How well does the Actisys work?

[eruji]

Okay,

ive finaly got sagetv working on my computer, and so far i really like it! What i dont have yet is the actisys transmitter to control my directivo box.

i know what your thinking, "ive already got tivo, why am i messing around with sagetv". Actually i love Tivo, but ive been reading up on HTPC's for the past couple months and decided to finaly take the plunge and set one up.

So now ive got sagetv running... how well does the actisys work? meaning is it stable? will it take longer to change the channels?. (right now i feel that the Phillips dsr6000 takes longer than it should to change channels" will it be worse with the actisys. Ive read a post about it taking longer to change the channels with it, but you could change the transmit rate or delay.

is anyone currently using sagetv with an actisys and a phillips dsr6000? how is it working for you?

thanks in advance.

[dkardatzke]

I've been using the IR-200L with my Motorola DCT-2000 cable box since last November and it's probably only missed 3 or 4 channel changes since then. Much better than the daily missed channel changes from my old TiVo.

If you are used to the channel change delay from a TiVo, SageTV isn't much different.

[eruji]

well i just ordered the actisys from your website (your webstore is really slow, it takes 30-60 seconds to load the product pages)

Much better than the daily missed channel changes from my old TiVo.

ive never had a problem with my tivo not changing to right channel to record a program.

how long does it normally take you guys to process an order and ship it? I assume its shipping from IL?

thanks

[eruji]

Well i recieved my actisys on monday, i messed around with it lastnight. could not get it to work.

here is my question, ive seen the actisys mounted in front of the ir reciever on the cable/directv box. but when im programming the channels 0-9, do i point the original directv remote at the actisys or at another ir reciever. i ask because i cant seem to find a detailed setup of this device and i keep reading that the actisys is not a reciever.

i currently have 2 other ir devices on my computer.. hauppauge 250 remote and an airboard wireless reciever. which device do i point the original remote at to program in sage? actisys,hauppauge, or airboard.

thanks!

[Narflex]

An important clarification on the Actisys:

It can receive IR signals but ONLY for the purpose of learning them.

[eruji]

Thanks for the clarification narflex!

[eruji]

Okay, i spent another hour+ on my htpc lastnight trying to configure the actisys. no luck :-(

here is what i did, i tried all 4 com ports and they all "kinda" work. (well at least i get the same results). basicly i program the button 0 and when i test it, it sometimes will change my directivo box (phillips dsr6000) its like i press the test button 8 or 9 times and it will work maye twice. Ive tried reprogramming the button in the following manner: one long push, two short pushes, two long pushes, push then hold. no luck on any of them. i do notice that the directivo is picking up ir signal when i test, because the ir recieve light flashes. ive tried moving the actisys around, pointing it directly at it, at a 90 degree, different distances.

Im kinda at a loss of what to do. ive tried changing the delay times to 1000 on setup. even when it does manage to corectly send a channel, its usually only one digit and it takes for ever. so i would image channel surfing is going to be very sluggish. (negative SWMBO factor )

I actually called the cable company to find out how much for cable ready tv subscription. If i made the switch to straight cable, then i would be using the tuner in my pvr 250 correct? and how is the channel changing on that card? i assume it would be much more accurate and faster than the actisys. can someone confirm that?

thanks!

[jmeeks]

You should be able to test this without any intervention on your cable companies part. You may be paying for digital cable which requires a box to decode, but you should also be recieving the analogue signal as well that comes along for the ride. Just connect the coax cable up to your PVR250 card and set the card up with another source in SageTV using the tuner and see how you like it.

I know I have no problems with channel changing speed.

[eruji]

You should be able to test this without any intervention on your cable companies part. You may be paying for digital cable which requires a box to decode, but you should also be recieving the analogue signal as well that comes along for the ride

actually i dont have cable service period. im a directv customer. i guess i could just try to test it with over the air connection?

but i would imagine changing the channels using the pvr 250's tuner would work just fine.

I know I have no problems with channel changing speed.

jmeeks, for clarification, do you use the pvr tuner or are you using the actisys?

[eruji]

Well, after 2 nights of messing around with the actisys, ive decided to drop directv. I purchased sagetv, and ordered basic cable. Ill get more channels in the end and ill be able to split the signal to more tvs without having to buy another directv box or subscription fee. AND ill be able to (hopefully) get sage working 100%, not having to rely on the actisys and my directivo. Cable install is on Friday.


SO there you go SAGETV, im a convert from TIVO because of your product. And i don't even have it working completely yet. but i have high hopes :-)

[jmeeks]

I use the PVR tuners without the actisys because I don't have any cable boxes, therefore I don't need it.

As a recommendation, if you decide to split your signal to multiple locations (more than 2) I would get a unity gain distribution box so that your signal won't be degraded from splitting. I have one, and installed one in a friends house and the quality of the signal going into the tuners is vastly improved which improves your final display. (this applies to both SageTV and regular TV watching as well.) (You can get them on ebay) to see what I'm talking about:

http://www.electroline.com/en/produc..._ug/index.html

Try and get a unity gain amp and not one that adds db's to the signal strength, unless your signal is poor already.

[eruji]

thanks for the info John!