Counting Tuners

[furbies]

On a BYOB (HP EliteDesk 800 G4 SFF) and I've got two Elgato Diversity (dual tuner) USB dongles I want to use...

If I have one dongle plugged in (both antenna plugs connected), I can record two programs.
If I plug in both dongles (all antenna plugs connected), I can still only record two programs.
(IceBox complains when the timers trip, and reports a "conflict", even though it let me schedule more timers than I'm allowed ?)

Is there a way to enable both dongles so I can record 4 programs simultaneously ?
And is there a way to see just how many dongles IceBox/LibreElec can actively see ?

And is there some way to "manually edit" the channels directly ?
IceBox has "mistuned" 9GO! to be on channel 99 instead of channel 93 which is what my (failing) Humax has it on.

cheers

furbies

[IanL-S]

I have heard of similar problems, possibly with the same type of tuners. There is a solution - small configuration change - but cannot remember what it was.

[furbies]

I think (Ouch that hurts !) I may have partly answered my own question ?

Reading through: https://forum.icetv.com.au/index.php?topic=7630.0 I read about accessing the "TVheadEnd" through a web browser, and discovered I can see lots of useful info ?

In DVB Inputs I can see I have 4 tuner inputs ?
So evidently IceBox is seeing the tuners but can't use them all ?

 TV adapters
● /dev/dvb/adapter0 [DiBcom 7000PC #0] ● DiBcom 7000PC #0 : DVB-T #0
● /dev/dvb/adapter1 [DiBcom 7000PC #1] ● DiBcom 7000PC #1 : DVB-T #0
● /dev/dvb/adapter2 [DiBcom 7000PC #2] ● DiBcom 7000PC #2 : DVB-T #0
● /dev/dvb/adapter3 [DiBcom 7000PC #3] ● DiBcom 7000PC #3 : DVB-T #0

So is there something I can do to enable access to both USB Tuner Dongle ?

cheers

furbies
                                           

[furbies]

Actually, clicking through the TVheadEnd interface in the browser I think I've solved it ?

In the TVheadEnd "webpage" I went into Configuration>DVB Inputs>TV adapters  I noticed that the parameters of the active dongle were different to the inactive one.

In Basic Settings, I enabled the two tuner inputs on the second dongle, and also enabled the "Over-the-air EPG: checkboxs

I'm currently recording programs across ABC, SBS, Ch 10 and Ch 9

I'll wait for them to finish, and see if there's anything there to confirm....



Hopefully smarter heads will see this and confirm I've gotten it right ?

[furbies]

On a side note:

Is it worth while in the "Advanced Settings" section setting the priority value across the two tuner dongles, so TVheadEnd will share the load across both USB dongles:

Recording #1 on USB Tuner 1, input 1, then if I have a second recording scheduled that overlaps, then:
Recording #2 on USB Tuner 2, input 1, then if I have a third recording scheduled that overlaps, then:
Recording #3 on USB Tuner 1, input 2, then if I have a fourth recording scheduled that overlaps, then:
Recording #4 on USB Tuner 2, input 2.

So the priority values would be:
USB Tuner 1, input 1: 100
USB Tuner 1, input 2: 60
USB Tuner 2, input 1: 80
USB Tuner 2, input 2: 40

[raymondjpg]

...so TVheadEnd will share the load across both USB dongles:

I'm not quite sure what sharing the load across the USB dongles will achieve, if they are all fed from a common RF source.

You can check performance at Status|Stream.

[furbies]

...so TVheadEnd will share the load across both USB dongles:

I'm not quite sure what sharing the load across the USB dongles will achieve, if they are all fed from a common RF source.

You can check performance at Status|Stream.

My thought was that if I was recording two programs at the same time, and have set the dongle priorities as I described, then I'd get one program through each dongle, and therefore one program through each USB port/pipe ?

[IanL-S]

If you have a single USB Turner then you can simultaneously record all the programs being transmitted by one network. My record is recording 14 concurrent programs over 5 tuners.

[furbies]

If you have a single USB Turner then you can simultaneously record all the programs being transmitted by one network. My record is recording 14 concurrent programs over 5 tuners.

How did you manage to get the IceBox to allocate all the recordings on one network to a single tuner ?

Inquiring minds.....

