configuring Hauppauge WinTV-HVR1250 capture card

[pseudotheist]

I'm back...
Now I can't find my capture card in the backend setup menus.
I've got a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR1250, which the computer seems to recognize:

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root@Barad-Dur:/home/nazgul# lspci -vvnn -s 04:00
04:00.0 Multimedia video controller [0400]: Conexant Systems, Inc. CX23885 PCI Video and Audio Decoder [14f1:8852] (rev 04)
        Subsystem: Hauppauge computer works Inc. CX23885 PCI Video and Audio Decoder [0070:7911]
        Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR+ FastB2B- DisINTx-
        Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
        Latency: 0
        Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 26
        IOMMU group: 1
        Region 0: Memory at d0800000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=2M]
        Capabilities: [40] Express (v1) Endpoint, MSI 00
                DevCap: MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s <64ns, L1 <1us
                        ExtTag- AttnBtn- AttnInd- PwrInd- RBE- FLReset- SlotPowerLimit 26W
                DevCtl: CorrErr+ NonFatalErr+ FatalErr+ UnsupReq+
                        RlxdOrd+ ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr- NoSnoop+
                        MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 512 bytes
                DevSta: CorrErr- NonFatalErr- FatalErr- UnsupReq- AuxPwr- TransPend-
                LnkCap: Port #0, Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, ASPM L0s L1, Exit Latency L0s <2us, L1 <4us
                        ClockPM- Surprise- LLActRep- BwNot- ASPMOptComp-
                LnkCtl: ASPM Disabled; RCB 64 bytes, Disabled- CommClk+
                        ExtSynch- ClockPM- AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
                LnkSta: Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1
                        TrErr- Train- SlotClk+ DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt-
        Capabilities: [80] Power Management version 2
                Flags: PMEClk- DSI+ D1+ D2+ AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0+,D1+,D2+,D3hot+,D3cold-)
                Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
        Capabilities: [90] Vital Product Data
                End
        Capabilities: [a0] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
                Address: 0000000000000000  Data: 0000
        Capabilities: [100 v1] Advanced Error Reporting
                UESta:  DLP- SDES- TLP- FCP- CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF- MalfTLP- ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
                UEMsk:  DLP- SDES- TLP- FCP- CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF- MalfTLP- ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
                UESvrt: DLP+ SDES- TLP- FCP+ CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF+ MalfTLP+ ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
                CESta:  RxErr- BadTLP- BadDLLP- Rollover- Timeout- AdvNonFatalErr-
                CEMsk:  RxErr- BadTLP- BadDLLP- Rollover- Timeout- AdvNonFatalErr-
                AERCap: First Error Pointer: 00, ECRCGenCap- ECRCGenEn- ECRCChkCap- ECRCChkEn-
                        MultHdrRecCap- MultHdrRecEn- TLPPfxPres- HdrLogCap-
                HeaderLog: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000
        Capabilities: [200 v1] Virtual Channel
                Caps:   LPEVC=0 RefClk=100ns PATEntryBits=1
                Arb:    Fixed+ WRR32+ WRR64+ WRR128-
                Ctrl:   ArbSelect=WRR64
                Status: InProgress-
                Port Arbitration Table [240] <?>
                VC0:    Caps:   PATOffset=00 MaxTimeSlots=1 RejSnoopTrans-
                        Arb:    Fixed- WRR32- WRR64- WRR128- TWRR128- WRR256-
                        Ctrl:   Enable+ ID=0 ArbSelect=Fixed TC/VC=ff
                        Status: NegoPending- InProgress-
        Kernel driver in use: cx23885
        Kernel modules: cx23885

But when I go into the capture card menu under DVB/ATSC menu, the only thing that shows up is some Samsung thing.

