Linux DVB-S/DVB-S2 scan problem after Proxmox reinstall

[fireball]

Hi,
I'm experiencing a strange DVB-S/DVB-S2 issue with NextPVR on Linux.

Hardware

• Linux4Media CineS2 Twin DVB-S2 (Micronas nGene PCIe, PCI ID 18c3:0720)
  
• STV090x frontend
  
• Firmware:
  
  Code:

  https://github.com/OpenELEC/dvb-firmware/blob/master/firmware/ngene_18.fw

Environment

• Proxmox VE 9.2
  
• Kernel: 7.0.12-1-pve
  
• Debian 13 LXC
  
• Docker
  
• Latest Linux version of NextPVR
  

The problem
This setup worked correctly in the past.
After reinstalling my Proxmox host and restoring my environment, NextPVR no longer works correctly under Linux.
Using the same tuner hardware, NextPVR under Windows works perfectly. It finds all channels and Live TV and recordings work without any issues.
Under Linux, however, NextPVR is unable to find many DVB-S channels, especially the German private SD channels (RTL, SAT.1, ProSieben, Kabel Eins, Tele 5, etc.) during a channel scan.
Running the following command successfully finds all Astra 19.2°E (S19E2) transponders and channels:

Code:

w_scan2 -5 -fs -s S19E2 > channels.conf

The generated

Code:

channels.conf

contains all expected channels.
However, importing/scanning this

Code:

channels.conf

in NextPVR still results in many DVB-S channels not being detected.
I have also tested native on debian 12 linux  and other Linux DVB applications.
For example, EasyVDR under Docker is able to tune and watch the missing channels successfully using the same hardware/sytem.

Summary

• This setup worked correctly before reinstalling Proxmox.
  
• The same tuner hardware works perfectly with NextPVR under Windows.
  
• Code:

  w_scan2 -5 -fs -s S19E2 > channels.conf
  finds all Astra 19.2°E transponders and channels.
  
• EasyVDR can tune and watch the missing channels.
  
• NextPVR on Linux fails to detect many DVB-S channels during scanning, even when using a valid
  
  Code:

  channels.conf
  .
  

Has anyone seen similar behaviour, or is there anything specific I should enable for debugging the Linux DVB implementation in NextPVR?
I'm happy to provide logs or test patches if needed.

[mvallevand]

We'd need to see the zipped NextPVR logs after a scan.

Martin

[mvallevand]

Another thought based on the encrypted channels you say aren't showing on 11464, in the current version there is a new checkbox that you would need to tick to display encrypted channels.

If the issue is Austrian channel then we would probably need a full mux from it from one of the frequencies. It would be something like

dvbv5-zap -c channel.conf channelname -P -t 60 -o fullmux.ts

Martin

[fireball]

Hi,

thanks for the quick reply! Attached are the zipped NextPVR logs after a full channel scan on my Debian 12 test system.

**What I did:**
1. Started NextPVR (version 7.1.1.260616)
2. Ran a complete channel scan on both DVB-S adapters
3. The scan completed without errors but failed to detect the German private SD channels (RTL, SAT.1, ProSieben, Kabel Eins, Tele 5, etc.)

**What the logs show:**
- Both adapters are detected correctly (`adapter0/frontend0` and `adapter1/frontend0`)
- Tuning works – e.g., ZDF HD locks immediately with good signal (`status 1f | signal a8f5 | snr 46a7`)
- Some channels fail with `Failed to get tuning params`
- The scan seems to skip certain DVB-S transponders (the missing channels are all on DVB-S, not DVB-S2)

**Environment for this test:**
- Native Debian 12 installation (not Docker/LXC)
- Same hardware: Linux4Media CineS2 Twin DVB-S2 (nGene/STV090x)
- NextPVR 7.1.1.260616

Let me know if you need additional logs, a specific scan with debug level, or if I should test anything else.

I'm happy to provide more information or test patches.

Thanks!

[mvallevand]

We are going to need a full mux.

