[mythtv-users] SA3250HD Firewire: test-mpeg2 good, mythtv bad

[John P Poet]

Using test-mpeg2 I can capture video from my SA3250HD cable box.  It
has an occasional minor glitch in the form of some pixelization, but
generally looks pretty good.

Using MythTV I can capture video from my SA3250HD cable box.  It is
*HEAVILY* pixelated, and will barely play.  It is so bad that if
mythcommflag tries to run on it, it will crash the whole mythbackend
process.

I tried "importing" the capture made using test-mpeg2 into myth, and
myth will play it just fine.

I have tried using both p2p and broadcast.  As far as I can tell,
broadcast does not work at all, even with test-mpeg2.

plugreport output:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Host Adapter 0
==============

Node 0 GUID 0x0011e69faf160000
------------------------------
oMPR n_plugs=1, data_rate=2, bcast_channel=63
oPCR[0] online=1, bcast_connection=0, n_p2p_connections=4
        channel=0, data_rate=2, overhead_id=0, payload=146
iMPR n_plugs=0, data_rate=2

Node 1 GUID 0x0011d80000303a86
------------------------------
libiec61883 error: error reading oMPR
libiec61883 error: error reading iMPR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While test-mpeg2 works, I am confused about plugctl.  For example:

plugctl -n 0 oPCR\[0\].data_rate=3

Does not seem to have any effect based on the output from plugreport.


I noticed that the "n_p2p_connections" gets bumped every time
mythbackend starts up.

I also noticed that while myth is trying to capture input via firewire
I get a constant stream of:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel:
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel: ohci1394: fw-host0: IR DMA error - OHCI
error code 0x05
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel:
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel: ohci1394: fw-host0: IR DMA error - OHCI
error code 0x05
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel:
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel: ohci1394: fw-host0: IR DMA error - OHCI
error code 0x05
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel:
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel: ohci1394: fw-host0: IR DMA error - OHCI
error code 0x05
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel:
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel: ohci1394: fw-host0: IR DMA error - OHCI
error code 0x05
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel:
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel: ohci1394: fw-host0: IR DMA error - OHCI
error code 0x05
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel:
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel: ohci1394: fw-host0: IR DMA error - OHCI
error code 0x05
Jul 21 18:53:17 topaz kernel:
Jul 21 18:53:18 topaz kernel: ohci1394: fw-host0: IR DMA error - OHCI
error code 0x05
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In my /var/log/messages file.  This does *not* happen when using test-mpeg2.

In my mythbacked.log file, I get a constant stream of:

    TS packet out of sync.

error messages.  If I use VLC to watch the capture from test-mpeg2, I
get a lot of

    libdvbpsi error (PSI decoder): TS discontinuity (received 0,
expected 15) for PID 0

but the video plays just fine (with the rare pixelization).

I am running Fedora Core 5 with a 2.6.15.7 Kernel.  I have tried
patching linux/drivers/ieee1394/dma.c but it did not help.

I use some HD3000 cards, and have no problems with them.

Anyone have an recommendations?  Should I buy a PCI firewire card?
Why does test-mpeg2 work, but myth has problems?

Thanks,

John