Always Recording Selected Channel (Need help with MCE blaster)

[Jgart]

I have a Dell Dim8400, WinXP-SP2 Media Center Edition. I have installed a Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 500MCE w additional A/V board. I also purchased a Microsoft MCE Remote with IR connector. I have a Direct TV Satalite Box and Cable TV. What I may have is a disconnect in my mind. I have tried to read all I can on SageTV, Hauppauge technical info to include their FAQ. I have tried to read as many threads on this Forum that I thought might shed light. Everything appears to be working in both Sage and Media Center. For example I can bring up Sage TV Guide and change channels on the guide but it does not actually change the channel. I can schedule favorites. In Media Center I can change channel numbers on screen but the channels do not change. My problem seems to be that SageTV guide and MCE Remote appears to change channels on the guide but the Channel remains the same. The only way I can actually change the Channel is to use the original Remote that came with the Direct TV Box. It will bring up the original DirectTV Guide and then change the channel. Sage does record the channel to my computer and it will play back in MCE. I not sure I have got the right concept on how the remote is supposed to operate. Also, how do I know which tuner is sending the signal and is there any way I can select one tuner or the other. Any suggestions will help because I think I'm going in circles.
Thanx Jgart

[Opus4]

Did you give SageTV a way to control the DirecTV box? It would have to have a serial connection or IR blaster to be able to do so. The same applies to a cable box, unless you are running the cable coax directly to the tuner card w/o going through a converter box first.

- Andy

[Jgart]

Opus 4,
Thank you for your reply. I have the same Microsoft MCE Remote and IR Blaster that comes in the Hauppauge500 Kit. I purchased it seperately from Newegg, I pulled up the 500 kit install instructions last night from Hauppauge and realized I hadn't installed the MCE Guide. I did that this morning and now I can change channels with the MCE Remote. I scheduled a movie to record in about 15 minutes to see if it will switch channels and record the correct film. I will contact you again after I find out if it is working. I have checked Device Manager and it shows both tuners on two seperate IRQ's. I looked in SageTV properties and they both appear and seem to be set correctly.
Contact you again in appro 1 hr.
Thanx
Jim

[Jgart]

Opus 4,
No Dice.
SageTV started recording as set but it did not switch programs. Seems obvious the signal is not getting to where ever it needs to go to change channels.
I told you earlier that I had an IR Blaster. I went back and reread Hauppauge. They refer to it as "Media Center remote control with IR Transmitter (Beanbag) I am assuming the IR Transmitter and IR Blaster are of the same ilk.
Opus I'm going to as what may appear to you as some really basic and silly questions. Thirty years ago I was considered a computer nerd. Wrote programs in Machine and assembler launguages. Taught DOS,several word processing and database programs. Then for ten years got envolved in a different career, now I feel like a really dumb beginner. So let me ask the questions. If you think there is still hope for me answer if not just ignore my thread and I'll go back to being my wife's gardener.
I have the 75 ohm cable coming from my satalite box to a VCR in/the out to my Hauppage 500 card. That card then has an S Video and the red/white A/v cords going to the Same Satallite Box (position 1). Then I have compsite A/V cables going between the same Satallite Box (position 2) to the Hauppauge A/V cable Set which is connected to the Hauppauge board.
I have installed the MCE remote and IR Transmitter as recommended by Hauppauge. When I go through the set up for SageTV I am selecting "Don't configure tuning" because when I try 'USB-UIRT Receiver + Any Remote'
I get the Popup that states "Failed setting Infrared Receiver Port." The Installing instructions for the WinTV-PVR-150/500 for Media Center Edition says the Media Center boards differ from the non-MCE boards in that they ust the Microsoft Media Center USB Remote control and IR transmitter instead of the WinTV-PVR 's built in IR receiver transmitter." I just do not understand how the signals from SageTV are supposed to connect to the tuners. I also don't grasp the concept of how one controls which tuner is being utilized. I assumed that was done internally and I really had no need to know. The latter part of that "no need to know" I seem to be doing quite well.
I am only using one Satallite Box because there is only one place to connect the 75 ohm cable on the Hauppauge500 card. Is that a bad assumption? The more I ramble the more ignorant I appear maybe I'm just wasting everyones time.
I will try to unload all programs and begin again one more time. If that doesn't do it I'll just fade away.

Thanx
Jim

[Opus4]

If SageTV is using a TV tuner on a capture card that is connected directly to a cable TV coax cable, then it can directly tell that tuner what channel to tune to. For external devices, there has to be a way to transmit the channel change instruction to the converter box. When using something like the USB-UIRT, SageTV can directly control the IR blaster device.

The MCE remote/blaster is not a device that SageTV can use directly for channel changes, so you will need to go through additional configuration steps and may possibly need something like Girder. I have never used that device, but there is some info at the bottom of the first post of this index thread: Information Resources for Remotes, Receivers, and IR Blasters.

Maybe someone else who is using the MCE blaster can jump in to help...

Regarding how to choose which tuner is used... you don't really need to bother with that. If you have multiple tuners, SageTV will use the appropriate one when you try to record a show or watch a channel. There is a way to set the priority for when a show/channel is available on both tuners, but that can be set later, once things are working.

- Andy