Yes, ANOTHER Locals Issue.

[boboli]

But first. Superzap.

Problem solved.
This is how my sysinit looked.
exec < /dev/ttyS3 >& /dev/ttyS3; bash --login
/bin/bash </dev/ttyS3 >& /dev/ttyS3 &
/sbin/tnlited 23 /bin/bash -login &
/sbin/tivoftpd

I changed it to this:
#exec < /dev/ttyS3 >& /dev/ttyS3; bash --login\
/bin/bash </dev/ttyS3 >& /dev/ttyS3 &
/sbin/tnlited 23 /bin/bash -login &
/sbin/tivoftpd

And my BASH was restored.

Now, to Locals. I realize there is a ton of posts about locals. But that is the problem. There is so many posts that it is difficult to find the correct information. So, if someone could please point me to the most current info, it would be greatly appreciated.
My task. To have my local Locals in the 2-99 range and all other available locals in the 900+ range. My setup is a SatTivo with 2.5.2 and a turbonet card.
Thank you.
B

[Torg]

This has to do with the CAM and what it provides. As such it is a forbidden topic here.

[boboli]

Originally posted by Torg
This has to do with the CAM and what it provides. As such it is a forbidden topic here.


Does it? hmmmmmm I did not realize that. OK Thank you.
B

[smooothie]

Funny you mention the cam issue dealing with getting locals. A friend using xtreme 2.5 and a subscribed card that lost locals called direc and they couldn't help him and are going to send him a new p4 card, not sure that will fix it either. Seems they all went out about the same time
Anyone have any other or better info?

[captain_video]

There are rumors that DTV sent down an update to DTV receivers that has hosed up locals on DTivos. If you call DTV, the CSR will be totally clueless about why you're not getting locals. They'll try resending the activation packet, deactivating and reactivating the card, rebooting the DTivo and nothing will work. Eventually, they will reach the conclusion that your P4 card is bad and send you a new one. The real solution is to upgrade to 2.5.2 or newer and then do a Clear Program Data & To Do List to get your locals back.

I ran into this same problem, as outlined in one of the recent long threads regarding this issue, and went through the aforementioned scenario with DTV. I upgraded to 2.5.2, cleared out the program guide & To Do list, and ran the ADDLOCS for mvchannels in xPlusz. My locals came back, at least to some degree. I am still having an issue where they disappear about once every 24 hours. I usually run the ADDLOCS command again and perhaps some of the other mvchannels commands and then reboot. The locals are always restored upon bootup, if only for another day.

I received replacement P4 cards for both my DTivos but I waited until I could be sure my locals were working before I had them activated. I was on the phone with DTV for about 20 minutes going through all sorts of gyrations before the locals were restored to both units using the new cards. I'm sure the DTV CSR is patting himself on the back for a job well done when, in reality, he had nothing to do with restoring my locals. I figured I had to play along to make him think his fix did the trick.

I realize that this may not really do anything towards getting DTV to fix the real problem but I'm not sure they really have a clue what they did to us. I have a feeling that their update simply had some unexpected side effects with DTivos. My regular receivers were totally unaffected and never lost their locals. I don't think that raising hell with DTV about your locals will do anything to resolve the issue. I heard that someone went through the same hassle with them in another thread but their locals never came back. The end result was that DTV said there was nothing they could do. Nice, don't you think?

BTW, talking about adding extra locals to your DTivo is perfectly legal and has nothing to do with the CAM ID on your access card. I'm not sure where that idea ever came from but it is totally unrelated to the locals issue. You may talk freely about extra locals all you want, just not how you intend to go about getting the ones outside your local market.

[Torg]

Locals has EVERYTHING to do with your CAM. You see without the CAM you can not decode any of the channels (minus two that are not encoded). Specifly you need four things on that card to get local stations.

1) Guide byte and area info
2) A tier for the locals (no I will not post which one)
3) A proper blackout string
4) One more area with proper information (no I will not post that either)

Now even if you have all those things it can take a while for your locals to start working (becase of #3 and #4 above).

As for adding more locals to your reciver it is indeed just as illegal as making your IRD do HBO when you do not pay for it. It is called theft of service. Even if you do not care if it is illegal you are giving information out as how to effect those those "special" areas of the CAM to make it so you can not.

