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[CountryBumkin]

Does MC17 currently have the ability to send a command through an external IR blaster to change TV channels on a set-top box when the TV channel is changed in MC?

I know a command can be sent from a remote control, but I would like to be able to setup a "scheduled" recording and have the set-top box automatically change to the correct channel if no one is around to manually change the channel. It does this now for built-in (internal and USB) TV tuners so perhaps it is not too difficult, if it's not already possible.

[nwboater]

Hi CB,

We recently did 3 scheduled recordings and they worked. We use the MC remote and receiver and have the IR blaster on the STB. But you must already be there if you can change channels from the remote. My wife scheduled the recordings in Theater View using the Genre breakdown. Kinda nice.

What we really want is to have a Movies listing with Genres for TV.

Give it a try.

Rod

[CountryBumkin]

Thanks for your reply.
What I want to do is schedule a couple of recordings at night (for after I go to bed) on different channels and have MC automatically switch the set-top box to the proper channel by itself.
I know my internal HVR2250 will do this - but I can't figure out how to get an "automatic" IR blast to my external STB. There needs to be something in the TV Guide program (I think) to tell it to send a IR blast when changing channels (when the channel change is due to a scheduled recording). Then MC needs to know what is being used for IR blaster (the MC "HP" Remote, Hauppage Blaster, other, etc.) and what the blaster codes are for the STB.

[nwboater]

Hi Country Bumkin,

Perhaps your thread should be titled "Can MC support multiple IR blasters?" I think that is your real issue. I don't think that MC can and I'm also wondering if they support the Hauppauge Blaster. When you go to Remote Control setup in Tools/Options it is not mentioned. Also note that the USBUIRT IS mentioned, but they only support the receive portion of it from the research on blasting that I previously did. I and others tried to get it going and were unsuccessful.

Again we have been successful doing untended scheduled recordings with channel changing on our STB. But we only use one blaster and that's the one that came with the MC remote.

Added on edit: I vaguely recall that glynor is using the Hauppaauge blaster with his HDPVR. I also recall reading on the Sage Forum that some people had trouble with that blaster. That's why I didn't even try it and got a USBUIRT for our WHS and it worked well in Sage. But as mentioned above MC does not suppport the USBUIRT for blasting.


Rod

[JimH]

Most Hauppauge remotes probably work.  If it is meant to control Windows MC, it probably will.

The USBUIRT is just an IR receiver and I think I've only seen one of that type of device that didn't work.

[nwboater]

When I setup our STB blasting I had to 'Train' MC to send the proper codes to the STB. These are of course on the numbers 0-9. You will find Yaobings instructions to me in this thread http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=67189.0 Post # 20.
 
Rod

[nwboater]

Most Hauppauge remotes probably work.  If it is meant to control Windows MC, it probably will.

The USBUIRT is just an IR receiver and I think I've only seen one of that type of device that didn't work.

This is from the USBUIRT Web Site:

"WHAT IS THE USB-UIRT?

The USB-UIRT is a USB version of the now-notorious UIRT (stands for Universal Infrared Receiver Transmitter). The USB version offers a simple plug-and-play solution without having to deal with some of the hassles of the classic serial-port (RS-232) version.

WHAT DOES THE USB-UIRT DO?

The USB-UIRT, along with Automation Software such as Girder, allows your PC to both Receive and Transmit infrared signals -- exactly like those used by the collection of remote controls you've acquired for your TV, VCR, Audio System, etc. The USB-UIRT can:

- Receive signals from the remote controls you already have (allowing your PC to perform actions when the 'Play' button is pressed on your VCR remote, for example)

- 'Learn' from remotes you already have and Transmit a duplicate of these signals from your PC (for example, your PC could automatically turn ON your VCR and tune it to channel 3)

- Use codes available from the Web for other remotes (such as the Philips Pronto) to control all of your equipment with Remote (IR) receivers (including special 'discrete' remote codes your brand-name remote doesn't include!). For example, the USB-UIRT could transmit the discrete 'Input 3' code to your TV to directly switch it to input 3, rather than cycling through all of the inputs.

I was using the Blaster portion with Sage on our WHS to change channels on our STB. When I did a search on the MC Forum I found others requesting support for it in MC but nothing came of it.

