Pinnacle PCTV HD Mini Stick Setup

[Mort]

The Pinnacle forum members suggest using your site for the best viewing experience. I just downloaded the most current version of your software. I just can't figure how to set up my Pinnacle PCTV HD Mini Stick. in the configuration.

[sub]

Did you setup a capture source (selecting the digital capture plugin)?

[Mort]

Yes I did It showed it and said it was sleeping? I could not get it to get channels

[whurlston]

Did you scan for channels and map them to the EPG? http://gbpvr.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Confi...HDTVSource

If no channels are found in the scan, zip and post your config.exe.log and config.exe-native.log showing the scan.

[dcstraw]

I am having trouble with my Pinnacle PCTV HD mini stick as well. Some suggestions were made on this thread:
http://forums.gbpvr.com//showthread.php?t=39490

As suggested on that thread, I added this to my bda.ini file:

[Pinnacle 80e]
TUNING_TYPE=ATSC
FILTER_TUNER=PCTV 80e TVTuner
FILTER_CAPTURE=PCTV 80e Device
PIN_TUNER_IN=Input0
PIN_TUNER_OUT=MPEG2 Transport
PIN_CAPTURE_IN=MPEG2 Transport
PIN_CAPTURE_OUT=MPEG2 Transport

Unfortunately the scan doesn't find any channels. It appears to be scanning whole number channels only, however I'm using a QAM signal and the mini stick only supports digital, so all channels I receive are sub-channels (ex 2.1, 4.1). I also tried adding this line to the above definition:

TUNING_SPECIAL=2

The other QAM sources appeared to have that line. However that didn't help - I still get no channels. I have attached my logs.

Thanks

[sub]

It appears to be scanning whole number channels only, however I'm using a QAM signal and the mini stick only supports digital, so all channels I receive are sub-channels (ex 2.1, 4.1).

Its scanning physically channels. Each physical channel can contain one or more logical channels (2.1, 4.1 etc). It doesnt need to scan 2.1 - it only needs to scan the physical channel that carries them.

I also tried adding this line to the above definition:

TUNING_SPECIAL=2

The other QAM sources appeared to have that line. However that didn't help - I still get no channels. I have attached my logs.

If you are scanning QAM channels, then you'd need that line....but, I have no idea if you Pinnacle device is compatible with this tuning extension or not. "TUNING_SPECIAL=2" is actually telling it to use the Hauppauge QAM tuning, but its a fairly generic mechanism and some owners of other non-Hauppauge QAM devices have managed to get their QAM channels by adding this. If your device doesnt support mechanism, then you're probably out of luck.

You may need to also try Whurlstons Qam.ini manager utility though, which provides a mechanism to switch to alternate sets of frequencies.

[whurlston]

You may also need to search your registry for "ATSCMode" (search Values only for faster results). If you find it, change it to "2". This will set the Pinnacle stick to always be in QAM mode. By default, it is in ATSC mode.

[dcstraw]

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately the scan still doesn't find any channels. I found the ATSCMode registry value and changed it from 0 to 2, then rebooted. I then tried using the qam.ini manager but to no avail.

I have also tried entering the frequencies found by my Pinnacle software manually in the ini file, but that didn't do any good.

Please let me know if you think of any other suggestions. Thanks.

[whurlston]

I missed your last reply, sorry. Zip and post your config.exe.log and config.exe-native.log showing a scan.

[dcstraw]

Here are my logs after changing the ATSCMode registry setting to 2. QAM.ini Manager was set to "Default with channel numbers"

Thanks