Does SageTV Client conflict with XP MCE?

[wayner]

I am transitioning from XP MCE to SageTV. In the transition period I wanted to install SageTV Client on my main HTPC which is running XP MCE 2005RU2 - Sage Media Center is running on another PC and I am using an HD-PVR as my primary source.

I installed Sage Client on the MCE HTPC and was able to play MPEG files in Sage but not H.264 files. MCE stilled seemed to work although I didn't try too much with it. So install Arcsoft TME and was now able to play H.264 files. However after a reboot I kept getting a popup box saying "Media Center Receiver Service has encountered a problem and has to close". These windows kept popping up on top of each other and seemed to occur about every 30 seconds.

I uninstalled Arcsoft TME and rebooted but that didn't change anything. I unistalled Sage Client and rebooted and that seemed to fix the problem. Therefore it looks like there seems to be a problem with running MCE and Sage Client on the same PC.

Has anyone else had problems running MCE and Sage Client on the same PC? I didn't want to play around too much more because my daughter was annoyed that she couldn't watch her shows while MCE was hosed.

I guess the way to get rid of the problem is to buy an HD extender for Sage, but shouldn't these two apps coexist on the same PC, especially if not running at the same time?

[Conejo]

I've been using the SageTV Client on an HP Media Center PC (MCE2005) without any issue. As far as I know you don't have to disable MCE services to successfully run SageTV Client, but you should disable services if running SageTV Media Center.

My guess is Arcsoft installed capture source drivers into MCE and the service wanted to initialize the hardware.

[gplasky]

If you configured Sage client to use the MCE receiver and remote that would be the issue. You need to stop ehtray.exe from running and then you won't see the media center receiver issue. Just leave TME installed on the client to play your h.264 HD-PVR recordings.

Gerry

[gplasky]

Here are some instructions for stopping the ehtray in both Vista and MCE 2005.

Vista Media Center Edition ehtray.exe instructions
Even if you disable the task and delete the registry entry Vista will start it again the next time you start Windows Media Center. To disable this from happening you need to perform the following steps:
1. Delete the Registry entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\ehTray.exe
2. Type cmd in the search box on the WIndows menu. Right click cmd (at the top) and click Run as administrator.
3. In command prompt, type takeown /f C:\Windows\ehome\ehtray.exe
4. A message will be displayed that this completed successfully. This will give you ownership of the file.
5. In same command prompt, type icacls C:\Windows\ehome\ehtray.exe /grant (your username):F NOTE: Substitute (your username) with your current username.
6. A message will be displayed that this completed successfully.
7. In the same command prompt, type cd C:\Windows\ehome to change to the ehome directory.
8. In same command prompt, type rename ehtray.exe ehtray.old
9. Now reboot and ehtray.exe will no longer start when you start Windows or when you start Windows Media Center.
NOTE: You will need to reboot for this setting to take effect.

MCE 2005 ehtray.exe instructions
If you are using MCE 2005 then disabling ehtray.exe is slightly different than Vista. You need to rename ehTray.exe in the Windows/system32/dllcache folder as well as in the eHome folder AFTER killing the ehTray process and removing the registry run entry.

Gerry

[wayner]

That is going too far in an application where I want be able to switch between Sage and MC with a remote - I am going to have to figure out how to do this without stopping ehtray.

[gplasky]

By default when you press the Green Button on your MCE Remote or the Pictures button and a few more buttons on your remote it starts up Windows Media Center application. If you would prefer that nothing is started and that you let your MCE Remote completely control those buttons in Sage then you need to disable the ehtray.exe application. This application is the one that listening for the remote buttons to start the ehshell.exe application which is Windows Media Center. As long as ehtry is running it will intecept those button pushes before Sage ever sees them. If you use a different IR receiver for Sage like a USB-UIRT then you won't have that issue.

Gerry

[wayner]

But I don't use the MCE remote - I use a Harmony remote to control my Home Theatre setup. As such I could, in the Harmony software, reprogram the Start button, Guide, WatchTV, etc. to other buttons that don't conflict with MCE when I have the "Watch SageTV" Activity as the active Activity. Most of those buttons, except Guide, aren't "hard" buttons on a Harmony anyway - they are set up as "soft" buttons on the LCD screen. And even if they were hard buttons you can reprogram them.

[gplasky]

Understood. But you probably picked a MCE Remote as the basis of your Harmony remote. If you did it would send out the MCE remote control codes. You could reprogram them but they need to send out a code based on a remote. If you are using a MCE receiver then you will be forced to set up your Harmony based on a MCE remote.

Gerry

[IanJohnson]

Would adding a USB-IRT work? MCE could keep control of the MCE blaster, and the USB-IRT would be free to receive and process other commands. Basically have a remote and receiver for MCE and a separate remote and receiver for Sage. In this case both remotes are different configurations in the Harmony. Something like this can probably be done with the help of LM Remote Keymap.


Ian

[wayner]

That's a good idea -I have a USB-UIRT that I am not really using right now, but I might need if I add additional cable boxes to my setup. Otherwise having to spend $50 for a remote receiver is kind of expensive when you can get an entire extender for $200.