[linux-dvb] Re: DVB-S in the US.

[Chris Worley <cworley@symbionsys.com>]

"William E. Mrozinski" wrote:
> 1) I've never got a lock or video yet with dvb/vdr, using mainly T5 since there
> is plenty of fta there for us (USA).

I am getting a lock on the audio and teletext PIDS.  The video is all ;)
that's screwed up.
 
> 2) The video out pre-lock has always been PAL for me too even after changing
> both code references and the driver startup option.

The two references I've tried are saa7146_core.c:

/* insmod parameter: some programs (e.g. īvicī) do not allow to
   specify the used video-mode, so you have to tell this to the
   modules by hand, 0 = PAL, 1 = NTSC  */
static int mode = 1;

(which is probably what you're changing from insmod) and dvb.c (line
5767):

	dvb->vidmode=VIDEO_MODE_NTSC;

Yet, the output is still PAL.

I'm beginning to think that the problem is an NTSC/PAL issue.  I was
expecting to see a screwed-up NTSC stream, not black... but maybe the
hardware refuses to decode streams in the wrong mode.

> 3) I haven't even gotten past the 2.1 'channel not sync'd' issue which many are
> having now with the current driver on both sides of the pond.

By 2.1, I'm guessing you mean a rev of the Hauppauge or Siemans board? 
Sorry to not have done my homework on this issue.  I haven't seen a
"channel not sync'd" problem.

> 4) Under the TT/Win software there is definitely an issue with the current
> drivers/firmware and spectral_inversion settings.  The auto setting which
> all the software ( TT & Haup's ) default to only currently finds SI_OFF
> bouquets.  This may be isolated to the Win firmware; I think dvb loads
> its own version of firmware, not sure on this.

Dvb definitely loads its own firmware.  

I'm not familiar with "SI_OFF bouquets".  Is this BAT table entries?

> 
> It looks like you are after dish programming; 

That's just what we're currently aimed at... we're just looking for test
streams for software developers to work with... we really don't care
what we're aimed at.

> see if the transponders you
> can at least partially decode are all SI_ON per lyngsat and if those that
> won't lock are SI_OFF... ( I'll try this too on E6 in the next day or so
> and report back... )

Thanks for making me look again.  I had the polarity wrong on all the
transponders I wasn't picking up.  Again, what's "SI_OFF"?  I know what
SI tables are, but I'm not sure what "OFF" is.

> 
> Do you know if a CA board will work with dish and their access card???

My guess is, no.  We have a Siemans card too, with the access card
adapter.  It takes a PCMCIA card, not a Smart Card.  I think this is
from some Open?? standard.  I don't know if there's a smart card adapter
or if there's a PCMCIA version of the smart card or if there's a PCMCIA
sub-adapter for a smart card.

>   VR_2_3  =  2,    // DVB-S: viterbi rate: 2/3
>   VR_3_4  =  3,    // DVB-S: viterbi rate: 3/4

Both these values worked for me; I had no clue as to the values for this
table (I'm guessing this correlates to the FEC value in the .dvbrc
file), so I just did it by trial and error.  My guess was, "2" was
correct since I more often got good channel data using a "2".  Now that
you've clarified this for me, "3" is the correct value.  Go figure.

> Have you compared your results under Linux with the Win software?
> ( Just curious... )

<RANT>
My company buys us DELL computers, which we immediately overwrite
Windows with Linux (there no way to find a VAR that will supply us Linux
machines; we have to pay the Microsoft tax).  I was told to put Windows
back on one of these machines to try this out.  It seems these DELL
machines have special Windows drivers for nearly every device embedded
on the motherboard (even though they look like standard peripherals). 
Plus, the NT CD's sent with these machines (never opened) wouldn't
install.  It took me four days to get Windows back on the machine (The 7
disk SuSE set takes about 4 hours).  My first attempts with the
Hauppauge software didn't produce any results.  Needing to make
progress, I put the card in a Linux machine and haven't tried the
Windows machine since.
</RANT>

If we choose to use this sort of product (for software developers to
use), I'll have to evaluate the Windows drivers eventually, but I'm not
looking forward to that.

Chris


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