have found this forum as it looks lots of helpful information... :)

I just picked up a pair. That way if the Hauppauge HVR-1250's don't work out well, I have a cheap alternative that I know works well.

I just picked up a pair. That way if the Hauppauge HVR-1250's don't work out well, I have a cheap alternative that I know works well.


The Kworld Kraze Kontinues... ;)

Yup -- My 115 arrived at around 4PM today (6/13/08), as advertised (3-day free UPS Ground, w/accelerated processing). Now I have an extra incentive to get off my Linux laptop (& butt) and finish my new Linux PC. The card looks small & simple, but well made. It comes with the remote and the IR cable to the card, but no other cables (audio or video) - I didn't expect any either, for that price.

I have to laugh at the "instructions" though:
"Turn off the PC and unplug it", "Put it in the PC (2 steps shown)", "Hook it up per the picture (which is too small to read)", "Turn on the PC", "Cancel the 'Found new hardware' window" - Windows, "Insert the CD & follow the directions" - Windows again.

That's it in a nutshell - I didn't leave out many words either :rolleyes:. The required hardware list is on the retail box, only (which doesn't list Linux as an option, of course).

I assume you can use two or more with no conflicts? (i.e. GUIDs etc?)

Well, I didn't take any chance. I ordered two of the 115s from the egg.

Well, I didn't take any chance. I ordered two of the 115s from the egg.
I was going to suggest this in the thread you started, but I don't have any experience personally with that card.

In theory, I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work.

----------------
Now playing: Richard Cheese - Ice Ice Baby (http://www.foxytunes.com/artist/richard+cheese/track/ice+ice+baby)
via FoxyTunes (http://www.foxytunes.com/signatunes/)

i have 2 110s in the same machine without any problems...

how is the PQ of these cards. Are there other cards that have a much better PQ?

If you are talking digital picture quality, all QAM/ATSC cards are about the same since they just capture the mpeg stream (no processing involved). Analog it is fine for me, but you did have to play with the settings a bit to get the quality I want. Looks as good to me as my Hauppage 150 for analog. Analog quality will also depend quite a bit on the quality of the signal as well, so it may vary for many people.

so, for OTA HD, the PQ of the kworld should be the same as a Fuzion7, HDHomeRun, etc?

so, for OTA HD, the PQ of the kworld should be the same as a Fuzion7, HDHomeRun, etc?

Yes.

so, for OTA HD, the PQ of the kworld should be the same as a Fuzion7, HDHomeRun, etc?

with ATSC, if your tuner locks on to the station it will look the same as any other tuner. Where ATSC tuners differ is their tuner chipset, and it's ability to lock on a signal in difficult fringe reception areas.

I couldn't tell you one tuner from the next, as I'm lucky enough to be 6 miles from the towers with a 14 db gain rooftop antenna. Any tuner I've ever used locked onto everything, even when -10db due to chained splitters in the signal path.

bump- ressurect the thread...

bump- ressurect the thread...

I am currently running two Kworld-115's (also used two for a co-workers system I built for him). I found the co-workers cards at buy.com for $65 each.

I am having no issues with these cards except for only one analog tuner works. I am tempted to try the driver patch mentioned in the other thread as I am starting to have scheduling conflicts with the new TV season starting.

I am currently running two Kworld-115's (also used two for a co-workers system I built for him). I found the co-workers cards at buy.com for $65 each.

I am having no issues with these cards except for only one analog tuner works. I am tempted to try the driver patch mentioned in the other thread as I am starting to have scheduling conflicts with the new TV season starting.

My only regret is not scarfing up a LOT more 115's from newegg when they blew them out for $35- I just *had* to open my big mouth here and let the cat out of the bag ;)

My only regret is not scarfing up a LOT more 115's from newegg when they blew them out for $35- I just *had* to open my big mouth here and let the cat out of the bag ;)

I've got three 110s (and an Avermedia A180, which is pretty much the same card without the analog tuner) :) - they were by far the cheapest at the time (all purchased for around ~$45. I actually had a pchdtv 5500 and sold it and bought two kworld 110s...

I've got three 110s (and an Avermedia A180, which is pretty much the same card without the analog tuner) :) - they were by far the cheapest at the time (all purchased for around ~$45. I actually had a pchdtv 5500 and sold it and bought two kworld 110s...

Will the Avermedia A180 work without an analog tuner? I'm thinking of getting one but the stated system requirements include the computer having an analog tuner. I'm a complete newb at this so pardon me if I'm showing great ignorance here and can't understand why I'd need an analog card already installed. ???? Ed

Will the Avermedia A180 work without an analog tuner? I'm thinking of getting one but the stated system requirements include the computer having an analog tuner. I'm a complete newb at this so pardon me if I'm showing great ignorance here and can't understand why I'd need an analog card already installed. ???? Ed

Yes, it will work without using an analog tuner. You're confusing Myth with Windows MCE. On XP at least, MCE required an analog tuner.

