InfiniTV PCIe tuners not found all of a sudden!

[AnotherDave]

I found this discussion interesting. My Ceton tuner has been installed and quite functional for over a year. I was away from home for a few nights and returned home last night to find similar symptoms. Not sure whether it missed recording anything while I was gone, but last night's attempt to record resulted in the "tuner not available" message. After some initial fiddling, I tried re-installing tuner through Media Center with mixed results. The tuner is at least partially functional, as I can receive a handful (previously dozens) of channels. However, none of the available channels are on the proper positions. (In other words, I'm receiving Ch 21 on Ch3.) I've repeated the process several times, so, no, I didn't select the wrong cable system. I also get inconsistent results regarding PlayReady. (I use no premium channels.) Most of the time, it just says it can't complete the update. On occasion, it claims to have completed, but no change in problem status. The Ceton window within MC seems to indicate tuners are recognized and functioning normally, but I'm not sophisticated enough to recognize all the indications. Media Center indicates that the CableCard (fully functional for over a year) is not properly installed and refers me to an 800 number. (Not sure whether it's Ceton, Comcast, Microsoft, or maybe even somebody else.) Unfortunately, they are apparently located in Pacific time and not yet open for business on a Sunday AM.

So, that's my next step. I haven't thoroughly reviewed all of the above suggestions, let alone attempted them. I just find it interesting that my symptoms are very similar and appeared on a fully functional unit. I'll try to update this if/when I make any progress.

[Brendon]

Brendon, the exact thing happened to me a couple of months ago. I tried all the steps you mentioned above. Ceton worked with me for a week until I finally just ordered a brand new one to try. The new one worked right out of the box with no other changes. Ceton agreed to RMA the old one but I never did hear what happened.

Yeah support really fixated on creating a network bridge, which as far as I know isn't used when you're just using the tuner locally (no network tuners).

I finally got to send the card in and was told last Friday that "The InfiniTV 4 has been repaired, updated and tested." I'm not sure what they did exactly. I'll be getting it back Wed., which will mark nearly one month without cable.

[Brendon]

I found this discussion interesting. My Ceton tuner has been installed and quite functional for over a year.

That's what's really maddening - it works perfectly, then overnight it just stops working. Your case sounds different than mine though, because my card was being detected by Windows, but not being seen by the Ceton diagnostics app (and not by WMC).

I have some thoughts about your issue though. Last year I moved and got a different cable provider. I had all sorts of trouble with PlayReady and DRM issues. I tried everything and finally got it fixed (until that card totally died).

Off the top of my head, what I had to do was go into the diagnostics web page for the card and totally clear out the channel listings. There's a button in the diagnostics app to get you there. What I believe I did first was to clear the tuner configuration completely using the diagnostic app. Then I went into this web page and there are options in there to totally clear out the channel listings and some other stuff (you'll have to click around in it). I think the card was holding on to old channel listings and other settings from the old cable provider and that was causing problems.

Clearing this out might help you, I don't know. Then you'll have to go through discovering tuners and the whole WMC setup again. If I can recall, this is what helped clear up my DRM / PlayReady issues as well.

[AnotherDave]

Wound up speaking to Comcast tech support. They tried to remotely reset CableCard with no luck: probably fried. They offered to send out tech mid-week. I opted to carry bad card to local office and install replacement myself. If that works, I hope to be operational tomorrow.

[JohnW248]

Wound up speaking to Comcast tech support. They tried to remotely reset CableCard with no luck: probably fried. They offered to send out tech mid-week. I opted to carry bad card to local office and install replacement myself. If that works, I hope to be operational tomorrow.

if the tuners are missing from the computer, then try this in the following order.

1. Open network and sharing and then change adapter settings and make sure you can see the Ceton adaptor. If that's gone, then it's probably a dead card. If it is:

2. Shut down the machine....totally off, pull the power cord and then with it unplugged hit the power button to clear any power in storage caps.

3. Plug in the machine and reboot and check. If you can see the card in network and sharing and it shows up as a media device AND the diagnostic utility can see it but you still don't have tuners in Media center then

4. Open the diagnostic utility and click the button to remove turner information (if you had networked tuners, click the reset button first).

5. Click the detect tuners button

6. Open media center and go to Tasks, TV, Set-up Tv signal (MC should hopefully give you a jump start when you open it with "new cableCARD tuner detected).

7. Go through TV set-up, zip code, if you have more tuners, just set-up the Ceton this time (you'll have to go back and run set-up again for additional tuners) and if necessary don't take the automatic, select let me choose.

8. After set-up completes and the new guide is loaded, go to Recorded TV and the Guide and click on a channel. To eliminate problems, pick something you know is open like ABC or CBS. Success there and check an ecrypted channel and then premium.