Rod

[JimH]

Sorry.  I should have said it is a receiver and transmitter, also known as a transceiver.  You're correct that you would need a transceiver to control the STB.  Our MC Remote also includes a transceiver.

Girder isn't required to use MC to tune an STB.  MC17 does that.  Whether MC17 will automatically tune the STB after it wakes up from sleep to record, I don't know.  It should.  If it doesn't, we can add it.

[CountryBumkin]

I have no problem changing the channels (through the TV Guide of MC) on my STB using the MC remote control. Happuage Colossus has a built-in IR blaster and I have it setup to work off of the MC remote. The question is how do I get MC to send the IR command (for a scheduled recording) when I'm not there to use the remote?

I think everyone understands what I want to do - but to be clearer, I want to schedule recordings using my Colossus (PVR) from my Directv STB - so I can set the programs to be recorded ahead of time and only and have MC (without human interaction) send a command to "a" IR transmitter to change channels when the next recording is scheduled on a different channel. I assume I would not be using the built-in Hauppage Colossus IR transmitter but mostlikely the trasmitter that is part of the JRiver Remote (but the ability to use any transmitter in the HTPC would be nice)

I think this is not a typical user scenario (yet) so it may just be something to consider adding later.

[nwboater]

Perhaps I am not awake enough yet this morning to understand the differences in what you want and what we have working.

We schedule future recording from the Guide. While we are somewhere else the following happens:

1. At the correct time for the scheduled recording MC sends a blaster signal to our MC remotes blaster and the channel changes on the STB.

2. The HDPVR goes to receive mode and a recording is made.

3. Later if there is another scheduled recording 1 & 2 above repeat.

The above is all done without our being there to use the remote. Isn't that what you want?

Rod

Added on edit: Channel Changes 'On the STB'.

[CountryBumkin]

I guess I'm the one who is sleep-typing. What you're doing is exactly what I want to do.

Are you using the Remote (with IR Blaster) sold by JRiver?

Did you need to setup anything in the MC Televison setup - or is it all done through Tools>Options>Remote Control?

I use the Harmoney Remote - but my case (Origen SV16) has an IR transmitter port and so does the Colossus. I would like to use either of these, and not buy a new Remote.
I'm going to study your reply closely (and the Link) before I ask anymore questions. Maybe the answer I want is embedded in your post somewhere. 

Thnaks

[JimH]

You could read some of Yabing's posts, beginning here:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=65996.msg444816#msg444816

[nwboater]

I guess I'm the one who is sleep-typing. What you're doing is exactly what I want to do.

Are you using the Remote (with IR Blaster) sold by JRiver?

Did you need to setup anything in the MC Televison setup - or is it all done through Tools>Options>Remote Control?

I use the Harmoney Remote - but my case (Origen SV16) has an IR transmitter port and so does the Colossus. I would like to use either of these, and not buy a new Remote.
I'm going to study your reply closely (and the Link) before I ask anymore questions. Maybe the answer I want is embedded in your post somewhere.  

Thnaks

I'm confused by your statement "but my case (Origen SV16) has an IR transmitter port and so does the Colossus". By "Port" do you mean a physical port as in a window of some kind? With the Colossus being an internal card I don't see how it could. Perhaps you mean something else.

In any event you need a physical IR blaster such as the one that comes with the MC remote that you stick on the STB. That blaster will receive a signal from MC and will blast the new channel # to the STB.

Jim thought that the Hauppauge blaster was supported. If in fact it is (you might check with glynor) you should put that at your STB. Is it USB, or how does it connect to your computer?

I already had too many remotes, but bought the MC remote for simplicity and known compatibility. Actually all I use it for is the MCE compatible Transceiver (made by HP) and IR blaster that plugs into the transceiver. I also use a Harmony One for my actual remote control.

The setup is done in Tools>Options>Remote Control. In our case we told it that we use the MCE remote. It then asks you to get your STB remote (yes the original one that came with the STB) and train the system to correctly blast numbers 0-9.  You will find Yaobings instructions to me in this thread http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=67189.0 Post # 20. You then put away your old STB Remote and use your MCE compatible remote control (Harmony One set to be MCE compatible) and everything should work fine.

