Connecting a digibox to an All-In-Wonder 9800 Pro

I previously received TV on my PC using an analogue signal from a standard terrestrial aerial. However, this has now been replaced with a satellite dish, so I need to connect a digi-box to my PC. I thought this would be straightforward, but so far have had no success at all. I am using a SCART to connect to the digi-box, the other end of this has an S connector and two phono plugs for audio. These plug into the purple breakout box supplied with the All-In-Wonder 9800 pro graphics card on my machine. The problem is that no matter what I try, I cannot get any TV display working. Obviously, the video output of the digibox should go straight into the graphics card, but despite having updated all the ATI software and drivers, I cannot get anything to work. The digibox is OK, as I can use it with a regular TV.

Has anyone encountered/solved this problem before?

Since I'm not a Brit I don't know anything about Digi-box. However, I do have an AIW 9800 Pro. In my case, I was hooking up my camcorder to the breakout box to capture video. I had a heck of a time messing with different versions of the Catalyst software etc until I got one that would work for me. I wanted to use the ATI TV application to capture the video. In that software you can set the input to composite or s-video, maybe thats what you need.

Since I'm not at home now I can't tell you what version I ended up with. I'm reasonably confident, however, that the "latest" version of the ATI drivers were not the solution. Do you still have the CD that came with the card? If so, try uninstalling your current ATI stuff and reloading the original S/W. I've not used it but you could try Driver Cleaner for ATI /nVidia http://www.drivercleaner.net/

Originally Posted by fredfillis

I don't know anything about Digi-box.

A digibox is just another name for a satellite decoder. I'll try the Driver Cleaner app and see how I get on.

Originally Posted by Krispy Kritter

In MMC you will have to select s-video as the input

The current version of MMC that I installed does not appear to have any options for selecting the input. If I open the TV tab, there is an entry shown which says that it is using ATI AVStream Analogue Capture 1, but this seems to be automatically selected. If I try to run the TV app from Launchpad, it fails. I get a message saying, " Check the Windows Device Manager to ensure that the correct video driver has been installed and is working properly". When I checked this, I found that the latest driver is installed (ATI T200 Unified AVStream driver, version 6.14.10.1975) and is reported as working OK.

Originally Posted by Krispy Kritter

The TV tab won't function in your case, even with the "correct" drivers installed because you don't have any input to the antenna/cable input.

When I used MMC in the past, there was a way to choose which input you wanted to view. There is a selection for each input on the dongle plus TV. I believe this is located in the media viewer window and NOT the TV section. There has to be a way for you to view each of the separate inputs the card accepts.

I've never had any issue setting up due to lack of input.

Meanwhile, Gewitty, did you download the .NET framework (required for later versions of the MMC)? I'll post what versions are working for me when I get home. I also notice the ATI site has crossed over to the dark side (AMD) and there is a new drivers package available that I have not tried yet. However, in light of my experience, latest is not always bestest and I stick by my original advice to re-install whatever came with your AIW card (unless that is also buggy, thanks ATI).

Gewitty: I have my satellite receiver hooked up my AIW 9800 Pro. I have the yellow, white & red composite output cables to connect the my satellite receiver to the purple breakout box supplied by ATI. I also have a S-Video cable for the video. I chose S-Video because it gives one more lines of resolution, a thus a sharper picture. Make sure the yellow video part of the cable is hooked into the video output jack on the back of the receiver, and the other end goes into video input on the breakout box, the same goes for the red right audio part of the cable and the left white audio part of the cable.

As for selecting your input, you must do that before you hit the record button. It is the last icon along the top of the vcr like image that is on your screen. It is right next to the "Lock Icon" if you hover your mouse above it you will see the words "Input Connector" show up on your screen, you can either click on it and you will notice the that the display down in the vcr window will indicate if you have selected "Analogue TV Tuner, S-Video or Composite". You can also "right click" on that Icon or you press the "alt and F7" to select your input.