If anything fails along the way, make notes, open a ticket with Ceton, do a diagnostic scan (even with it not working) and file the ticket.

[AnotherDave]

Thanks for the input. At some point, I've tried most of the above. (Many times for several.) Picked up two replacement CableCARDs today, then spent nearly 3 hours on phone (mostly on hold or talking to #&*$@!!!) at Comcast. Tried both new cards: they seem to indicate normal functions, but still many missing channels and others in wrong place. The tuner shows as enabled on Network Connections, and both MC & Ceton diagnostics seem to indicate normal function. So, between conversations with Comcast, I'm kicking it to Ceton. I'm not a big fan of their "e-mail only" support, but it might help.

[JohnW248]

Thanks for the input. At some point, I've tried most of the above. (Many times for several.) Picked up two replacement CableCARDs today, then spent nearly 3 hours on phone (mostly on hold or talking to #&*$@!!!) at Comcast. Tried both new cards: they seem to indicate normal functions, but still many missing channels and others in wrong place. The tuner shows as enabled on Network Connections, and both MC & Ceton diagnostics seem to indicate normal function. So, between conversations with Comcast, I'm kicking it to Ceton. I'm not a big fan of their "e-mail only" support, but it might help.

You know there is an issue with channel maps and Comcast and Ceton which they addressed in the latest Beta FW. Apparently Comcast started using a new Cisco channel map layout that doesn't parse in the current FW.

Have you updated to the latest beta? If not open your diagnostic tool, go to update and make sure that BETA is checked . If you get both FW and HW, do FW and reboot and then do HW and SHUT DOWN and restart.

See if that helps.

[AnotherDave]

Ah-ha! Not sure whether it will solve the basic problem, but your comment revealed the existence of newer diag SW. I had updated drivers yesterday using SW installed with board. However, it didn't even offer "BETA" box to check. Downloaded newer diag, then BETA drivers. Will re-engage problem in the AM.

Submitted diagnostic file to Ceton. No response yet.

[AnotherDave]

Problem solved . . . I think. After downloading the BETA versions and getting Comcast to re-activate my (unnecessarily replaced) CableCARD, all appears to have returned to normal. In the process, I appear to have wasted a good 12 hours of my life: ~4 on the phone with Comcast, 1 more traveling to get unnecessary CableCARD replacements and several more scratching my head pondering the problem. If I hadn't discovered this site, I probably would not have any solution at this point and still be waiting another three days for Comcast to show up. And if/when they did, they probably still wouldn't be able to solve an issue with Ceton drivers.

I could do a lot of finger-pointing, but will resist. The one observation I will make is that Ceton's Diag/Install software's "Update" tab should include a selection to update that software itself. I installed my card & software ~18 months ago. That version didn't provide a method to download BETA software that would have solved my problem very early. If I had been able to update the software early on, I probably would have discovered the solution much earlier.

It is interesting to note that although I'm sitting here watching live TV through MC, the Ceton Diag still periodically tells me that it can't detect the CableCARD .

Thanks for all the help I received here!

[barnabas1969]

Dave, I'm glad you got your problem solved. I've seen other posts relating to new firmware needed to solve a problem with new CableCARD firmware. This forum is a great place for anyone who has a Windows Media Center HTPC.

But... I've gotta wonder why Ceton's firmware is dependent on the CableCARD firmware. I haven't seen anyone on the SiliconDust forum complaining about problems with a Comcast CableCARD, and none of their firmware/driver change logs mention anything about this issue.

The SiliconDust firmware/driver updates are much less frequent than those from Ceton (and are more stable). Maybe the Ceton dev's could learn a few things from SD?

[shortcut3d]

Dave, I'm glad you got your problem solved. I've seen other posts relating to new firmware needed to solve a problem with new CableCARD firmware. This forum is a great place for anyone who has a Windows Media Center HTPC.

But... I've gotta wonder why Ceton's firmware is dependent on the CableCARD firmware. I haven't seen anyone on the SiliconDust forum complaining about problems with a Comcast CableCARD, and none of their firmware/driver change logs mention anything about this issue.

The SiliconDust firmware/driver updates are much less frequent than those from Ceton (and are more stable). Maybe the Ceton dev's could learn a few things from SD?

I was an early adopter of SD OCUR tuners and they did work well in very simple configurations. The initial firmwares and software did not like the HTPC to sleep or for the ehrecvr service to be restarted. Almost 18 months ago SD released a series of horrible drivers that caused no tuner found issues and full screen pixelation. SD Beta firmwares came very quick and frequently to resolve such issues. Agreed that the final release firmwares are far and few in between.

With that said, the InfiniTV6 ETH is not bad out of the box for Ceton's first network tuner. I'm experience light pixelation issues and somewhat annoyed that their drivers cause the blue spinning circle when launching WMC.