A couple of issues with WMC

[eclas]

I'm not sure about card authorization.
I think it's ok cause when i do the override i can watch as long as i want if i don't change anything.
I didn't have this problem in my other house. this is still time warner but in a different state so it's a totally different system.
i'm real curious to see if the new video card with straight hdmi will be ok.
If not, i guess i'll have to talk to time warner.

DCA override is only necessary if your video card/GPU doesn't support HDCP for WMC. It's not needed in a system that works normally. Card authorization is a different issue. Are you having problems with that as well?

[eclas]

No, I don't think that's a problem because I can watch say, the golf channel, which is protected, as long as I leave it alone while watching. If I change channels and go back it may or may not work.
I did something the other day that at least to my neophyte mind says that it is the video card/display port...
Turned the tv on at 355pm and it needed the override to see the golf channel but I left it alone.
I set up a recording on that channel to start at 4 pm.
I got an error that said it couldn't record cause there was no signal.
I then waited till 415 and stopped the recording.
When I played the recording it was fine!

Doesn't that point to the display port?
The new card is coming tomorrow so we'll see what happens then.

DCA override is only necessary if your video card/GPU doesn't support HDCP for WMC. It's not needed in a system that works normally. Card authorization is a different issue. Are you having problems with that as well?

[Crash2009]

You could also re-start the CableCard.

I had one that was getting a bit finicky, and it eventually died. Similar to the story in here >>>
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/sh ... p?t=362780

Re-starting the card worked a few times, then eventually I had to replace it. The new one has been flawless for a few years now.

[eclas]

I have 2 cablecards and haven't paid attention to whether it always happened with the same card. I'll try to take note of that.

EDIT: Just tried it and it happens on both cards even after rebooting tuner adapters and the primes. What I get is a notification from wmc that a subscription is required for those channels but obviously the cards are authorized or the dca override wouldn't fix it right?

[steveo_in_sd]

Are you sure that your Tuning Adapters are operating correctly when you are having the problem? I get "Subscription Required" when they aren't working for SDV channels, but regular channels still work fine (both network and non-network so long as they aren't SDV). My TAs lose their connection when my PC goes to sleep sometimes, when Windows Updates have been applied but the PC hasn't yet been rebooted sometimes, and sometimes upon reboots/restarts. A power cycle on just the TA usually remedies the issue, but other times a power cycle of the PC is required.

If you successfully tune to a SDV channel, you won't have problems for several hours (I think I read 8 somewhere) on that same channel because it is now being transmitted. If your TA loses connection and then you try to access another SDV channel, you will get the "Subscription Required" message. It is definitely not "No Signal" when this happens to me, to be very clear.

Go to the settings page for your tuner and look at the TA pages and make sure that they are working when you have the problem.

[eclas]

ok, I am now at a total loss.
I installed the sapphire card and it works fine EXCEPT for the protected channels. I get the "subscription needed" on the display but when I run the digital override it works.
So the problem was not the display port. It has to have something to do with playready doesn't it?
I am so frustrated at the moment

EDIT: I've been reading more about playready aand when that fails it is said to give something like this...
"Video playback device does not support playback of protected content"

That is not what I get. I get the screen that says a subscription is needed
Does the digital override have anything to do with playready or is playready and digital cable advisor the same thing?

Could playready even cause u to get the "subscription required" error or should I look elsewhere?
and as I've said, the cablecards MUST be authorized correctly if the channel works after using the digital cable override.

[eclas]

THAT sounds exactly like what I'm experiencing. However, I have 2 of them and I'm pretty sure it does it on both. I'll check. Also now that i think about it, All recordings are ok. It is only happens for live tv so that would tell me the TA's are ok.
Even if I see the error if I check a recording that was 'taped' during that time it is fine.
So was it a bum TA for u and u were able to have it replaced and fixed?

Are you sure that your Tuning Adapters are operating correctly when you are having the problem? I get "Subscription Required" when they aren't working for SDV channels, but regular channels still work fine (both network and non-network so long as they aren't SDV). My TAs lose their connection when my PC goes to sleep sometimes, when Windows Updates have been applied but the PC hasn't yet been rebooted sometimes, and sometimes upon reboots/restarts. A power cycle on just the TA usually remedies the issue, but other times a power cycle of the PC is required.

If you successfully tune to a SDV channel, you won't have problems for several hours (I think I read 8 somewhere) on that same channel because it is now being transmitted. If your TA loses connection and then you try to access another SDV channel, you will get the "Subscription Required" message. It is definitely not "No Signal" when this happens to me, to be very clear.

Go to the settings page for your tuner and look at the TA pages and make sure that they are working when you have the problem.

[mdavej]

First, run DCA since you have a new video card. You should not have to use the override anymore. Play Ready is different from DCA. Both need to be set up and working properly. You are correct that "subscription required" is not a Play Ready or DCA issue, most likely a cable card issue. But it isn't really a TA issue either. If your TA isn't working, you'll get an SDV error and channel not found in system. Play Ready issues can manifest as "weak signal" errors.

What model tuner do you have? Some screen shots of your diagnostic screens would also be helpful.

[eclas]

Since the video card wasn't the problem I uninstalled it and went back to the integrated intel adapter.
I ran DCA and everything checked out ok.
I did notice when there was an error there was an oob problem (whatever that is).
I have 2 cisco sta1520 TA's

What screens would you need to see?

