Problems with Thomson TiVo

[jumbophut]

Hi

Newbie here. I have just put ozTiVo_installer_Philips_1.6.2_20080604.iso onto my UK Thomson TiVo (using internal modem for guide data and Minicom over serial cable for checking config). I have a couple of problems, one with the tuner (probably) and one with the RF out.

I get through the setup and can download from the emulator (I can see descriptions of which programmes are on, no problem).

However, Live TV fails nearly always (problem 1). On rare occassions it works but I get scratchy reception. I am using the tuner input (RF in to antenna). Plugging the same antenna input into my TV or video gives pretty decent reception on all channels, and crystal clear on three or four of them.

Also, I have the RF out on the TiVo going into my TV (I can't use the SCART), and so I have to tune my TV to get the TiVo OSD. The required tuning is very close to Prime TV. As a result, I have Prime TV audio and interference on the screen (problem 2). I can see no way to change this tuning (I have used palmod_config but it has made no difference, perhaps because ukchan30.o rather than palmod.o is automatically used for the Thomson).

Does anybody have any suggestions? I was hoping (perhaps rather optimistically) to avoid the fairly massive NZ-specific Thomson .iso download. I have done some googling and scanned the forums, but I really don't know where to start.

Tony

[jumbophut]

More digging yields this post: http://forums.oztivo.net/showthread.php?2312

Not impossible that it is related, though that poster seems to be using the SCART connectors.

[Islander]

Have you set the tuner channels to NZ and the rf out frequency using palmod_config from bash prompt as the settings in 1.6.2 are by default Australian?

[jumbophut]

Have you set the tuner channels to NZ and the rf out frequency using palmod_config from bash prompt as the settings in 1.6.2 are by default Australian?

That's a good suggestion. I have used the palmod_config tool to select NZ frequencies and to set the rf out channel to 62 instead of 60 (I have also rebooted and rerun palmod_config to check that it retains the settings, which it does). Unfortunately it made no difference.

I'm not sure that information from palmod_config is being used at all. Looking at the startup scripts (rc.arch) I think the file palmod.conf (which I guess is generated by palmod_config?) is only used when the palmod.o module is inserted, not when the ukchan30.o module is inserted. Perhaps the choices of frequency table etc. are hardcoded in ukchan30.o, and I will need to compile my own?

By the by, I see that palmod.conf on my system doesn't include the choice of frequency table. However, palmod_conf is reading it from _somewhere_ since it persists when I change it, even across reboots.

[catdog]

I think you will need to replace the ukchan file with a NZ version, try this one (renamed appropriately of course):
http://forums.oztivo.net/showthread.php?1160-Image-suitable-for-UK-TiVo&p=8228#post8228

Regarding setting the output channel - give this a try:
http://forums.oztivo.net/showthread.php?1160-Image-suitable-for-UK-TiVo&p=8440#post8440


Personally I would suggest downloading the Thomson .iso image - it is a bit more work to set up, but it will avoid the event bug where the remote locks up, and all of the menus/settings work correctly (like changing the rf output channel!).

[jumbophut]

Thanks for the advice.

Okay, so rather than mess about with module / kernel compatability issues (2.5.5 modules unlikely to work with 3.0 kernel I figure), I have bitten the bullet and attempted to install nzTiVo-Thomson-Installer-Dec06RC1.iso.

I have a new problem now: the installer is failing on the mfsrestore command ("First target drive too small"). I'm trying to install to the 40Gb the TiVo came with. I guess this means that the mfs backup it is trying to restore was from a bigger drive.

Is there anything to be done about this? I don't have any drive (other than a laptop drive) that is larger than 40Gb.

Tony

[catdog]

Sorry, I don't know how (if?) you can restore that existing image onto the 40gig drive - I have always just used a drive larger than the original when I have done it.

[jumbophut]

Sorry, I don't know how (if?) you can restore that existing image onto the 40gig drive - I have always just used a drive larger than the original when I have done it.

