How to make Sagetv treat 2 sources as 1 source - Firewire and S-Video?

[stewart710]

Using the SageGraphRecorder method I'm able to record un-encrypted HD (and the few un-encrypted SD) channels via the firewire port on my Comcast/Motorola 6200. I am also feeding the 5C encrypted SD channels and the down-res’d encrypted HD channels from my STB to my PVR-150 via S-Video and changing channels via firewire. I’ve used 2 different line-ups, so it’s configured to take 2-99, and 804-825 from the SGR/Firewire source and the 200-299 channels from the PVR-150 S-Video source. The problem that arises is that SageTV will inevitably schedule conflicting recordings on these 2 sources. The sources then fight over the Cable Box and things get very messy quickly.

I know one solution is to have 2 separate HD Cable boxes, but my wife says one is enough for our living room. It seems to me that we need some kind of virtual tuner plugin that knows that these two sources are coming from different places, but SageTV only sees it as one tuner. Is it possible to accomplish this using SGR? Is it possible to construct a graph that switches between sources based on the channel number entered?

[AndersNolberger]

I don't think it is possible to do in SGR. It probably is possible with Studio but that is for someone else to do...

Anders

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by stewart710

It seems to me that we need some kind of virtual tuner plugin that knows that these two sources are coming from different places, but SageTV only sees it as one tuner.

Originally Posted by AndersNolberger

It probably is possible with Studio but that is for someone else to do...

Just so you know: this would not be possible via Studio -- the STV doesn't actually control the tuners, scheduling, etc.

SageTV's core cannot see the channels as coming from the same physical capture device (such as it would if you were using the coax and svideo inputs on a PVR-150)... and that is the part the first post indicates is needed: something to make them appear to be the same encoding device w/multiple types of input. Whether that is possible...

- Andy

[stewart710]

Thanks for your input guys, I guess I will just have to start tinkering.

[stewart710]

I was looking over at the snapstream forum and the BeyondTV users seem to have done a similar thing to get firewire recording in that program. I'm going to read the whole thing tonight when I have time, but someone has written a program called Negociator. Glancing at it, I thought it might be may be able to solve the recording conflicts between firewire and SVideo from the same STB. Obviously, the software wouldn't work with SageTV, but maybe a similar solution could be applied here?

http://forums.snapstream.com/vb/show...608#post188608

[lobosrul]

Im kind of in the same boat (well once I get a new card that has decent analog video, my HDTV wonder's analog tuner looks so bad I'd rather not watch it)... if only Comcast wouldnt 5C ESPN2 (I could live w/o HBO).

I dont think the best solution is for Sage to combine tuners. But rather just have a setting to force a conflict SageTV has two specified tuners recording at the same time. How hard would that be to implement?

[gtd885a]

Originally Posted by stewart710

I am also feeding the 5C encrypted SD channels and the down-res’d encrypted HD channels from my STB to my PVR-150 via S-Video and changing channels via firewire.

Sorry to get a little OT (and I know this is an old thread), but does your statement mean you are using firewire to change channels on even the channels that you record over s-video? I record analog and non-5c'd channels over firewire, and have a pvr-150 with an IR blaster. The IR blaster almost never works correctly when changing channels, usually only getting 1 or 2 of the 3 numbers right (I have a Motorola 6200, and the codes were just added in the beta drivers, so maybe they don't work so well). If I could use firewire to change channels on the recording I make on the s-video on the pvr-150, that would be great. Do you (or anyone else) have info on doing this? Thanks.

[abasu2003]

Originally Posted by gtd885a

Sorry to get a little OT (and I know this is an old thread), but does your statement mean you are using firewire to change channels on even the channels that you record over s-video? I record analog and non-5c'd channels over firewire, and have a pvr-150 with an IR blaster. The IR blaster almost never works correctly when changing channels, usually only getting 1 or 2 of the 3 numbers right (I have a Motorola 6200, and the codes were just added in the beta drivers, so maybe they don't work so well). If I could use firewire to change channels on the recording I make on the s-video on the pvr-150, that would be great. Do you (or anyone else) have info on doing this? Thanks.

