USB Freecom Hybrid DVB-T under Linux MythTV
Having played around with KnoppMyth and getting frustrated I finally have got the Freecom Hybrid Tuner working under Linux. The chipset of the aforementioned USB device is the Trident, TM6000 and as you will see it doesn’t like to behave under V4L. Using a few links on the web I managed to get it working and would like to share my findings under MythBuntu.I have been trying to re-vivify my Media PC box having just got a HDD/DVD recorder combo drive and being very dissapointed with the interface. Bring out MythTV and more importantly KnoppMyth. I have used the 5 r27 version for quite a long time and had most parts working before I reverted to using the windows portion because I was having difficulty with getting a Belkin USB wireless device to be recognised. I downloaded the latest (as of Oct 08) 5.5 candidate and reinstalled KnoppMyth. Unfortunately, even with the most basic settings used for the install and after having several reinstall attempts the backend and frontend software would read each key press as multiple inputs and so if I hit enter to go into a menu it would do so recursively until the first option was selected. This was not a good start.Fortunately MythTV has been moved over to Ubuntu under the guise of MythBuntu. Using one of the latest releases of Ubuntu has many advantages. The main one was that the Belkin USB receiver was picked up straight away and hooked into my Wireless connection. The other important feature was that the setup application did not read keyboard input multiple times. The Hauppauge 350 was set up automatically but the problem came with the Freecom USB. Typing in lsusb at the prompt ($) showed ID 14aa:0620 AVerMedia again (or) C&E. I found many links stating that the Freecom just worked out of the box but later thread postings pointed out that this was for the Digital only tuner. This link had lots of information as did this and this one. Several threads including these had suggestions: Link1 Link2. The main problem was that V4L doesn’t support this USB device and has to have additional makefiles linked into the compilation. The first issue when using the patching method with the first link is that the sourcecode used when introducing the patch is from an older branch and therefore if you try and compile it will fail. Instead you should use this new code that I modified from the original and place it in the /v4l/linux/drivers/media/video/tm6000/ [edit: or v4l-dvb depending on the branch you cloned from] directory and then continue with the make instructions. The second problem was with the firmware. Only if the tridvid.sys file is properly split and put into the /lib/firmware/linux-(’$uname -r’) [edit: fixed directory from /etc/. to /lib/. ] directory will the device successfuly be picked up. After all this and following the initial method I got the Freecom to work on the MediaPC. At first I used Kaffeine to check if the DVB-T was detected and then once channels were scanning I went to the backend and added the new capture device.
Edit 4th June: Changed source code to direct link
October 29th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
This is a very interesting article, I have the same problem with a Yakumo Quickstick TV easy witch is TM6000 based also.
I could not manage to download your new TM6000.c to try to compile it. Could you repair the link or send me this file please.
Thanks for your job anyway.
October 29th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I have fixed the link and it should work now. Please try recompiling and tell me if it does or doesn’t work for you.
October 29th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
Hi
Excellent update to “link1″, although mine isn’t working yet. Two things using the link1 method; 1) should reference to /v4l/linux/drivers/media/video/tm6000/ above be v4l-dvb/linux/drivers/media/video/tm6000/
..and 2) I don’t think mine is picking the device up. My root /etc/ directory doesn’t have a “firmware”, rather firmware is in the v4l-dvd directory.
You should know that I’m a linux idiot so stating the obvious is necessary!
Thanks
Gavin
October 30th, 2008 at 1:40 am
Hi Gavin,
Indeed if you do use Mercurial to download the v4l-dvb branch then the link should be v4l-dvb/linux/drivers/media/video/tm6000 as you suggest. Will change the main post once I’m sure of the folder as I need to find my notes I made during the changes. As for /etc/firmware that link also was taken from memory and wrong as I only use this site to store prior info. The directory that you cp/mv (copy move) the firmware files to should be /lib/firmware/linux-(’$uname -r’)
A handy tool if you are just getting used to Bash and terminals is to use auto complete for your directories by typing the first few correct letters and then press the tab key. That way you will know you’re looking at a valid directory unlike the ones I made up in memory. Good luck and post if it works or even if it doesn’t!
October 30th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
That’s fixed it (along with plugging it into a root usb port rather than the keyboard - oops) - works like a dream. Many thanks, John.
October 30th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Glad that it works. FYI an interesting side article about how computers and Linux treat USB ports. USB ports A tv-tuner connected to a hub will not automatically link to where programs like MythTV look for them and so DVB:/// will not be set up.
It is using a device that I’ll be writing about shortly that will stream media from an external hard-drive to the newly fixed PVR!
October 31st, 2008 at 7:01 pm
I managed to compile your source with some warnings. Thanks again.
I think there must something missing in my config but I don’t know what, as in Kaffeine there is no tv source available.
I’m based on a Ubuntu 8.04. When I plug my usb device I just have this messages from dmesg :
usb 2-1: new high speed USB device using ehci_hcd and address 6
usb 2-1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
Nothing more and no driver load.
And the command /sbin/modprobe tm6000 answers FATAL: Module tm6000 not found.
Do you know in witch directionI should look for? I’m little bit lost!
Thank you.
October 31st, 2008 at 11:30 pm
I found the solution. The kernel version taken for ‘make’ and ‘make install’ was wrong.
I had to force the right one. The firmware is now loading correctly. So good…
November 6th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Thanks a lot, finally i can watch some tv.
i guess someone should now also update the v4l-wiki entry, and add a link to the updated code, or maybe modify the archive itself or sth. like that.
November 18th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Denis, how did you do that. During ‘make’ I have also the wrong Kernel version.
December 18th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Thank you very much for the solution. It tooks so much time , but finally it works. Now i have nice present for my girlfriend for the xmas.
So happy christmas and thanks a lot !
January 8th, 2009 at 7:35 am
Thank you!
Worked like a charm for a Redbell TDT-2TV Hybrid USB (TM6000 inside) under Ubuntu 8.04
June 4th, 2009 at 4:15 am
the link to the code don’t work, if you are tryin to find it, go to: http://ccgi.ianthomson.plus.com/blog/tm6000/tm6000.c
the program compile in Ubuntu 9.04 (tested)