DVB - PC Cards MCE2005 Guide with DVB-C

[cafe.racer]

It's gone a bit quiet on this recently, thought I update you on where I was getting.

I've been trying to get the guide working, using the native guide. I've got this working, in fact it's quite easy. All you need to do is change the headend, and it gets the guide fine, then "Add listing to channel" to "join" the guide to the scanned channel.

However, it's a ball-ache to do in MCE, so I've been trying to figure out how to edit the prefs.xml directly, and got some way with it - mainly using that DVB-S guide off avforums.

It is a bit finickaty (sp?) though. I'm starting to get frustrated, and wondering if it's easier to use the bladerunner method? NeathDrew did this if I remember?

Also, the Diablo is gives me "loss of signal" every now and then, I'v missed a couple of recordings recently. I'm wondering if turning card emulation off and using a fun card will be better? Does anyone use a Diablo with a card?

Just thought - I could use my subs card in the Diablo if I knew my box key.

That would let me test how the Diablo works in non-emulation mode, without me having to figure out how to do a funcard...

 

[mgb]

Loss of signal has nothing to do with descrambling.
Your cable signal is either too weak or too strong.
Its also possible you got an combiner from your cc instead of an splitter. If you read TAB at a output at your splitting device replace it with a real splitter.

 

[cafe.racer]

nope, I don't believe so, I believe it's a FireDTV firmware issue, or interoperability issue with the CAM i'm using.

pulling the CAM and putting it back in gives a picture straight away.

 

[mgb]

If you are sure its cam related maybe your cam report to much caid's to the receiving software.

 

[neathdrew]

.

It is a bit finickaty (sp?) though. I'm starting to get frustrated, and wondering if it's easier to use the bladerunner method? NeathDrew did this if I remember?

MCE 2005 is easy to set up using XMLTVGui and BladerunnerPro 3.5 - it sets it up for u....Vista is a bit of a pain...BRP v3.5 is not compatible therefore u need to use v3.0 this takes a bit more setting up..i've finally got it working with about 2 weeks guide....i'll let u know how the updates go in a few weeks time.

One of the best things is the exclusion list in the registry...by eliminating the channels u don't want to scan makes life a 100x easier when it comes to sorting.

like i said mce2005 is easier to set up but vista is worth the hassle giving u a mini guide (scrolling up/down left /right for other channels or programs), games, better UI etc haven't tried mediaportal, myth etc but i guess they can't be a lot better than this....few screenshots attached, it shows about 12 days epg up to the 23/10 data goes off then....

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cheers

 

[elyl]

As I understand it, MCE's native guide supports series-linking for recording a whole series and suchlike, but XML solutions do not support this. That's a bit of a pain, does anyone know if work is being done to support series-link? It must be possible using data from TV listing sites.

 

[neathdrew]

As I understand it, MCE's native guide supports series-linking for recording a whole series and suchlike, but XML solutions do not support this. That's a bit of a pain, does anyone know if work is being done to support series-link? It must be possible using data from TV listing sites.

not too sure haven't tried recording series but a quick look it seems it may - see screenshots attached....will try it and let u know...


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cheers

 

[cafe.racer]

RE: Series Linking - I'd read that too, but forgotten about it. Drew - in MCE2005, you press record once to record that episode, then press again to record the series.

Could you try that for us?

 

[neathdrew]

RE: Series Linking - I'd read that too, but forgotten about it. Drew - in MCE2005, you press record once to record that episode, then press again to record the series.

Could you try that for us?

running vista at the moment, got mce 2005 on a separate drive (not connected) just incase vista goes tits up, if i get a chance i'll swap back, not sure why it shouldn't work cause all xmltv and bladerunnerpro is doing is fooling vista / mce2005 into thinkin it's downloading the guide from the internet as it normally does. instead of a file on the pc.

cheers

 

[cafe.racer]

Yeah, I was thinking the same - as long as the info about it being a series is in the guide, it should do it!?!

It think that the two methods work in a similar fashion, it's just that there is no native guide for DVB-S in MCE and non for the Continentaly cable providers, so those users have gone to this solution.

