dish network receiver channel changing

[garyellis]

I am going to get the HD only package from Dish Network. I will have 2 receivers. The 211 model..

What is the easiest and cheapest and most reliable method to change channels with Sage for these receivers? I want to use them to record shows into Sage using S-video until I can decide to buy an HD PVR.

Thanks,

Gary Ellis

[HawgGuy]

Here's my vote for a USB-UIRT.

[briands]

Another vote for USB-UIRT

[nick_l]

USB-UIRT, absolutely! Ive been using it for the last several years to change channels on my 3 Dish 301's. I've had zero issues with the hardware and no incorrect channel changes.

Nick

[garyellis]

Thanks..this sound good so far...

So, I just read through stuff about the USB-UIRT...let me make sure what I need..


I need Girder about $50

And do I need 1 or 2 USB UIRT's since I will have 2 receivers? In other words, how many receivers can the USB UIRT control from Sage?

And do I need anything special to make more than 1 work...wires, splitters, connectors?

I assume the USB UIRT connects to my HTPC via the USB port..How does it connect to each of the Dish 211 receivers?


Thanks,

Gary Ellis

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by garyellis

Thanks..this sound good so far...

So, I just read through stuff about the USB-UIRT...let me make sure what I need..


I need Girder about $50

And do I need 1 or 2 USB UIRT's since I will have 2 receivers? In other words, how many receivers can the USB UIRT control from Sage?

And do I need anything special to make more than 1 work...wires, splitters, connectors?

I assume the USB UIRT connects to my HTPC via the USB port..How does it connect to each of the Dish 211 receivers?


Thanks,

Gary Ellis

As someone who just switched to Dish Network, I can tell you that the USB-UIRT is the way to go. Actually the cool thing with Dish Network is that you can set each receiver to a different set of IR codes. Then all you need to do is point the USB UIRT at the "stack" of STB's and since each one has its own set of codes, the Sage will send the correct set of IR codes to the correct box (depending on which it wants to change). I am doing this with a VIP211 and 2 311's.

[viperdiablo]

Paulbeers are you using ir emittors plugged into the back of the UIRT? or are you just facing the front of the UIRT to the front of your stack of STBs? If you are just facing it towards the STB how many boxes can the UIRT Control?

[garyellis]

Thanks Paul....

Does the USB UIRT plug into an input of the 211's or do you need to "point" at the 211's. Or can you do either?

How are you bringing the HD output of the 211's or 311's into Sage?

I think the 2 alternatives are S/video or HD PVR...

Also, are you using Girder?

Thanks for the answers...

Gary Ellis

[briands]

I'm not Paul, but I'm using an USB UIRT for Dish with four VIP211s

You do not need Girder

I have controlled all four with the USBUIRT just by pointing the front toward the front for the stack of STBs (no means of "plugging it in"). As Paul mentioned, you can set the Dish boxes to individual IR command sets (up to 10 or something).

I currently use one R5000, one HD-PVR and a DualTV to capture via Svideo.

[garyellis]

Thanks Briands, You're answers are exactly what I was hoping to hear...

At first I am going to use (2) Svideo captures from (2) 211's into a Hauppauge 500 card. It seems to have an attachment for the second Svideo.

Eventually, I'll buy the HD PVR. Probably after it is able to play 5.1 audio...

Bottomline, are you happy with the Svideo portion of your setup? And are you recording any HD shows using the Svideo (I know its no longer HD)..?


Thanks for the help...

Gary Ellis

[garyellis]

And another couple of questions...

How does the svideo capture come into Sage...If I use a hauppauge PVR 500 card, does the svideo capture to a regular Mpeg file that can be edited with videoredo...or does it get captured in a different format?

Thanks,

Gary Ellis

[briands]

Very happy with the s-vd capture from the VIP211... Not as good as HD, but the file size is much better too.

The capture (assuming Haup 500 or DualTV) the file will be mpeg2 - perfect for show analyzer and other edit tools.

[gibsonpa]

Hi guys. After reading this thread, I went ahead and had to dish network 211's installed this week...and my USB-UIRT from Sage will be here on Monday.

Question for you all that have done this already...j

1. How do you change the Dish 211 to use a different set of IR commands. Is this in the receiver setup somewhere?

2. Did you have to create/change some sort of .ir file for the USB-UIRT?

3. I am capturing my 211's via S-Video on my tuner cards...do I need to setup some sort of "quality" setting in Sage, or is it like my OTA HD where it ignores any quality settings and just captures the stream. If I have to set some sort of quality, what would be this highest recommended for S-Video...Hard Drive space is not an issue for my setup.

All of my watching is on 4 extenders throughout the house.

Any help from others that have already done this setup would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

[gibsonpa]

Forgot to mention, my dish package is the all-HD package...so I am capturing HD via the S-Video...until I can convince the wife I need 2 HD-PVR's

[garyellis]

I am doing the same thing this weekend....so far, I am disappointed in the Svideo capture quality. So, I may need to play around with that some. It is almost, but not as good as my time warner cable SD picture quality for the same channels. I expected better, since it is HD going to Svideo...I did not expect less..

The USB-UIRT worked great once I figured out how to create the right file...It was very easy to do... Let me know if you need to know how to do that. I got a 211 receiver installed, but the second one was not good, so the installer is coming back Monday for the second 211. The 211 user's guide says that each 211 can be set up in a different mode, thus allowing a different set of IR codes to work with each. Thus, when I get the second one, I will create a second dish211.IR file..(named something different) and set up the video sources to each use a different *.IR file.

My biggest problem now is the aspect ratio of the dish programs are all very small... So, I need to figure out how to make it look correct. (Black bars on top and bottom and both sides...

Let me know if you have more questions...I may can make it a little easier..

Gary Ellis

[popechild]

This looks like a good place to get help with this problem. Namely, I'm trying to use the USB-UIRT to control my Dish VIP211 (through the HD PVR), but it's only receiving every other button press for some reason. For instance, when I go to "test code" in the tuning plugin I created and learned all the codes for, I can test "0" and the VIP211 doesn't see it. If I test "0" again though, it sees it. It does this for every one of the numbers I learned - sees it only every other time.

Did you guys have to somehow teach the USB-UIRT plugin you created to use two separate codes?

Also, any chance none of you are using the Dish VIP211k? That's the one I have, which I think is the newest version, and I'm wondering if they've changed something with the way it receives its remote codes?

And someone mentioned being able to tell the VIP211 to use a different set of remote codes. Where would I go to set this up? Maybe there's something there that will help me.

Thanks!

[gplasky]

There are two codes for each button of your remote. Just learn it twice to each command.

Gerry

[popechild]

Originally Posted by gplasky

There are two codes for each button of your remote. Just learn it twice to each command.

Gerry

This is what I'm asking. How do I do that? I know how to do it for learning the codes to control Sage through the USB-UIRT using the "link commands" option in the setup menu. But where do I do this for learning the codes to control the STB? When I go to the USB-UIRT tuning plugin and use the "learn remote code" option, it lets me learn it once, but I can't figure out how to learn the 2nd code. Is there somewhere else I should be doing it?