Reliable IR control of Motorola VIP-1200 u-verse stb

[bthurber]

I'm really struggling to get reliable control of my U-verse VIP-1200 STB. It is really frustrating to sit down to watch a recorded show and find that it recorded something like the local access channel due to some digits not being picked up.

I'm currently using the MCE blaster with LMRemote. I couldn't find any codes in the LMRemote database so I had LMRemote learn them. This seemed to go ok, but the STB drops about half of the digits that are sent to it. I've tried different pauses between digits.

I'm beginning to wonder if the MCE blaster is up to the task. I have the HD-PVR which comes with a blaster as well, but I was under the impression that the MCE blaster is better so I haven't bothered. Come to think of it I have a blaster that connects to my Intel motherboard (model DG45ID) as well.

Would USBUIRT be better? It seems strange to me that the U-verse remote (and most remotes for that matter) makes no visible light on the front when I hit a key whereas the MCE blaster flashes what looks to be a normal red LED. Am I possibly dealing with the the wrong spectrum of light trying to talk to this box. It seems crazy to me that I can use the UVerse remote from 30+ feet across the room yet the blaster doesn't work taped right to the front of the STB!

I've heard of people using tape, toilet paper tubes, etc to get their blasters (of any type) working better, but we use the U-verse STB for "normal TV" as my wife likes to call it so I can't go covering the receiver.

Maybe LMRemote isn't learning the codes quite right? I know that some have posted USBUIRT codes for this STB - and I've seen some for LIRC as well at http://lirc.sourceforge.net/remotes/motorola/VIP_1200 I couldn't find any correlation between these codes and what LMRemote records. Supposedly the LIRC codes in particular are the exact right codes.

All ideas appreciated.

Brad