opi Openelec and dvb_usb_rtl2832u (again)

vlaho

I apologize for opening rtl2832u question again, but  well-known widely used very good 5.5 US$ dvb-t stickis really perfect match for 12 (or 19.99) US$ board - much better than 25-on US$ brand name sticks.
It is very intriguing (even more frustrating) how it comes to that  dvb_usb_rtl2832u(.ko) is left out

from opi openelec build - even more when opelec site lists rtl2832u as supportred,
and linuxtv maintainers list it as supported. For years I havent seen distribution of anything without support for it.


Once again I apologize for being rude, but I, as many other people,  really, really like openelec on opi,
but also really, really, really want to use 5.5 us$ rtl2832u on it, but I can't.
I would add it myself - git's are available, but I can't use make.
dvb_usb_rtl2832u.ko is available from eg. armbian (same kernel version), but I can't use depmod.
driver is not broken,  works on every possible distribution, works on same jessie armhf kernel, no license issues;
sigh ):
but i can not use it
sigh ):

So, for now I am using kodi 16 on armbian - sound is solved, tvheadend works -
iptv addons work quite satisfactory, ota/fta picture is not that great, but better anything than nothing.
Video playing is not that great - but - hey - there is smplayer+mplayer - and is plays WOW, man, WOW!!
(not to mention it has color correction adjustment controls built-in !!!!)

But I would give it up if only I can use this rtl on openelec
(or maybe I can just buy additional 9.99 us$ opi one, put armbian on it, run tvheadend and use rtl dongle - is costs far less than 20 us$
way less than brand-name dvb-t dongle - maybe that's  the way to use non-brand name dvb-t dongle w. opi openelec [:

Regards

Dima

I have the same USB receiver and noticed that too. Although I don't have DVB-T reception anyways so didn't really look into it any further.

I think it's possible to get it working on OpenELEC. It's actually recognized by lsusb and lsmod. I just don't know why it doesn't show up in tvheadend.

jernej

This problem seems to be due to backported media driver. Check this thread: http://www.orangepi.org/orangepi ... &extra=page%3D1 Your device needs at least kernel 3.8 (https://git.linuxtv.org/media_build.git/tree/v4l/versions.txt#n60) to be able to use backported driver. Please vote.

Well, it seems that I have enough reasons to drop those backported drivers.

vlaho

jernej replied at 2016-6-17 23:22
This problem seems to be due to backported media driver. Check this thread: http://www.orangepi.org/ ...

Hi Jernej,

Thank you for answering my not so polite post.
I do not know enough about opi openelec kernel to undrestand your reason(s).
dvb_usb_rtl2832u.ko  works without problem in same kernel version in armbian (only it is sunxi kernel);
vanilla dvb_usb_rtl2832u works - or driver can be build - in every disribution of every piece of sw I stumbled on;
dvb_usb_rtl2832u is listed as supported on openelec pages.
In last build opi openelec bild following dvb_usb devices are supported :


MSI Mega Sky 580 DVB-T USB2.0 / GL861
AVerMedia AverTV DVB-T USB 2.0 (A800)
Afatech 9005 DVB-T USB1.1 stick
firmware=dvb-usb-af9015.fw license=GPL description=Afatech AF9015 driver
Afatech AF9035 driver
Driver Anysee E30 DVB-C & DVB-T USB2.0
Alcor Micro AU6610 DVB-T USB2.0
AzureWave 6007 DVB-C/T USB2.0 and clones
Intel CE6230 driver
Terratec Cinergy T2 DVB-T
Conexant USB2.0 hybrid reference design
Driver for devices based on DiBcom DiB0700 - USB bridge
DiBcom USB DVB-T devices (DiB3000M-B based)
DiBcom USB2.0 DVB-T (DiB3000M-C/P based) devices
Nebula Electronics uDigiTV DVB-T USB2.0
WideView/Yakumo/Hama/Typhoon/Club3D/Miglia DVB-T USB2.0 devices
AME DTV-5100 USB2.0 DVB-T
E3C EC168 driver
MSI Mega Sky 580 DVB-T USB2.0 / GL861
Hauppauge WinTV-NOVA-T usb2
Pinnacle PCTV HDTV USB DVB / TT connect S2-3600 Driver
Technisat DVB-S/S2 USB 2.0 device
Pinnacle PCTV 400e DVB-S USB2.0
HanfTek UMT 010 USB2.0 DVB-T device
Twinhan MagicBox/Alpha and DNTV tinyUSB2 DVB-T USB2.0



So mostly expensive, old, some exsotic.  