Hope this helps. Please don't hesitate to ask for further clarification.

Rod

[CountryBumkin]

I'm confused by your statement "but my case (Origen SV16) has an IR transmitter port and so does the Colossus". By "Port" do you mean a physical port as in a window of some kind? With the Colossus being an internal card I don't see how it could. Perhaps you mean something else.

In any event you need a physical IR blaster such as the one that comes with the MC remote that you stick on the STB. That blaster will receive a signal from MC and will blast the new channel # to the STB.

Rod

There is a "plug/port/hole"  on the back of the Origen case, same plug as on the Hauppage card, where the IR transmitter/reciever cable gets plugged into. I never used the one on the Origen case (it uses software called IRTrans), but I did try the one on the Hauppage card (and it works using the Hauppage "BlasterCfg.exe" program). However, I do not plan to use the Hauppauge program or port, if MC will do it.

[nwboater]

There is a "plug/port/hole"  on the back of the Origen case, same plug as on the Hauppage card, where the IR transmitter/reciever cable gets plugged into. I never used the one on the Origen case (it uses software called IRTrans), but I did try the one on the Hauppage card (and it works using the Hauppage "BlasterCfg.exe" program). However, I do not plan to use the Hauppauge program or port, if MC will do it.

Hope you can get it working with the Hauppauge blaster.

Good luck.

Rod

[Yaobing]

I have no problem changing the channels (through the TV Guide of MC) on my STB using the MC remote control. Happuage Colossus has a built-in IR blaster and I have it setup to work off of the MC remote. The question is how do I get MC to send the IR command (for a scheduled recording) when I'm not there to use the remote?

I do not know how you set up MC so it controls Hauppauge Colossus blaster.  Therefore I do not know whether it can be done through that balster.  With MC remote/blaster, you teach MC17 to remember codes corresponding to numbers 0 - 9.  When it is time for MC17 to record a show, it sends IR blast codes corresponding to the channel number, thus it will tune STB to the correct channel for recording. 

[CountryBumkin]

I do not know how you set up MC so it controls Hauppauge Colossus blaster.  Therefore I do not know whether it can be done through that balster.  With MC remote/blaster, you teach MC17 to remember codes corresponding to numbers 0 - 9.  When it is time for MC17 to record a show, it sends IR blast codes corresponding to the channel number, thus it will tune STB to the correct channel for recording. 

I don't need the Hauppage device to do the "balsting" as long as MC can do it. In my post I was just saying that using the Hauppage remote control and the Hauppage blaster program I could manually change channels on my Directv box. I never had anything work in MC - this posting was to see if it could be done through MC. Now I know that it can, and will start setting it up soon.

(Of course there are still a few bugs to work out with the Colossus - so until you release your next update/fix, there is not too much hurry to get the blaster part working).
Thnaks for your work on this.

[Wirenut]

Hi, I'm new from the SageTV group.

In Sage I used Timmoores firewire program and a driver[Exdeous website] for my Cisco 4640HD Scientific Atlanta STB to change channels directly without blasting anything. 

In sage we had an option to do this, using an exemultituner plugin.  I'm running WinXP32bit and never miss a channel change with Sage using this method with two STB's and two HDPVRS connected as well as a SiliconDust HDHR for a total of 4 available tuners.  Worked [works] like a charm.  But looking at JRiver for that safety net should the time arrive when SageTV no longer functions.

Would MC17 be able to function like this?

Many Thanks,

Wirenut

[JimH]

Welcome to the forum.

MC can change channels on an STB but it requires a transceiver and emitter.  This is an example of the type of equipment required:
http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Media_Center_Remote

MC works with the HomeRun HD.  MC can use  multiple tuners.

There is a new Sage board here:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?board=24.0

[Wirenut]

So yeah... I've read that about using an Infrared emitter / blaster.... but that's not what I asked.

Can MC17 change channels on a set top box via firewire?

In sage we used an external program to do it, but was configureable under video source settings and use external tuning plugin.

Wirenut

[Yaobing]

Can MC17 change channels on a set top box via firewire?

Sorry the answer is no.