Pinnacle PCTV USB2

How to get your Pinnacle PCTV USB2 device to work

• Download the latest v4l-dvb drivers:

The original drivers in my gentoo kernel linux-2.6.22-gentoo-r9 did not work, so I had to use more recent v4l drivers. Download the latest v4l-dvb drivers (e.g. v4l-dvb-816f256c2973.tar.gz) from the v4l homepage linuxtv.org/hg/v4l-dvb:

• unpack, compile and install the drivers:

# tar xzf v4l-dvb-816f256c2973.tar.gz
# cd v4l-dvb-816f256c2973.tar.gz
# make
# make install

• Set the parameters for module loading:

In my case (I work on a gentoo system), I had to add a file em28xx in /etc/modules.d and do an update-modules -f.

content of file em28xx:

alias char-major-81 videodev
alias char-major-81-0 tveeprom
alias char-major-81-1 em28xx
options em28xx card=3 tuner=38
options tuner pal=b secam=b

The tunertype I used in older kernels (pre 2.6.22) was 56 but now I have to use tunertype 38 for some reason. My Tuner is a TAPE-S701D.

• I use the following script to watch tv:

#!/bin/sh -x
gnome-screensaver-command --exit
sox -t ossdsp -r 48000 -q -b -c 2 /dev/dsp2 -t ossdsp /dev/dsp &
pid_sox=$!
mplayer tv://
kill $pid_sox

• Of course, you need to setup the channels in your .mplayer/config file:

:
vo=xv
tv=input=0:driver=v4l2:device=/dev/video0:channels=32-SF1,SE11-SF2...
:

• Enjoy watching TV

If you have problems, have a look at the kernel messages (dmesg) when you plug in the device and see if the drivers are loaded without any errors. Maybe you have another tuner built-in your PCTV USB2 device. So experiment with other settings for tuner or let the driver decide, what tuner to use by not specifying the tuner type in modprobe.conf. Good luck!