Earl Hokens said:
Just an update.
I tried MMC9.2 and I am getting the same thing, no channels found. Just
FYI, I have tested to see if I can still use the card for capture and
from a camcorder or from a web cam the card is operational. It is only
with the TV tuner that is not working.
Another note: as I installed the MMC9.2 software packages, the
wxp-catalyst-control-center-18115c
package would not install. It complained about some missing hardware.
Any other ideas?
New drivers came out today. You might want to kick those around and see
what happens.
Well, it could be your antenna cable got messed up somehow. You might try
another one, or a set of rabbit ears, just to eliminate that. This is even
more likely if you unplugged the cable or moved the computer recently.
It's possible your tuner went bad. It doesn't happen often, but it's far
from unheard of. If memory serves, the 8500dv was the only card that used a
digital tuner. ATI went with analog after that, as well as before. There
might be a reason they quit using it. A couple years ago I had one go out
on my satellite receiver, which worked fine for three years before.
You might want to crack open your case and look for dust around the tuner,
and while your at it, the rest of the computer as well. I've heard folks
shudder with horror at the thought of using a vacuum cleaner inside a
computer case, along with the recommendation that you should only use
compressed air to clean, to avoid static electricity. Frankly, I just can't
see the difference between sucking air and blowing air. The electricity
isn't going to care, and blowing dirt from one side of the computer to the
other doesn't make much sense. Nor does it please the wife to have flying
dust balls fall all over the place.
Anyway, a good cleaning might do the trick, and it certainly can't hurt.
If it turns out the tuner is bad, you can always hook up a VCR, though you
certainly won't get the same functions. On the other hand, if you can't
live without the tuner, there are loads of people who wouldn't mind, and
you'll find them on Ebay.
While a good card, the 8500dv is a bit dated, and it's going to get worse
now that ATI quit supporting it in their later MMC releases. Eventually,
you aren't going to be able to use it at all. Having to upgrade it now,
especially if it has indeed started to die, might be a blessing for you.
The fan in mine pooped out when I put it in another system, so I might be
upgrading it myself.
By the way, I've been fiddling around with mine, hooked up to an HDTV, and
it's turning out to be a chore. Right now I have the fancy, large download
drivers. I'm going to take those out and install the smaller ones, which
I'm using on my main desktop. It could be they are the problem with both of
us. I've noticed some bugs, as ATI generally has whenever they release
something "New and Improved". In fact, when the 8500dv first came out, it
was practically unusable, even though I had the minimum requirements beat
twice over. Their Remote Wonder used 100% CPU resources whenever you moved
the pointer around, frames were dropping more than they were catching, and
lockups were common. Their latest driver package, the large one, cause me
much heartache and woe.
Pagan
