AVerMedia AVerTV Hybrid Express (A577)

A hybrid DVB-T Express Card from AVerMedia.

It is currently not supported under Linux.

Overview/Features

Hybrid TV and Radio tuner for 34mm express card slots that supports the following :

• Analog TV (stereo sound support)
• FM Radio (stereo sound support)
• DVB-T (stereo sound support)
• Digital Radio (stereo sound support)
• TeleText
• Remote Control (optional)
• Connection to a DVD/VHS player, camcorder, or games console via S-Video / Composite 2-in-1 Cable.
• HDTV H.264 / MPEG-2 Live TV
• 32/64-Bit support

Specifications

Input Signal

• 75 Ω TV Antenna
• FM Input
• S-Video
• Composite (RCA) input

Package Included

• AVerTV Hybrid Express Card 34mm
• Quick Installation Guide
• Installation CD
• FM Radio Antenna
• RF Cable
• S-Video / Composite 2 in1 cable

Practicality

Advantages

• Combination of many features
• Very compact structure (doesn't extend outside the express slot at all)

Disadvantages

• No Linux drivers and no chance of being provided by AVerMedia as stated by its support team

Hardware

A577AA

• Conexant CX23885-13Z (PCI Express Video and Broadcast Audio Decoder)
• Afatech AF9013N1 (Portable DVB-T Demodulator)
• Xceive XC3028ACQ (Hybrid TV tuner)
• Seiko S24CS02AKG5 (EEPROM 2Kbit)

Components Probably Used

• CX23885 (PCI Express Video and Broadcast Audio Decoder) - Conexant CX23885 Overview/Features - Conexant CX23885 PDF

Output of dmesg when /dev/dvb is avalaible. With all other card values, /dev/dvb is not created.

cx23885 driver version 0.0.1 loaded
ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:00.0[A] -> GSI 16 (level, low) -> IRQ 16
CORE cx23885[0]: subsystem: 1461:c039, board: DViCO FusionHDTV5 Express [card=4,insmod option]
cx23885[0]: i2c bus 0 registered
cx23885[0]: i2c bus 1 registered
cx25840' 3-0044: cx25  0-21 found @ 0x88 (cx23885[0])
cx23885[0]: i2c bus 2 registered
cx23885[0]: cx23885 based dvb card
tuner-simple 1-0061: creating new instance
tuner-simple 1-0061: type set to 64 (LG TDVS-H06xF)
DVB: registering new adapter (cx23885[0])
DVB: registering frontend 0 (LG Electronics LGDT3303 VSB/QAM Frontend)...
cx23885_dev_checkrevision() Hardware revision = 0xb0
cx23885[0]/0: found at 0000:02:00.0, rev: 2, irq: 16, latency: 0, mmio: 0xf0000000
PCI: Setting latency timer of device 0000:02:00.0 to 64

dvbscan returns anything.

Nullsleep:

 dvbscan /usr/share/dvb/dvb-t/uk-CrystalPalace   
scanning /usr/share/dvb/dvb-t/uk-CrystalPalace
using '/dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0' and '/dev/dvb/adapter0/demux0'
initial transponder 505833333 0 3 9 1 0 0 0
WARNING: frontend type (ATSC) is not compatible with requested tuning type (OFDM)
ERROR: initial tuning failed
dumping lists (0 services)
Done.

And i get this with w_scan:

w_scan -X -a /dev/dvb/adapter0/
w_scan version 20080105
-_-_-_-_ Getting frontend capabilities-_-_-_-_ 
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ 
ERROR: Sorry - i couldn't get any working frequency/transponder
 Nothing to scan!!
dumping lists (0 services)
Done.

Variations

There are possibly two variants of this card. The A577 and an A577A.

Picked one of these cards up in Singapore over christmas 2008, delving into the windows A885VCap.inf file reveals

XC3028 + Afa9013

%CX23885.A577%=CX32885.A577, PCI\VEN_14F1&DEV_8852&SUBSYS_D6391461; PCI-e XCieve+FM+AFa9013 %CX23885.A577A%=CX32885.A577A, PCI\VEN_14F1&DEV_8852&SUBSYS_D6391461; PCI-e XCieve+FM

Based on this information I think it's safe to conclude this card uses an XC3028 tuner.

Identification

lspci

A577 is discovered on my Toshiba P200 if and only if I add pciehp_force=1.

Output of lspci -vvv :

02:00.0 Multimedia video controller: Conexant Device 8852 (rev 02)
        Subsystem: Avermedia Technologies Inc Device c039
        Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx-
        Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
        Latency: 0
        Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 16
        Region 0: Memory at f0000000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=2M]
        Capabilities: [40] Express (v1) Endpoint, MSI 00
                DevCap: MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s <64ns, L1 <1us
                        ExtTag- AttnBtn- AttnInd- PwrInd- RBE- FLReset-
                DevCtl: Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal- Unsupported-
                        RlxdOrd+ ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop+
                        MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 512 bytes
                DevSta: CorrErr- UncorrErr- FatalErr- UnsuppReq- AuxPwr- TransPend-
                LnkCap: Port #0, Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, ASPM L0s L1, Latency L0 <2us, L1 <4us
                        ClockPM- Suprise- LLActRep- BwNot-
                LnkCtl: ASPM Disabled; RCB 64 bytes Disabled- Retrain- CommClk-
                        ExtSynch- ClockPM- AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
                LnkSta: Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, TrErr- Train- SlotClk+ DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt-
        Capabilities: [80] Power Management version 2
                Flags: PMEClk- DSI+ D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0+,D1+,D2+,D3hot+,D3cold-)
                Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
        Capabilities: [90] Vital Product Data <?>
        Capabilities: [a0] Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable-
                Address: 0000000000000000  Data: 0000
        Capabilities: [100] Advanced Error Reporting <?>
        Capabilities: [200] Virtual Channel <?>
        Kernel driver in use: cx23885
        Kernel modules: cx23885

Output of lspci -n :

02:00.0 0400: 14f1:8852 (rev 02)

i2cdetect

Output of i2cdetect -l :

i2c-0   smbus           SMBus I801 adapter at 1c00              SMBus adapter
i2c-1   i2c             cx23885[0]                              I2C adapter
i2c-2   i2c             cx23885[0]                              I2C adapter
i2c-3   i2c             cx23885[0]                              I2C adapter

Output of i2cdetect 0 :

WARNING! This program can confuse your I2C bus, cause data loss and worse!
I will probe file /dev/i2c-0.
I will probe address range 0x03-0x77.
Continue? [Y/n]         
     0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  a  b  c  d  e  f
00:          -- -- -- -- -- 08 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
10: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
20: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
30: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
40: -- -- -- -- 44 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
50: 50 -- 52 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
60: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 69 -- -- -- -- -- -- 
70: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Output of i2cdetect 1 :

 
     0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  a  b  c  d  e  f
00:          -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
10: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
20: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
30: 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
40: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
50: 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 5a 5b 5c 5d 5e 5f 
60: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
70: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  

Output of i2cdetect 2 :

                       
     0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  a  b  c  d  e  f
00:          -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
10: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
20: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
30: 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
40: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
50: 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 5a 5b 5c 5d 5e 5f 
60: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
70: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 

Output of i2cdetect 3 :

     0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  a  b  c  d  e  f
00:          -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
10: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
20: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
30: 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
40: -- -- -- -- 44 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4c -- -- -- 
50: 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 5a 5b 5c 5d 5e 5f 
60: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 
70: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --