Help deciding between USB-UIRT & Actisys IR-200L

[Davidgm]

Hi All!

I need help deciding between USB-UIRT & Actisys IR-200L to control my Motorola 2224 cable box. I am using Adelphia cable was looking at using the serial connection. I guess that is not an option with Adelphia at this time after I talked to their tech. support, they said that feature would not be available until they offered HD boxes in my area (Ohio). Thanks for any help that you can give. I am using Sage TV 1.4.10 .

[sixdoubleo]

I don't know if this is a consideration for you or not, but the USB-UIRT is send and receive. In other words it can control your cable boxes as well as receieve IR from a remote. The Actisys will only send.

Also, the USB-UIRT has a 1/8" jack for an emitter...this allows you to use a small IR emitter to directly aim at specific devices. Not sure if the Actisys does that.

John Rhees, the guy who makes the USB-UIRT, is readily available for support and the guy is extremely helpful in solving problems. He goes well out of his way. I say, support the little guys like him.

If it were me, I'd get the USB-UIRT.

[Davidgm]

Thanks for the reply! If I use the USB-UIRT will I then be able to quit using the Hauppauge IR reciever that plugs into the back of the PVR250 card, in addition to using the USB-UIRT to control my cable box? Thanks for your help!

[justme]

As for reccomendations I definitely say USB-UIRT. As stated above it is both a IR transmitter and reciever and I can also state that Jon's support of the USB-UIRT is great.

If I use the USB-UIRT will I then be able to quit using the Hauppauge IR reciever

You don't have to stop using the 250's sensor if you don't want to, but...

You should be able to do that no problem. I use the USB-UIRT to control my cable box(I have Adelphia too )with SageTV. Since the USB-UIRT can also recieve as well as transmit you can use almost any Infrared based remote to control Sage. Of course you would need to teach Sage the IR codes for each button on the remote and link them to the desired SageTV command, but this is very easy to do. The method Sage uses when using the 250's built in IR hardware/software is different from the way it works with the USB-UIRT, so the preprogrammed control doesn't carry over automatically just because you use the same 250 remote. But as stated it is easy to teach Sage to use a remote.

The upside to this is that the way Sage interacts with Infrared codes makes it so you can keep better focus on Sage. Some people report that the 250's native infrared SW/HW will loss focus when you put Sage to sleep. Making it difficult or impossible to wake Sage by remote. This doesn't happen when you use the remote thru the USB-UIRT. I can even put my computer to sleep* and wake it up with my remote using the USB-UIRT. This is something that would be hard if not impossible with the PVR250 IR reciever. Oh one last benefit is that not only can you use almost any remote to control Sage, but you can use several different remotes to control Sage. I use one remote and my wife uses a second remote with Sage.

*If you plan to use any power management features on this computer I reccommend the USB-UIRT even more. As several people have reported problems getting the Actisys to work properly after waking the computer from a sleep state. I would imagine this is related to the fact that the Actisys is a serial device instead of USB.

[Davidgm]

Thanks for the reply! You have pretty much convinced me to go with the USB! You mentioned putting the computer to sleep, if you put the computer to sleep will it wake up if Sage is set to record something? I have been leaving mine run all the time & just putting Sage to sleep! Thanks for your help!

[justme]

Glad to be of help.

if you put the computer to sleep will it wake up if Sage is set to record something?

Sage will not automatically wake the computer from a sleep state by itself. Having said that there is a little addon program someone on this board built to wake the computer at the proper time for Sage to reocrd a show. I don't personally use it since my computer records almost nonstop. From what Narflex has said this program or the feature itself should be easy to incorporate to Sage2 when it come out.