PAL Tuner in NZ?

[Yem]

My tivo is now nicely palmodded thanks to DK, but I'm getting the "no signal" blue screen (with a black bar at the bottom - that's normal right?).

No sky so its just TV1, TV2, TV3, C4, Triangle, Prime, Juice & Maori I'm after.

How does the tivo know what freq to tune each channel to?

Grepping some stuff from the Sky/Saturn howto on tjv.net, I ran:

# cd /var/hack/guide
 
# ./delallsources
 
# ./add-fta.tcl
 
# ./lssources
 
SignalSource 2274/44 {
  Connector      = 1
  ProviderName   = FTA
  RFChannel      = 0
  SignalType     = 1
}
 
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998001 1 TV1    "TV1"              2274/44
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998002 2 TV2    "TV2"              2274/44
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998003 3 TV3    "TV3"              2274/44
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998006 6 Prime  "Prime"            2274/44
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998032 32 C4    "C4"               2274/44
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998033 33 Maori "Maori Television" 2274/44
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998099 99 NoNag "NoNag"            2274/44

Now I can flick through these channels using the remote but there is no signal on any of them.

PS: happy to write up a FTA/palmod howto when this is up and running - if there isn't already one.

[thomson]

If you are using your (RF) tuner then you need to get your UHF channels correct. They change a little depending on your region (usually shifted
just by one), but in Wellington they are as follows:

TV1 UHF 1
TV2 UHF 5
TV3 UHF 11
C4 UHF 2
MTV UHF 44
Prime UHF 60

For example:
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998001 1 TV1 "TV1" 2274/44
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998002 5 TV2 "TV2" 2274/44
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998003 11 TV3 "TV3" 2274/44
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998006 60 Prime "Prime" 2274/44
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998032 2 C4 "C4" 2274/44
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998033 44 Maori "Maori Television" 2274/44
# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998099 99 NoNag "NoNag" 2274/44

[Yem]

Thanks for that. Is there a reliable place to get the UHF channels for TV1, 2, 3 & C4? The other stations have tuning info on their websites, but not TVNZ or Canwest..

I think its time to reflash the hard drive. Can't even add channels at the moment:

[TiVo [p0] /var/hack/guide]# ./add-whole-channel.tcl 7998001 1  TV1    "TV1"           2274/53
The file id you will need to use add-channel is 20553/10
commit failed (0x30012)
 
    while executing
"transaction {uplevel $body}"
    (procedure "RetryTransaction" line 5)
    invoked from within
"RetryTransaction {
    set station [db $db create Station]
    set stationid [dbobj $station fsid]/[dbobj $station subobjid]
    puts "The file id yo..."
    (file "./add-whole-channel.tcl" line 12)

When you do a ./lssources is the RFChannel attribute 0 or 1?

[thomson]

I ended up just browsing using the tuner to find the various channels. Just start at 1 and go up to 63 writing down what you find. This is made easier by the watermarks that all channels feel they need to impose on us???

I am running a UK unit so my RF channel is probably 22 (which is the UHF frequency that I am using to view output, as the default 60 clashes with Prime where I live).

[Yem]

Just reimaged the drive and added 99 test channels - one for each UHF channel named Test01, Test02, etc. Flicking through the channels, the only ones that got any signal at all were:

UHF6 TV2 (video is perfect, audio is terrible - 90% white noise)
UHF61 Juice (audio and video good)
UHF45 Maori (audio and video good)

.. all the other channels show no signal. This is in Mt Eden, Auckland, NZ.

Am I boned?

Edit: hmm just checked the aerial on the roof. It looks like the old style VHF one with this small finned thing stuck on top. That would probably explain why the television is tuned on the VHF band for 1, 2, 3, C4 and UHF for the rest. Might be time to get a proper UHF antenna.

[thomson]

I have just modified palmod and palmod_config so that they will work with a Samsung/ALPS tuner in New Zealand. The previous version would have only worked with Philips tuners.

I have provided the source as well as the compiled binaries. This will get the RF input and output video working. I have had a look at the AUS stereo modifications and it will not work here as they use Zweiton Stereo (5.742MHz offset) and we use NICAM (with a 5.85MHz offset). The Australian (analogue) stereo modification will not work with our digital NICAM system.

The reason is that in Australia the base carrier (5.5MHz) carries a mono signal (Left+Right)/2 and the second carrier (5.742MHz) carries the Right hand channel. Over here we have digital stereo encoded with Nicam meaning that the base carrier (5.5MHz) carries a mono signal, but the second carrier (5.85MHz) carries a digitally modulated Left and Right channel - which is how we get a digital stereo signal.