I hope I was of some help in this situation. I don't think you need this "Scart Thingamagig", just connect your cables directly from the outputs on your DigiBox, directly into the ATI Breakout box.

Thanks for all the suggestions. The root of the problem seems to be in the TV app itself. Although I've reinstalled it twice and also checked the drivers, it still refuses to run - just gives me an error message suggesting that I check the video driver. Since everything appears to be OK, I've kind of hit a brick wall. I did the software upgrade exactly as per the ATI instructions, uninstalling all existing software first and removing all registry keys, then loading the new software in the recommended sequence. So I guess the only thing is to repeat the exercise, although logic suggests that the outcome can only be the same.

I don't know it would help or not, but Lordsmurf has a website called digitalfaq, and he has a section about ATI Capture Cards. Perhaps there is something within the information he has there that will be of help. Did a technician install this card for you? Did you do it yourself? I hope this all works out for you.

I have AIW 9700 pro, it would be the same for you, use Aug 2005 driver v9.08 I suppose, the latest is v9.13 which don't have all the option and it freezes too. Connect svideo and sound to the brakeout box or cable and open TV then select svideo. If you don't get the TV you need to reinstall TV part of it. It is possible you installed the wrong TV version. They may have the older versions on the web. In my case the only draw back is the sound you get mpg1 or so, my sound card doesn't have digital in to test. Any of you guys that you have the same setup and digital in please give us your results. If AIW had componant in Plus digital in would have been nice.

Originally Posted by Gewitty

Thanks for all the suggestions. The root of the problem seems to be in the TV app itself. Although I've reinstalled it twice and also checked the drivers, it still refuses to run - just gives me an error message suggesting that I check the video driver. Since everything appears to be OK, I've kind of hit a brick wall. I did the software upgrade exactly as per the ATI instructions, uninstalling all existing software first and removing all registry keys, then loading the new software in the recommended sequence. So I guess the only thing is to repeat the exercise, although logic suggests that the outcome can only be the same.

I confirmed the version I am using is 8.7. I tried later versions and they were all garbage. The TV app works fine with MMC 8.7

This might be it http://www.zdnetasia.com/downloads/pc/swinfo/0,39043052,39066632s,00.htm

@Gewitty - read and learn -->
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?p=1599872
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?p=1599620
https://forum.videohelp.com/viewtopic.php?p=1602054#1602054 by @sanlyn.

If this doesn't help I'll check back tomorrow and help you then. ok.

Good luck.

I read. I learned. But I failed.

I used the uninstall program to remove all ATI software. This was not entirely successful, as it left an entry in the Control Panel\Install-Uninstall progs list for both Hydravision and ATI Remote Wonder. I tried to take these out manually, but the Remote Wonder entry just did nothing when I hit Delete and the Hydravision entry returned an error message, saying, 'Error extracting support file: The system cannot find the file specified'. Curiously, the Hydravision file size is shown as being only .32Mb.

I then deleted all ATI directories in C:\Program Files and then ran Driver Cleaner Pro. This found loads of files and registry entries and removed them all.

With this completed, I tried to load the original installation CD-ROM (ATI Software Release 524). I clicked the 'Easy Install' button and got an error message, 'Device information files missing. Enhanced drivers were not successfully installed. Setup aborted'.

So I'm kind of stuck now. I need to install some drivers, just to get my display running properly. I'll try downloading the suggested earlier versions and see what happens.

Updating to the latest ATI drivers and software has been a nightmare expecially these last few versions. The newer versions of CAT are really bloated and did slow my machine down. Switching to older versions regained my system speed again. Any version of MMC past 9.08 has some major problems and most of them are not fixable. Unless you are just wanting to test them I would recommend you stay clear of MMC v9.13 and beyond. I have been hoping ATI will release a new version of MMC but as of last night they have not.

WDM is where the real problem is. The unified 200 WDM drivers just won't work with these older versions of MMC nor the older versions of CAT. There might be a combination that you can get to function but I have tried so many I have since quit trying. And once you get the 200 Unified drivers installed they are a real pain to get uninstalled...... I was successful but only after several attempts. Driver cleaner helped...

With my 9800Pro AIW I am using Cat 4.12, WDM 6.14.10.6246 (the one that came with Cat 4.12), and MMC V9.03 without issues. I have .net framework installed. When installing ATI I always do as clean an uninstall as I can then install the CAT. After rebooting I then install MMC using the Custom buttom. I only let it install TV, VCD, and Gallery. I don't use all that other stuff so i don't let it install. Also after removing all that ATI junk and rebooting I always "Cancel" when Windows says it has found new hardware. I think this is an important step in getting ATI installed correctly. I also think many people, not knowing what to do there, will allow XP to do a driver search and wind up with trouble that is very hard to repair.

One of the problems I have with CAT is allowing it to use "Fast Writes". I always uncheck fast writes in Display properties, advanced, then the SmartGart tab. CAT would simply lock up sometimes with any warning. Disabling Fast Writes fixed that on this and my last system.

Once all the ATI stuff is installed and I reboot I then run the ATI Configuration program and set my Skins to Transquility. I then go to the PC Check Tab and run the Test. I then will try the TV (MMC) program. When it first starts you must Except then do a channel search. I don't use the coaxial cable so MMC never finds any channels on my system. I then follow that program to the audio setup where I choose my audio input. I use the internal jumper from the AIW card to my Creative Audigy II sound card and the Auxiliary-in. I choose that then follow the program on out. I choose my capture drive and check 'always capture to that drive', and MPEG2 DVD as the template settings. Then the TV program usually starts showing "STATIC". IT displays static because it is set to default to display channels which I don't have.

I then 'right click' on the static screen and choose Input Connector - SVideo from the drop down list. I can then watch TV. I make sure I have audio. If I don't then I open Control Panel - Sound Speech and Audio Devices - Sound and Audio Devices - Advanced - then make certain Auxiliary is not muted and the volume adjusted properly. If you don't see your input then use the Properties menu in Options to enable the view of it.

I then setup my capture drive and file names. Right click on the TV screen and choose "Setup". Then the Personal Video REcorder tab. Then click "Disk Space". Click "Always use temporary drive' then select the drive you want to capture to, then OK. Then click One Touch Recording then set the location for "Folder for the recoded file". Make certain this folder is on your capture drive. Then setup Recoded File Name. I use StartTime-Connector. Then click ok.

When you decide to capture video you can use any of the ATI presets but you will find they are mostly junk. Here is a simple preset I use for everyday recoding. It is simple to create a new preset. Here is what I have either entered or checked.

My 2hr MPEG2 DVD 720
MPEG-2 DVD
NTSC (525)
720x480
Encode Interlaced
Record Cropped Video
48.000Kbps 16Bit Stereo
4:2: Closed
Variable Bitrate
9.80 Mbps Max
9.75 Mbps Average
100 Motion Estimation quality
256Kbps Audio
VideoSoap - Light
#1 - Combo Filter 1 = 10%
#2 - Sharpen = 10%

I see you are PAL so you will haft to use PAL (625) and 720x576. The rest should be ok as I say here.

These settings gives me a DVD compliant mpeg-2 file ready to author and unless the movie has a lot of motion and is real brightly lit I can get 2 hours of high quality video on a DVD. Checking the files as I have in the past shows very good compression ratios in the P and B frames. I can not use settings like these in programs like Tmpgenc or MC and get the same amount of time on a DVD.

Good luck and hope this helps

Thanks for that. I'll keep trying. Any idea where I can download older versions of CAT and MMC? There doesn't seem to be much on the ATI site.

We used to be able to look under Previous Drivers and Software, but I don't seem to be able to find those at all on the ATI site. I hope they didn't loose their minds and take down all those versions...... It appears that one must buy a installation CD to get the versions they want. What a crock if that is true. Did ATI do that to us?

I did find mmc 9.03, but it's not from ATI. You might take a look at it(?). Appears to be ok from here.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Video/Video-Players/ATi-Multimedia-Center.shtml

Good luck.