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root@Barad-Dur:/home/nazgul# grep "cx23885\|tveeprom" /var/log/syslog
...
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648108-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx23885: cx23885 driver version 0.0.4 loaded
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648109-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx23885 0000:04:00.0: enabling device (0100 -> 0102)
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648110-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx23885: CORE cx23885[0]: subsystem: 0070:7911, board: Hauppauge WinTV-HVR1250 [card=3,autodetected]
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648111-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: tveeprom: Hauppauge model 79561, rev D5D9, serial# 4032600116
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648111-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: tveeprom: MAC address is 00:0d:fe:5c:98:34
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648112-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: tveeprom: tuner model is Microtune MT2131 (idx 139, type 4)
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648113-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: tveeprom: TV standards NTSC(M) ATSC/DVB Digital (eeprom 0x88)
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648114-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: tveeprom: audio processor is CX23885 (idx 39)
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648114-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: tveeprom: decoder processor is CX23885 (idx 33)
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648115-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: tveeprom: has no radio
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648116-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx23885: cx23885[0]: hauppauge eeprom: model=79561
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648120-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx25840 2-0044: cx23885 A/V decoder found @ 0x88 (cx23885[0])
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648287-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx25840 2-0044: loaded v4l-cx23885-avcore-01.fw firmware (16382 bytes)
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648289-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx23885: cx23885[0]: registered device video0 [v4l2]
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648290-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx23885: cx23885[0]: registered device vbi0
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648290-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx23885: cx23885[0]: alsa: registered ALSA audio device
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648291-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx23885: cx23885_dvb_register() allocating 1 frontend(s)
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648292-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx23885: cx23885[0]: cx23885 based dvb card
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648294-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: dvbdev: DVB: registering new adapter (cx23885[0])
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648295-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx23885 0000:04:00.0: DVB: registering adapter 0 frontend 0 (Samsung S5H1409 QAM/8VSB Frontend)...
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648296-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx23885: cx23885_dev_checkrevision() Hardware revision = 0xa5
2025-08-23T08:35:12.648297-04:00 Barad-Dur kernel: cx23885: cx23885[0]/0: found at 0000:04:00.0, rev: 4, irq: 26, latency: 0, mmio: 0xd0800000

You can see cx23885 recognizes the Hauppauge, but then registers this Samsung thing, which honestly I don't even know what it is...
But when I run the frontend with Samsung in the settings, it says the tuners are all busy.

[white_haired_uncle]

Samsung could very well be the chip.

Very first thing I'd check is if the device file is root:video and only accessible by owner/group and mythtv is not in group video.

[pseudotheist]

I did check the mythtv groups...
Which file should I be looking at? In /dev/dvb? They look passable as far as I can tell...

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root@Barad-Dur:/home/nazgul# groups mythtv
mythtv : mythtv dialout cdrom audio video
root@Barad-Dur:/home/nazgul# ls -al /dev/dvb
total 0
drwxr-xr-x  3 root root   60 Aug 23 08:35 .
drwxr-xr-x 22 root root 4820 Aug 23 08:35 ..
drwxr-xr-x  2 root root  120 Aug 23 08:35 adapter0
root@Barad-Dur:/home/nazgul# ^C
root@Barad-Dur:/home/nazgul# ls -al /dev/dvb/adapter0/
total 0
drwxr-xr-x  2 root root     120 Aug 23 08:35 .
drwxr-xr-x  3 root root      60 Aug 23 08:35 ..
crw-rw----+ 1 root video 212, 1 Aug 23 08:35 demux0
crw-rw----+ 1 root video 212, 2 Aug 23 08:35 dvr0
crw-rw----+ 1 root video 212, 0 Aug 23 08:35 frontend0
crw-rw----+ 1 root video 212, 3 Aug 23 08:35 net0
root@Barad-Dur:/home/nazgul# groups "video 212"
groups: ‘video 212’: no such user
root@Barad-Dur:/home/nazgul# getfacl /dev/dvb/adapter0/*
getfacl: Removing leading '/' from absolute path names
# file: dev/dvb/adapter0/demux0
# owner: root
# group: video
user::rw-
user:nazgul:rw-
group::rw-
mask::rw-
other::---

# file: dev/dvb/adapter0/dvr0
# owner: root
# group: video
user::rw-
user:nazgul:rw-
group::rw-
mask::rw-
other::---

# file: dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0
# owner: root
# group: video
user::rw-
user:nazgul:rw-
group::rw-
mask::rw-
other::---

# file: dev/dvb/adapter0/net0
# owner: root
# group: video
user::rw-
user:nazgul:rw-
group::rw-
mask::rw-
other::---

[white_haired_uncle]

Not surprised that wasn't it (mythtv is in video, and devices are owned by video). Gotta check though.

I THINK /dev/dvb/adapter0/frontend0 is probably what you wanted to be looking at, but then I haven't used an internal capture card in many years.

I would look at the device with TSReader Lite. It's a windows program, but runs fine in wine (works for me w/Mint 21.1). There's also a program called scan (or scan_w2 or something???) that used to be called dvbscan, never touched it.

You might search the forums/board by slapping something like "site:mythtv.org hvr-1250" into your favourite search engine. There's a lot of (OLD) stuff out there.

The other thing I immediately suspect, just from reading posts, is firmware, but it looks like it's loading for you (keywords: "looks like", I'm not the guy to ask if that's the right/only firmware you need, but again it looks like it to me).

[pseudotheist]

Well, it looks like at least it's not a hardware issue. I got video out through VLC thanks to this tutorial:
https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments ... broadcast/
(I had to use w_scan instead of w_scan2 and some formats were a bit different, but it got me there)

Thanks for all the help so far.

[white_haired_uncle]

Probably worth giving mythtv-setup a shot.