TF7100HDPVRt not downloading IceTV guide

rocketpants · March 04, 2011, 12:58:39 AM

In the last week my Topfield has stopped saving the name of the TV show when recording.

I am able to send recordings from IceTV interactive to the topfield (and it records fine) so the network connectivity is OK but it appears that the guide is no longer downloading properly and the recordings are just called ABC1 or whatever channel it is tuned to. I've reprogrammed the automatic download for the guide and tried manually updating the guide but with no luck. My IceTV settings are all correct.

Any ideas why this would be the case?

Thanks

tonymy01 · March 04, 2011, 04:31:34 AM

This sounds like similar behaviour for the Beyonwiz, if, say you had a network issue at times and were missing getting the advanced epg. As the pvr polls for timers at a 30 min interval, and epg at a 60 min interval, and polls for timers before epg, if you had no epg at the time (the wiz caches epg, so at least has epg on power up before the first ice poll, assuming you power it up every 5 days), the timer doesn't get a proper name, so doesn't give the recording a proper name (in the case of the wiz, it gives the timer a channel name with leading asterix which, if there is epg at the time of recording, will give it a proper name at least).
Is your network connection 24x7? Does your unit come out of standby regularly enough to get timers &epg at least every day or so?

rocketpants · March 04, 2011, 09:22:50 AM

Thanks for the response.

The unit is on 24/7 and is set to get the latest EPG every morning at around 4am using the instructions here http://www.icetv.com.au/cgi-bin/websupport.cgi?op=show_faq&cat_level=3&faq_id=147&faq_cat3_id=75 . Its on a wired network and I am able to send recordings to the unit (and other stuff on that part of the network works fine) so its not a network issue.

I haven't had an EPG update for about 4 days now and have sent timers to the unit in this time so there isn't an issue with timers being sent before EPG downloaded -other than the EPG not being downloaded at all.

Thanks

rocketpants · March 04, 2011, 10:20:01 AM

I dont know if it is actually solved but its now working again and downloading the EPG. I tested the connection a number of times in a row, which forces it to check the guide and then turned it off while it was doing something and it seemed to force the topfield to work out that it had to process the EPG data before it coudl shut down. Upon restart it worked.

frankonthenet · April 03, 2011, 01:31:01 PM

Not Topfield related but EPG problems...

I purchased a Beyonwiz DP-P2 on Dec 31st.

It was working very well until mid Feb when it stopped downloading the EPG although the scheduler etc all still being updated.

I spent a 2 â€" 3 weeks working with the support staff at IceTV to sort out the problem. We tried many things, lower the router MTU, download the XML files direct to PC and validate contents, question TPG about transparent proxies. Nothing worked and to the credit of the IceTV guys, they kept trying alternatives and making suggestions.
I received no response from support at Beyonwiz.

Eventually we ran out of options and concluded it must be the PVR. I took it back to the vendor and they gave me a brand new one on the spot. Wow, that was impressive that after 3 months, they just replaced it.

I got it home, set it up and the exact same problem.

Now I am lost. It worked perfectly till mid Feb. Obvioulsy it is not the PVR that is faulty. The connection seems fine as the scheduler tasks are updating, the network "seems" okay as I am able to receive the XML file and open it to validate the content. Changing the MTU made no difference at all. IceTV support are back on the case but I thought I would post here just in case someone else had a similar experience and found a resolution.

The ONLY thing that happened around that time or just before, is that I changed TPG plans from limited gb per month to unlimited.

Any advice or help is greatly appreciated.

Frank

tonymy01 · April 03, 2011, 01:39:05 PM

Make sure you have a device setup in ice, and when you enable Ice in the wiz, make sure you have selected that same device.

raymondjpg · April 03, 2011, 02:51:35 PM

Quote from: frankonthenet on April 03, 2011, 01:31:01 PM
Now I am lost. It worked perfectly till mid Feb. Obvioulsy it is not the PVR that is faulty. The connection seems fine as the scheduler tasks are updating, the network "seems" okay as I am able to receive the XML file and open it to validate the content. Changing the MTU made no difference at all. IceTV support are back on the case but I thought I would post here just in case someone else had a similar experience and found a resolution.

Doesn't this indicate a network problem between your pc and the PVR? Anything changed to the o/s or with the networking since February?

Quote from: frankonthenet on April 03, 2011, 01:31:01 PM
The ONLY thing that happened around that time or just before, is that I changed TPG plans from limited gb per month to unlimited.

I don't see how this could have changed anything on your intranet.

Do your scheduler tasks have program titles? If so then my understanding is that they are getting them from the EPG.