I guess there is another way, if that still works that is.

Download one of the newer versions of Cat. Look for the download that does not use CCC (catalist control center) if possible. It will load Windows faster and should not request internet access.

Unpack to a specific location on your hdd then during the install choose "Custom" then uncheck WDM drivers. Install the display portion alone then reboot.

Browse with Windows Explorer to the unpack folder, usually c:\ATI\Support\etc. and look for the folder WDM and open it. You will find 2 folders. One of these folders contains the WDM 200 unified driver that you do not want to use, the other folder contains the older style WDM driver that you want to install. The way I found out which one to install was by opening the .inf files in each folder (1 per folder) using Windows Notepad program (text editor) and looking for the versions number and driver name. You would right click the .inf file and choose Open-With then "Other" then choose NotePad from the list. Once you find which folder contains the .inf file that says 200WDM unified driver delete that folder. Open the other folder, right click the .inf file and choose install. It will then install the proper WDM drivers. The older versions WDM should work with all the pre MMC v9.13 versions. Cat shouldn't complain about the older WDM and should function properly.

Good luck.

OK, at tremendous expense to the management, I've slurped the following off of my wife's PC.

MMC V8.7
http://www.theluckins.com/data/mmc-8-7-0-0.rar

ATI CATALYST 4.12
http://www.theluckins.com/data/wxp-w2k-8-082-041130a-019577c.rar

Good Luck!

First off, many thanks for all the help on this one. It's much appreciated. Particular thanks to Fred and the management for making the two files available. Please send the bill to the usual place.

I'm still struggling to get this working, but a clue has appeared which may mean something to someone: When I try to run TV from the MMC, it fails and I get a prompt telling me to run the PC Check utility. When I run this it performs all the tests, but reports three problems:

CPU does not support MMX (It's an AMD Athlon XP 2.1Ghz)
WDM Capture drivers not loaded (Not sure if they are or not)
No DVD or CD drives installed (I have two. Both working perfectly in all other apps).

So it appears that a possible reason for the problem is that the MMC doesn't think I have an MMX compatible processor, which I obviously do. Could this be the root of the issue? And if so, why is it happening?

I'm probably wrong but I think the problem is getting that WDM 200 Unified driver uninstalled. I had similar problems after installing that driver and also after uninstalling it and trying to go back to the older version. If you check the WDM driver properties in System Properties you should see the problem. Getting that 200WDM back off is a real pain. Driver Cleaner V3.3 helped but I don't exactly remember how I actually did it. In one of those links I posted above the OP said he had to go back to a real old version to be able to overwrite the 200WDM because they are an older version and XP doesn't like going backwards I guess.

Device Manager is easily accessed by --> Start, Right click on My Computer and choose Properties, click the Hardware Tab, click Device Manager, double click Sound Video and Game controllers, then see either 6 WDM entries or 1 entry saying Unified 200 WDM. You want the 6 WDM entries. Once you get that your MMC should work ok. If you only have the 200WDM entry then the only versions of MMC that will work is 9.13 and up (I think) and they are crap.

Check device manager.

Good luck.

Has anyone be able to find the previous versions at the ATI site? I can't find anything older than mmc 9.13. What is going on with ATI.

Also once you get this working don't let Windows Update download and install any updated ATI drivers. They won't work.

Ok, I think I figured out how to download previous versions from ATI.

1. goto ati.com
2. Click - Customer Care - Support for All In Wonder TV
3. Now the page should say AMD Customer Care for ATI Products. On the left side in the box labeled AMD Customer Care Site Map click the words "Advanced Search".
4. Click the button = by ID: 737- and type in 1328. Click "GO" at the top of the search panel. You should now see all the previous versions starting with Cat 4.12 and MMC 9.03 and down.

Good luck.

I created a new account at ATI customer care but I don't think you haft to. If you have trouble then create a new account.

Originally Posted by Gewitty

CPU does not support MMX (It's an AMD Athlon XP 2.1Ghz)

ATI supports states this problem repaired in MMC v8.8 and later.