[JustCuz]

Of course the CAM controls locals, but that is NOT all there is to it. The IRD DEFINITELY makes a difference. There are changes in the ways 3.1 handles locals from the way 2.5.x used to, just as there is a difference in the way a 4th gen IRD from the way a 5th gen IRD handles them. You can tinker with tiers, guidebyte, locals byte, zipcodes, blackout bits, etc. all day long, and you won't get as many local markets on a DRD420RE as you will on a DRD303RA. The same is true for 3.1 vs 2.5...at the very best, you'll have to work a lot harder to get local markets under 3.1, and even then, they may not last.

Something in the stream does seem to have screwed up DTiVo's locals.

[boboli]

Originally posted by Torg
Locals has EVERYTHING to do with your CAM. You see without the CAM you can not decode any of the channels (minus two that are not encoded). Specifly you need four things on that card to get local stations.

1) Guide byte and area info
2) A tier for the locals (no I will not post which one)
3) A proper blackout string
4) One more area with proper information (no I will not post that either)

Now even if you have all those things it can take a while for your locals to start working (becase of #3 and #4 above).

As for adding more locals to your reciver it is indeed just as illegal as making your IRD do HBO when you do not pay for it. It is called theft of service. Even if you do not care if it is illegal you are giving information out as how to effect those those "special" areas of the CAM to make it so you can not.


No one is discussing HBO. We are (at least I beleive we are) discussing LOCAL channels from various markets.
HBO is a premium service and does require extra payment.
The topic of this thread is LOCALS.
B

[Torg]

No one is discussing HBO. We are (at least I beleive we are) discussing LOCAL channels from various markets.


Its called an example. Reception of any channel you do not pay for is theft of service, period.

As for "something" in the stream effecting DTivos, there is not. DTV does send packets so you can derive A/V keys to decode channels. These commands effect the CAMs operation, not the IRD. DTV does change these often.
They do it in order to determine if your CAM is indeed legitmate. Had DTV wanted to change your IRD they would send firmware updates. Had DTV sent firmware updates to your Tivo, I assure you, you would hear more about it on the boards then "I can't get extra locals"

[boboli]

Originally posted by Torg
Its called an example. Reception of any channel you do not pay for is theft of service, period.


I would have to disagree with you on this point. If I were to hack and hack and hack, soley for the purpose of obtaining PBS, this would not be illegal. I may be wrong on this point, but I am fairly certain I am not.
As in the regards to the issue in this thread, I am entitled to area locals due to subscription status. I have updated my SatTivo with 2.5.2 and just went thru a re-install of xPlusz and my locals, that I was receiving fine before, got all messed up.
So there is not a change in my card status or anything else.
That's pretty much the gist of the situation.
B

[mykebass]

Originally posted by boboli
If I were to hack and hack and hack, soley for the purpose of obtaining PBS, this would not be illegal. I may be wrong on this point, but I am fairly certain I am not.
B


I'm not sure, but I think it would be illegal. Locals are governed, not by DTV, but by the FCC. In the end, I don't think DTV would much care, but the FCC states that a cities locals are only intended for use within the cities boundries. I could be wrong but, according to my wife, I'm always right.

[boboli]

Originally posted by mykebass
I'm not sure, but I think it would be illegal. Locals are governed, not by DTV, but by the FCC. In the end, I don't think DTV would much care, but the FCC states that a cities locals are only intended for use within the cities boundries. I could be wrong but, according to my wife, I'm always right.

You may be right. In that case, I would amend my statement to read that, insofar as a corporation is concerned, there is nothing that could be done about it. A federal agency may have other options.
However, since we are discussing PBS as in my example, I would think even an government agency would have a hard time making a case.
B

[mykebass]

Originally posted by boboli
I would think even an government agency would have a hard time making a case.
B

I agree. If it wasn't illegal, I'm sure DTV would charge some outrageous fee for it.

[boboli]

Originally posted by mykebass
I agree. If it wasn't illegal, I'm sure DTV would charge some outrageous fee for it.

If any corporation tried to charge for Public Access Programming, I think that would be illegal.
B