First, run DCA since you have a new video card. You should not have to use the override anymore. Play Ready is different from DCA. Both need to be set up and working properly. You are correct that "subscription required" is not a Play Ready or DCA issue, most likely a cable card issue. But it isn't really a TA issue either. If your TA isn't working, you'll get an SDV error and channel not found in system. Play Ready issues can manifest as "weak signal" errors.

What model tuner do you have? Some screen shots of your diagnostic screens would also be helpful.

[mdavej]

If DCA was ok all along, why have you been doing the override? The fact that you had to use override was one of the primary reasons I recommended a card with HDMI. The other was that DP is not HDCP compliant for WMC. The new card would have solved those problems at least. Sounds like there are several other problems as well. OOB is bad and probably contributing to your issues.

I still need to know what tuners (Homerun Prime? Ceton ETH or PCIe? Hauppauge? Other?) you have before I can ask you for specific screens. It doesn't matter what TA's you have.

[Crash2009]

Maybe you have a signal problem. How many splitters between the pole and the tuner? Could you sketch a diagram and upload? Doesn't have to be fancy. paper, pen, and take a picture with your phone. The Upload attachment button is......

[steveo_in_sd]

THAT sounds exactly like what I'm experiencing. However, I have 2 of them and I'm pretty sure it does it on both. I'll check. Also now that i think about it, All recordings are ok. It is only happens for live tv so that would tell me the TA's are ok.
Even if I see the error if I check a recording that was 'taped' during that time it is fine.
So was it a bum TA for u and u were able to have it replaced and fixed?

Sometimes, the first time WMC tries to load a SDV channel it fails. On a recording, it will try again using another tuner automatically, and assuming the TA is working fine it will record. A little white circle with an exclamation point will appear in the Windows notification area (bottom right corner of your screen) telling you that WMC couldn't tune the channel, but it will have tried again and succeeded if the TA is working. When trying to load Live TV, it won't automatically try a different tuner. Sometimes the first attempt from a TA is unsuccessful, but if it is connected then the second attempt using a different tuner will be. I'm not sure why the first attempt fails sometimes, but if it happens, check to make sure the TA is operating ok by checking the status page, and if it is, then go to a second SDV channel in WMC. If it loads, then go back to the original SDV channel and it should load fine. I almost never watch Live TV, but I see WMC try a second tuner all the time for recordings because the first attempt to request the channel was unsuccessful.

[eclas]

So far it appears that it was a bad cablecard. I replaced the one that was showing bad. So far so good but i haven't tested long enough yet. Heading out for a coupla days. I hope it holds for wifey while I'm gone!
I will report back in a few days either way.

I want to thank everyone for your suggestions. I only wasted $24 but at least I have a backup graphics card for that.

[eclas]

No question now. It's been flawless for about 3 days now.
Although, i did have to call and re-activate the original CC for some reason but it has held.
Sometime I wonder if they purposely try to make it difficult for CC users.

[Crash2009]

Throw enough @#$% up against the wall, some of it will stick. I must have suggested "broken CableCard" 20 times in the past 6 months. Yours was the first in a long time that actually was broken.

[DavidinCT]

No question now. It's been flawless for about 3 days now.
Although, i did have to call and re-activate the original CC for some reason but it has held.
Sometime I wonder if they purposely try to make it difficult for CC users.

If you have channels dropping off (showing they need to be activated), I had this problem on Comcast, I would call the main number, they would update it and about a week later they would fall off again. After about 4-5 times, and a lot of complaining (shows would not record because No signal errors, really annoying), I found this info out.

Do not call the main number, call their cablecard activation line, I did this myself and it's been over a year now with out a single problem.

http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... =13&t=8446

Trust me, cablecards will work and they are very stable, if you get the right person to do the proper activation on it.

[eclas]

Yes, I call the cablecard # direct. They all were familiar with the hdprimes which was good.
I just noticed today that there's ONE channel not coming in saying subscription required that should be working.
When checking the config everything looks right except for in the host id screen it says 'your CC is NOT authorized'.
However when checking cp info, authorization has been received and the ca screen shows plenty of emm's received.
All channels are working except that one.
Something is screwed up so I guess it's time for another activation sent. This is getting to be a pain.

No question now. It's been flawless for about 3 days now.
Although, i did have to call and re-activate the original CC for some reason but it has held.
Sometime I wonder if they purposely try to make it difficult for CC users.

If you have channels dropping off (showing they need to be activated), I had this problem on Comcast, I would call the main number, they would update it and about a week later they would fall off again. After about 4-5 times, and a lot of complaining (shows would not record because No signal errors, really annoying), I found this info out.

Do not call the main number, call their cablecard activation line, I did this myself and it's been over a year now with out a single problem.

http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... =13&t=8446

Trust me, cablecards will work and they are very stable, if you get the right person to do the proper activation on it.

[Crash2009]

For me it usually takes 3 calls.....1 to the Phillipines, 1 to some other Asian Country, and the final call is in America.

[eclas]

The number I call I always get an american that is familiar with cable cards

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[quote][i][/i][/quote]

For me it usually takes 3 calls.....1 to the Phillipines, 1 to some other Asian Country, and the final call is in America.

[Crash2009]

For me it usually takes 3 calls.....

The point was, over here, it appears to be a 3 call process to get it working correctly. Since you still have problems, you need to make another call or 2.