On Myth, people often use a separate analog tuner card for analog cable, even if their ATSC HDTV tuner card has an analog cable tuner, for two reasons. One, for many HDTV tuner cards, getting the analog tuner working in addition to the ATSC tuner is difficult for non-techies, requiring a lot of command line diagnostics and Myth config file editing or backend gymnastics. Two, the analog tuner on most ATSC cards is software-encode, so many people prefer adding a separate hardware encoding analog cable tuner like the PVR150, to both reduce CPU usage and get 100% DVD compliant MPEG2 video recordings from the card. PVR150 cards are now cheap and trivial to set up in Myth.

Yes, it will work without using an analog tuner. You're confusing Myth with Windows MCE. On XP at least, MCE required an analog tuner.

On Myth, people often use a separate analog tuner card for analog cable, even if their ATSC HDTV tuner card has an analog cable tuner, for two reasons. One, for many HDTV tuner cards, getting the analog tuner working in addition to the ATSC tuner is difficult for non-techies, requiring a lot of command line diagnostics and Myth config file editing or backend gymnastics. Two, the analog tuner on most ATSC cards is software-encode, so many people prefer adding a separate hardware encoding analog cable tuner like the PVR150, to both reduce CPU usage and get 100% DVD compliant MPEG2 video recordings from the card. PVR150 cards are now cheap and trivial to set up in Myth.

Morning Rgb. Thanks for the reply. I wasn't confused, I was just plain ol' ignorant. :o Thanks for giving me the information.

I'm only interested in digital OTA reception on my Linux Mint box but if I understand you correctly I would need the second PVR150 card to get DVD compliant MPEG2 recordings. Seems a problem I have is I've got a single PCI slot left to work with and I'm not completely sold on the idea of a USB tuner.

Another aspect of my situation is that I am out in the country...closest tower is a PBS at 12 miles, then we start hitting in the 20-60 mile range. I have a CM4228 8-bay antenna outside along with a 7777 preamp with rotor that I use with a Samsung H260F STB that I'm figuring on using as long as it doesn't degrade the primary signal to our main tv.

So far I'm looking at the AverTV A180 and the KWorld-115...but I'm not sure of the sensitivity of the receivers...I'm really curious as to folks experience with OTA reception??? The better the reception sensitivity the better!

Bottom line, in regards to my original question then, is that the A180 should work fine in Myth for ATSC OTA reception but I may have issues with recording quality if I decide to try recording. Is that pretty close?

Thanks,
Ed

You don't need a PVR-150 to get DVD compliant mpeg-2 analog recordings, it's just easier to do it with PVR-150 and no transcoding is needed. If you aren't burning recordings to DVD it doesn't matter at all.

The only thing you may have problems with with OTA ATSC recordings is tuning sensitivity. If it tunes the channels fine you won't have any recording quality issues, it simply captures the digital stream as sent from the station. With digital stations the quality is the same across all cards, the only difference is the tuning sensitivity. I've used mine (avermedia A180 and Kworld 110) for OTA recordings (I'm about 20-30 miles from most of the towers, but I guess it all depends on how strong the signal is). Tvfool.com will give you a good idea of what you should pick up in your area.

two 115s here also. crystal clear from OTA. Using only digital.

I know this is a very old thread but I'm still using the original 115's I purchased. Just did an inplace upgrade from Lucid to Maverick and now I don't get any audio out of the analog side of the card. The audio works fine on the digital side though. I checked the settings in the backend and frontend and they appeared to be the same before I did the upgrade.

Any suggestions?

I know this is a very old thread but I'm still using the original 115's I purchased. Just did an inplace upgrade from Lucid to Maverick and now I don't get any audio out of the analog side of the card. The audio works fine on the digital side though. I checked the settings in the backend and frontend and they appeared to be the same before I did the upgrade.

Any suggestions?

Restore your prior OS load from the backup image.

You made a backup image prior to borking your OS load, right? :D

Restore your prior OS load from the backup image.

You made a backup image prior to borking your OS load, right? :D
No I did not Mr. SmartA$$:).

I noticed that in the backend v4l card config that the default audio device was set to /dev/disp1. On previous o/s installs it had to be /dev/disp0. I looked in the /dev folder and there are neither block device files. Could this be the problem? How do I create the required block devices?

I noticed that in the backend v4l card config that the default audio device was set to /dev/disp1. On previous o/s installs it had to be /dev/disp0. I looked in the /dev folder and there are neither block device files. Could this be the problem? How do I create the required block devices?

Maybe a newer driver is calling it something else. You may need to look over the output of dmesg for any info. If you know the driver that it uses, you could unload the module, then enter this in a separate terminal window:
tail -f /var/log/messages
Then reload the module, and look at the output for relevant messages.