Two extenders in one room (kind of)

[Ceer123]

I currently have one Sage HD extender that is shared troughout the house via an IR distribution network. I would like to add another extender in one room but I still need the IR distribution too. That is most likely going to cause controlling both extenders at the same time. Is there a way to address the extenders to accept different infrared codes? Or, am I going to have to do a custom setup on the local extender and map it to different code? I am using a harmony remote, if that matters.

[TorontoSage]

Originally Posted by Ceer123

I currently have one Sage HD extender that is shared troughout the house via an IR distribution network. I would like to add another extender in one room but I still need the IR distribution too. That is most likely going to cause controlling both extenders at the same time. Is there a way to address the extenders to accept different infrared codes? Or, am I going to have to do a custom setup on the local extender and map it to different code? I am using a harmony remote, if that matters.

The best solution would be to be able to change the device ID on the extender, as it can on some other source devices, but I don't know if this can be done.

But here is another solution that I got from a post on another website: 'One (expensive) solution is to use the Harmony 890 Pro remote with its addressable IR ports on its Wireless Extender. This allows a single IR port on an extender to control a device independently from the other ports. This also allows multiple identical devices to be controlled independently from just one Extender. Note: I don't know if the regular Harmony 890 (non-Pro) has this feature. The feature is documented in the 890 Pro user manual, but not in the regular 890 manual'

I don't think the Harmony 890 Pro is even available anymore as it is not on Logitech's website.

There are other remotes that do the same thing and you can find them by Googling the term 'addressable IR port'.

By the way, how are you sharing the video output from the extender?

[Ceer123]

Yes, I agree a device ID would be cool, but I haven't heard of such a setting. As with most projects I am trying to do this on a low budget so I would prefer to not buy anything, if possible.

The video comes out of the extender component with stereo audio and that feeds a 4x2 matrix switcher. I then take an output of that switch to a component DA/splitter. That feeds the televisions with very long component cables. Simple right?

[TorontoSage]

Originally Posted by Ceer123

Yes, I agree a device ID would be cool, but I haven't heard of such a setting. As with most projects I am trying to do this on a low budget so I would prefer to not buy anything, if possible.

The video comes out of the extender component with stereo audio and that feeds a 4x2 matrix switcher. I then take an output of that switch to a component DA/splitter. That feeds the televisions with very long component cables. Simple right?

They likely don't include the option of changing the device ID on the extenders as very few people would need to do so, but have you asked SageTV if there is such a setting?

Regarding splitting the signal out of the extender, I am planning to do almost the same thing for the 2 HDTVs in the the bedroom/bathroom, both of which would view the same source, and the 2 HDTV's in the living room/kitchen/great room, both of which would also view the same source (but it can be a different one from the bed/bath). I say 'almost' because all I'd have to do is split the output from the extender using a component video distribution splitter, not a switch, as each pair of HTDVs views the same source.

2 HD200 extenders seem like a cheaper option. And with the extenders I get the bonus of being able to watch different sources (which would only happen in the master bedroom/bathroom if someone wanted to close the door between the rooms so that they could watch something different). I thought of using a passive component video splitter instead of an amplified one in order to reduce the price, but I hear that the passive ones don't work that well in that they degrade the signal too much. Has this not been your experience? And then there are the long component video cables that are not cheap. The alternative of using cat5e/6 baluns makes the cable cabling cheap, but then the baluns cost a small fortune. How expensive are the IR receivers you use? When I add the cost of a set of 3 long component video cables, stereo audio cables, and an IR receiver then I get about the same price as an HD200 extender. Or is my math wrong?

I guess if you already have the matrix switch that is a sunk cost that you won't recoup by switching your design now, but I am starting from scratch.

[Opus4]

There is no device ID setting for the extenders to cause one to react to a different set of IR codes. You can remap all the IR codes linked to commands (go to Detailed Setup / Advanced Setup -> Commands -> Link IR to SageTV Command) except for the power on/off codes used to turn the unit on & off. However, there are discrete on & off codes, so you don't have to use the power toggle IR code.

- Andy

[Ceer123]

Ok, I will use the remap feature. Is there a certain device I should tell my harmony remote I am using that has simular buttons?

I use a ce labs active splitter that works well. I did have issues with the passive splitters. Monoprice has some good cables that are 50' 5 RCA for $20. The IR stuff I use is buffalo electronics IR-350. They are about $30 a piece. Keep in mind I set up all of this before extenders were invented (And before I transitioned from MCE to Sage) so I didn't have much of a choice.