If not, then my only suggestion would be to clear the EPG cache and resend timers. I am no expert on the DP-P2, I have only had it about a year.

frankonthenet · April 04, 2011, 03:19:46 PM

Thanks for the assistance.

Device is set and same on both IceTV and PVR.

Quote from: raymondjpg on April 03, 2011, 02:51:35 PM

Doesn't this indicate a network problem between your pc and the PVR? Anything changed to the o/s or with the networking since February?

No. The PVR is connected to router via Ethernet cable. The router is wireless to computer(s). The staff at IceTV sent me a link to download (once off) the XML file to PC validating the contents, it worked fine. Therefore, I don't believe it to be network. The XML file made it to the PC and remember that the scheduler tasks are making it through to the PVR. All the scheduled recordings have generic channel/time names.

Any other suggestions?

raymondjpg · April 04, 2011, 07:04:28 PM

Quote from: frankonthenet on April 04, 2011, 03:19:46 PM
Any other suggestions?

Try posting on the Beyonwiz forums http://www.beyonwiz.com.au/phpbb2/index.php.

Plenty of gurus there, and there are forums on networking and on Ice TV, for example http://www.beyonwiz.com.au/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=5311.

Have you updated to the latest official firmware? My DP-P2 was shipped with an obscure version that even the beta testers had not seen.

tonymy01 · April 04, 2011, 07:15:41 PM

Quote from: frankonthenet on April 04, 2011, 03:19:46 PM
Thanks for the assistance.

Device is set and same on both IceTV and PVR.
generic channel/time names.

Any other suggestions?

try creating a second device and select that one instead. Make sure you don't have duplicate lcns, make sure your clock including timezone etc are correct, make sure in your network that there is no potential of an ip clash by using dhcp or making sure all fixed ip addresses are unique.

Downloading xml to your pc doesn't prove much at all.
Ensure the wiz has a correct dns address set too.

frankonthenet · April 07, 2011, 10:14:03 PM

Thank you everyone for all your help and suggestions. After almost 2 months, the problem has been solved... I replaced the router and it all worked! I have no idea what could have happened in Feb that caused my router to malfunction, or why it only affected IceTV but all is good now.

Thank you again!

raymondjpg · April 08, 2011, 07:34:13 AM

Quote from: frankonthenet on April 07, 2011, 10:14:03 PMI have no idea what could have happened in Feb that caused my router to malfunction, or why it only affected IceTV but all is good now.

Domestic device(s) such as microwave oven or cordless phone? A new iPhone? TV with wireless internet connectivity?

Maybe a firmware update for the old router (and/or drivers for the pc wireless adapter) would restore functionality.

prl · April 08, 2011, 09:30:56 AM

Quote from: raymondjpg on April 08, 2011, 07:34:13 AM
Quote from: frankonthenet on April 07, 2011, 10:14:03 PMI have no idea what could have happened in Feb that caused my router to malfunction, or why it only affected IceTV but all is good now.
Domestic device(s) such as microwave oven or cordless phone? A new iPhone? TV with wireless internet connectivity?
...

Frank has posted that the link to the router from the Beyonwiz is wired. The link from computer to the router is wireless. It's possible that RFI could cause problems on the wired link, but it seems unlikely to me.

raymondjpg · April 08, 2011, 10:51:18 AM

Quote from: prl on April 08, 2011, 09:30:56 AM
Quote from: raymondjpg on April 08, 2011, 07:34:13 AM
Quote from: frankonthenet on April 07, 2011, 10:14:03 PMI have no idea what could have happened in Feb that caused my router to malfunction, or why it only affected IceTV but all is good now.
Domestic device(s) such as microwave oven or cordless phone? A new iPhone? TV with wireless internet connectivity?
...
Frank has posted that the link to the router from the Beyonwiz is wired. The link from computer to the router is wireless. It's possible that RFI could cause problems on the wired link, but it seems unlikely to me.

I would agree with that. They were thrown out as possibilities for "what happened in Feb".

My experience with 802.11n wireless APs has been that two routers (different manufacturers) had some difficulty with second or third devices connecting to the AP. In one case connectivity of a Topfield PVR (ethernet wired to the AP) was compromised to the extent that, while FTP file transfer would work (just, after quite a period of negotiation) the PVR could not establish a connection with the pc or the Ice servers. With the second AP, connectivity of the PVR was not compromised but data transfer rates were slowed permanently to about one third (or less) of original capacity. The first router would recover after additional devices disconnected, and in the case of the second router a reboot was necessary.

A third AP works perfectly.

802.11g APs may be more forgiving.