Mind if I ask what size drive you have used? I will feel a bit of a fool if I go out and pick up a second-hand 80Gb drive only to find out that is also too small.

I suppose my other option is to use the Philips image, get the source to ukchan30.o (someone in the Netherlands appears to have done this, though I can't find a trace of ukchan30.c anywhere) and alter the frequencies in there.

[catdog]

I am using a 320gig drive (I have also used a 120gig drive in the past, but I am not 100% sure if that was with the US or UK image).

You might be right about the 2.5.5 and 3.0 ukchan modules being different - after rummaging around my harddrive I found ukchan30.c and ukchan-2.5.5_nz.c (attached), which use different offsets. You should be able to change the frequencies (and sound settings) in the 30 file and recompile it. Note: I am not the author of the .c files, I'm not sure exactly where I got them from (probably these forums or oztivo.net wiki), and they may not be the latest versions.

Where in NZ are you located?

[jumbophut]

I am using a 320gig drive (I have also used a 120gig drive in the past, but I am not 100% sure if that was with the US or UK image). <...> Where in NZ are you located?

I went out and grabbed a 250Gb drive off Trademe, but -- terrifically bad luck -- it was a WD Caviar Blue, which I have now discovered cannot be used in a Series One TiVo at all. It's a shame because it was possible to get the UK image onto it, after some fussing about because my PC's BIOS didn't like the WD.

I might buy another drive, but it's getting hard to justify the money (and the time spent).

To answer your second question, I am in Wellington.

Thanks for the ukchan30.c.

Tony.

[petestrash]

There is a repository of NZ images here (ftp://orac.caffeine.co.nz/install_images/).

And instructions for NZ here (http://www.nztivo.net/index.php/ImageWithScreenShots1.4).

Hope that helps.

Peter.

[Skolink]

I have a new problem now: the installer is failing on the mfsrestore command ("First target drive too small"). I'm trying to install to the 40Gb the TiVo came with. I guess this means that the mfs backup it is trying to restore was from a bigger drive.

Is there anything to be done about this? I don't have any drive (other than a laptop drive) that is larger than 40Gb.

Tony

The drive will be locked, so the computer will only see it as an 8Mb drive. You need to use qunlock first, then restore the image to the CD.
This only happens with the original drives, not with larger newer ones.
If you take it out of the TiVo again, you will need to unlock it again.

[jumbophut]

There is a repository of NZ images here (ftp://orac.caffeine.co.nz/install_images/).

And instructions for NZ here (http://www.nztivo.net/index.php/ImageWithScreenShots1.4).

Hope that helps.

Peter.

Thanks Peter. I have tried the NZ Thomson image, though without success so far (backup MFS image used seems to be off a larger drive than mine).

[jumbophut]

The drive will be locked, so the computer will only see it as an 8Mb drive. You need to use qunlock first, then restore the image to the CD.
This only happens with the original drives, not with larger newer ones.
If you take it out of the TiVo again, you will need to unlock it again.

Thanks. Unfortunately this is not the problem. The knoppix-based install images automatically unlock the drive on boot and report the drive size correctly (40Gb). To be absolutely sure, I ran qunlock anyway from a boot floppy, and after going back into the Knoppix installer it still reports the drive is too small to do the restore.

Further evidence the drive is unlocked comes from the fact that I successfully installed the oztivo Philips image (which, although I could do the setup on my TV, didn't work because it uses ukchan30.c, which has hardcoded Aus frequencies).

I am going to give it one more try with an 80Gb HD that I am collecting tomorrow. If that doesn't work, using the Philips image and compiling my own ukchan30.c is a possibility. Or, alternatively, finding someone who wants a TiVo (there was a time, before children and a mortgage, that I might have persevered).

Cheers
Tony

[Skolink]

I may be able to arrange a swap for a Phillips or Sony unit with or without a PAL tuner if you are interested, and would otherwise give up on owning a TiVo.
Other than the size of the image download, why are you not using the Thomson image? I have never used one myself.