1 First let's use dvbv5-scan to get channel list on 12188 if you create this conf file as 12188.conf

Code:

[RTL Group]
    DELIVERY_SYSTEM = DVBS
    FREQUENCY = 12188000
    POLARIZATION = HORIZONTAL
    SYMBOL_RATE = 27500000
    INNER_FEC = 3/4
    INVERSION = AUTO

then use dvb-v5 scan 12188.conf -l UNIVERSAL

2. Then look in dvb_channel.conf for any channel name maybe try N-TV since it doesn't have a space.

dvbv5-zap -c dvb_channel.conf N-TV -P -t 60 -o 12188.ts

3. The 12188.ts file should be about 200MB so you need to pass us an external link to the file.

Martin

[fireball]

Hi Martin,

as requested, I'm providing the files to help debug the issue where NextPVR under Linux fails to detect certain DVB‑S channels (especially German private SD/HD channels like RTL, SAT.1, ProSieben, Kabel Eins, Tele 5, etc.) – although w_scan2 finds all transponders correctly.

What I did:

Ran w_scan2 -5 -fs -s S19E2 to generate a channels.conf (DVBv5 format, transponders only).

Created a minimal test-channel.conf with the ProSieben/SAT.1 DVB‑S2 transponder (11464 H) – because this mux contains several unencrypted channels and is known to be stable.

Used dvbv5-zap to record the full transport stream:

text
dvbv5-zap -c test-channel.conf "ProSieben_Mux" -P -t 60 -o fullmux.ts -l UNIVERSAL -a 0
The tuner locked immediately (signal ~62%).

The resulting fullmux.ts is 305 MB (60 seconds). I verified with ffprobe that it contains multiple H.264 video streams and AC3 audio streams – so the capture is valid.

Attached files (directly in this post):

channels.conf – DVBv5 transponder list from w_scan2 (Astra 19.2°E)

my-channels.conf – full VDR‑format service list (with PIDs) from w_scan2 -fs

test-channel.conf – my manual tuning entry for the ProSieben mux (used for the capture)

Question regarding the full TS capture (305 MB):
The file is too large to attach directly in the forum. Should I:

A) Upload it to an external host (e.g. WeTransfer, Dropbox, Google Drive) and provide a link, or

B) Cut the first 100 MB with dd if=fullmux.ts of=fullmux_first100M.ts bs=1M count=100 and attach that instead?

Please let me know what works best for you. I'm happy to provide a longer capture as well if needed.

Thanks for your help!

Cheers,
fireball

[mvallevand]

Attachments need to be zipped (no conf files) and under 2MB so you need to use option a, any of those are fine.

I wish you had used 12188, since 11464 is the encrypted HD mux it isn't even in your original scans.

Martin

[fireball]

Hi Martin,

thanks for the quick reply.

As requested, I've zipped the .conf files and attached them to this post.

The full mux capture (fullmux.ts, ~305 MB) is hosted on Dropbox:

Download link:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/9bcvdu3wk...4mqlr&dl=0

Let me know if you need a longer capture or a different transponder.

Cheers,
fireball

[mvallevand]

The thing about testing 11464 is it isn't in your channel.conf file so we don't know if it works with your NextPVR, Plus there are no clear channels and it doesn't test DVB-S which you indicate could be the problem.

I'll scan it but 12188 would still test what I want to test.

Martin

[fireball]

Hi Martin,

I've now tried everything – dvbv5-zap, szap, w_scan2 with cat from DVR device, and even an automated script. The result is always the same:

w_scan2 detects the transponder: new transponder: (S f = 12188 kHz H ...)

Signal is 62%, but C/N is 0% → no lock

The DVR device delivers 0 bytes

Other transponders work fine (e.g. 11464 H locks perfectly). It seems my ngene/STV090x hardware simply cannot lock on 12188 H for some reason.

I already have a valid 60-second capture from 11464 H (fullmux.ts, 305 MB, DVB‑S2). Would that be sufficient for your analysis? If not, do you have any suggestions on how to get a lock on 12188 H with this hardware?

Thanks,
fireball