[ivtv-users] PVR-350 decoder firmware problem

Mon May 18 20:28:19 CEST 2009

> For the last several weeks, the tip of the repository seems to have trouble
> loading the decoder firmware and/or the init code on the PVR-350. At least,
> I never see the "green flash" as the card is initialized

This is no error, but a feature :-)
I contributed a patch to the ivtv driver, which deactivates the saa712x until 
the MPEG decoder has been initialized:
http://linuxtv.org/hg/v4l-dvb/rev/e95d50985dde

I recently built a PVR350 vdr system with Ubuntu Jaunty. The Jaunty kernel 
includes this patch. While using the machine without a VGA card, the console 
appeared on the TV out, so this is still working.

I also use a very recent hg snapshot from May for my other PVR350 machine. TV 
out works fine, both mpeg decoder (/dev/video16) and mplayer with ivtv cvidix 
(using /dev/video48). 

If you use a current snapshot, there should be no problem with the S-Video. 
(There was one, which was fixed in January with 
http://linuxtv.org/hg/v4l-dvb/rev/4c1561cccc22. )

You could try the following:
Stop xorg
unload ivtvfb
undload ivtv
load ivtvfb
cat test.mpg > /dev/video16 
You should see the video on the TV out. If this is the case, the decoder is 
working. 