ATI software install is a real PITA, most especially upgrades.

One thing I have found to be helpful is to remove the card and use a different video card. With the alternate card installed, repeat removal steps. I believe some of the software may not un-install while it is in use.

Driver Cleaner 3 and the instructions at Rage3d very helpful. It was comments posted there which helped me to avoid these new "unified" WDM drivers, which seem to be truly godawful.

This is a process which I have gone through a half-dozen or more times, 2-3 times that if you count the unsuccessful attempts to get MMC 8.x working with a Rage 128 card. Got as far as everything BUT the TV app to work. Of course, that is the only app I want.

Sometimes it is as simple as rebooting between steps, or not. I have gone as far as moving files from the temp directory while the install is going on, racing the software. You are probably already aware of this, but once you get it working, don't mess with it, unless the new software offers something truly worthwhile. The only new thing I have seen after 9.03 is the setting to record audio "same as source", which "MAY" offer the ability to record AC-3 directly.
But it appears you have to take the unified WDM for this, and I ain't going for it.

Originally Posted by Scorpion King

Ok, I think I figured out how to download previous versions from ATI.

SK, you are a genius! I had thought all that stuff was lost forever

Originally Posted by Nelson37

ATI software install is a real PITA, most especially upgrades.

And that is way too generous!

One way I've had some success in the past in clearing out ATI rubbish is to remove whatever I can via all the methods discussed here (stopping short of pulling hardware) and then opening device mgr and deleting the video card. Reboot the machine and let things get found.

There is a website called "oldversion" and they store old versions of popular programs. I wouldn't be surprised someone will end up placing a folder up there to place old ATI drivers in, sometime down the line.

Originally Posted by fredfillis

Reboot the machine and let things get found.

Yes but in the case of these ATI cards I recommend we "Cancel" each time XP finds the new hardware (the video or capture device) and let the software install do it's job. I have had trouble letting XP search for and install anything ATI. lol

----------------------

Here is the ATI link to mmc v8.9. It was very hard to find. They have it barried in page after page of junk.

ati.amd.com/support/drivers/common/mmc8-9.html

Also something else I found. Different versions can be found by changing the version number in that url string. Example: change "mmc8-9.html" to "mmc9-03.html" or "mmc9-08.html. etc.

If you are wanting any of these older version you better dl them soon. ATI might really take them off their site. lol

Hope this helps.
Good luck.

I previously received TV on my PC using an analogue signal from a standard terrestrial aerial.

Return to this setting,replace the analog connection ,with the purple breakout block provided,plugging the dish s video/rca connecters into the block and plug this into s-video/composite IN on aiw.then select s-video in mmc.

http://mirror.ati.com/support/drivers/xp/aiwradeonxprevious-xp.html
The last version that didn't need .net was ok

Originally Posted by Scorpion King

Originally Posted by fredfillis

Reboot the machine and let things get found.

Yes but in the case of these ATI cards I recommend we "Cancel" each time XP finds the new hardware (the video or capture device) and let the software install do it's job. I have had trouble letting XP search for and install anything ATI. lol

Correct, my bad.

If it wasn't un-British, I'd cry.

After several hours removing old installations, cleaning out drivers, etc. etc. I downloaded and installed Catalyst 4.12 single bundle and MMC 9.03. Everything looked OK with the install of Catalyst, until right at the end when it started telling me that it needed missing files. These were:

ATINEVXX.SYS
ATINEUXX.SYS
ATINESXX.SYS
ATINEVXX.SYS

It seemed to think that these should have been available on the original installation CD, but guess what?

So I'm no further forward. When I try to run TV, it fails to launch and suggests that I run the PC check utility. This now tells me that there are multiple problems, including the fact that I don't have a recognised ATI Radion (or later) graphics chip (?)

If anyone wants to contact me, you'll have to be quick - I'm lying on the railway line at present and the 5:35 express is due any minute. Tell the guys at ATI I died thinking of them.