Using Sage TV with Dish Network

[Devastator]

My main question is - how? My girlfriend wants a new TV tuner program so I suggested SageTV. I hooked the SD receiver into her Hauppage 2250 tuner card via a coaxial cable and I'm unable to adjust the settings to show a picture. I've adjusted all of the Sage TV settings and I can't figure out how to get anything but static to show in the settings preview window. For now she's using the Hauppage tuner program to watch satellite TV on her computer so I know the computer, tuner card, and satellite box work.

[paulbeers]

First off, you need to use composite (yellow, red, white cables) to connect the STB to the HVR2250. This will get the image into Sage, then you need to setup some way of changing the channel on the STB, which I recommend the USBUIRT.

[toricred]

Actually using S-Video would get better picture quality than composite.

[scott2020]

I was thinking about the same thing, which led me to search and found this. I currently have OTA but I am too far away and down in a hole to get reliable reception. Dish Network has a good plan of stripped down locals or a welcome package that is cheap. I would want to get locals in HD which is included and also want two tuner boxes. Right now I have a KWorld 115, Aver 180, and Hauppauge WinTV 885 capture cards.

I assume I could connect SVIDEO out from the Dish boxes to the capture cards and set up accordingly. However, I'd like the 5.1 audio on the HD as well. I also think I'll need the USBUIRT.

Can the USBUIRT control two different set top boxes close together? Can I get 5.1 audio from the Dish receivers? What Dish receivers should I be asking for?

Thanks all!

[eric3a]

If you have HDTVs then maybe you could go to a VIP211k receiver and an HDPVR?
Eric

[davephan]

Originally Posted by scott2020

Can the USBUIRT control two different set top boxes close together?

The answer is yes, and there are two ways you can do it with Dish Network.

The first method is to use the multiple zones feature of the USB-UIRT. The USB-UIRT can be setup with three different zones, controlling up to three set top boxes, each box using the same 'IR channel'.

The second method is to switch each Dish Network set top box to different 'IR channels'. Then only one USB-UIRT zone will control multiple Network boxes.

If you combine both methods, you can control more Dish Network set top boxes than you will ever need with just one USB-UIRT.

Dave

[Fuzzy]

For years I used a single USB-UIRT (with just a single zone, the internal emitter) to control 3 Dish ViP-211 receivers stacked atop each other. Worked great, and being in a closet, away from other IR interference, they never missed a channel change. Simply used IR address 1, 2, and 3 for the three boxes, and created 3 different .IR files for it.

As for using Dish for your locals, if you want HD, you'll have to get a Hauppauge HD-PVR for the capture from component. (Or, if you are rich, you could go with R-5000 modified ViP-211's). For starters, for her to figure out if she even likes sage, I'd recommend just going with a dual tuner, like the HVR-2250, and a USB-UIRT controlling 2 Dish boxes. Even capturing the HD channels over S-Video provides pretty decent results, and she could get some practice/experience with sage. Then, if it's something that will last, upgrade to HD by adding an HD-PVR or 2.

[scott2020]

Originally Posted by eric3a

If you have HDTVs then maybe you could go to a VIP211k receiver and an HDPVR?
Eric

I have been reading about the HDPVR and if I am reading correctly, I would need two of those if I wanted to record two things at the same time from two Dish receivers. Is that correct? That is a little expensive for me to get into. I was also looking for tuner card options that maybe I could have two tuner cards with component input for HDTV recording. I am running a headless server with HD-200 extender. Then I need to figure out how to get the 5.1 audio from the Dish receivers to the Sagetv server. I am guessing SPDIF maybe?

Scott

[davephan]

If you have two Dish Network boxes, you might think about getting one HD-PVR, if you want to record in HD. Use the other Dish Network box directly on the TV. Surfing channels is really slow with SageTV, so if anyone in your home surfs, they will become frustrated with the channel switching speed.

I have cable boxes on my two main TVs. If someone wants to channel surf, they use the cable box. If they want to watch SageTV, then they switch the TV input to SageTV. I use a HD-PVR for the one HD cable box. I also have a HDHomerun for HD over the air channels, and a 2250 dual tuner for analog cable TV channels.

My first couple years with SageTV, I only had one tuner. You will get some recording conflicts with just one tuner, but you would be amazed how much gets recorded with only one tuner. Many movies are repeated, so the recording can be re-scheduled so there isn't a recording conflict. Later, you could add another tuner and another Dish Network box.

Dave