Greets
Martin

> , and while the 
> console switches to the PVR-350, nothing ends up displaying from the S-video
> output. Numerous reboots and inspection of /var/log/messages has turned up
> nothing different with regard to ivtv/ivtvfb. That is, until today:
> 
> ivtv1: Loaded v4l-cx2341x-enc.fw firmware (376836 bytes)
> ivtv1: Loaded v4l-cx2341x-dec.fw firmware (262144 bytes)
> ivtv1: Decoder firmware dead!
> ivtv1: Retry loading firmware
> ivtv1: Loaded v4l-cx2341x-enc.fw firmware (376836 bytes)
> ivtv1: Loaded v4l-cx2341x-dec.fw firmware (262144 bytes)
> ivtv1: Encoder revision: 0x02060039
> ivtv1: Decoder revision: 0x02020023
> ivtv1: Loaded v4l-cx2341x-init.mpg firmware (155648 bytes)
> ivtvfb1: Framebuffer at 0xf1510000, mapped to 0xe6390000, size 1665k
> Console: switching to colour frame buffer device 80x25
> ivtvfb1: Framebuffer registered on ivtv1
> 
> I should note that the machine acts like everything is working, even the
> time this message came up. I have X11 running, and x11vnc set up, and I can
> connect and interact with the machine normally. The only problem is that it
> doesn't actually seem to be sending video to my television.
> 
> I'm handy with code and a compiler, but not so handy with Mercurial, so I'm
> a bit challenged with regard to figuring out what might have changed to
> cause this issue. Nevertheless I am really interested in getting Andy's
> changes to sort out VBI in the cx18 driver, so any gentle nudges to put me
> on the right path would be most appreciated.
> 
> Thanks, and regards,
> 
> --scott
> -------------- next part --------------
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> URL: 
http://ivtvdriver.org/pipermail/ivtv-users/attachments/20090517/adb69949/attachment-0001.html 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 17 May 2009 20:10:25 -0400
> From: Andy Walls <awalls at radix.net>
> Subject: Re: [ivtv-users] PVR-350 decoder firmware problem
> To: User discussion about IVTV <ivtv-users at ivtvdriver.org>
> Message-ID: <1242605425.10045.31.camel at palomino.walls.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain
> 
> On Sun, 2009-05-17 at 18:03 -0500, Scott Reynolds wrote:
> > I've been running the tip of the v4l-dvb repository on my 2.6.23
> > kernel for some time now, updating periodically to get fixes
> > (especially fixes related to VBI). This hasn't caused me any trouble
> > up until recently. Let me say at the outset that this is not urgent
> > for me; happily, I was careful and backed up the kernel modules as of
> > the point that it was working. I can go back -- and have, several
> > times -- to the last working update from March 29th.
> > 
> > 
> > For the last several weeks, the tip of the repository seems to have
> > trouble loading the decoder firmware and/or the init code on the
> > PVR-350. At least, I never see the "green flash" as the card is
> > initialized, and while the console switches to the PVR-350, nothing
> > ends up displaying from the S-video output. Numerous reboots and
> > inspection of /var/log/messages has turned up nothing different with
> > regard to ivtv/ivtvfb. That is, until today:
> > 
> > 
> > ivtv1: Loaded v4l-cx2341x-enc.fw firmware (376836 bytes)
> > ivtv1: Loaded v4l-cx2341x-dec.fw firmware (262144 bytes)
> > ivtv1: Decoder firmware dead!
> > ivtv1: Retry loading firmware
> > ivtv1: Loaded v4l-cx2341x-enc.fw firmware (376836 bytes)
> > ivtv1: Loaded v4l-cx2341x-dec.fw firmware (262144 bytes)
> > ivtv1: Encoder revision: 0x02060039
> > ivtv1: Decoder revision: 0x02020023
> > ivtv1: Loaded v4l-cx2341x-init.mpg firmware (155648 bytes)
> > ivtvfb1: Framebuffer at 0xf1510000, mapped to 0xe6390000, size 1665k
> > Console: switching to colour frame buffer device 80x25
> > ivtvfb1: Framebuffer registered on ivtv1
> > 
> > 
> > I should note that the machine acts like everything is working, even
> > the time this message came up. I have X11 running, and x11vnc set up,
> > and I can connect and interact with the machine normally. The only
> > problem is that it doesn't actually seem to be sending video to my
> > television.
> 
> Scott,
> 
> Have you tried setting something like this in your /etc/modporbe.conf
> 
> options ivtvfb debug=3
> options ivtv debug=1023
> 
> and then looking at what gets logged?
> 
> 
> > 
> > I'm handy with code and a compiler, but not so handy with Mercurial,
> > so I'm a bit challenged with regard to figuring out what might have
> > changed to cause this issue.
> 
> 
> Here are some hints on looking for possible problem changes:
> 
> $ cd ~/path/v4l-dvb
> $ hg help log
> $ hg help date
> $ hg log -d ">Mar 28" linux/drivers/media/video/ivtv/* 
linux/drivers/media/video/saa71[12]*
> $ hg log -vp -d ">Mar 28" linux/drivers/media/video/ivtv/* 
linux/drivers/media/video/saa71[12]* | vim -R -
> 
> :set syntax=diff
> 
> 
> I'm just guessing it's a change in one of those files.  That filespec
> limits things to 16 changesets.  If you can narrow down the date range,
> then you can open up the log serach to all the files.
> 
> 
> >  Nevertheless I am really interested in getting Andy's changes to sort
> > out VBI in the cx18 driver, so any gentle nudges to put me on the
> > right path would be most appreciated.
> 
> I'm pretty happy with the AFE and VBI changes in the cx18 driver.  If
> you have and HVR-1600 or Compro H900 or some other cx18 supported board,
> you can test them if you like.
> 
> However, a hassle will be is translating those cx18 AFE (and maybe VBI
> changes) to PVR-150/500 type (CX2584x + CX23416) boards, because the
> cx25840 module supports a few slightly different chips and the ivtv
> module supports a few different decoders.
> 
> The PVR-350 uses a different video decoder from the CX25843, so the
> changes in the cx18 driver won't be applicable to making VBI on a
> PVR-350 better.
> 
> Regards,
> Andy
> 
> > Thanks, and regards,
> > 
> > 
> > --scott
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> _______________________________________________
> ivtv-users mailing list
> ivtv-users at ivtvdriver.org
> http://ivtvdriver.org/mailman/listinfo/ivtv-users
> 
> End of ivtv-users Digest, Vol 45, Issue 23
> ******************************************
> 