Helius MVP Not working

[rethdog]

Any help as I'm

Running Sage 6.2.10.152

I bought one of the those Helius MVP of ebay,as I wanted the RF output and I am having problems getting it to work. I plug it in and all I get is the orange screen with Helius written across it (not a Hauppauge screen that's been describe in other similiar posts). It's flickering the router LED's and It connects to my router as from the router diagnostic screen it gets IP address of 192.168.1.64, I can also goto the server and ping it successfully.

I have placeshifter / mvp enabled on my server, and I obviously have purchase a license from sage and entered the code.

The MVP has this written on it "Model 86001 Rev E1M Lot 4703"

Looking through some of the older posts, I have tried "miniserver/clients=MVP/00:0f:22:00:05:2d/192.168.1.64" in the sage.properties file, no different.

I've unplugged, then plugged it back together in different sequences, left the MVP to sit, reset everything several times.

I have not installed Hauppage MVP software.

Any help? I'm stuck for ideas.

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by rethdog

Looking through some of the older posts, I have tried "miniserver/clients=MVP/00:0f:22:00:05:2d/192.168.1.64" in the sage.properties file, no different.

Is that your MVP's MAC address and IP, or did you just copy the text verbatim from some other post?

[rethdog]

Thanks for input.

I copied the test verbatim from another post and changed the IP address on the end.

But from your input, i need to put my mvp mac address first then my mvp ip. giving me something like,

miniserver/clients=MVP/00:0f:22:00:03:0f/192.168.1.64

thanks for input, i'll let you know how it goes!

[rethdog]

got it work!!!! thank you very very much. For the sake of completeness, here's what happened,

It looks like sage has changed the format of the line, also it took me three goes to get this line to stay in the sage.properties file. Sage kept changing the mac address to another! wtf? Sage server and sage tv were shut down when I was editing the text file, I don't understand that.

anyway the line that worked for me in the end was,

miniserver/clients=MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:03\:0f/192.168.1.64

this is based upon my MVP having MAC 00-0f-22-00-03 & IP 192.168.1.64

started sage first, fully running, then plugged MVP into router.

hope this helps somebody else!!

[ke6guj]

is your MVP always gonna have that IP address? Are you statically setting that IP address to that MAC address in your DHCP server (most likely your router)? Otherwise, the next time you power cycle your MVP/DHCP server, your MVP may get a different IP address and your MVP may stop working due to the miniserver/clients line being inaccurate.

[rethdog]

it's a verizon router so I'm unsure if it has that function, the mvp does seem to get the same IP, although I haven't conclusively tested that yet, I've been to busy trying to map QAM channels - they seem to be appearing then disappearing the next day, looks like it's time for OTA HD again!

[gilded07]

I too bought two helius extenders on ebay, probably from the same seller. However, I've followed your steps and I still can't get past the orange Helius screen.

My extender MAC is: 00:0f:22:04:5e
My internal IP (dynamic but never changes): 192.168.1.89
(I also tried fixed lease but no change)

my line from sage.properties is:
miniserver/clients=MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:04\:5e/192.168.1.89

I made the changes to the sage.properties file w/ Sage not running, started up sage, plugged in the extender and I keep getting the orange Helius screen.

What am I doing wrong?

Edit: it works! I changed from a dynamic address for the extender to a fixed lease, updated the line in the sage properties file, restarted Sage and it works. Like the originator of this post, it took several tries for the edits to 'stick'. I'm using the coax out jack on the MVP extender to watch Sage on an old 19" (diagonal measurement) 4:3 TV. My only remaining problem is on this TV the Sage interface and menu stretch beyond the edge of the TV's screen. Are there adjustments I can make so the interface and menu will shrink slightly?

[mcaron1234]

Yes - look for the overscan menu in the detailed setup section of sage.

[gilded07]

ok, and before I go look, will it change all extenders or can I change just this one TV?

[sainswor99]

Just the one; it saves the settings in the properties file you just edited. Those property files are unique to each extender.

[rickgode]

Originally Posted by gilded07

I too bought two helius extenders on ebay, probably from the same seller. However, I've followed your steps and I still can't get past the orange Helius screen.

My extender MAC is: 00:0f:22:04:5e
My internal IP (dynamic but never changes): 192.168.1.89
(I also tried fixed lease but no change)

my line from sage.properties is:
miniserver/clients=MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:04\:5e/192.168.1.89

I made the changes to the sage.properties file w/ Sage not running, started up sage, plugged in the extender and (MINE WORKED!!!!!)

THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!
I haven't yelled out a scream this loud (that wasn't a cuss) in quite a while. I always setup static IP's on everything connected to my network and after reading your post and putting my MAC and IP in instead of yours it worked PERFECTLY!!!!

The WAF acceptance is through the roof! We have an older TV that I had our SageTV purchased MPV attached to, the only problem is that it didn't have RCA inputs, so I had to use a converter from radio shack that had these HUM bars going through the screen all the time.

