[MEncoder-users] mencoder can't record tv on a fresh boot

[Jason Slaughter]

I'm having some issues with mencoder and my TV card. It seems like 
mencoder isn't able to record off of my TV card unless the card is 
"initialized." Basically, if I boot the machine and try to record TV 
with mencoder, it doesn't work (more info below) but if I watch TV with 
tvtime, and *then* try to record TV, it works fine every time.

If the card isn't used by something like tvtime first, this is the error 
I get from mencoder:

v4l2: ioctl dequeue buffer failed: Input/output error, idx = 0
v4l2: ioctl dequeue buffer failed: Input/output error, idx = 0
v4l2: ioctl dequeue buffer failed: Input/output error, idx = 0
v4l2: ioctl dequeue buffer failed: Input/output error, idx = 0
v4l2: ioctl dequeue buffer failed: Input/output error, idx = 0

This continues to be printed on the screen every second or so until I 
kill the process.

Again, this works perfectly fine if I watch TV with tvtime at least once 
after the computer has been booted. It's obvious that tvtime is doing 
something with the card or driver the mencoder isn't doing.

FWIW, here's the relevant information:

mencoder command:
mencoder tv:// -tv 
driver=v4l2:norm=NTSC:chanlist=us-cable:channel=5:amode=1:device=/dev/video0 
-ovc lavc -lavcopts vcodec=mpeg4:vbitrate=1600 -oac mp3lame -lameopts 
cbr:br=128:mode=3 -vf crop=635:470:0:0 -endpos 5 -ffourcc divx -o test.avi

The tvcard is an Philips saa7133 using the saa7134 v4l2 driver.

Any ideas? Is there something I can do, besides tuning in with tvtime 
after each boot, to "initialize" this card and made mencoder happy?