[mythtv-users] Anybody using an SA3250HD over firewire with .21 yet?

[Bruce Markey]

Matt Emmott wrote:
> I've just performed a fresh install of .21 and have connected my
> Scientific Atlanta 3250HD set top box via firewire. Trying to tune using

Yeah, I have three of them record a hundred shows per week.
I've never seen a segfault.
  
> Point-to-point results in a segfault on the back end. Connecting via
> Broadcast works in that it brings me to a blank screen and the channels
> will change, but a) they don't change to the channel I select and b)
> it's just a blank screen.

None of these may be related but:

- If you've switched physical boxes and the GUID doesn't match,
bad things happen. Check plugreport vs. mythtv-setup

- before trying to talk to the box, use the cable box remote
to set the channel to something that you know has firewire output.
Much frustration when the box is tuned to HBO or on demand.

- make sure the connection is successful by testing with
firewire_tester. Here is a script I can use from the command
line and call from my script to start each backend:

#!/bin/sh
#
# fw: script to attempt to reset firewire connections

firewire_tester -p -n 0 -r 2
if [ $? == 1 ]
then
     firewire_tester -p -n 0 -R
     firewire_tester -p -n 0 -r 2
fi

Don't reset if the connection is good but do reset and try
again if it fails.

- I've never had anything work with broadcast on the 3250HD.
Always use point to point. 100Mbps is way more than fast
enough for HD bitrates.

- Oh, most important for everyone using any cable box over
firewire, there is a known virtual memory but in kernels before
2.6.23.6 that cause the 1394 libs to report failures when
the connection to the box is just fine. Make sure you use
this version or later or firewire will drive you nuts.

- myth shouldn't be segfaulting. Do a make distclean and compile
from scratch. If you still get a segv:

http://www.mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO-22.html#ss22.2

--  bjm





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