Well, I bought one of those Helius MPVs (I'm positive its the same guy on eBay as he had like 90 of them) My offer was $37 and he took it. Bought another MPV license from SageTV (Gotta show them love for their AMAZING Software) I didn't realize that the Helius MPVs had coax along with the RCAs! NO MORE CONVERTER! Now the picture is perfect!

Again A HUGE THANK YOU! to people smarter than me that can figure these things out and write excellent directions on how to fix things. Now time to change my sig to TWO MVPs!!!

Ricky

[gilded07]

Pretty slick aren't they? The HD guys are laughing at us but we're making use of those older TVs w/ only coax input! It won't be long and you'll have to go to a museum to see one of these old TV sets.

I contacted Sage about them and they said Helius wanted to avoid installing software on a pc and that software would be loaded into the unit. They wanted their own software inside the memory.

Regular MVP’s have a pre-boot software loaded on them. It lets you set them up and it looks for the streaming server. Then the actual GUI is streamed into the unit from the computer. Helius didn’t want that.

Sage removed the wireless card from the unit and replaced it with a compact flash memory card. The Helius extenders are reprogrammed by Helius and they seem to use them for some type of IPTV streaming software of their own.

Anyway, after the ebay seller finished selling 70 of them (I got two for $35 / each plus shipping) he opened up another 'buy now' or 'make offer' sale for 100 of them. Right now, he has 78 left.

If you have an old TV w/ only coax input, this extender works w/ Sage allows you to watch Sage on older TVs w/out the RF converter (it's built in). See pic of output options:

[superporky]

I'm looking to setup a second Helius MVP. Do I create another miniserver line below the existing or add the ip and mac of the second unit to the end of the existing line? What would the seperator be? Semicolon?

miniserver/clients=MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:04\:5e/192.168.1.89
miniserver/clients=MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:04\:5e/192.168.1.88

or
miniserver/clients=MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:04\:5e/192.168.1.89;MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:04\:5e/192.168.1.89

[gilded07]

I have two Helius MVPs set up and they each have their own miniserver line in the sage props file. I didn't try putting them on the same line so I don't know if that would work or what the separator would be.

I have yet to use them both at the same time because my slow server runs out of breath with more than one (I hope to fix that soon ) but each of them works when they connected to my network.

[superporky]

Originally Posted by gilded07

I have two Helius MVPs set up and they each have their own miniserver line in the sage props file. I didn't try putting them on the same line so I don't know if that would work or what the separator would be.

I have yet to use them both at the same time because my slow server runs out of breath with more than one (I hope to fix that soon ) but each of them works when they connected to my network.

Thanks! Time to buy another license.

[superporky]

Originally Posted by gilded07

I have two Helius MVPs set up and they each have their own miniserver line in the sage props file. I didn't try putting them on the same line so I don't know if that would work or what the separator would be.

I have yet to use them both at the same time because my slow server runs out of breath with more than one (I hope to fix that soon ) but each of them works when they connected to my network.

Gilded07 what do the 2 lines you inserted in sage.prop look like? I shutdown Sage and put in these lines, but once Sage is started it dumps the extra line and I'm back to one miniserver line. This is before either of the MVP's have been connected to the network.

miniplayer/seek_diff_for_reseek=2000
miniserver/clients=MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:05\:39/192.168.0.6
miniserver/clients=MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:03\8/192.168.0.7
miniserver/delay_between_connections=15000

[gplasky]

If it's not saving the second line make sure to stop the service. If you don't run it as a service you need to quit Sage. Just not sleep it to the tray. You have to exit from the system tray icon.

Gerry

[superporky]

This is bizarre. Sage isn't running as a service and is not running at all while the changes are being made to the properties file. Here comes the bizarre part. The line that is being dropped is the first line, which was originally there, not the additional line.

I start with this - notice the .6 IP

miniplayer/seek_diff_for_reseek=2000
miniserver/clients=MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:05\:39/192.168.0.6
miniserver/delay_between_connections=15000

Add the .7 IP line

miniplayer/seek_diff_for_reseek=2000
miniserver/clients=MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:05\:39/192.168.0.6
miniserver/clients=MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:03\8/192.168.0.7
miniserver/delay_between_connections=15000

Start up Sage and end up with this - .6 is gone and .7 remains??? What the ???

miniplayer/seek_diff_for_reseek=2000
miniserver/clients=MVP/00\:0f\:22\:00\:03\8/192.168.0.7
miniserver/delay_between_connections=15000

[gilded07]

Unfortunately, I am also having the same problem. I didn't realize it because I've been using just one of them. Even when I change the one line to the other MAC / fixed lease IP, it defaults back to the other. I don't know why but I'm going to look into it.

[gplasky]

Found this quote after searching:

Enabled static IP clients for the MVP server, this can be configured through 2 properties. The gateway is set by: miniserver/gateway and defaults to 192.168.0.1. The static client IP addresses can be set by: miniserver/clients and should be of the form: MVP/00:0D:FE:00:A0:4E/192.168.0.111 with multiple entries being separated by semicolons ';'

Hope this helps. That's probaby why the second ine is disappearing.

Gerry