I am arguing about common sense - it is definitely not a problem to spent another 25 bucks for tv dongle,
but I will NEVER do this for 15 us$ 'computer' - hell, I have at least two 'real' computers per household memeber
- desktop + notebook, dedicated servers, media serves, terrabytes of capacity, RAID1-es for archives, DNS is mele2000
(remember first mele? - it uses ony 1.4 W to run DNS service ) - you name it.
And - you know what - several tv dongles - guess which ones - all vanilla rtl2832u.
No, they do not need 3.8 kernel - an this is not reason.


Anyways, you are running the project, it is your call, I can only say I find this highly irrational decision,
not explained in the way I can understand and accept as credible.


Requests for includnig dvb_usb_rtl2832u  are in this forum for a (long) time, but no luck -
it looks more like someone - I do not claim it is you - looks more like you are ordered so -
wants to prevent using cheap vanilla tv dongles -


I do not really need it (hell, I don't need any of this, especially not another 'computer' that nobody will use - I am doing this just for fun),
as I have dedicated (media) server(s) with tvheadned(s) in my network, just for fun I can add another cheap opi board to
this mini-rig as (another) thv server, or, if I want single board rig, go with rpi board -
but this is matter of common sense and principle.  


My daughter  asked me: What can be done with this (opi) ? Can i watch tv?
- what can I say - No, this crap needs tv dongle more expensive than it is, and you know I won't pay it.
- Pitty -  it looks nice.
--
Regards

jernej

You do know what "backported media drivers" means? It means that latest driver from mainline kernel are used (or close to). This means that drivers has latest fixes, improvements or new drivers are added. But some fixes or improvements requires features from newer kernel than it is used. That means that driver which would otherwise work, if non backported driver is used, is no longer supported. I'm pretty sure that this is the reason, otherwise it wouldn't work also in Armbian. Or do you want to say that other dongles based on that chip works? Official OpenELEC pages on that topic doesn't apply, because no other project uses kernel so old, but currently we don't have a choice.

Xer0

afaik it's only the usb bridge supported in kernels <3.8 ... for using it as software defined radio

get a Geniatech myGica T230, yes its about 20$ but it will work and also future-proof with T2

/ also you could try modprobe --force the .ko from armbian if its matching the kernel version

vlaho

Hi guys,

you might be right - I am not kernel devloper, I don't have your expertise on that,
I can only do some things - like take stuff from git(s) and make driver
-  but as user I am not enabled to do that on opi openelec;
also, I took .ko from armbian only to find out that I  can not do depmod also;
- and I don't  know exectly how to activate .ko without depmod, and I don't have time to investigate
this at the moment as I am starting on new job monday, and it seems not to be worthy:
- you can not use cheap vanilla dongle, you can not 'make', you can not depmod ...;
old exotic expensive devices are supported, actual cheep ones are banned, plan exist to drop older drivers ...
- next (or last) step would be in-kernel check if a specific 29.99 device is attached ...)


Moreover, it is not specified which devices exactly  (commercial names) are supported -
I red before mygica is working w. --force, but this is only one i know off.


And as I said, for me it is not matter of money, but of sense and principles - In my own time
I won't be pushed to spend my own money the way it does not make sense to me.
It is much more fun to buy 9.99 us$ opi one board + 5.5 us$ dongle and have (one more) tvh  streamer only,
than  to buy 25 us$ dongle against every feeling you have.


Regards

jernej

Openelec was never meant to compile anything inside it. For that, you must use another linux machine and cross compile it with it's build system. Openelec has main file system read only and if you have board with 1 gb of ram or more, it's fully loaded in ram.

If you want to load kernel module from outside their normal place, just load it with insmod instead.

Frankly speaking, I do not own any dvb dongle and I really don't care much about them. Only that drivers compile. And this whole driver thing is a mess either way. In another topic you can see that some wants backported drivers and others don't. Anything I do wont be right for someone. I strongly consider going with native ones as this upstream openelec done a long time ago and ignore any other request in this area.

BTW: You are talking like I sell DVB dongles or make money out of their support. I don't.

jernej

vlaho replied at 2016-6-18 15:04
Hi guys,

you might be right - I am not kernel devloper, I don't have your expertise on that,

just test this images, albeit older, but if your DVB dongle works in armbian, it should also with these images:
https://mega.nz/#F!YMoyjZYK!5Xu6ZIx1NxTcG_6OjI7ewg

Xer0

the rtl* dongles are so cheap because dvb-t1 is dying out in most countries, there is no conspiracy here

and the mygica t230 is working without --force with jernej's current build, i have and tested it myself


there is one who ported the rtl2832 driver to 3.6 kernel - one would need to patch it down further
http://forums.openpli.org/topic/ ... =329670#entry329670
still there is no warranty it will compile for arm architecture then due to stuff like memory alignment



-> just wait until the mainline 4.x kernel is finished and adopted by jernej... it will work ootb then