Encoder mailbox not found
My PVR-150 that I got used from eBay would occasionally spaz out and complain “Encoder mailbox not found” when trying to load the firmware. It happened when I first got it, then didn’t happen for months, then happened again and went away with a reboot, then happened and wouldn’t stop until I switched PCI slots.
Then it worked, for about an hour, and puked with “Encoder firmware dead!” or something like that. Something was dead, anyway. I took this as a sign that it wasn’t a driver or IRQ problem, but a bad card. (Yes, I’m rather thick.) So I got a (supposedly) new card from eBay for just a few more dollars than the original used one cost. It has been working for several days without complaint, so I think it must be a bad card.
But if you want to try your luck with this PVR-150, I’ll be happy to mail it to you. Maybe it was a problem with my VIA motherboard.
And most importantly, for those of you out there searching for “encoder mailbox not found”, it may just be time to get a new card. If not, try switching PCI slots.