[jumbophut]

Okay! I now have a working TiVo (used nz Philips Dec 06 image and tweaked RF output channel using iicsetnosub as described elsewhere in the forums).

Everything works except that Prime is on ch.50 (postcode 2124; 2112 gave me Auckland channels) and I need it to be on ch.60 (50 is static for me, but presumably not for people in some other part of Wellington). Is there an easy way to achieve this?

I may still try the nz thomson image tomorrow if it fits on an 80Gb drive, but at least I know it is possible to have a working setup with what I have now.

Thanks John for your post and all others for your help.

Tony.

[Skolink]

You should have been given a choice of FTA region lineup during guided setup, maybe you missed it. If you are going to redo things again (with a Philips image) I would recommend using the latest OzTiVo v1.6.2 boot CD. It has the choice of the NZ emulator in the imaging menu. I found it to be more stable than than the v1.5 CD (on which the nzTiVo CD is based).

[catdog]

If you are going to redo things again (with a Philips image) I would recommend using the latest OzTiVo v1.6.2 boot CD. It has the choice of the NZ emulator in the imaging menu. I found it to be more stable than than the v1.5 CD (on which the nzTiVo CD is based).If you read the first post, that would put him full circle! The problem is that the UK tivo does not use palmod as far as I am aware for the philips images. I guess Tony could copy the ukchan.o file from the NZ image he is currently running to his PC, reimage with 1.6.2, then copy ukchan file back over to overwrite the australian version.

[jumbophut]

I have success with the NZ Thomson image (2.5.5). It worked using a Samsung SP0842N drive which is nominally 80Gb, although a message scrolled past rather quickly about 'too small to expand' or some such (I'm not going to check it, because stuff is working and I might upset the delicate balance of TiVo nature).

Internal modem is working, telnet into box is working, sound is working, _all_ FTA channels are working, I can change the RF output channel. Excellent!

So, for the benefit of others who might try with a Series 1 UK Thomson TiVo (and hopefully summarising some of the good advice I have received in this thread :-)...

1. Use the NZ Thomson image from ftp://orac.caffeine.co.nz/install_images/. The long download will actually save you time.
2. Make sure your drive is big enough (the 40Gb drive the machine came with will be too small; 80Gb worked for me, but apparently not all 80Gb drives are created equal; _avoid_ Western Digital Caviar Blue).
3. If in Wellington and using the RF out, change your input channel from 60 to avoid interference from Prime. 30 works for me. Sound disappeared for a while after I did this, but some fiddling with the channel -- back to 60 and then back to 30 again -- and some time elapsed magically fixed this.
4. Use the appropriate NZ Postcode from http://forums.oztivo.net/showthread.php?912-FAQ-Current-New-Zealand-Postcodes. Mine was 02124 for Wellington. Remember to input the '0' at the beginning.

-- EDITED MUCH LATER: Note that there are daylight savings issues. You need to grab an updated zoneinfo file from ftp://210.48.107.133/install/Auckland.zip and to run the /hack/bin/set_NZ_Timezone_DaylightSayingsPolicy script. This is described in this thread: http://forums.oztivo.net/showthread.php?2347-Incorrect-time --

It is possible to have a working TiVo with the Philips image (the NZ one) but in my case it required writing to registers using the iicsetnosub program to change to RF out channel in order to get reception on most channels. The iicsetnosub program is not there by default. It is available in this thread: http://forums.oztivo.net/showthread.php?1139-No-sound-from-PVR10UK. You may wish to put it on the TiVo drive when you image the drive (after exiting the installer, mount /dev/hda4 /mnt/tivo, then copy the file from a floppy etc. to, say, /hack/bin). This saves messing with ftp etc. later on.

It may be possible to have a working TiVo with the Aus Philips image, but I didn't succeed. Possibly the iicsetnosub magic will work for that one too, but I suspect it requires a hand-rolled ukchan30.o file.

Many thanks to all.

Tony