On 04/13/2008 03:23 AM, Oliver Endriss wrote: > P. van Gaans wrote: >> On 04/08/2008 10:28 PM, Morgan Tørvolt wrote: >>>> Knoppix didn't want to start (couldn't read the CD, not sure why, maybe >>>> too old), but I found a Ubuntu 7.04 live/install CD. Started with that, >>>> no difference. I did find something else: I've got three different >>>> lenghts CI cables. One approx. 60cm, a few others approx. 40cm and some >>>> approx. 4cm. With 60cm, both the offical Mediaguard CAM and Xcam won't >>>> initialize. With 40cm, the Xcam still won't and the Mediaguard will init >>>> about 50% of the time. With 4cm, both Xcam and Mediaguard will always >>>> init. But it still doesn't work properly, even with the 4cm cable I >>>> couldn't get a picture with the Mediaguard, and I had a picture for >>>> about half a minute with the Xcam after which Kaffeine would freeze. >>> Not surprising. Many of the CAMs are really picky about timing and signalling. >>> The Conax 4.00 cam works every time for me. What I suggest is that you >>> try the patch I have linked to from >>> http://www.linuxtv.org/wiki/index.php/TechnoTrend_TT-budget_S-1500#CAM_tests >>> Which is this: >>> http://www.linuxtv.org/pipermail/linux-dvb/2007-July/019116.html >>> >>> There is some manual labour to get this patch working, but once done, >>> all the CAMs I have initializes perfectly. I have no idea if the >>> cable-length affects the process less after the patching, but it sure >>> helps on initializing the CAMs I have. >>> >>>> I'm not sure if it's a driver problem, all I know is that this started >>>> right after installing a new v4l-dvb a few weeks ago. The problem seems >>>> to have no cause: >>>> >>>> Not the DVB-card, as the S2-3200 had the same problem. >>>> Not the CI cable, tried many different cables and I don't believe they >>>> are all broken the same way. >>>> Not the CI-daughterboard, I even bought new ones with no result. >>>> Not the current v4l-dvb loaded, because a Ubuntu 7.04 live CD (kernel >>>> 2.6.20 iirc) has the same result now. >>>> Not the computer, because the setup didn't work in another computer either. >>>> Not the CAM, all CAMs work fine in a Vantage standalone. >>>> >>>> And note I have used this setup, S-1500+CI+long cable+Xcam for months >>>> without any problems. >>> You said you changed your powersupply. To a more powerful one? Some >>> PSUs does give away troublesome noise, especially when heavily loaded. >>> Also, some powerful PSUs have much of the power on wrong voltages, or >>> spread across different cables, so that you might actually be pushing >>> the PSU to it's limits on one circuit, while swapping some power >>> cables would solve the whole issue. >>> >>> BTW, the CI daughterboard is very simple, like in _very_ simple. It is >>> very unlikely that this will break. If something is broken with CI, it >>> would probably be the cable or the tuner-card. >>> >>> -Morgan- >>> >> Yeah, more power! Another computer (AMD Geode NX1750 and a laptop >> harddrive, the 480W Antec is very very bored) gives the same result. My >> regular computer was turned off when I tested that. The patch made no >> difference whatsoever. The Xcam is actually not picky at all, it is well >> known for working in pretty much any receiver - and it does. For >> example, KNC1 CI's are quite picky but the Xcam has no problems with >> that. Even the Matrix Reborn won't run in a KNC1, yet the Xcam does. >> >> I installed the card on Windows to test a bit. I also noted the CI works >> better on Linux when I fold the CI cable in tinfoil. Here's an overview >> of some tests: >> >> *Windows, unshielded 40cm cable: >> Xcam sometimes takes a while to init, but works on all tested channels >> after that (including RTL4 and RTL5). >> Matrix Reborn: similar result. >> >> *Linux, v4l-dvb from hg april 12, 40cm cable in tinfoil: >> Xcam does init and works. But RTL4, RTL5 >> (http://nl.kingofsat.net/pack-canaldigitaal.php) give only sound. The >> videoPID is correct and I did a rescan. Audio is gone if I remove the >> CAM, so it is encrypted. >> Matrix similar result, no picture on RTL4 and RTL5 here either, but >> apart from that it seems to work. >> >> *Linux, v4l-dvb from hg april 12, unshielded 40cm cable: >> Xcam does not init anymore. Not at all. Just "Invalid PC card inserted :(". >> Matrix Reborn does init, but init fails sometimes as well. When it does >> init, I can watch most channels.. But not RTL4 or RTL5 (only sound). >> SCM Conax 4.00e: init sometimes, but can't even get into the menu. Don't >> have a Conax subscription card right now. >> >> RTL4 and RTL5 do work on Windows or a standalone receiver with CI. I >> also tried to disable all the power in the house and did a test with >> UPS, but the Xcam still would not init with the unshielded cable. So no >> electrical devices in the house went bad. The UPS or display are not the >> source either, tried unplugging them. And a S-1500, T-1500 and S2-3200 >> are all doing the same thing. I've also got a Aston 1.05 and official >> Mediaguard CAM to test if required. > > Interesting that the CAM works on windows and failes on linux, > and shielding makes a difference. > > Maybe we should try to play with a different debi timing. > > In budget-ci.c the CAM timing is controlled by 2 lines: > > #define DEBICICTL 0x00420000 -> 1 wait state > #define DEBICICAM 0x02420000 -> 9 wait states > > You might try the following: > 1) Change DEBICICTL to the same value as DEBICICAM (0x02420000) > Any improvement? > 2) If it does not help, try value 0x03c20000 (15 wait states) for both > constants. Does it help? > > CU > Oliver > I directly changed both values to 0x03c20000 but it doesn't seem to make any difference. I'm thinking of taking a short cable and shielding it as good as I can, but I'm guessing that still wouldn't make RTL4 and RTL5 work. The strange thing is RTL7 works fine (with shielded cable). RTL7 is on the same transponder, afaik same resolution, similar bitrate, in the same subscription package.. It's more or less a repeat channel for RTL4 and RTL5 with some extra sports and the same rubbish teleshopping at night. From a technical point of view it's not different from RTL4 or RTL5. Even more stange stuff: if I press "instant record" (after tuning in with only sound to be heard) in Kaffeine, the resulting file has a correct picture in both Kaffeine and mplayer. If I set a timer to record, the resulting file will have no picture in either mplayer or kaffeine. But it does play in Totem. I record with Kaffeine 0.8.6 on Ubuntu 7.10. I'm thinking maybe maybe the beginning of the file is corrupt due to a slow response from the CAM/smartcard, but I can only guess. If the TT app on Windows ignores the encrypted data that might explain that, and why the standalone receiver works with RTL4/5. Still doesn't explain why it used to work fine before, and why the TT app can init the Xcam without shielded cable, although it takes a while sometimes (but I have no idea how the TT app on Windows would have responded before my problems started as I only used the card with Linux before). I don't know what causes the problem anymore. This all seems to make no sense whatsoever. I'm starting to think there could be multiple causes (that all started at the same time) like: some noise in the ether that the CI flatcable picks up (shouldn't be possible, it's certainly nothing in this house and I have no spectrum analyzer to check) and a smartcard that responds slower to specific channels after an update (no idea why that would be or if it's at all possible). I'm just guessing, It's all just too weird. Pim _______________________________________________ linux-dvb mailing list linux-dvb@xxxxxxxxxxx http://www.linuxtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/linux-dvb