[TorontoSage]

Originally Posted by Opus4

There is no device ID setting for the extenders to cause one to react to a different set of IR codes. You can remap all the IR codes linked to commands (go to Detailed Setup / Advanced Setup -> Commands -> Link IR to SageTV Command) except for the power on/off codes used to turn the unit on & off. However, there are discrete on & off codes, so you don't have to use the power toggle IR code.

- Andy

Sorry but I don't understand. Does that mean you can or cannot program a third party programmable remote to turn the extender off and on.

I also don't understand that the part 'except for the power on/off codes used to turn the unit on & off. However, there are discrete on & off codes, so you don't have to use the power toggle IR code'.

You seem to be contradicting yourself or I just don't understand what you are trying to say. Please elaborate.

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by TorontoSage

Sorry but I don't understand. Does that mean you can or cannot program a third party programmable remote to turn the extender off and on.

I also don't understand that the part 'except for the power on/off codes used to turn the unit on & off. However, there are discrete on & off codes, so you don't have to use the power toggle IR code'.

You seem to be contradicting yourself or I just don't understand what you are trying to say. Please elaborate.

The power button on the HD200 remote is used to turn the unit on and off. A single button. So that works as a toggle. That cannot be remapped to another button. There are also discrete IR codes for on/off. One IR code for ON and one IR code for OFF. Those CAN be remapped to different remote buttons. I have these codes mapped on my Harmony 880 so if I press the device button and choose the HD200 on the LCD screen of my remote I have an On command and an Off command using these codes.

Gerry

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by TorontoSage

Sorry but I don't understand. Does that mean you can or cannot program a third party programmable remote to turn the extender off and on.

I think you've got my meaning reversed... you can program a learning/programmable remote for the codes that will turn the extender on/off; what you can't do is teach a different IR code for that purpose to the extender. (The question in this topic was how to use different codes with the extender, not how to program a different remote with the existing codes.)

I also don't understand that the part 'except for the power on/off codes used to turn the unit on & off. However, there are discrete on & off codes, so you don't have to use the power toggle IR code'.

You seem to be contradicting yourself or I just don't understand what you are trying to say. Please elaborate.

There is nothing contradictory in what I said; I was trying to mention better power commands than the one that toggles power.

There are 3 IR codes for power: power on, power off, and power. "Power" is simply a power toggle: if it is on, turn it off; if it is off, turn it on. The power on/off discrete codes allow sending the On command w/o affecting a unit that is already on.

If you send the power on command with multiple units within range of that IR signal & one is on while the other is off, you'll only turn on the unit that was off. If, instead, you send the power toggle command, you'll end up turning one off & the other on... making it difficult to get both of them turned on.

- Andy

[Ceer123]

Ok I got my new extender and set up my harmony remote to be a tivo remote. I then learned all of the commands to sage. I have two problems now:

1. I can't get to the Sage Servers when the unit is powered on without the original remote.

2. For some reason I can only send one command in a row. For example if I press Select on a recording the window comes up to watch now. I can't press select again without moving the cursor down and back up. Very weird. Also when searching using numeric entry I can't get to the second letter because it is not accepting a repeat command. (I fixed that by enabling the hiden feature to search on numeric numbers instead)

Any Ideas?

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by Ceer123

Ok I got my new extender and set up my harmony remote to be a tivo remote. I then learned all of the commands to sage. I have two problems now:

I think someone else mentioned having problems using a tivo remote, so maybe its codes aren't fully recognized by the extender. Your best bet is to use codes that use the RC5 infrared protocol.

- Andy

[Ceer123]

What devices use RC5? Which device should I tell my harmony to be? I tried sony but the extender did not see those commands at all.

[sleonard]

The problem is that each button is sending on of two different, alternating IR codes.

I fixed it by going back into Sage setup and teaching each command to Sage twice in a row. I ended up with two IR codes for each button press and it works properly now.

For example, I went to Sage>Setup>Commands>Learn New Command and chose the Select command. I then pressed the Select button on the remote and Sage accepted the code. I then chose the Select command again and pressed the Select button again and Sage accepted a second different IR code.

S

[Ceer123]

Ok I tried a few more things but I still can't send two select commands in a row. Here is what I tried:
1. Changed to a philips PVR instead of a tivo but got the same results.
2. Some commands work consecutively such as the directional button (I can press down three times and the cursor moves each time)
3. I tried programming the select button twice, as mentioned in the previous post but sage did not recognize the second time I pressed select. Although when I press select and sage does not respond the red light flashes on the extender like it is receiving a command.
4. As I mentioned before the down arrow works, so I programmed the down arrow as select and that didn't help either. It appears to be a software issue with getting two select commands in a row. Also the stop button has the same problem.

Any other ideas?