Cox Cable in OKC, STB, IR control-how bad?

[SafetyBob]

Cox cable is stopping analog service for HBO at the end of the month. So it looks like a STB is in the future for me. Since I don't live in Enid, I can't get (although I will ask tomorrow) the Motorola DCT6200 or DCT6400 that has that nice Firewire connection that sounds like "THE" way to go for simplicity.

1. For you guys already doing STBs, what IR control do you use and is it thru USB? Hard to configure?

2. Since my two PCI slots are full, but I have a Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-USB laying around not doing anything, would it be OK to plug this in and use it for the STB? Or would the PC card thing be better, yes I can upgrade mobo if needed.

3. Let's talk about channel programing. I assume through SageTV I go searching for Cox Digital and it knows the channels?

4. Please, any recommendations you can make would be great. I have had a great trouble free Sage experience for two years or so and would like to contiunue it.

Thanks for your help.

Bob E.

[CollinR]

Get a USBUIRT and be done with it. You can support 3 digital boxes and a single analog source that way. Costs around $50 and works well.

[geogecko]

I have the same thing, and will be hooking up my Cox boxes that way shortly (just moved to Broken Arrow). Then I have an OTA antenna to get local HDTV channels through. DB-8 is a little strong for this area, but pulls in signals great, sitting on the living room floor, though my wife isn't too happy about it.

If you want to know how to setup the USB-UIRT for 3 zones, do a search for 3 zones, and you should find the thread that talks about it.

[SafetyBob]

Thanks guys!! I talked to Cox tonight. For those following along, Cox is supplying all STBs with firewire (or so they say in OKC). Before I do the USB thing, I have been told that I can control tuning with firewire (very accurate) and will use the s-video on the MCE-500. Anyone know if that means I loose out on one of the tuners or is the S-video thing and additional source?

Additional question for the future. If you record a program in HD, then play it back via your media extenders (which should be SD), does it work? Does SageTV have to convert HD programs to SD as a rule?

Oh, here is the last question. I am on SageTV ver5 something. Do I have to upgrade to do the firewire thing? How about the USB control?

Thanks all!!

Bob E.

[CollinR]

Originally Posted by SafetyBob

Before I do the USB thing, I have been told that I can control tuning with firewire (very accurate) and will use the s-video on the MCE-500. Anyone know if that means I loose out on one of the tuners or is the S-video thing and additional source?

You have 4 encoders to do with as you please, if you do not have the PVR500 addon card with the second Svideo PM me I ordered like 3-4 too many.

My experience with Cox Tulsa is they do about all they can to piss me off, my boxes have RS232 ports on them. They disable those ports remotely.

Originally Posted by SafetyBob

Additional question for the future. If you record a program in HD, then play it back via your media extenders (which should be SD), does it work? Does SageTV have to convert HD programs to SD as a rule?

If the server is up to it processor wise it will.

Originally Posted by SafetyBob

Oh, here is the last question. I am on SageTV ver5 something. Do I have to upgrade to do the firewire thing? How about the USB control?

Can't help ya there but I assume it works there too.

Originally Posted by SafetyBob

Thanks all!!

Bob E.

Anytime.

[SafetyBob]

Thanks for the offer. I will be digging around tomorrow for one of those connectors. I know I have one somewhere, I just have to find it. If I don't you can count on me calling.

Bob

[ke6guj]

Originally Posted by SafetyBob

Anyone know if that means I loose out on one of the tuners or is the S-video thing and additional source?

YOu don't have to lose a tuner, you could just add an additional source input for the capture card to use. You could set 1 of the 500's tuners to record via the analog tuner for analog channels and to switch to the s-video input for digital channels, or completely set up that tuner to only use the s-video input for all channels from the STB.

Basically, each tuner on the 500 could have 3 different inputs connected to it. That would be Coax, composite, and s-video. If you have 2 or 3 inputs hooked up at the same time, Sage is smart enough to know that it can only use 1 input at a time. So, it could record from the coax, then swith to the s-video input for a different show on a different source.

With 1 STB, I'd set the encoder_merit for the tuner that the STB is hooked up to to be the least preferred (lowest number, IIRC) so that the STB is kept in reserve as long as possible. You wouldn't want to use the STB's tuner to record NBC and not be able to record HBO, when 3 other tuners are unused.

Additional question for the future. If you record a program in HD, then play it back via your media extenders (which should be SD), does it work? Does SageTV have to convert HD programs to SD as a rule?

If your SD extender or placeshifter wants to watch a HD program, Sage would need to transcode the HD program to SD on-the-fly to send it to the SD extender. And that takes approx3ghz-class hardware to accomplish.

Oh, here is the last question. I am on SageTV ver5 something. Do I have to upgrade to do the firewire thing? How about the USB control?

As far as I recall, firewire and USB-UIRTs worked in V5 just fine.