Controlling my Digital Cable Box with SageTV?

[DRM2PVR]

Hey everyone, I'm back. After all my various software evals- I bought SageTV and didn't look back. My "Freevo" has been working so good that I've just been consumed with using it.

But as with anything, I'm looking to expand to the next step. I've read a little bit of info on here about the exetuner plugin but I'm not quite sure I'm on the right path. I have a Motorola DCT2524/1631/al Digital Cable box with both rs-232 (DATA) and USB which I'm researching now as to how to interface with my pc. I'd like to make it so SageTV leverages the Digital Cable Guide and tunes my digital cable box to the specified channel, then records through the svideo port on my Hauppauge PVR-250 (rather than the tuner). From what I've read, it sounds like some of you Sattelite folks are doing this... what about you cable people?

I have a feeling this question might have already been driven into the ground but any links to threads I may have missed or relevent documentation to setting this up would be much apreciated!

[kny3twalker]

if cannot get serial connection to work
I can suggest the USB UIRT
it works as both a ir blaster and reciever as well as can control 3 Set-top boxes

[DRM2PVR]

Thank you. I have equal interest in this aproach (and it might be my only option given below). Have you configured your tuner for standard then svideo for both standard and above or just svideo for the above channels?

Running a Hauppauge PVR-250, does anyone know if the tuner and s-video can record simultaniously using the onboard mpeg2 hardware?



No sooner did I start this thread, when I found a thread on serial control:

http://forums.freytechnologies.com/f...&threadid=1606

[kny3twalker]

no the encoder can only encode one video at a time

you can setup multiple sources on one pvr card though
I have analogue cable running to both my pvr cards and DirecTV connected to one of them

and yes I use serial connection

[davin]

kny3twalker, a quick question. I'm waiting for my USB-UIRT to get here, so I'm currently not using my cable box, just running analog signal into my dual 150MCEs. But it sounds like my setup will be just like yours. I was going to try to do what you described... basically have three capture sources set up:

Device 1: 150MCE card #1 using analog cable input
Device 2: 150MCE card #2 using s-video input and controlling cable box with UIRT
Device 3: 150MCE card #3 using analog cable input

So this will work? I also plan on setting the tuner priority for device 3 higher so that if I'm recording one program on channels <=99 it will leave the other card with the cable box free for livetv viewing.

Thanks.

[kny3twalker]

sound almost exactly what I am doing and will work fine

but I have only two tuner cards and my DirecTV channels have no overlap with my analogue cable
which means my second source of DirecTV on my number 2 pvr card is just adding more channels to record from with digital cable this provides no benefit since you get all your channels from the box
(my analogue cable is for locals only and my D* service has no locals)

one thing
I do tend to use higher recording profiles for analogue cable to try to compensate for the quality in comparsion to my D* service

[davin]

Oops... actually I do have the same setup as you. I mistyped my setup... It SHOULD have been:

Device 1: Card #1 with analog cable
Device 2: Card #1 with s-video input from cable box
Device 3: Card #2 with analog cable

I also plan on disabling the analog channels on device 2 so that it will never use the cable box to record an analog channel. That way, even if both tuners are being used to record analog channels, I can still switch my TV input to the cable box and use it to watch digital channels live.

[kny3twalker]

ok yeah that will work
complex but yeah should work fine
I suggest setting up the cable box first then
since you will removing channels you have with analogue
then set up the analogue cable cause you will be adding back these channels

you will only get one guide and sageTV can use more than one source for the same channels

so it might be easier setting up the digital one first

[DRM2PVR]

I made a call to Adelphia here in Southern California where they let me know that all the capable serial controlled boxes are enabled by default. After trying all 5 of my db9 to db9 cables to interface my cable box and not knowing what the pin to pin configuration was (no multimeter here - doh!), the last one was a success! While it works, I have noticed some strange behavior where sometimes Sage does not send the channel change to my box for up to 10 seconds. Other times it takes only 2 seconds. I'm using the MultiDCTTuner 1.2 plugin. Anyone have any suggestions?


NOTE:

I thought for sure the Null Modem serial cables (only ones labeled) would be the right ones but 'not!'. The winner turned out to be a 9 pin Belkin extender cable for a KVM. The other two I had I suspect are direct pass through since they are female to female but who really knows. I'll bet a lot of these problems where people can't get Sage to control their enabled DTC2xxx are related to using the wrong cable. Someone should post the pin to pin config (I will as soon as I find my multimeter).

[mdmint]

Originally Posted by DRM2PVR

NOTE:

I thought for sure the Null Modem serial cables (only ones labeled) would be the right ones but 'not!'. The winner turned out to be a 9 pin Belkin extender cable for a KVM. The other two I had I suspect are direct pass through since they are female to female but who really knows. I'll bet a lot of these problems where people can't get Sage to control their enabled DTC2xxx are related to using the wrong cable. Someone should post the pin to pin config (I will as soon as I find my multimeter).

Straight through, also known as Modem cable. (Which is what an extender is.)

[DRM2PVR]

mdmint ... (1.5 TerraByte raid 5!!!!) Nice setup! But seriously, leave some electricity for us down here in south cali - hahah!

Just a note for people not to confuse the Null Modem serial cables (which are not straight pass though):
http://www.aggsoft.com/rs232-pinout-...db9-to-db9.htm

old female to male EGA and serial mouse extenders work though!