Currently it looks like the MSP3430G chip will need to be replaced with a MSP3450G chip (or possibly a MSP3410D as found in the UK systems) in order to decode PAL-B/G NICAM. This is an 80pin surface mounted chip - so not a job for the casual hacker.

[stuge]

Now that Thomson has developed the NZ palmod, is it still necessary to ./add-whole-channel.tcl ...etc... or does the palmod load the necessary fta channels?

I have just palmodded my US box that was configured via guided setup. Am having some difficulty getting palmod to work for me.

Any help much appreciated.

stuge

[thomson]

Is it still necessary to ./add-whole-channel.tcl ...etc... or does the palmod load the necessary fta channels?

The palmod will just modify the frequency tables so that they are in tune with the ranges that we use here in NZ as well as configure other internal settings to be PAL aware. The modified palmod just gets the module working with the Samsung/ALPS tuners whereas previously it was only working with the Philips. It should be made clear that in order to recieve FTA channels over your standard TV aerial you will need to ensure you have a PAL tuner (the US models come with an NTSC tuner that will need replacing), otherwise you will need to use a VCR or STB (Sky/Saturn) to receive the channels.

You should be able to find the FTA channels by using the "LiveTV" button and the numbers on the remote. Start at 1 and work your way up to 63 writing down the channels that you find. You can then use this information to create your headend either manually or using the "add-whole-channel.tcl" script.

In Wellington the FTA channels are:
1 - TV1, 2 - C4, 5 - TV2, 11 - TV3, 44 - Maori TV, 60 - Prime

[stuge]

Thanks for the info Thomson, and for the palmod ..um.. mod!

I still am not having any joy getting the tuner to work properly. I can't add-whole-channel, despite being able to see the fta TV channels by pressing the numbers on the remote. I keep getting my hopes up only to have them dashed by:

commit failed (0x30012)
while executing
"transaction {uplevel $body}"
(procedure "RetryTransaction" line 5)
invoked from within
"RetryTransaction {
set station [db $db create Station]
set stationid [dbobj $station fsid]/[dbobj $station subobjid]
puts "The file id yo..."
(file "./add-whole-channel.tcl" line 12)

Reading the forums, this is because I have already had a channel associated with that unique id and it can't be reused. Fair enough but it doesn't really help me. Recommendation to go through TiVo "System Reset", "Clear and Delete Everything" works to free up the unique id but then I need to start again with a guided setup screen. So I avoid guided setup and go straight to opening a bash prompt, as per Tim's How-to. Now the fta chanels won't show up at all and I have a white line at the top of my screen.

It appears that our Oz friends can opt for fta channels through their emulator. Is this the solution to my problems? I am almost ready to admit PAL tuner defeat, get into bed with the devil and get Sky. Anyone here had success with a PAL modded US tivo, I would be keen to hear how you did it.

Next stop for me - reimage the disk to start from scatch.

[number6]

Thanks for the info Thomson, and for the palmod ..um.. mod!

I still am not having any joy getting the tuner to work properly. I can't add-whole-channel, despite being able to see the fta TV channels by pressing the numbers on the remote. I keep getting my hopes up only to have them dashed by:
Reading the forums, this is because I have already had a channel associated with that unique id and it can't be reused. Fair enough but it doesn't really help me. Recommendation to go through TiVo "System Reset", "Clear and Delete Everything" works to free up the unique id but then I need to start again with a guided setup screen. So I avoid guided setup and go straight to opening a bash prompt, as per Tim's How-to. Now the fta chanels won't show up at all and I have a white line at the top of my screen.

It appears that our Oz friends can opt for fta channels through their emulator. Is this the solution to my problems? I am almost ready to admit PAL tuner defeat, get into bed with the devil and get Sky. Anyone here had success with a PAL modded US tivo, I would be keen to hear how you did it.

Next stop for me - reimage the disk to start from scatch.

Heres a possible trick you can use.
to "create a channel" on your Tivo for each FTA station you can get tune into that station using the remote channel buttons, then for each channel press record button to start recording it and proceed all the way through the record options until the recording starts [wait for the red light on the front to come on], wait a few seconds, then press record button again and select " stop recording" to cancel the recording.
Repeat this for all FTA channels you have/can get.
This will auto-create stations on your Tivo, it won't give them the right number (for now) but it will at least give you some channels you can record.
Then you can use the dbset (or dbsetx) to "fix up" the channel Ids and Channel ids and names later on.

Having created the stations like this you now do manual recordings from them and once you have fudged the statiod Id to match the ones in the guide data you'll get program listings as well.

Otherwise, yes do a re-image and start again cleanly.
Unless you're happy with mucking around inside the MFS then this option is the easiest, except you lose existing recordings and any work you've done to date.
From what you're saying thats not much...