# Please Help: WinTV Nova-s-plus with Gentoo Linux

## subceero

I am currently trying hard to get the PCI-TV-Card "WinTV Nova-S-Plus" from hauppauge to work with gentoo Linux. This is a card to watch satellite TV via DVB-S.

I learned that the card was unsupported for some time, but that there were drivers now, and that they'd be included in recent 2.6.16 Kernel series and would work perfectly.

So I'm using kernel-2.6.16-gentoo-r9 now, and tried to configure it appropriatly. But I still have no clue how I can use this card under linux (what tools there are, how to debug, ...)...with windoze it runs, on the same machine with the same hardware setup   :Confused:  , so I can exclude the possibility of a hardware misconfiguration (e.g. wrong dish alignment, cable problems,...).

Here is some system info:

lspci output:

```

#lspci

0000:02:0b.0 Multimedia video controller: Conexant CX23880/1/2/3 PCI Video and Audio Decoder (rev 05)

0000:02:0b.1 Multimedia controller: Conexant CX23880/1/2/3 PCI Video and Audio Decoder [Audio Port] (rev 05)

0000:02:0b.2 Multimedia controller: Conexant CX23880/1/2/3 PCI Video and Audio Decoder [MPEG Port] (rev 05)

0000:02:0b.4 Multimedia controller: Conexant: Unknown device 8804 (rev 05)

```

Kernel configuration (relevant parts)

```
--- Video Adapters[*] Enable advanced debug functionality

< > BT848 Video For Linux

< > Mediavision Pro Movie Studio Video For Linux

< > Quickcam BW Video For Linux

< > QuickCam Colour Video For Linux (EXPERIMENTAL)

< > CPiA Video For Linux

< > SAA5246A, SAA5281 Teletext processor

< > SAA5249 Teletext processor

< > SAB3036 tuner

< > Stradis 4:2:2 MPEG-2 video driver (EXPERIMENTAL)

< > Zoran ZR36057/36067 Video For Linux

< > Philips SAA7134 support

< > Siemens-Nixdorf 'Multimedia eXtension Board'

< > Philips-Semiconductors 'dpc7146 demonstration board'

< > Hexium HV-PCI6 and Orion frame grabber

< > Hexium Gemini frame grabber

<M> Conexant 2388x (bt878 successor) support

<M> ALSA DMA audio support

<M> DVB/ATSC Support for cx2388x based TV cards[*] Build all supported frontends for cx2388x based TV cards

<M> VP-3054 Secondary I2C Bus Support

< > Empia EM2800/2820/2840 USB video capture support

< > OmniVision Camera Chip support

< > Add support for additional audio chipsets

< > Add support for additional video chipsets

```

```

[*] DVB For Linux

<*> DVB Core Support

--- Supported SAA7146 based PCI Adapters

<*> AV7110 cards[*] AV7110 OSD support

<M> Budget cards

<M> Budget cards with onboard CI connector

<M> Budget cards with analog video inputs

< > AV7110 cards with Budget Patch

--- Supported USB Adapters

< > Support for various USB DVB devices

< > Technotrend/Hauppauge Nova-USB devices

< > Technotrend/Hauppauge USB DEC devices

< > Terratec CinergyT2/qanu USB2 DVB-T receiver

--- Supported FlexCopII (B2C2) Adapters

< > Technisat/B2C2 FlexCopII(b) and FlexCopIII adapters

--- Supported BT878 Adapters

--- Supported Pluto2 Adapters

< > Pluto2 cards

--- Supported DVB Frontends

Customise DVB Frontends --->

```

```
--- DVB-S (satellite) frontends

--- ST STV0299 based

< > Conexant CX24110 based

<M> Conexant CX24123 based

--- Philips TDA8083 based

< > Zarlink VP310/MT312 based

--- VLSI VES1893 or VES1993 based

<*> Samsung S5H1420 based

--- DVB-T (terrestrial) frontends

--- Spase sp8870 based

< > Spase sp887x based

< > Conexant CX22700 based

<*> Conexant cx22702 demodulator (OFDM)

--- LSI L64781

<*> Philips TDA10045H/TDA10046H based

< > NxtWave Communications NXT6000 based

<*> Zarlink MT352 based

< > DiBcom 3000M-B

< > DiBcom 3000P/M-C

--- DVB-C (cable) frontends

--- VLSI VES1820 based

<*> Philips TDA10021 based

--- ST STV0297 based

--- ATSC (North American/Korean Terresterial DTV) frontends

<*> Nextwave NXT2002/NXT2004 based

< > or51211 based (pcHDTV HD2000 card)

<*> OR51132 based (pcHDTV HD3000 card)

< > Broadcom BCM3510

<*> LG Electronics LGDT3302/LGDT3303 based 