[IanL-S]

Nothing to do - the tuner isolates the transmission for the particular network, and the IceBox separates the various transmission stream into the components identified with the particular logical channels. The firmware may allocate the recordings across tuners - I have never checked. You can probably work it out using TVHeadend. You can do the same for Beyonwiz using OpenWebif.


The same process works on my Topfield and Beyonwiz recorders. For older recorders, there are limits to the number of streams that can be separated due to physical recording slots. The Ice Box, like the Beyonwiz V2 does not rely on physical slots in the recording process, hence can record many mor programs simultaneously. The Topfield had 5 physical slots (one for time shift), the Beyonwiz T2 has 6 and the U4 10.

The old standard definition Topfield could be configured to record the entire transmission stream which could then be separated into its elements - not that I ever tried to do it. It was introduced in firmware towards then end of life of those Toppys.

Ian

[DeltaMikeCharlie]

The Topfield had 5 physical slots (one for time shift), the Beyonwiz T2 has 6 and the U4 10

I always saw this as a limitation imposed by the resources of the PVR platform in question.  Each stream to be recorded will require some CPU ticks, RAM for caching, file descriptors, IO to the HDD, etc.  The PVR will also have to run the GUI for the user and whatever else is required.

On Topfield, you can see this resource shortage when the native ICE TV module is active.  Both CPU cores shoot up to 100% and the GUI lags.

[raymondjpg]

My first PVR was a Topfield TF7100HDPVRt, and I always reckoned it made a better fist of TV recordings than the Beyonwiz DP-P2. It couldn't however compete with the Beyonwiz as a general purpose file player, which I used for some years before turning to HTPCs.

I distinctly recall the reaction when I expressed frustration at the inability of the Topfield to record more than one channel per tuner, compared with TV Scheduler Pro (then DVB Webscheduler) which could apparently record any number of programs from the same provider on one tuner. I was roundly criticised for comparing the performance of a PVR with a PC application.

I'm not sure that it could be said that PVR performance has progressed much these days with respect to number of channels per tuner. It's better than before with the Topfield, but nowhere near as good as PC based applications such as Icebox.

I Have kept my Topfield for old times sake, and it is still supported by IceTV. Like many PVRs of its vintage it suffered failure of its power supply, which after being fixed by Warkus will probably outlast all of us.

[prl]

I'm not sure that it could be said that PVR performance has progressed much these days with respect to number of channels per tuner. It's better than before with the Topfield, but nowhere near as good as PC based applications such as Icebox.

The new series Beyonwizes (T/U/V models) have no set limit on the number of channels that can be recorded simultaneously. They are still limited to recording from one broadcaster per tuner (and I know of no full band tuners for FTA).

[IanL-S]

The Topfield had 5 physical slots (one for time shift), the Beyonwiz T2 has 6 and the U4 10

I always saw this as a limitation imposed by the resources of the PVR platform in question.  Each stream to be recorded will require some CPU ticks, RAM for caching, file descriptors, IO to the HDD, etc.  The PVR will also have to run the GUI for the user and whatever else is required.

On Topfield, you can see this resource shortage when the native ICE TV module is active.  Both CPU cores shoot up to 100% and the GUI lags.

I got this information from the data sheets for the manufacturer of the SoC, Broadcom. Most Toppys and Beyonwiz models used Broadcom SoC. I can post the data sheet if anyone wants them.

[furbies]

I Have kept my Topfield for old times sake, and it is still supported by IceTV. Like many PVRs of its vintage it suffered failure of its power supply, which after being fixed by Warkus will probably outlast all of us.

I had to replace my Toppy TF7100 after Thor decided that I needed to have a lightning strike hit the phoneline right outside my door a couple of years ago.
The strike fried the modem, and then my ethernet network, and the ethernet port on the Toppy :(

Switched to the Humax and it's been nothing but shite !
I will give IceTV props for support in arranging replacements while Humax was still a going concern in the PVR field here in Oz, but I'm on my third in 3 & 1/2 years, and the current one has had a HDD replacement in 18 months since I got it, and has started doing the spontaneous crash and reboot.

Which is why I'm exploring the IceBox software on a BYOD.
(just don't have the $449 sitting in my bank account, to buy a complete IceBox solution)