I would be interested to find out about this as well.

[stewart710]

Do a search on this forum for Timmoore or the green button and firewire channel changing. The info should also be buried in the Firewire recording from STB thread as well. It's fairly easy to change channels using firewire.

[MeInMaui]

Originally Posted by gtd885a

Sorry to get a little OT (and I know this is an old thread), but does your statement mean you are using firewire to change channels on even the channels that you record over s-video? I record analog and non-5c'd channels over firewire, and have a pvr-150 with an IR blaster. The IR blaster almost never works correctly when changing channels, usually only getting 1 or 2 of the 3 numbers right (I have a Motorola 6200, and the codes were just added in the beta drivers, so maybe they don't work so well). If I could use firewire to change channels on the recording I make on the s-video on the pvr-150, that would be great. Do you (or anyone else) have info on doing this? Thanks.

Yes, this works. I'm using firewire to change channels on 2 SA3250HD boxes and running the s-video to the inputs of a pvr500. You use timmoore's drivers plus the ExeMultiTuner plugin for multiple boxes (or just the ExeTuner plugin for a single box). It works perfectly. In several months, it has not missed a single channel change. There is some discussion of this in the firewire recording thread.

Aloha,
Mike

[abasu2003]

Originally Posted by MeInMaui

Yes, this works. I'm using firewire to change channels on 2 SA3250HD boxes and running the s-video to the inputs of a pvr500. You use timmoore's drivers plus the ExeMultiTuner plugin for multiple boxes (or just the ExeTuner plugin for a single box). It works perfectly. In several months, it has not missed a single channel change. There is some discussion of this in the firewire recording thread.

Aloha,
Mike

I guess I'm not looking in the right place. I did searches for timmoore and and exemultituner but i don't see anything. In fact, I idd see a post where someone said its not possible to have one STB with both firewire and Svideo and changing channels on both via firewire. Is that correct?

[stewart710]

I guess I'm not sure what you're asking. You can record via S-Video and change channels via firewire using. You CANNOT record firewire and S-video from the same STB, because SageTv isn't smart enough to know that both sources are coming from the same STB.

go to this page and download the pdf file and just use the part that pertains to channel changing.

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...513#post125513

[abasu2003]

Originally Posted by stewart710

I guess I'm not sure what you're asking. You can record via S-Video and change channels via firewire using. You CANNOT record firewire and S-video from the same STB, because SageTv isn't smart enough to know that both sources are coming from the same STB.

go to this page and download the pdf file and just use the part that pertains to channel changing.

http://forums.sagetv.com/forums/show...513#post125513

yeah,
I figured it out.

The firewire setup was fairly straightforward but I had to tinker wtih the the STB setup using EXETuner plugin.

So right now I have one STB and an SVIDEO connection going into my PVR250 and also a network encoder setup with firewire with the STB being channel changingcontrolled by firewire. The original issue which you brought up in this thread is that Sage will try to record two things at once using the two different sources which are really coming from the same STB, correct? I guess this hasn't been resolved yet?

[gtd885a]

Thanks for the replies, I will have to try it out. This IR blaster crap is driving me crazy. When I first started recording over firewire, changing channels was one of the things that was the flakiest, but it has been perfect for a while now.

We have been making sure we're not creating conflicting recordings (or messing up a recording in live tv) between the svideo and the firewire. I've been tossing around the idea of getting another receiver, but I think only the HD boxes come with firewire enabled, which would mean we would be paying more (I think). Don't need the HD on both boxes. It would be nice I guess, but then I'm still stuck with the same problem...

Edit: wanna give me any hints abasu2003? (I'm also capable of finding it I'm sure...)

Edit again: found this which should help:
http://forums.freytechnologies.com/f...ad.php?t=14413

[gtd885a]

Works great, awesome! Thanks!