```

Here's the lsmod output after loading some modules:

```

Module Size Used by

budget 11264 0

budget_core 8452 1 budget

cx88_dvb 11012 0

cx8802 10628 1 cx88_dvb

cx88xx 60708 2 cx88_dvb,cx8802

ir_common 9220 1 cx88xx

btcx_risc 5128 2 cx8802,cx88xx

tveeprom 15120 1 cx88xx

cx88_vp3054_i2c 4736 1 cx88_dvb

video_buf_dvb 5892 1 cx88_dvb

cx24123 9860 1 cx88_dvb

```

And this is the dmesg output after a "modprobe cx88-dvb":

```

DVB: registering new adapter (cx88[0]).

DVB: registering frontend 0 (Conexant CX24123/CX24109)...

cx88[0]/2: cx8802_stop_dma

ACPI: PCI interrupt for device 0000:02:0b.2 disabled

cx2388x dvb driver version 0.0.5 loaded

CORE cx88[0]: subsystem: 0070:9202, board: Hauppauge Nova-S-Plus DVB-S [card=37,autodetected]

TV tuner 4 at 0x1fe, Radio tuner -1 at 0x1fe

tveeprom 4-0050: Hauppauge model 92001, rev B1B1, serial# 416811

tveeprom 4-0050: MAC address is 00-0D-FE-06-5C-2B

tveeprom 4-0050: tuner model is Conexant_CX24109 (idx 111, type 4)

tveeprom 4-0050: TV standards ATSC/DVB Digital (eeprom 0x80)

tveeprom 4-0050: audio processor is CX883 (idx 32)

tveeprom 4-0050: decoder processor is CX883 (idx 22)

tveeprom 4-0050: has no radio, has IR remote

cx88[0]: hauppauge eeprom: model=92001

input: cx88 IR (Hauppauge Nova-S-Plus as /class/input/input3

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:02:0b.2[A] -> GSI 23 (level, low) -> IRQ 19

cx88[0]/2: found at 0000:02:0b.2, rev: 5, irq: 19, latency: 32, mmio: 0xbb000000

cx88[0]/2: cx2388x based dvb card

```

I'm no expert but this doesn't look to bad does it? 

I tried kdetv and kaffeine to watch tv / scan channels, but kdetv says theres no device found, and with kaffeine I can try so scan for channels, the signal strength is displayed and strong, but nothing is found, no error either...

Is there anybody that got this card running or has any hints how to get it running? Conceptual informationen would be aprecciated, too.

Thanks in advance,

sub

----------

## subceero

Okay, the problem got solved. I had an old version of udev on my system; thats why the device nodes hadn't been created correctly and applications couldn't properly access them.

An update to the latest udev package (with update of system configuration) solved the problem. Thanks anyway!

----------

## ferg

Hi subceero,

How's that card?  

I'm currently running a MythTV box on Gentoo, using two DVB-T WinTV Nova cards.

I'm looking to get a dish plus a DVB-s card in order to try and get some French channels in the UK.

Now you've got the card running what's it like?  What software are you using to view the card?

Any feedback would be welcome!!

Cheers

Ferg

----------

## subceero

Hi ferg,

Now that it is running with gentoo I have no problems with it - I use kaffeine as TV software, but I guess there are better software alternatives out, too.  Kaffeine is pretty simple and straightforward to use; it can automatically scan for channels and allows easy sorting / editing of them. The only problem I have is that the CPU load keeps getting higher when frequently changing channels - until it getts laggy. But I guess thats more a problem of kaffeine/Xine than of the driver and the card; restarting kaffeine helps. I'm still looking for alternatives, there should be some more.

Keep in mind that this is a "budget card" meaning it has no own mpeg decoder on it - it is all done in software. This requires you to have decent machine (I'm running a 2,4 Ghz Pentium 4 here, CPU load for smoothly watching in full screen (1280x1024 pixels) averages at about 20-35%, also depending on the channel (not all channels have the same resolution/quality).

I didn't yet try to put the built-in IR remote control to work - this shouldn't be too much of a problem though, the driver displays that the IR-port was regognized as a device. After all one can't complain much, especially when considering the low price (about 80$). And one more thing: the bundled windows software didn't convince me - it was very slow and nasty to use, the movies laggy (on the same machine it runs absolutely perfect with linux). Just in case you consider to use it on windows, too.

Hope this info was of some help, questions are always welcome.

Regards,

Sub

----------

## ferg

Hi Subceero,

that's most helpful. Thanks!

I think I'll get once of those.  I've got 2 of the DVB-T versions of the card that I use in my MythTV box. These work quite well, and if the card works as well (which I think from what you say it will), then I think I'm gonna have to get a ladder and put a sattelite dish on teh side of the house!!!  :Smile: 

From what I have read Haupage has a bad reputation for their own software and drivers.  Rarely updated and poorly implemented are what I have read.

Cheers

Ferg

----------

## subceero

No problem, you're welcome   :Very Happy: 

From what I've seen I can only confirm what you have read about Hauppage software quality.

Regards,

Sub

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