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srichar3 · 2013-02-26, 15:15

I am looking to buy a tbs6922 DVB-S2 to use on my XBMC machine with ubuntu OS, does anyone have any experiance with this card? is it easy to configure for a novice or would I be better off with something else?

thanks

FernetMenta · 2013-02-26, 16:16

I have this card in one of my systems. You need to download and compile TBS drivers but this is straightforward, just follow the docs.

bluewizard · 2013-02-26, 16:18

I tried my TBS 5980 a couple of weeks ago on xbmcbuntu which is based upon Ubuntu. I downloaded the drivers from the TBS site and installed as per instructions. It did work OK. Im not 100% sure a novice would be able to install the drivers but if you are trying a brand new install why not try. Nothing to loose and there are lot of people here which will be happy to advise.

A thing to note.... TBS products on Windows work fine with other branded tuners but on Linux they don't. If you use a TBS product with Linux, don't buy another branded product to work along side it. Won't work. Have a look at the Openelc forums if you have time. There are loads of threads about it.

**Prof Yaffle** · 2013-02-26, 19:24

It's perhaps a bit strong to say that TBS products always bork other tuners - I have mine playing nicely with both a Hauppauge and a PCTV tuner, for example. However, it is true that there's always that possibility because of the way in which TBS issue their drivers.

Personally, for a grief-free life, I'd seek out something with native kernel support.

FernetMenta · 2013-02-26, 21:02

Quote: I'd seek out something with native kernel support.

Not an easy task. After 2 failed attempts I would never try Tevii again.

**Prof Yaffle** · 2013-02-26, 21:12

Well, you've saved me falling into that trap, FernetMenta, so thanks!

I'm considering moving away from TBS, at least for my main DVB-S2 tuner - but I've had a lot of success with anything Hauppauge/PCTV do, as I said, so that's where I'd lean.

srichar3 · 2013-02-26, 21:21

So you think hauppauge would be an easier install?

Thanks

bluewizard · 2013-02-26, 21:50

With Openelec my PCTV 460e worked out of the box. With XBMCbuntu, it saw it fine but wouldn't tune until I copied the 'dvb-fe-tda10071.fw' into the lib >> firmware folder. I don't know if this is a issue for other hauppauge tuners.

**Prof Yaffle** · 2013-02-26, 22:20

My WinTV DVB-T worked first time, as did my PCTV 260e DVB-T2 (on 'buntu). I've only tried my 460e on my Synology NAS, but that worked immediately - I'll try it on my 'buntu or OE box when I get a chance, but kicking it into life with the firmware as above wouldn't be difficult (copying one file). So yes, I'd recommend that route.

sparklyballs · 2013-03-15, 12:44

(2013-02-26, 21:50)bluewizard Wrote: With Openelec my PCTV 460e worked out of the box. With XBMCbuntu, it saw it fine but wouldn't tune until I copied the 'dvb-fe-tda10071.fw' into the lib >> firmware folder. I don't know if this is a issue for other hauppauge tuners.

hi there bluewizard, can you please tell me how to get this firmware file.

i suspect it's something to do with git but i only installed git last night and i really don't have a clue what i'm doing with it.

**Prof Yaffle** · 2013-03-15, 16:24

Download it from here: https://github.com/OpenELEC/dvb-firmware...da10071.fw - just click on "View Raw" and then save the file (assuming you're using a Windows PC). You can wget it directly to your Linux box otherwise. You only need git if you're downloading and compiling your own versions of applications (e.g. pre-release code or forks).

BTW, I have to take back my comment about "not always borking other tuners". I added a PCTV460e to my main system, and it simply wouldn't do anything, firmware or no firmware - until I replaced the TBS v4l installation with a new one, and suddently everything was happy once more.

sparklyballs · 2013-03-16, 06:06

i'm stuck it seems with a 460e that is dead, this is on kernel 3.7.7 ubuntu (long story why uprated kernel) on my main pc.

is that firmware generic or specific to openelec do you know or can i kickstart it by doing this TBS trick ?

(btw, what is TBS installation ? )

**Prof Yaffle** · 2013-03-16, 11:48

Firmware is generic AFAIK - certainly not OE-specific, and I don't even think it's processor-specific since it pertains to the device, not the host computer.

The TBS installation is basically "download from their site, compile, install" - it over-writes your existing v4l installation with a customised one that includes the TBS binary elements (blobs) because they're not truly open-source and thus aren't included in the default v4l code. Because of this, it introduces bugs of its own plus is tied to an older v4l version, which is why it doesn't always play nicely with other devices - from observation, I'd say TBS co-exists fine with older devices (because that code has been in the tree since the donosaurs were young), but less well with later devices (for the reverse reason).

Depending on what "dead" means (are you getting anything in syslog at boot or installation time? If you do a tail -f /var/log/syslog and unplug the device, does anything happen? Can you see anything on an lsusb?), you might want to try simply installing the latest v4l.

bluewizard · (This post was last modified: 2013-03-17, 01:20 by bluewizard.)

sparklyballs .... Sorry I haven't responded earlier. Just notived your request. I've uploaded the file for you. The link will stay live for 7 days.
dvb-fe-tda10071.zip

Simply upload it to 'lib >> firmware'

Its exactly the same issue as I had with XBMCbunutu. It would see the card but the card wouldn't function.

And here's one more tip. If you use a Windows box, you can use a program called WinSCP to upload the file to your XBMCbuntu. This means you will not need to do it via command line.
WinSCP link
To gain access to the root file locations, you will need to login as 'root'.

Quick settings if using WinSCP.
host: ip address of your XBMC PC install
user/ pass. As set by you on your XBMC install
Protocol: sftp or scp will work.