having a recording issue ...

[ViAo]

ok let me tell you about my setup, this might clear things up for those that can help.


wall jack --> Shaw TV Digital Terminal --> Hauppage 350 --> Television.


now the reason i have it setup this way is i wanted the ability to record movies, and the extra channels i get via shaw digital cable tv. however....


for this setup to work, i need to have the sagetv program on channel 3 at all times so i can change channels on my shawtv terminal. and this all works great, i can browse all teh extra channels i am paying for and watch the movie channels without issue {other then the shaw guide is unbelievably slow connected this way}.

The problem i have is recording. say i am watching CSI and want to record the whole hour show. i hit the record button and tell it to start recording this program. the sagetv program thinks i am recording channel 3 and creates the saved video as ctv news channel3.mpg {or whatever is playing on channel3}, and say the ctv news broadcast is only 30mins long .... the sage program stops recording 30mins in to my csi i am wanting to record.

the only way i have found to bypass this si to go into advanced options in the recording screen and tell it to record for the full hour.

this is a royal pain in the arse. Is there a better way to set this up? i can imagine that everyone with directtv and bell and all teh others are having the same issues. what has everyone else done?.


thanks.

V

{hope that all made sense}

[ke6guj]

two ways to properly set this up.

The first way is to use composite or S-video to input into the 350, if your STB has them. Then, you don't have to worry about the tuner in the 350 having to tune to channel 3.

The second way is to tell the 350 to use the coax tuner as the input, but not to use the tuner to change channels. You will need to tell Sage to use an external tuner. The internal tuner in the 350 should be automatically set to channel 3, or can be set to channel 3 manually. Then, with your IR blaster, you have Sage change the channel on the STB. Depending on the STB, you may also be able to change the channel via serial cable or firewire.


edit: It sounds like you are manually controlling your STB, and then trying to get Sage to record from it. Properly set up, Sage works in the oposite direction, you control Sage, telling it what you want to watch and record, and Sage will control the STB to get the proper channel. Once set up, you should never need to touch the STB, and shouldn't. Because, if someone changes the channel on the STB to watch something Live, Sage will not be aware of it, and may already be recording something else.

[ViAo]

Originally Posted by ke6guj

The second way is to tell the 350 to use the coax tuner as the input, but not to use the tuner to change channels. You will need to tell Sage to use an external tuner. The internal tuner in the 350 should be automatically set to channel 3, or can be set to channel 3 manually. Then, with your IR blaster, you have Sage change the channel on the STB. Depending on the STB, you may also be able to change the channel via serial cable or firewire.

forgive my ignorance, as i dont have the box at my house. We are experimenting at a friends and i will try this in the morning.


however i havea question. somewhere in teh setup is a place i can tell it which to use as teh channel tuner? ..... then when i change the channels with my hauppage 45 button remote it will change the channel on my shawbox ? and have the correct tv guide?

that would be awesome if i have that right.


V.

[ke6guj]

Yes, you will use the 45 button remote to controll Sage, and Sage will use the IR blaster to change the channel on the STB. Sage will also download and maintain a 2 week TV guide for you.

As for setup, look at pg. 147 in the manual, it will show you that you can "use external cable or satellite receiver to tune channel" if you are using the coax connector to input into the 350. YOu will need to configure the hauppauge IR blaster software with the correct codes for your STB. Once that is set, Sage will use the IR blaster software to blast the channel change codes to the STB.

If you have an s-video out from your STB, it would probably be better to use that. Better signal quality, and you don't have to worry about channel 3 issues. It doesn't look like the 350 has a composite input on the backplate, but if it were neccessary, you could get the add-on cable that hooks onto the 350 to give you that input. http://www.pcalchemy.com/product_inf...cardstv-tuners . Note, it will give you more input connectors that you could use, but the 350 can only record off 1 input at a time.

[ViAo]

well i have now figured it out i think. i have it setup and the hauppage now gets the correct guide for the shawbox i am using.

what kind of serial cable to need to go to my shawbox? regular 9pin? null modem?

Because as it stands now, i have to change both channels for the guide on Sage and the Channel on the Shawbox to match.

is some sort of IR Blaster thing a better option..



Thanks again for all your help.
V.

Shawbox is a DCT2500 by Motorolla

[ke6guj]

The serial option, if set up, would normally be a better solution. "better" channel changes with less chance of a missed channel.

I did a search on the forum and only saw people asking about your DCT2500, no solutions listed. Also noted was that the cable comopany may have to enable the serial port on your box.

As for the IR blaster option, you should already have one with your PVR-350. It is included on the hauppauge IR receiver cable. You will need to set up the IR blast software from hauppauge to control your STB, and then tell Sage to use the IR blaster. that should be it, fairly easy to setup, but IR blasting is not 100%. You may occasionally miss a channel change, so that is a good reason to get Serial tuning if you can.

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by ke6guj

As for the IR blaster option, you should already have one with your PVR-350. It is included on the hauppauge IR receiver cable.

Unless the Hauppauge PVR comparison chart is out of date, the PVR-350 does not come with the Hauppauge blaster; only the 150 comes with a blaster. (The Hauppauge MCE kits come with an MCE remote + blaster, but SageTV does not use that blaster.)

The USB-UIRT is a versatile IR reciever/blaster to consider, if serial control doesn't work out.

- Andy

[ke6guj]

Thanks for the info Andy. I had looked at the manual for the connectors on the PVR-350, saw the IR port, and ASSumed that it would have an IR blaster if it had an IR receiver.

Deosn't look like it has the blaster, Hauppauge only had a link to the receiver software, not the blaster software for the 350.

[ViAo]

so what i need is to purchase the irblaster from somewhere. ..... correct?


if so ... where?



V.

[ViAo]

USB-UIRT.com is actually selling them for $50usd.


the part i am confused about is the description of the product. it says that it decrypts ir signals from remotes and sends them to your pc.


so does that mean i use the shaw remote controll for evertying? or do i use the hauppage remote.

do i use the ir cable for the haupagge and point the USB-UIRT at my shawbox? or do i use the shaw remote and it 'decodes' teh signal and changes the hauppage.


really appreciate the help guys, i cant believe i am making this so complicated.

lol

[Opus4]

The USB-UIRT can be used as an IR receiver and/or blaster.

As a receiver: SageTV can use the USB-UIRT directly to receive remote commands from almost any remote -- you just have to teach it all the IR codes for button, linking each one to a command in Detailed Setup -> Commands -> Link Command. (Some remotes, such as the Hauppauge remote, toggle between 2 different codes for each button, so you may have to teach each button twice, depending on the remote you choose to use.) You may or may not want to bother with this if you already have a remote working the way you like it.

As a blaster: SageTV can use the USB-UIRT to emit IR signals to control your external tuner/STB. This is done regardless of whether the USB-UIRT is also used as a receiver. You would configure this during the Source Setup process, covered in chapter 5 of the SageTV manual.

- Andy