I'm fairly sure you had to go through and "Add listing to channel" for each scanned channel?

 

[neathdrew]

yep you have to add listings to each channel once but when its done thats it.

working fine at the moment, automatically downloads new guide - set at every other day - it's in the background so it doesn't interfere with anything and only takes a couple of mins.

just checked guide and its fully populated up until sat 27th at the moment. only issue is some of the program info is so long (especially films) not all the info is shown..

cheers

 

[koni55]

Hello everyone,

In answer to cafe.racers question about if a diablo cam works with a AU Funcard on a fireDTV dvb-c. It doesn't. Not at all. I had to get a zeta cam blue, flash it to joker 0.79 and then the funcard works a treat. If I take the zeta out and change it for the diablo and then insert the working funcard I get nothing. I tried changing the channels and reinserting with the funcard in the cam and I dont get even a flicker of a scrambled channel clearing.

If I pop the zeta back in with the funcard it works straight away once I change a channel.

Koni55

PS. The diablo is stealth 2.07. Emu off. cards>>emu.

 

[mgb]

Maybe you have to patch the firmware for you diablo.
The standard soft announce 16 ca-ids and some versions 32 ca-id's.
Some boxes/software flipping out with such high numbers. You need only one ca-id 1800 for nagra1.

 

[koni55]

Mgb,

I already had my uk file stripped to just the 1800 entry for nagra after reading your post earlier in this thread, before I posted. I will try the latest stealth firmware and post back if I have any success (or not).

I can easily get emulation working but I get the device freezes that cafe.racer reported in his first post. Those are just not acceptable if this is to be used in my main htpc(mce2005) as the missus would have a fit! Hence that is why I tried the funcard route, I just couldn't get it to ever work with the diablo light so I of course questioned if I was creating the funcard correctly. Now I have proved that the funcard is working with the zeta/joker it proves that the problem lies with the firedtv/diablo/funcard combination. I am open to suggestion with regards to settings/firmware etc for the diablo as I hate to leave a problem unsolved.

Thanks in advance.

Koni55

 

[mgb]

From a other board:

1) Go into the General Menu
2) Select Configuration
3) Select one of the pre-made lists of CAIDS. You can choose between 8 possibilities
(CAIDS, UK, German, French, Spanish/Italian, East-Europe, Astra1, Other).
4) Save the Configuration and exit from the Menu



2) UK (7 CAIDS)

"1800"
"1801"
"0100"
"0500"
"0D00"
"0D03"
"4A70"

 

[koni55]

mgb,

I have got a cas3 so I have edited my uk file down to just the "1800" entry and the uk entry is selected from the cam menu. Hence It should only be attempting to use nagra.

Koni55

 

[cafe.racer]

Bummer. This is all shite news. I saw your posts on firedtv.co.uk about the channel changing loss of signal. I also noticed that that thread went quiet.

I agree with you, the reliability makes them unusable - mine has woken up to record stuff and the MCE stops with a message, it won't even then try and record another channel.

Funny thing is that it comes back up if I unplug the CAM and plug it straight back in. They ought to be able to program whatever accessing/initialisation that it does on CAM insertion into the driver so that it does it on channel changes.

I only got this CAM (I've got two, actually) because FireDTV recommended/suggested they were the "best" ones, but they've since ceased trading. Gggggrrrrrrrr.


Is there anything else that could be done in the setup, do you think?

 

[mgb]

Did you play with Auto PMT = on and off.
Is there a difference?

 

[koni55]

cafe.racer,

I saw your replies on firedtv but I have stopped looking there as it has gone very slow to access. I also bought a diablo because of the post that recommended them on firedtv.

I think I am going to stick with my zeta/fun but check back on digital everywhere for updated drivers and firmware to see if that solves the problem. As you said it shouldn't be to hard for them to change the software to reinitialise the cam if it doesn't get a timely response.

mgb,

I have tried pmt on and off and it is the same on both settings unfortunately.

Thanks.

Koni55

 

[mgb]

You should set it to pmt off. The option pmt on makes no sense for cable.
What options do you get in the cas menue?